Jul 23–24, 2021 · Apex, NC · State championship
Reps: Alan Rothrock, Doug Reid · Prize money: $10,800
TOP GUN BARBECUE won Grand Champion at the Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest on July 23, 2021 in Apex, NC, scoring 694.2516 in a field of 30 teams. SMOKE N BREW took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.2056. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKE N BREW (180.0000); Pork Ribs — MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ (177.7144); Pork — TOP GUN BARBECUE (176.5600); Brisket — REDMULE'S BBQ (176.5600). This is the 3rd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by Smoke Monster BBQ; the next was held in 2022.
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, 2018 to 2024 — 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 96% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0460 points — closer than 96% of every championship in the data.
694.2516 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 688.5596 SMOKE MONSTER BBQ set in 2018.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 68 times in 100
Top Gun Barbecue came in rated below the field's top team, WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 32-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
2 of 6 tracked editions
SMOKE MONSTER BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
Chicken places 3–4: FRED VEGAS SMOKERS and WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ and TOO SAUCED tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: REDNECK SCIENTIFIC and TOP GUN BARBECUE tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
TOP GUN BARBECUE took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 9th.
SMOKE N BREW turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
This contest was away for 2.1 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2019-06-14.
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2018 | Apex, NC | Salem Street | 44 | 688.5596 | SMOKE MONSTER BBQ | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC |
| Jun 14, 2019 | Apex, NC | Salem Street | 38 | 685.7028 | Smoke Monster BBQ | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ |
| Jul 23, 2021 ← this one | Apex, NC | Apex, NC | 30 | 694.2516 | Top Gun Barbecue | SMOKE N BREW |
| Jul 22, 2022 | Apex, NC | 202 Saunders Street | 35 | 703.9660 | Mcadoo Heights BBQ | Smoke Central BBQ |
| Apr 14, 2023 | Apex, NC | 112 Saunders Street | 32 | 702.2400 | Mcadoo Heights BBQ | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
| Apr 12, 2024 | Apex, NC | 112 Saunders Street | 25 | 700.5372 | Optimus Swine | SMOKIN SKULLIES |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 177.7028 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.1200 | 169.6800 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 171.9888 | 169.1200 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 175.4056 | 169.6916 |
30 entries · top 694.2516 · median 671.9086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TOP GUN BARBECUE | |
| 2 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 3 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 4 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 5 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 6 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 8 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 9 | North Meets South BBQ | |
| 10 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 11 | DOCTOR CUE NC | |
| 12 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | |
| 13 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 14 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 15 | TOO SAUCED | |
| 16 | POKE N SMOKE | |
| 17 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 18 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 19 | HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC | |
| 20 | BANGIN' BBQ | |
| 21 | SmoKing Aces BBQ - NC | |
| 22 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 23 | CHARCOAL & MORE | |
| 24 | Laytons backyard bbq | |
| 25 | THE ROOKIES | |
| 26 | FOWL HOGZ | |
| 27 | Black Iron Smokin' BBQ | |
| 28 | Dancing Moose BBQ | |
| 29 | Low & Slow | |
| 30 | BICOASTAL BBQ |
30 entries · top 180 · median 169.7028 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 2 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 3 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 4 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 5 | TOO SAUCED | |
| 6 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 7 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 8 | TOP GUN BARBECUE | |
| 9 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 10 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 11 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | |
| 12 | SmoKing Aces BBQ - NC | |
| 13 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 14 | Black Iron Smokin' BBQ | |
| 15 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 16 | POKE N SMOKE | |
| 17 | BICOASTAL BBQ | |
| 18 | DOCTOR CUE NC | |
| 19 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 20 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 21 | North Meets South BBQ | |
| 22 | HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC | |
| 23 | Laytons backyard bbq | |
| 24 | BANGIN' BBQ | |
| 25 | CHARCOAL & MORE | |
| 26 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 27 | Low & Slow | |
| 28 | THE ROOKIES | |
| 29 | FOWL HOGZ | |
| 30 | Dancing Moose BBQ |
29 entries · top 177.7144 · median 166.2516
30 entries · top 176.5600 · median 165.6914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TOP GUN BARBECUE | |
| 2 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 3 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 4 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 5 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 6 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 7 | North Meets South BBQ | |
| 8 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 9 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 10 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 11 | BANGIN' BBQ | |
| 12 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 13 | HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC | |
| 14 | THE ROOKIES | |
| 15 | TOO SAUCED | |
| 16 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 17 | SmoKing Aces BBQ - NC | |
| 18 | DOCTOR CUE NC | |
| 19 | FOWL HOGZ | |
| 20 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 21 | POKE N SMOKE | |
| 22 | Dancing Moose BBQ | |
| 23 | Black Iron Smokin' BBQ | |
| 24 | CHARCOAL & MORE | |
| 25 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 26 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | |
| 27 | Laytons backyard bbq | |
| 28 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 29 | BICOASTAL BBQ | |
| 30 | Low & Slow |
30 entries · top 176.5600 · median 167.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 3 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 4 | DOCTOR CUE NC | |
| 5 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 6 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 7 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 8 | POKE N SMOKE | |
| 9 | TOP GUN BARBECUE | |
| 10 | North Meets South BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | |
| 12 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 13 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 14 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 15 | HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC | |
| 16 | TOO SAUCED | |
| 17 | BICOASTAL BBQ | |
| 18 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 19 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 20 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 21 | THE ROOKIES | |
| 22 | BANGIN' BBQ | |
| 23 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 24 | FOWL HOGZ | |
| 25 | Laytons backyard bbq | |
| 26 | CHARCOAL & MORE | |
| 27 | SmoKing Aces BBQ - NC | |
| 28 | Dancing Moose BBQ | |
| 29 | Low & Slow | |
| 30 | Black Iron Smokin' BBQ |
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.
7 entries · top 176.5828 · median 174.3200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FOWL HOGZ | |
| 2 | CHARCOAL & MORE | |
| 3 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 4 | Black Iron Smokin' BBQ | |
| 5 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 6 | THE ROOKIES | |
| 7 | HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC |
6 entries · top 180 · median 166.5656 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC | |
| 2 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 3 | Black Iron Smokin' BBQ | |
| 4 | THE ROOKIES | |
| 5 | CHARCOAL & MORE | |
| 6 | House of Smoke NC |