May 30–31, 2025 · Lafayette, GA · 📍 298 Culberson Ave · State championship
Reps: Lygia (Lex) Vanegas, Robert Vanderipe · Prize money: $5,000
STEWBABYS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Honeybee BBQ Competition on May 30, 2025 in Lafayette, GA at 298 Culberson Ave, scoring 699.4060 in a field of 26 teams. MAYA JANE BBQ CO. took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9544. Category winners: Chicken — RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA (178.8572); Pork Ribs — 1909 Mountain Smoke (177.7144); Pork — Blue Smoke Q (177.7028); Brisket — RANCH HOUSE KITCHEN (177.7372). The Backyard Series standings were won by Electro-Que-ted with 353.1200. This is the 6th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Bad Rooster BBQ; the next was held in 2026.
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, 2019 to 2026 — 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 86 times in 100
Stewbabys BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 14-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
STEWBABYS BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 4th. Consistency beat fireworks.
Master Series — Chicken places 1–2: RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA and BAD ROOSTER BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 2–3: BAD ROOSTER BBQ and Southern Life BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 2–3: MAYA JANE BBQ CO. and ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Bad Rooster BBQ (won 2024).
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2019 | LaFayette, GA | 298 Culberson Av | 22 | 699.9656 | Under The Radar | Q-INATOR! |
| Jun 12, 2020 | LaFayette, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 25 | 701.0740 | Smoke Me Silly | UNDER THE RADAR |
| Jun 2, 2023 | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 27 | 710.8228 | Smoke Central BBQ | Organizer Portal |
| May 31, 2024 | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 25 | 698.1940 | Bad Rooster BBQ | CHOOCHOO BBQ |
| May 30, 2025 ← this one | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 26 | 699.4060 | Stewbabys BBQ | MAYA JANE BBQ CO. |
| May 29, 2026 | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 19 | 710.8344 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 178.8572 | 177.7028 | 173.1200 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 175.4172 | 171.4172 |
| Master Series — Pork | 177.7028 | 173.1316 | 170.8228 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.7372 | 175.4056 | 169.6684 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 180 | 169.6800 | 166.8228 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 177.1428 | 167.3828 | 150.7772 |
| Ancillary — Pork | 178.8572 | 166.2400 | 159.9428 |
26 entries · top 699.4060 · median 680.4570
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8286
26 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.6858
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.0970
26 entries · top 177.7372 · median 167.4172
11 entries · top 353.1200 · median 334.7656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 3 | 3D BBQ | |
| 4 | LEE LA Q | |
| 5 | Grillbilly Holland | |
| 6 | BAD BRAD'S BBQ | |
| 7 | Masons Rolling BBQ | |
| 8 | Smokin Joe's | |
| 9 | JACK SHACK | |
| 10 | Boer's BBQ | |
| 11 | Holy Smokes! |
11 entries · top 180 · median 168.5828 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | Grillbilly Holland | |
| 3 | Masons Rolling BBQ | |
| 4 | LEE LA Q | |
| 5 | JACK SHACK | |
| 6 | 3D BBQ | |
| 7 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 8 | BAD BRAD'S BBQ | |
| 9 | Smokin Joe's | |
| 10 | Boer's BBQ | |
| 11 | Holy Smokes! |
11 entries · top 177.1428 · median 159.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 2 | 3D BBQ | |
| 3 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 4 | LEE LA Q | |
| 5 | BAD BRAD'S BBQ | |
| 6 | Masons Rolling BBQ | |
| 7 | Grillbilly Holland | |
| 8 | Smokin Joe's | |
| 9 | Boer's BBQ | |
| 10 | JACK SHACK | |
| 11 | Holy Smokes! |
11 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.7144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEE LA Q | |
| 2 | BAD BRAD'S BBQ | |
| 3 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 4 | 3D BBQ | |
| 5 | Grillbilly Holland | |
| 6 | Boer's BBQ | |
| 7 | JACK SHACK | |
| 8 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 9 | Smokin Joe's | |
| 10 | Holy Smokes! | |
| 11 | Masons Rolling BBQ |