A razor-thin finish
Closer than 95% of the 4,742 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5140 points — closer than 95% of every championship in the data.
- UNCLE KENNY'S BBQ
- HOT WACHULA'S
2016-07-07 – 2016-07-09 · Greenwood, SC · 📍 Greenwood, SC
Grand Champion: UNCLE KENNY'S BBQ (686.7656) · 82 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 HOT WACHULA'S
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Closer than 95% of the 4,742 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5140 points — closer than 95% of every championship in the data.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 70 times in 100
Uncle Kenny's Take-Away came in rated below the field's top team, CHECKERED PIG, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 30-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
Uncle Kenny's Take-Away won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 1 call from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 3.9656 points — 3 teams sat within a single point of the lead.
Chicken places 1–2: WICKED QUE and Uncle Kenny's Take-Away tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA and SMOKIN BLUE Q FL tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: BAREKNUCKLES BBQ and BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW tied on 172.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
TWO OLD MEN AND A GRILL turned in 178.8572 in pork ribs — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: KILLER B'S BBQ (won 2014), BUB-BA-Q (won 2015).
Bigger than 98% of the 5,410 contests in the data
82 teams made this a bigger field than 98% of every contest tracked.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-07-11 | Greenwood, SC | Greenwood, SC | 78 | 678.7656 | LOTTA BULL BBQ | BIG RED'S BARBECUE |
| 2014-07-10 | Greenwood, SC | Greenwood, SC 29646 | 86 | 690.2288 | KILLER B'S BBQ | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
| 2015-07-09 | Greenwood, SC | Greenwood, SC 29646 | 90 | 697.0856 | BUB-BA-Q | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ |
| 2016-07-07 ← this one | Greenwood, SC | Greenwood, SC | 82 | 686.7656 | UNCLE KENNY'S BBQ | HOT WACHULA'S |
| 2017-07-06 | Greenwood, SC | 120 Main Street | 89 | 700.5372 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC |
| 2018-07-12 | Greenwood, SC | Main Street | 89 | 694.8232 | OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY |
| 2019-07-12 | Greenwood, SC | Main Street | 83 | 690.8112 | SMOKIN' GRINGOS | PALMETTO PITMASTERS |
| 2021-07-09 | Greenwood, SC | Main Street | 81 | 706.8576 | SMOKE CENTRAL | SMOKIN' AIN'T EZ |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 175.4172 | 171.4172 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 171.9772 |
| Pork | 176.0228 | 171.9656 | 170.8228 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 172.5600 |
82 entries · top 686.7656 · median 649.8284
82 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.6800
82 entries · top 178.8572 · median 162.2342
82 entries · top 176.0228 · median 162.8342
80 entries · top 178.8572 · median 162.2226
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
34 entries · top 178.3200 · median 164.3144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PALMETTO PITMASTERS | |
| 2 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 3 | SKINT BACK BBQ | |
| 4 | WINK'S BARBEQUE | |
| 5 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 6 | PICKIN' PORKERS | |
| 7 | DIVINE SMOKE | |
| 8 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 9 | COOK EM HORNS | |
| 10 | BOOTYQUE | |
| 11 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 12 | CHUBBS & TUBBS BBQ | |
| 13 | BACKYARD BRO'S | |
| 14 | BLUE SUEDE QUE | |
| 15 | SMOKIN' GRINGO'S BBQ | |
| 16 | PASS THAT SMOKE BBQ | |
| 17 | SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | |
| 18 | QUALITY QUE | |
| 19 | BAYOU POKER SMOKERS | |
| 20 | QUE IT UP GREENWOOD! | |
| 21 | RIVERSIDE SMOKE | |
| 22 | Fat Daddys | |
| 23 | Pig In Or Pig Out | |
| 24 | SOME-R SWINE | |
| 25 | BACKDRAFT BBQ SC | |
| 26 | Rubbing Butts BBQ | |
| 27 | CD's BBQ | |
| 28 | NARD'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 29 | WORTHEY OF THE PIG | |
| 30 | GREAT SOUTHERN BBQ | |
| 31 | OFF THE GRILL BBQ | |
| 32 | PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 33 | BYRD-B-QUE | |
| 34 | 3 Blind Hogs |
23 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 2 | PALMETTO PITMASTERS | |
| 3 | BLOWIN' SMOKE LLC | |
| 4 | MIDNIGHT BURN | |
| 5 | BLUE SUEDE QUE | |
| 6 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 7 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | |
| 8 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 9 | Fat Daddys | |
| 10 | QUALITY QUE | |
| 11 | CHUBBS & TUBBS BBQ | |
| 12 | SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | |
| 13 | QUE IT UP GREENWOOD! | |
| 14 | 3 Blind Hogs | |
| 15 | WINK'S BARBEQUE | |
| 16 | BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 17 | PASS THAT SMOKE BBQ | |
| 18 | BACKYARD BRO'S | |
| 19 | BYRD-B-QUE | |
| 20 | WORTHEY OF THE PIG | |
| 21 | CD's BBQ | |
| 22 | PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 23 | Rubbing Butts BBQ |
14 entries · top 168.0000 · median 151.0856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLIND SWINE BBQ | |
| 2 | BLUE SUEDE QUE | |
| 3 | Fat Daddys | |
| 4 | Rubbing Butts BBQ | |
| 5 | DIVINE SMOKE | |
| 6 | BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 7 | BYRD-B-QUE | |
| 8 | Little Piggies Gone Wild | |
| 9 | CD's BBQ | |
| 10 | WINK'S BARBEQUE | |
| 11 | PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 12 | Smokehouse BBQ & Home Cooking | |
| 13 | 3 Blind Hogs | |
| 14 | NARD'S BACKYARD BBQ |