Mar 19–20, 2021 · Lebanon, TN · 📍 954 E Baddour Pky · State championship
Reps: Connie Amidei, Julie Cook, Rusty Cook
THE BBQ BUS won Grand Champion at the Smoke on The Shores BBQ Championship on March 19, 2021 in Lebanon, TN at 954 E Baddour Pky, scoring 701.6456 in a field of 57 teams. BLUE CHIP BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.1544. Category winners: Chicken — CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. (179.4400); Pork Ribs — THE BBQ BUS (180.0000); Pork — ONE2BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — THE BBQ BUS (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 14 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by BILLY RAY BBQ; the next was held in 2023.
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, 2019 to 2026 — 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.
Closer than 95% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.4912 points — closer than 95% of every championship in the data.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 81 times in 100
THE BBQ BUS came in rated below the field's top team, Organizer Portal, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 19-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
2 of 11 tracked editions
TRIPLE H BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 11 tracked editions.
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 2.8456 points — 2 teams sat within a single point of the lead.
Chicken places 4–5: LOCAL YOKELS BBQ and HIGH ON THE HAWG tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: HIGH ON THE HAWG and THE BBQ BUS tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: Organizer Portal and MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
THE BBQ BUS won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
THE BBQ BUS took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 37th.
ONE2BBQ turned in 178.8572 in pork — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: BILLY RAY BBQ (won 2019).
Bigger than 90% of the 5,462 contests in the data
57 teams — bigger than 90% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
This contest was away for 2 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2019-03-08.
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 8, 2019 | Nashville, TN | 4001 Bell RD | 67 | 706.8344 | BILLY RAY BBQ | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
| Mar 19, 2021 ← this one | Lebanon, TN | 954 E Baddour Pky | 57 | 701.6456 | THE BBQ BUS | BLUE CHIP BBQ |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Lebanon, TN | 954 E Baddour Pky | 80 | 705.6800 | TRIPLE H BBQ | LOCAL YOKELS BBQ |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Lebanon, TN | 954 E Baddour Pky | 59 | 177.1544 | KITH N' KIN | — |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Lebanon, TN | 945 E Baddour Pky | 93 | 701.6572 | Continental Barbecue Co. | TRIPLE H BBQ |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Lebanon, TN | 945 E Baddour Pky | 72 | 178.8572 | Meat Me in St. Louis | — |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Lebanon, TN | 945 E Baddour Pky | 100 | 704.5372 | Triple H BBQ | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Lebanon, TN | 945 E Baddour Pky | 72 | 179.4400 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Lebanon, TN | 945 E. Baddour Pkwy | 125 | 713.1200 | Razorracks | Kith n' Kin |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Lebanon, TN | 945 E. Baddour Pkwy | 88 | 180 | Alpine Smoke Works | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Lebanon, TN | 945 E. Baddour Pkwy | 71 | 180 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | — |
| Mar 19, 2027 | Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 19, 2027 | Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 19, 2027 | Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 176.5600 | 174.8572 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 176.5716 | 174.8572 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 177.1428 | 174.3088 |
| Brisket | 180 | 177.7028 | 176.0116 |
57 entries · top 701.6456 · median 677.0400
57 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.1084
57 entries · top 180 · median 168.5372 · 🔥 perfect 180
57 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.9656
57 entries · top 180 · median 168.5256 · 🔥 perfect 180