A new contest record
699.3712
highest overall ever cooked here
699.3712 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 691.9432 Under the Radar set in 2019.
- old record 691.9432
- set 2019 by Under the Radar
Poosa Q 2022
May 5–7, 2022 · Montgomery, AL · 📍 1801 Eddie L Tullis RD · State championship
Reps: Carol Bigler, Rachel Harper, Randy G Bigler, Wayne Harper · Prize money: $42,900
Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q won Grand Champion at the Poosa Q on May 5, 2022 in Montgomery, AL at 1801 Eddie L Tullis RD, scoring 699.3712 in a field of 72 teams. UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.0628. Category winners: Chicken — HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT (178.8572); Pork — ATLANTA BBQ STORE (175.4172); Brisket — GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ (176.5828). The Backyard Series standings were won by NO LOOKIN' COOKIN' with 347.9772. This is the 2nd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by Under the Radar; the next was held in 2023.
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.
599.70
median 673.02
699.37 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 178.86
- Master Series — Pork 175.42
- Master Series — Brisket 176.58
- Backyard Series — Chicken 177.14
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 176.57
91.09
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2019 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
72
6 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
699.3712
Winning margin
2.3084
GC over RC
Field average
670.68
599.70699.37
median 673.02 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
686.7312
599.70699.37
10th place overall
Field spread
99.6680
winner to last place
Prize money
$42,900
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 36%
beats 64% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
39%
31 of 79 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.38 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,582
avg power rating going in · stronger than 65% of contests
Storylines (10 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.
An upset on the books
7-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 93 times in 100
Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q came in rated below the field's top team, GETTIN' BASTED, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 7-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1535
- top seed 1997
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 43rd
- Brisket 5th
A knife fight at the top
4.5712
points across the top five
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.5712 points.
- 1st Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q
- 2nd UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT
- 3rd SMOKIN' AIN'T EZ
- 4th GETTIN' BASTED
- 5th Organizer Portal
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 26 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 1–2: HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ and Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 7–8: NA-DA-BONE BBQ and BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW tied on 174.8456 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 2–3: Bad Azz Mule BBQ and Bubba Grills tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 2–3 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 7–8 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8572
best pork ribs ever cooked here
UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT turned in 178.8572 in pork ribs — past the 177.7144 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7144
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Under the Radar (won 2019).
- Under the Radar · 2019
One of the big ones
72
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 96% of the 5,468 contests in the data
72 teams — bigger than 96% of the 5,468 contests in the data.
The contest returns
2.9 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 2.9 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2019-06-14.
- previous edition 2019-06-14
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ · Chicken
- Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q · Chicken
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 | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 2019 | Montgomery, AL | 1801 Eddie L Tullis Rd | 48 | 691.9432 | Under the Radar | Q-BONES BBQ |
| May 5, 2022 ← this one | Montgomery, AL | 1801 Eddie L Tullis RD | 72 | 699.3712 | Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
| Oct 5, 2023 | Montgomery, AL | 1801 Eddie L Tullis RD | 73 | 702.8688 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | Glamping Grillers |
| Oct 4, 2024 | Montgomery, AL | 1801 Eddie L Tullis Rd | 59 | 703.3828 | BAD ROOSTER BBQ | SWIG-N-PIG |
| Jun 20, 2025 | Montgomery, AL | 1801 Eddie L Tullis Rd | 42 | 704.5372 | YES, DEAR BBQ | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180 | 177.1428 | 174.8456 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 176.5716 | 174.2628 |
| Master Series — Pork | 175.4172 | 174.2628 | 172.5600 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 176.5828 | 175.4056 | 173.7256 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 177.1428 | 175.4172 | 173.1084 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 174.2744 | 170.8228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
72 entries · top 699.3712 · median 673.0228
Chicken
72 entries · top 180 · median 168.5372 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
72 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.8400
Pork
72 entries · top 175.4172 · median 168.2514
Brisket
72 entries · top 176.5828 · median 167.4114
Backyard Series
Overall
49 entries · top 347.9772 · median 331.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NO LOOKIN' COOKIN' | |
| 2 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 3 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 4 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 5 | FLAPS UP BBQ | |
| 6 | Bentley Que | |
| 7 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 8 | THIN BLUE SWINE BBQ | |
| 9 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 10 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 11 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 12 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 13 | RAMMER JAMMER BBQ | |
