A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 5 tracked editions
Heavy Smoke BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 5 tracked editions.
- 2021
- 2023
Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship 2022
Dec 1–3, 2022 · Demopolis, AL · 📍 Childers and Main · State championship
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN won Grand Champion at the Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship on December 1, 2022 in Demopolis, AL at Childers and Main, scoring 697.0628 in a field of 13 teams. CONTAGIOUS Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.8968. Category winners: Chicken — Poppa Pig (177.7144); Pork Ribs — Poppa Pig (178.8572); Pork — BAD AZZ MULE BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (177.7028). The Backyard Series standings were won by SLATER HOUSE BBQ with 343.9888. This is the 2nd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2021 edition was won by Heavy Smoke BBQ; 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.
592.88
median 669.05
697.06 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 177.71
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 178.86
- Master Series — Pork 177.71
- Master Series — Brisket 177.70
- Backyard Series — Chicken 177.74
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 174.27
137.03
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
21
6 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
697.0628
Winning margin
5.1660
GC over RC
Field average
659.99
592.88697.06
median 669.05 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4.6288 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
642.6632
592.88697.06
10th place overall
Field spread
104.1824
winner to last place
Double threats
8
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 46%
beats 54% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
41%
15 of 37 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.61 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,583
avg power rating going in · stronger than 66% of contests
Storylines (5 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 12 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Pork Ribs places 3–4: Willingham's and ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 4–5: McAbee Pigfitters and COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Pork Ribs places 7–8: SLATER HOUSE BBQ and Holy Smokin BBQ!!! tied on 166.2516 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 4–5 · tie
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0112
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Poppa Pig won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 4th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8572
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Poppa Pig 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 2021 | Demopolis, AL | Demopolis, AL 36732 | 19 | 698.2172 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | Poppa Pig |
| Dec 1, 2022 ← this one | Demopolis, AL | Childers and Main | 13 | 697.0628 | Rooters-N-Tooters | CONTAGIOUS Q |
| Dec 1, 2023 | Demopolis, AL | Childers and Main | 17 | 698.1940 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | CONTAGIOUS Q |
| Dec 6, 2024 | Demopolis, AL | Childers and Main | 11 | 698.8228 | Smoke Me Silly | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ |
| Dec 5, 2025 | Demopolis, AL | Childers and Main | 21 | 709.6800 | Bad Rooster | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
| Dec 4, 2026 | Demopolis, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 177.7144 | 167.4056 | 158.8000 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 168.5600 | 165.1088 |
| Master Series — Pork | 177.7144 | 170.8228 | 165.6800 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.7028 | 169.1084 | 155.9544 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 177.7372 | 173.1084 | 168.5140 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 167.3828 | 166.2284 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
13 entries · top 697.0628 · median 669.0516
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 2 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 3 | Poppa Pig | |
| 4 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 5 | Organizer Portal | |
| 6 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 7 | Grills of Mississippi | |
| 8 | Willingham's | |
| 9 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 10 | McAbee Pigfitters | |
| 11 | 2nd Hand Smoke | |
| 12 | Powerhouse BBQ | |
| 13 | Big Stanky's BBQ |
Chicken
13 entries · top 177.7144 · median 162.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poppa Pig | |
| 2 | Grills of Mississippi | |
| 3 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 4 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 5 | Organizer Portal | |
| 6 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 7 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 8 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 9 | Willingham's | |
| 10 | McAbee Pigfitters | |
| 11 | 2nd Hand Smoke | |
| 12 | Powerhouse BBQ | |
| 13 | Big Stanky's BBQ |
Pork Ribs
13 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.3944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poppa Pig | |
| 2 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 3 | Willingham's | |
| 4 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 5 | Grills of Mississippi | |
| 6 | Organizer Portal | |
| 7 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 8 | 2nd Hand Smoke | |
| 9 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 10 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 11 | McAbee Pigfitters | |
| 12 | Powerhouse BBQ | |
| 13 | Big Stanky's BBQ |
Pork
13 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 2 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 3 | Organizer Portal | |
| 4 | McAbee Pigfitters | |
| 5 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 6 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 7 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 8 | Poppa Pig | |
| 9 | Willingham's | |
| 10 | 2nd Hand Smoke | |
| 11 | Powerhouse BBQ | |
| 12 | Big Stanky's BBQ | |
| 13 | Grills of Mississippi |
Brisket
13 entries · top 177.7028 · median 166.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 2 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 3 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 4 | Organizer Portal | |
| 5 | Willingham's | |
| 6 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 7 | Grills of Mississippi | |
| 8 | Poppa Pig | |
| 9 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 10 | McAbee Pigfitters | |
| 11 | Powerhouse BBQ | |
| 12 | 2nd Hand Smoke | |
| 13 | Big Stanky's BBQ |
Backyard Series
Overall
21 entries · top 343.9888 · median 327.8740
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLATER HOUSE BBQ | |
| 2 | RIBLIFE | |
| 3 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 4 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 5 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 6 | Pork Life | |
| 7 | Colonel Rusty's BBQ | |
| 8 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 9 | LEE LA Q | |
| 10 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 11 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 12 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 13 | Holy Smokin BBQ!!! | |
| 14 | Pork-A-Holics | |
| 15 | Captain Morgans Barbeque Team | |
| 16 | Georgia Pacific Naheola | |
| 17 | Cemex-Demopolis | |
| 18 | Batwing BBQ | |
| 19 | Warrior Waste, LLC | |
| 20 | Mass Kaoss | |
| 21 | Kickin' Butt |
Chicken
21 entries · top 177.7372 · median 167.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLATER HOUSE BBQ | |
| 2 | RIBLIFE | |
| 3 | Cemex-Demopolis | |
| 4 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 5 | Colonel Rusty's BBQ | |
| 6 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 7 | Pork Life | |
| 8 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 9 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 10 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 11 | LEE LA Q | |
| 12 | Pork-A-Holics | |
| 13 | Georgia Pacific Naheola | |
| 14 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 15 | Warrior Waste, LLC | |
| 16 | Holy Smokin BBQ!!! | |
| 17 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 18 | Batwing BBQ | |
| 19 | Captain Morgans Barbeque Team | |
| 20 | Mass Kaoss | |
| 21 | Kickin' Butt |
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 174.2744 · median 163.9428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 2 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 3 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 4 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 5 | RIBLIFE | |
| 6 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 7 | SLATER HOUSE BBQ | |
| 8 | Holy Smokin BBQ!!! | |
| 9 | LEE LA Q | |
| 10 | Captain Morgans Barbeque Team | |
| 11 | Pork Life | |
| 12 | Colonel Rusty's BBQ | |
| 13 | Mass Kaoss | |
| 14 | Pork-A-Holics | |
| 15 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 16 | Kickin' Butt | |
| 17 | Batwing BBQ | |
| 18 | Georgia Pacific Naheola | |
| 19 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 20 | Warrior Waste, LLC | |
| 21 | Cemex-Demopolis |
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 — Sauce
19 entries · top 180 · median 171.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEE LA Q | |
| 2 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 3 | Pork Life | |
| 4 | Captain Morgans Barbeque Team | |
| 5 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 6 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 7 | Big Stanky's BBQ | |
| 8 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 9 | Willingham's | |
| 10 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 11 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 12 | 2nd Hand Smoke | |
| 13 | Colonel Rusty's BBQ | |
| 14 | Batwing BBQ | |
| 15 | Powerhouse BBQ | |
| 16 | McAbee Pigfitters | |
| 17 | Kickin' Butt | |
| 18 | Pork-A-Holics | |
| 19 | Mass Kaoss |