Mar 10–11, 2023 · Foley, AL · 📍 125 E Laurel Ave
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $7,350
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS won Grand Champion at the Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) on March 10, 2023 in Foley, AL at 125 E Laurel Ave, scoring 521.6800 in a field of 31 teams. REDBONES BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 519.9544. Category winners: Chicken — REDBONES BBQ (177.7144); Pork Ribs — VETERAN PORK PULLERS (174.2744); Pork — LEE LA Q (176.5600). This is the 4th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by Lee La Q; the next was held in 2024.
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.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS came in rated below the field's top team, RIBLIFE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 3 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
This was Smokey Bees BBQ - MS's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 10th tracked contest.
3 of 7 tracked editions
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS has won this contest 3 times across its 7 tracked editions.
Chicken places 6–7: Flaps 20 and VETERAN PORK PULLERS tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: Flaps 20 and Colonel Rusty's BBQ tied on 166.2400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 1–2: REDBONES BBQ edged Smokey Bees BBQ - MS by 0.0116.
REDBONES BBQ turned in 177.7144 in chicken — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Lee La Q (won 2022).
This contest usually draws about 26 teams
31 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 26.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2020 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 23 | 513.0628 | Sneaky Creeek |
| Mar 12, 2021 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 28 | 518.8000 | PuckDaddy;s Killer Q |
| Mar 12, 2022 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 26 | 520.5028 | Lee La Q |
| Mar 10, 2023 ← this one | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 31 | 521.6800 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS |
| Mar 9, 2024 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 28 | 349.1200 | Smokey Bees BBQ |
| Mar 7, 2025 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 30 | 358.8572 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS |
| Mar 13, 2026 | Foley, AL | 200 N. Alston Street | 30 | 357.7028 | Southern Swine |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 170.2628 | 166.8344 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 170.8228 | 165.0856 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 170.8228 | 163.9312 |
31 entries · top 521.6800 · median 476.3652 · out of 540, not the usual 360
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 2 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 3 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 4 | Groundhog Smokers | |
| 5 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 6 | LEE LA Q | |
| 7 | Flaps 20 | |
| 8 | Smoke Ring & Bark | |
| 9 | Fat cat bbq | |
| 10 | RIBLIFE | |
| 11 | B.A.'s Barbeque | |
| 12 | Bama Smokin -N- Grillin | |
| 13 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 14 | Smokin' Buddies BBQ | |
| 15 | Sandy Sansing Smokers | |
| 16 | Colonel Rusty's BBQ | |
| 17 | Deez Nuts Smok'n Butts | |
| 18 | Holy Smokers | |
| 19 | Step Bros BBQ | |
| 20 | T-Ray's Rack Rubbers | |
| 21 | Jubilee Smoke | |
| 22 | Pigs in a Blanket | |
| 23 | CAN'T MISS | |
| 24 | Backyard Brothers Bbq | |
| 25 | Gulf Shores Fire Deparment | |
| 26 | Island Pig Posse | |
| 27 | Pen Air | |
| 28 | KEY'S Southern Spice | |
| 29 | Porky's Last Stop | |
| 30 | Second Hand Smoke | |
| 31 | The Dumpster Guy |
29 entries · top 177.7144 · median 164.5256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 2 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 3 | Bama Smokin -N- Grillin | |
| 4 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 5 | Groundhog Smokers | |
| 6 | Flaps 20 | |
| 7 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 8 | Holy Smokers | |
| 9 | CAN'T MISS | |
| 10 | Jubilee Smoke | |
| 11 | LEE LA Q | |
| 12 | T-Ray's Rack Rubbers | |
| 13 | Smoke Ring & Bark | |
| 14 | RIBLIFE | |
| 15 | Smokin' Buddies BBQ | |
| 16 | Deez Nuts Smok'n Butts | |
| 17 | B.A.'s Barbeque | |
| 18 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 19 | KEY'S Southern Spice | |
| 20 | Pen Air | |
| 21 | Fat cat bbq | |
| 22 | Sandy Sansing Smokers | |
| 23 | Colonel Rusty's BBQ | |
| 24 | Island Pig Posse | |
| 25 | Backyard Brothers Bbq | |
| 26 | Pigs in a Blanket | |
| 27 | Step Bros BBQ | |
| 28 | Gulf Shores Fire Deparment | |
| 29 | Porky's Last Stop |
30 entries · top 174.2744 · median 161.1258
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 2 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 4 | B.A.'s Barbeque | |
| 5 | Groundhog Smokers | |
| 6 | Smoke Ring & Bark | |
| 7 | Pigs in a Blanket | |
| 8 | Flaps 20 | |
| 9 | Colonel Rusty's BBQ | |
| 10 | Step Bros BBQ | |
| 11 | RIBLIFE | |
| 12 | Fat cat bbq | |
| 13 | T-Ray's Rack Rubbers | |
| 14 | Sandy Sansing Smokers | |
| 15 | Smokin' Buddies BBQ | |
| 16 | Holy Smokers | |
| 17 | KEY'S Southern Spice | |
| 18 | Backyard Brothers Bbq | |
| 19 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 20 | LEE LA Q | |
| 21 | Porky's Last Stop | |
| 22 | Deez Nuts Smok'n Butts | |
| 23 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 24 | Gulf Shores Fire Deparment | |
| 25 | Second Hand Smoke | |
| 26 | Island Pig Posse | |
| 27 | Bama Smokin -N- Grillin | |
| 28 | CAN'T MISS | |
| 29 | Jubilee Smoke | |
| 30 | Pen Air |
31 entries · top 176.5600 · median 160.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEE LA Q | |
| 2 | Second Hand Smoke | |
| 3 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 4 | Fat cat bbq | |
| 5 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 6 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 7 | Struttin Smokers | |
| 8 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 9 | Flaps 20 | |
| 10 | Smoke Ring & Bark | |
| 11 | Groundhog Smokers | |
| 12 | Bama Smokin -N- Grillin | |
| 13 | Gulf Shores Fire Deparment | |
| 14 | RIBLIFE | |
| 15 | Jubilee Smoke | |
| 16 | Step Bros BBQ | |
| 17 | Sandy Sansing Smokers | |
| 18 | Colonel Rusty's BBQ | |
| 19 | Island Pig Posse | |
| 20 | Deez Nuts Smok'n Butts | |
| 21 | Porky's Last Stop | |
| 22 | B.A.'s Barbeque | |
| 23 | Smokin' Buddies BBQ | |
| 24 | Pen Air | |
| 25 | The Dumpster Guy | |
| 26 | Pigs in a Blanket | |
| 27 | CAN'T MISS | |
| 28 | Backyard Brothers Bbq | |
| 29 | Holy Smokers | |
| 30 | T-Ray's Rack Rubbers | |
| 31 | KEY'S Southern Spice |