Jan 18–19, 2019 · Bullhead City, AZ · 📍 Rotary Park · State championship
Prize money: $18,000
4 LEGS UP BBQ won Grand Champion at the Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge on January 18, 2019 in Bullhead City, AZ at Rotary Park, scoring 696.5256 in a field of 63 teams. UTAH BBQ COMPANY took Reserve Grand Champion with 692.5256. Category winners: Chicken — GIRLS CAN GRILL (176.5600); Pork Ribs — MOODSWING BBQ (178.2972); Pork — UTAH BBQ COMPANY (177.7028); Brisket — SMOKIN IT UP BBQ (174.8572). This is the 3rd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by ROOFTOP BBQ; the next was held in 2020.
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, 2017 to 2023 — 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 76 times in 100
4 LEGS UP BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
4 LEGS UP BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
Chicken places 2–3: YOUR BEHIND BBQ and BAD BOYZ BBQ tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: MOODSWING BBQ and THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 1–2: SMOKIN IT UP BBQ and CASUAL SMOKERS tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SHIG NINJA BBQ (won 2017), ROOFTOP BBQ (won 2018).
Bigger than 93% of the 5,468 contests in the data
63 teams — bigger than 93% of the 5,468 contests in the data.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 20, 2017 | Bullhead City, AZ | Rotary Park | 40 | 697.0972 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | STEEL CITY BBQ |
| Jan 19, 2018 | Bullhead City, AZ | Rotary Park | 70 | 700.5600 | ROOFTOP BBQ | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ |
| Jan 18, 2019 ← this one | Bullhead City, AZ | Rotary Park | 63 | 696.5256 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | UTAH BBQ COMPANY |
| Jan 17, 2020 | Bullhead City, AZ | Rotary Park | 59 | 695.9428 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | THE BBQ BUS |
| Jan 14, 2022 | Bullhead City, AZ | Rotary Park | 59 | 695.3944 | SHARPE GOURMET COOKING WOOD | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| Jan 13, 2023 | Bullhead City, AZ | Rotary Park | 45 | 691.3716 | STEVO'S BBQ | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5600 | 174.2744 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 173.1316 | 170.2628 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 174.2856 | 172.5828 |
| Brisket | 174.8572 | 174.2628 | 171.9656 |
63 entries · top 696.5256 · median 659.2916
61 entries · top 176.5600 · median 168.5256
63 entries · top 178.2972 · median 164.5372
62 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.9828
61 entries · top 174.8572 · median 165.7144
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.
10 entries · top 180 · median 171.7086 · 🔥 perfect 180
7 entries · top 176.5600 · median 162.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 2 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 3 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 4 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 5 | BLAZING BUZZARD BBQ | |
| 6 | BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 7 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE |
15 entries · top 180 · median 168.5944 · 🔥 perfect 180
6 entries · top 173.7028 · median 163.6858
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAD'S CHILLIN' AND GRILLIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 3 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 4 | BLAZING BUZZARD BBQ | |
| 5 | BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ |