Jul 6–7, 2018 · Petaluma, CA · 📍 175 Fairgrounds Dr, Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won Grand Champion at the Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival on July 6, 2018 in Petaluma, CA at 175 Fairgrounds Dr, Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, scoring 701.1316 in a field of 38 teams. RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 696.5716. Category winners: Chicken — MONSOON BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Sharpe's Woodshed (177.1544); Pork — RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ (176.5600). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by SHARPE GOURMET COOKING WOOD.
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, 2016 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.
701.1316 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 695.8968 SHARPE GOURMET COOKING WOOD set in 2017.
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
Chicken places 1–2: MONSOON BBQ and BIG POPPA SMOKERS tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ and SMOKIN' AXE BBQ tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: PIRATES OF THE PIG and HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2016 | Petaluma, CA | 175 Fairgrounds Dr | 38 | 678.2056 | SON OF SMOKE | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| Jul 7, 2017 | Petaluma, CA | 175 Fairgrounds Dr, Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds | 50 | 695.8968 | SHARPE GOURMET COOKING WOOD | CYNICAL BBQ |
| Jul 6, 2018 ← this one | Petaluma, CA | 175 Fairgrounds Dr, Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds | 38 | 701.1316 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 170.8344 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 173.7260 | 170.2628 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 174.8800 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 173.1428 | 171.9656 |
38 entries · top 701.1316 · median 668.2000
36 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.1200
38 entries · top 177.1544 · median 165.7086
38 entries · top 177.7144 · median 165.4056
37 entries · top 176.5600 · median 165.7028
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.
18 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.2514