A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Armstrong Smoke & Co. · Chicken
- Dogpatch Q · Chicken
- Mind if I Smoke? · Chicken
High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) 2026
May 15–16, 2026 · Winchester, TN · 📍 1561 Phillip Fulmer Parkway
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $5,500
PUDDLEDUCK BBQ won Grand Champion at the High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) on May 15, 2026 in Winchester, TN at 1561 Phillip Fulmer Parkway, scoring 357.1544 in a field of 29 teams. Big Fluff BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 355.4516. Category winners: Chicken — Armstrong Smoke & Co. (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Big Fluff BBQ (178.2972). This is the 9th of 9 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Dogpatch Q.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
291.34
median 338.80
357.15 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.30
141.66
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
29
2 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
357.1544
Winning margin
1.7028
GC over RC
Field average
334.63
291.34357.15
median 338.80 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
343.3712
291.34357.15
10th place overall
Field spread
65.8172
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,500
on the line
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 5%
beats 95% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
38%
12 of 32 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,543
avg power rating going in · stronger than 32% of contests
Storylines (3 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: Armstrong Smoke & Co. and Dogpatch Q tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: Dogpatch Q and Mind if I Smoke? tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: HELL ON SQUEALS and HOLY SMOKIN!!! tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0116
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Dogpatch Q (won 2025).
- Dogpatch Q · 2025
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2013 | Winchester, TN | Winchester, TN | 60 | 704.5712 | BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ | Organizer Portal |
| Apr 18, 2014 | Winchester, TN | Winchester, TN 37398 | 62 | 701.0972 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | FRIENDS OF OBR |
| Apr 17, 2015 | Winchester, TN | Winchester, TN | 59 | 708.0116 | UNCULTURED SWINE | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N |
| Apr 15, 2016 | Winchester, TN | 1561 Phillip Fulmer | 56 | 699.9772 | BIG BLUE QUE | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS |
| Apr 21, 2017 | Winchester, TN | 1561 Phillip Fulmer Pkwy | 41 | 709.1200 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID |
| Apr 20, 2018 | Winchester, TN | 1561 Phillip Fulmer Pkwy | 42 | 699.9312 | HOT COLE'S BBQ | BIG BLUE QUE |
| Apr 19, 2019 | Winchester, TN | 1561 Phillip Fulmer Pkwy | 39 | 699.3484 | Fat, Drunk & Stupid BBQ | 615 BBQ |
| May 16, 2025 | Winchester, TN | 1561 Phillip Fulmer Parkway | 32 | 358.8572 | Dogpatch Q | — |
| May 15, 2026 ← this one | Winchester, TN | 1561 Phillip Fulmer Parkway | 29 | 357.1544 | Puddleduck BBQ | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 178.8572 | 172.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 174.2628 | 171.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
29 entries · top 357.1544 · median 338.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 2 | Big Fluff BBQ | |
| 3 | Mind if I Smoke? | |
| 4 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 5 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 6 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 7 | Modest Meats | |
| 8 | Bentley Que | |
| 9 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 10 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 11 | Porko Smoko | |
| 12 | Southern Swine | |
| 13 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 14 | Smoke a Fatty BBQ Nashville | |
| 15 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 16 | Budget BBQ | |
| 17 | Black Label Smokers | |
| 18 | 4 Paws BBQ | |
| 19 | Big KEV'S BBQ | |
| 20 | Cedar Creek | |
| 21 | Pork Life | |
| 22 | Myke's BBQ | |
| 23 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 24 | Mempho BBQ | |
| 25 | Audrey & Helen's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 26 | Hey Dude BBQ | |
| 27 | Dirty South | |
| 28 | Mr. Big Hat BBQ | |
| 29 | Grill of Fortune BBQ |
Chicken
29 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 2 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 3 | Mind if I Smoke? | |
| 4 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 5 | Bentley Que | |
| 6 | Big Fluff BBQ | |
| 7 | Black Label Smokers | |
| 8 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 9 | Modest Meats | |
| 10 | Porko Smoko | |
| 11 | Southern Swine | |
| 12 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 13 | Cedar Creek | |
| 14 | Pork Life | |
| 15 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 16 | Smoke a Fatty BBQ Nashville | |
| 17 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 18 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 19 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 20 | Big KEV'S BBQ | |
| 21 | Myke's BBQ | |
| 22 | Mempho BBQ | |
| 23 | Audrey & Helen's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 24 | 4 Paws BBQ | |
| 25 | Budget BBQ | |
| 26 | Hey Dude BBQ | |
| 27 | Mr. Big Hat BBQ | |
| 28 | Grill of Fortune BBQ | |
| 29 | Dirty South |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 178.2972 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Fluff BBQ | |
| 2 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 3 | Budget BBQ | |
| 4 | Mind if I Smoke? | |
| 5 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 6 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 7 | Modest Meats | |
| 8 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 9 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 10 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 11 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 12 | 4 Paws BBQ | |
| 13 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 14 | Porko Smoko | |
| 15 | Southern Swine | |
| 16 | Smoke a Fatty BBQ Nashville | |
| 17 | Big KEV'S BBQ | |
| 18 | Bentley Que | |
| 19 | Myke's BBQ | |
| 20 | Pork Life | |
| 21 | Cedar Creek | |
| 22 | Dirty South | |
| 23 | Black Label Smokers | |
| 24 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 25 | Mempho BBQ | |
| 26 | Hey Dude BBQ | |
| 27 | Audrey & Helen's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 28 | Mr. Big Hat BBQ | |
| 29 | Grill of Fortune BBQ |
Ancillary categories
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.
Ancillary — Anything Pork
21 entries · top 180 · median 165.6800 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bentley Que | |
| 2 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 3 | Big Fluff BBQ | |
| 4 | Southern Swine | |
| 5 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 6 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 7 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 8 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 9 | Pork Life | |
| 10 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 11 | Cedar Creek | |
| 12 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 13 | Smoke a Fatty BBQ Nashville | |
| 14 | Myke's BBQ | |
| 15 | Audrey & Helen's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 16 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 17 | Mempho BBQ | |
| 18 | Grill of Fortune BBQ | |
| 19 | Big KEV'S BBQ | |
| 20 | Porko Smoko | |
| 21 | Mr. Big Hat BBQ |
Ancillary — Dessert
13 entries · top 180 · median 178.8572 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 2 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 3 | Myke's BBQ | |
| 4 | Mempho BBQ | |
| 5 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 6 | Grill of Fortune BBQ | |
| 7 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 8 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 9 | Black Label Smokers | |
| 10 | Bentley Que | |
| 11 | Pork Life | |
| 12 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 13 | Mr. Big Hat BBQ |
Ancillary — Sliders
13 entries · top 177.2000 · median 166.3200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grill of Fortune BBQ | |
| 2 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 3 | Pork Life | |
| 4 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 5 | Mr. Big Hat BBQ | |
| 6 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 7 | Black Label Smokers | |
| 8 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 9 | Dirty South | |
| 10 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 11 | Audrey & Helen's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 12 | Big KEV'S BBQ | |
| 13 | Bentley Que |
Ancillary — Tacos
21 entries · top 177.1428 · median 162.2168
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 2 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 3 | Bentley Que | |
| 4 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 5 | Modest Meats | |
| 6 | Cedar Creek | |
| 7 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 8 | Big Fluff BBQ | |
| 9 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 10 | Black Label Smokers | |
| 11 | Big KEV'S BBQ | |
| 12 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 13 | Hey Dude BBQ | |
| 14 | Mr. Big Hat BBQ | |
| 15 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 16 | Grill of Fortune BBQ | |
| 17 | 4 Paws BBQ | |
| 18 | Porko Smoko | |
| 19 | Budget BBQ | |
| 20 | Audrey & Helen's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 21 | Pork Life |