| 14 | Pork Life | |
| 15 | Simply Smoked | |
| 16 | BA's Barbeque | |
| 17 | Georgia Coastal Que | |
| 18 | Scuttlebutts | |
| 19 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 20 | When Pigs Fly - Florence, AL | |
| 21 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 22 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 23 | RIBLIFE | |
| 24 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 25 | Smokestack Lightning | |
| 26 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 27 | Fat Boy BBQ | |
| 28 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 29 | SNEAKY_CREEK_BBQ | |
| 30 | The Hicktown BBQ | |
| 31 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 32 | HESSHOGS | |
| 33 | Groundhog Smokers | |
| 34 | Steak Princess BBQ | |
| 35 | LEE LA Q | |
| 36 | SERIOUS HOG | |
| 37 | 2 Crackers Cooking | |
| 38 | HOLY SMOKERS - AL | |
| 39 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 40 | Carlee Que's BBQ | |
| 41 | Pops Family Grill | |
| 42 | Countryside BBQ | |
| 43 | SNS Blazing BBQ | |
| 44 | Roux BBQ | |
| 45 | Wright On Que | |
| 46 | Kaddie Kue BBQ Team | |
| 47 | Semper Chicken & Ribs | |
| 48 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 49 | Low N' Slow Locomotives |
Chicken
49 entries · top 177.1428 · median 166.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bentley Que | |
| 2 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 3 | THIN BLUE SWINE BBQ | |
| 4 | Scuttlebutts | |
| 5 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 6 | FLAPS UP BBQ | |
| 7 | Georgia Coastal Que | |
| 8 | NO LOOKIN' COOKIN' | |
| 9 | Groundhog Smokers | |
| 10 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 11 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 12 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 13 | RAMMER JAMMER BBQ | |
| 14 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 15 | RIBLIFE | |
| 16 | LEE LA Q | |
| 17 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 18 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 19 | The Hicktown BBQ | |
| 20 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 21 | HESSHOGS | |
| 22 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 23 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 24 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 25 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 26 | Pork Life | |
| 27 | 2 Crackers Cooking | |
| 28 | When Pigs Fly - Florence, AL | |
| 29 | SERIOUS HOG | |
| 30 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 31 | BA's Barbeque | |
| 32 | SNS Blazing BBQ | |
| 33 | Wright On Que | |
| 34 | Fat Boy BBQ | |
| 35 | SNEAKY_CREEK_BBQ | |
| 36 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 37 | Simply Smoked | |
| 38 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 39 | Kaddie Kue BBQ Team | |
| 40 | HOLY SMOKERS - AL | |
| 41 | Countryside BBQ | |
| 42 | Roux BBQ | |
| 43 | Carlee Que's BBQ | |
| 44 | Pops Family Grill | |
| 45 | Smokestack Lightning | |
| 46 | Semper Chicken & Ribs | |
| 47 | Steak Princess BBQ | |
| 48 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 49 | Low N' Slow Locomotives |
Pork Ribs
49 entries · top 176.5716 · median 166.2744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 2 | Simply Smoked | |
| 3 | Smokestack Lightning | |
| 4 | Steak Princess BBQ | |
| 5 | NO LOOKIN' COOKIN' | |
| 6 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 7 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 8 | BA's Barbeque | |
| 9 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 10 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 11 | Pork Life | |
| 12 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 13 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 14 | Fat Boy BBQ | |
| 15 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 16 | SNEAKY_CREEK_BBQ | |
| 17 | FLAPS UP BBQ | |
| 18 | HOLY SMOKERS - AL | |
| 19 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 20 | When Pigs Fly - Florence, AL | |
| 21 | RAMMER JAMMER BBQ | |
| 22 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 23 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 24 | Pops Family Grill | |
| 25 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 26 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 27 | THIN BLUE SWINE BBQ | |
| 28 | Carlee Que's BBQ | |
| 29 | Bentley Que | |
| 30 | Countryside BBQ | |
| 31 | SERIOUS HOG | |
| 32 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 33 | RIBLIFE | |
| 34 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 35 | HESSHOGS | |
| 36 | The Hicktown BBQ | |
| 37 | Georgia Coastal Que | |
| 38 | 2 Crackers Cooking | |
| 39 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 40 | Scuttlebutts | |
| 41 | LEE LA Q | |
| 42 | SNS Blazing BBQ | |
| 43 | Groundhog Smokers | |
| 44 | Roux BBQ | |
| 45 | Semper Chicken & Ribs | |
| 46 | Kaddie Kue BBQ Team | |
| 47 | Wright On Que | |
| 48 | LWS Smokin Aces | |
| 49 | Low N' Slow Locomotives |
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
32 entries · top 178.8800 · median 164.8400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Specialists | |
| 2 | Barking Pig BBQ | |
| 3 | Crossed Rifles BBQ | |
| 4 | LC BBQ | |
| 5 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 6 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 7 | Simply Smoked | |
| 8 | QUENUT BBQ | |
| 9 | K & E's Little Smokers | |
| 10 | RIBLIFE | |
| 11 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 12 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 13 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 14 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 15 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 16 | POT'S BBQ | |
| 17 | Semper Chicken & Ribs | |
| 18 | SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | |
| 19 | Slapulator BBQ | |
| 20 | Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q | |
| 21 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 22 | 2 Crackers Cooking | |
| 23 | Carlee Que's BBQ | |
| 24 | NA-DA-BONE BBQ | |
| 25 | smokey anderson bbq | |
| 26 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 27 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 28 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 29 | Steak Princess BBQ | |
| 30 | Low N' Slow Locomotives | |
| 31 | Bubba Grills | |
| 32 | SERIOUS HOG |
Ancillary — Seafood
22 entries · top 177.7028 · median 160.3258