A statement win
16.6516
points clear of the field
Wider than 98% of the 610 championships in the data
The champion won by 16.6516 points — a wider margin than 98% of championships in the data.
Mission Q (Backyard Only) 2019
Nov 22–23, 2019 · Tuscumbia, AL · 📍 300 North Commons St.
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $3,000
SWEET CHEEKS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Mission Q (Backyard Only) on November 22, 2019 in Tuscumbia, AL at 300 North Commons St., scoring 359.4400 in a field of 20 teams. Twin States BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 342.7884. Category winners: Chicken — SWEET CHEEKS BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SWEET CHEEKS BBQ (179.4400). This is the 5th of 8 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition came before it; the next was held in 2020.
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.
167.38
median 337.96
359.44 🏆
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 179.44
147.92
180
Entries
20
2 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
359.4400
Winning margin
16.6516
GC over RC
Field average
325.47
167.38359.44
median 337.96 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
8.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
338.2172
167.38359.44
10th place overall
Field spread
192.0572
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,000
on the line
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 1%
beats 99% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.53 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,540
avg power rating going in · stronger than 30% of contests
Storylines (4 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 6 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: HELL ON SQUEALS and Thin Blue Swine tied on 170.8344 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: LEE LA Q and HICKORY HANGOVER tied on 170.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Thin Blue Swine edged Twin States BBQ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
SWEET CHEEKS BBQ won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- SWEET CHEEKS BBQ · Chicken
In the record book (1 in the KCBS record book)
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2015 | Tuscumbia, AL | Tuscumbia, AL | — | — | — |
| Nov 18, 2016 | Tuscumbia, AL | 595 hwy 72 w | — | — | — |
| Nov 17, 2017 | Tuscumbia, AL | 595 Hwy 72 W | — | — | — |
| Nov 16, 2018 | Tuscumbia, AL | 300 North Commons St. West | — | — | — |
| Nov 22, 2019 ← this one | Tuscumbia, AL | 300 North Commons St. | 20 | 359.4400 | Sweet Cheeks Pit BBQ |
| Nov 20, 2020 | Tuscumbia, AL | Tuscumbia, AL 35674 | 21 | 349.7372 | The Real Squeal BBQ |
| Nov 19, 2021 | Tuscumbia, AL | 300 North Commons West | 14 | 350.2628 | When Pigs Fly, Florence, AL |
| Sep 16, 2022 | Tuscumbia, AL | 601 N. Main St | 18 | 355.4288 | Hickory Hangover |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 171.4056 | 170.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 170.2744 | 167.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
20 entries · top 359.4400 · median 337.9600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWEET CHEEKS BBQ | |
| 2 | Twin States BBQ | |
| 3 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 4 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 5 | Thin Blue Swine | |
| 6 | NATTY QUE | |
| 7 | RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA | |
| 8 | RIBLIFE | |
| 9 | Doss Hogs Barbeque | |
| 10 | MURPHY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 11 | LEE LA Q | |
| 12 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 13 | Blowin Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 15 | When Pigs Fly | |
| 16 | Pit Row BBQ | |
| 17 | BUST | |
| 18 | 4 Horseman BBQ | |
| 19 | CreekBank BBQ | |
| 20 | NOTORIOUS P.I.G. THE ORIGINAL |
Chicken
20 entries · top 180 · median 169.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWEET CHEEKS BBQ | |
| 2 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 3 | NATTY QUE | |
| 4 | RIBLIFE | |
| 5 | RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA | |
| 6 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 7 | Thin Blue Swine | |
| 8 | Twin States BBQ | |
| 9 | LEE LA Q | |
| 10 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 11 | MURPHY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 12 | NOTORIOUS P.I.G. THE ORIGINAL | |
| 13 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 14 | Blowin Smoke BBQ | |
| 15 | Pit Row BBQ | |
| 16 | Doss Hogs Barbeque | |
| 17 | BUST | |
| 18 | When Pigs Fly | |
| 19 | 4 Horseman BBQ | |
| 20 | CreekBank BBQ |
Pork Ribs
19 entries · top 179.4400 · median 167.4172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWEET CHEEKS BBQ | |
| 2 | Doss Hogs Barbeque | |
| 3 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 4 | Twin States BBQ | |
| 5 | Thin Blue Swine | |
| 6 | RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA | |
| 7 | MURPHY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 8 | When Pigs Fly | |
| 9 | LEE LA Q | |
| 10 | Blowin Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | RIBLIFE | |
| 12 | NATTY QUE | |
| 13 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 14 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 15 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 16 | Pit Row BBQ | |
| 17 | 4 Horseman BBQ | |
| 18 | BUST | |
| 19 | CreekBank 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 — Dessert
3 entries · top 180 · median 174.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWEET CHEEKS BBQ | |
| 2 | Doss Hogs Barbeque | |
| 3 | When Pigs Fly |
Ancillary — Steak Contest
10 entries · top 179.4400 · median 170.2800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 2 | High Steaks BBQ Team | |
| 3 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 4 | SWEET CHEEKS BBQ | |
| 5 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 6 | LEE LA Q | |
| 7 | PNJ BBQ | |
| 8 | Blowin Smoke BBQ | |
| 9 | 4 Horseman BBQ | |
| 10 | Doss Hogs Barbeque |