May 13–14, 2016 · Rome, GA
HICKORY PRIME won Grand Champion at the Roman Roast on the River on May 13, 2016 in Rome, GA, scoring 693.0512 in a field of 36 teams. K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 688.4912. Category winners: Chicken — STEWBABYS BBQ (177.7028); Pork Ribs — HICKORY PRIME (177.7144); Pork — K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ (177.1428); Brisket — MAJOR Q BBQ (175.4172). This is the 4th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by OLD PLANTATION BBQ; the next was held in 2017.
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 2018 — 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.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 65 times in 100
HICKORY PRIME came in rated below the field's top team, QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 35-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
2 of 6 tracked editions
QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
Chicken places 5–6: K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ and Q-HUTTA tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N and SMOKE ON THIS tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: STEWBABYS BBQ and Q-HUTTA tied on 170.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
HICKORY PRIME took the title on 2 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 13th.
HICKORY PRIME turned in 177.7144 in pork ribs — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N (won 2014), OLD PLANTATION BBQ (won 2015).
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2013 | Rome, GA | Rome, GA | 33 | 693.7144 | KUDZU Q | PIG WHISPERERS |
| May 9, 2014 | Rome, GA | Rome, GA 30162 | 38 | 704 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS |
| May 8, 2015 | Rome, GA | Rome, GA 30165 | 41 | 698.8000 | OLD PLANTATION BBQ | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOAR |
| May 13, 2016 ← this one | Rome, GA | Rome, GA 30165 | 36 | 693.0512 | HICKORY PRIME | K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ |
| May 12, 2017 | Rome, GA | Rome, GA 30165 | 37 | 698.2516 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | SMOKE ON THIS |
| May 11, 2018 | Rome, GA | 2781 John Petree RD | 39 | 699.4288 | DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 175.4056 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.7372 | 170.2628 |
| Pork | 177.1428 | 171.9772 | 170.2628 |
| Brisket | 175.4172 | 173.1084 | 169.7028 |
36 entries · top 693.0512 · median 668.3882
36 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.6800
36 entries · top 177.7144 · median 165.9772
36 entries · top 177.1428 · median 167.1028
35 entries · top 175.4172 · median 166.2284
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.
6 entries · top 172 · median 166.8514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS | |
| 2 | BIG L'S SWEET HEAT | |
| 3 | Bad Dad's BBQ | |
| 4 | PIG OUT BAR-B-Q | |
| 5 | Here For The Beer BBQ | |
| 6 | Bob's Taxidermy and Day Care |
17 entries · top 174.8572 · median 166.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WATER HAWGS BBQ | |
| 2 | BALDY'S BUTTS | |
| 3 | TEAM SWAG BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKEY ADAMS BAR-B-Q | |
| 5 | Smoking Hot Butts & Racks | |
| 6 | BUNCH OF BUTTS | |
| 7 | POOR BOYS BBQ COMPANY | |
| 8 | Wade's | |
| 9 | MOUNTAIN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 10 | Wiggle Butts BBQ | |
| 11 | EAST COAST BBQ | |
| 12 | Here For The Beer BBQ | |
| 13 | HOLY SMOKERS | |
| 14 | PIG OUT BAR-B-Q | |
| 15 | e2BBQ | |
| 16 | FOLKS BBQ | |
| 17 | Bob's Taxidermy and Day Care |
17 entries · top 350.2628 · median 328.4916
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BALDY'S BUTTS | |
| 2 | WATER HAWGS BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKEY ADAMS BAR-B-Q | |
| 4 | BUNCH OF BUTTS | |
| 5 | EAST COAST BBQ | |
| 6 | POOR BOYS BBQ COMPANY | |
| 7 | Smoking Hot Butts & Racks | |
| 8 | Wade's | |
| 9 | TEAM SWAG BBQ | |
| 10 | Wiggle Butts BBQ | |
| 11 | FOLKS BBQ | |
| 12 | e2BBQ | |
| 13 | MOUNTAIN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 14 | HOLY SMOKERS | |
| 15 | PIG OUT BAR-B-Q | |
| 16 | Bob's Taxidermy and Day Care | |
| 17 | Here For The Beer BBQ |
17 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FOLKS BBQ | |
| 2 | MOUNTAIN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 3 | BALDY'S BUTTS | |
| 4 | BUNCH OF BUTTS | |
| 5 | TEAM SWAG BBQ | |
| 6 | e2BBQ | |
| 7 | PIG OUT BAR-B-Q | |
| 8 | Bob's Taxidermy and Day Care | |
| 9 | SMOKEY ADAMS BAR-B-Q | |
| 10 | Wade's | |
| 11 | Wiggle Butts BBQ | |
| 12 | WATER HAWGS BBQ | |
| 13 | Smoking Hot Butts & Racks | |
| 14 | EAST COAST BBQ | |
| 15 | POOR BOYS BBQ COMPANY | |
| 16 | HOLY SMOKERS | |
| 17 | Here For The Beer BBQ |
17 entries · top 175.4172 · median 164.5944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BALDY'S BUTTS | |
| 2 | EAST COAST BBQ | |
| 3 | BUNCH OF BUTTS | |
| 4 | FOLKS BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKEY ADAMS BAR-B-Q | |
| 6 | WATER HAWGS BBQ | |
| 7 | POOR BOYS BBQ COMPANY | |
| 8 | e2BBQ | |
| 9 | Wade's | |
| 10 | Smoking Hot Butts & Racks | |
| 11 | Wiggle Butts BBQ | |
| 12 | Bob's Taxidermy and Day Care | |
| 13 | HOLY SMOKERS | |
| 14 | MOUNTAIN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 15 | TEAM SWAG BBQ | |
| 16 | PIG OUT BAR-B-Q | |
| 17 | Here For The Beer BBQ |
9 entries · top 178.8572 · median 175.4172
14 entries · top 173.7028 · median 165.1314