Nov 18–19, 2022 · Cumming, GA · 📍 235 Castleberry Rd · State championship
Reps: Rachel Harper, Wayne Harper · Prize money: $9,000
MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS won Grand Champion at the Atlanta BBQ Store Classic on November 18, 2022 in Cumming, GA at 235 Castleberry Rd, scoring 698.7884 in a field of 57 teams. Organizer Portal took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.6572. Category winners: Chicken — TRIPLE H BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Organizer Portal (177.7144); Pork — BROTHERS OF OHIO BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — Poppa Pig (176.5600). The Backyard Series standings were won by LEE LA Q with 519.3484. The Other standings were won by LITTLE ROOSTER with 170.8228. This is the 2nd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by Triple H 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, 2022 to 2025 — 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 82% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1312 points — closer than 82% of every championship in the data.
698.7884 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 176.5716 Triple H BBQ set in 2022.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 74 times in 100
MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS came in rated below the field's top team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 26-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
This was MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 69th tracked contest.
2 of 5 tracked editions
Triple H BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 5 tracked editions.
Master Series — Chicken places 2–3: YES, DEAR BBQ and MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 5–6: Gardenvalley Smokers and ROLLIN KOLBZ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: ROLLIN KOLBZ and Shiggin aint easy tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Organizer Portal turned in 177.7144 in pork ribs — past the 176.5716 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Triple H BBQ (won 2022).
Bigger than 90% of the 5,462 contests in the data
57 teams — bigger than 90% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2022 | Cumming, GA | 235 Castleberry Rd | 33 | 176.5716 | Triple H BBQ | — |
| Nov 18, 2022 ← this one | Cumming, GA | 235 Castleberry Rd | 57 | 698.7884 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | Organizer Portal |
| Nov 17, 2023 | Cumming, GA | 235 Castleberry Rd | 60 | 708.5372 | Triple H | BAD ROOSTER BBQ |
| Nov 15, 2024 | Cuming, GA | Cumming Fairgrounds | 58 | 708.5488 | Rooters-N-Tooters TN | Glamping Grillers |
| Nov 14, 2025 | Cumming, GA | Cumming Fairgrounds | 56 | 711.9888 | Triple H BBQ | BAD ROOSTER BBQ |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 175.4172 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 174.8572 | 171.9772 |
| Master Series — Pork | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 171.9888 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 176.5600 | 176 | 172.5600 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 180 | 174.2628 | 167.9772 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 175.4056 | 170.8228 | 162.2744 |
| Backyard Series — Pork | 175.4056 | 170.8228 | 167.9772 |
57 entries · top 698.7884 · median 668.4572
57 entries · top 180 · median 167.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
57 entries · top 177.7144 · median 166.2516
57 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.3828
57 entries · top 176.5600 · median 167.3944
19 entries · top 519.3484 · median 502.1596 · out of 540, not the usual 360
19 entries · top 180 · median 167.9772 · 🔥 perfect 180
19 entries · top 175.4056 · median 162.2744
19 entries · top 175.4056 · median 167.9772
5 entries · top 170.8228 · median 169.6800 · out of 180, not the usual 720
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LITTLE ROOSTER | |
| 2 | TRIPLE H, JR. | |
| 3 | PORK HUNTERS | |
| 4 | COTTON BBQ, JR. | |
| 5 | ATOMIC CITY SMOKERS, JR. |
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.
2 entries · top 170.8228 · median 170.2514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LITTLE ROOSTER | |
| 2 | PORK HUNTERS |
3 entries · top 170.8112 · median 164.5256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TRIPLE H, JR. | |
| 2 | COTTON BBQ, JR. | |
| 3 | ATOMIC CITY SMOKERS, JR. |