Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
Big James Kitchen won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2025
- 2026
Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITOR SERIES) 2026
Jun 12–13, 2026 · Springfield, TN · 📍 4635 US-41
Reps: Lygia (Lex) Vanegas, Robert Vanderipe · Prize money: $3,350
Big James Kitchen won Grand Champion at the Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITOR SERIES) on June 12, 2026 in Springfield, TN at 4635 US-41, scoring 535.4288 in a field of 32 teams. Bad company cookers took Reserve Grand Champion with 535.4056. Category winners: Chicken — Armstrong Smoke & Co. (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Burnt Plow BBQ (180.0000); Pork — Killer B Backyard BBQ (180.0000). This is the 4th of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Big James Kitchen.
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.
461.57
median 507.66
535.43 🏆
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 180 🔥
- Pork 180 🔥
150.78
180
Entries
32
3 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
535.4288
Winning margin
0.0232
GC over RC
Field average
505.62
461.57535.43
median 507.66 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
6 🔥
Armstrong Smoke & Co. (Chicken), Bad company cookers (Chicken), Big James Kitchen (Chicken) + 3 more
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
516.5144
461.57535.43
10th place overall
Field spread
73.8628
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,350
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
Came back for more
47%
17 of 36 teams from the previous edition returned
Storylines (7 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.
Won without a category win
3 of 3
meats called to the stage
Big James Kitchen won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 3 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 3rd
A day of perfect scores
6
perfect 180s
6 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Armstrong Smoke & Co. · Chicken
- Bad company cookers · Chicken
- Big James Kitchen · Chicken
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
Big James Kitchen has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2025
- 2026
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: Armstrong Smoke & Co. and Bad company cookers tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: Bad company cookers and Big James Kitchen tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: Bad company cookers and Hot Tooters tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
Armstrong Smoke & Co. turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8572
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Hogs B Hatin' (won 2024), Big James Kitchen (won 2025).
- Hogs B Hatin' · 2024
- Big James Kitchen · 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
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2023 | Springfield, TN | 4635 HWY 41 N | 30 | 698.2172 | Pig Destroyer |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Springfield, TN | 4635 HWY 41 N | 33 | 531.9656 | Hogs B Hatin' |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Springfield, TN | 4635 US-41 | 36 | 535.4172 | Big James Kitchen |
| Jun 12, 2026 ← this one | Springfield, TN | 4635 US-41 | 32 | 535.4288 | Big James Kitchen |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 177.7144 | 173.7144 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 175.4056 | 173.1200 |
| Pork | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.2744 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Competitor Series
Overall
32 entries · top 535.4288 · median 507.6630 · out of 540, not the usual 720
Chicken
32 entries · top 180 · median 169.3942 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
32 entries · top 180 · median 169.6972 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
32 entries · top 180 · median 167.4000 · 🔥 perfect 180
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 — Cocktail
11 entries · top 180 · median 176.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big B BBQ Company | |
| 2 | Killer B Backyard BBQ | |
| 3 | Hogs B Hatin' | |
| 4 | Deep Space Swine BBQ | |
| 5 | Hot Tooters | |
| 6 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 7 | Big Red Smokin BBQ | |
| 8 | RT Que | |
| 9 | Music City Que | |
| 10 | Bad company cookers | |
| 11 | Big James Kitchen |
Ancillary — Dessert
18 entries · top 180 · median 175.9828 · 🔥 perfect 180