Decided by a tiebreaker
Tie
identical totals at the top
The top two teams finished on identical totals — the Grand Championship came down to the KCBS tiebreaker rules.
The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) 2023
May 19–20, 2023 · Winchester, TN · 📍 1561 Phillip Fulmer Parkway
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $5,500
2 Swine Crew won Grand Champion at The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) on May 19, 2023 in Winchester, TN at 1561 Phillip Fulmer Parkway, scoring 353.1200 in a field of 34 teams. Furlongs Smoke & Seafood took Reserve Grand Champion with 353.1200. Category winners: Chicken — Furlongs Smoke & Seafood (180.0000); Pork Ribs — 2 Swine Crew (177.7144). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by Veteran Pork Pullers; the next was held in 2024.
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.
307.34
median 335.40
353.12 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 177.71
145.68
180
Entries
34
2 judged meats
Top score
353.1200
Winning margin
Tie
identical totals — KCBS tiebreaker
Field average
334.40
307.34353.12
median 335.40 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
340.4912
307.34353.12
10th place overall
Field spread
45.7828
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,500
on the line
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 27%
beats 73% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
55%
16 of 29 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.52 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,579
avg power rating going in · stronger than 63% 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 3 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: 2 Swine Crew and Deviant Smoke tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: Bourbon & Blues BBQ and RIBLIFE tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: Furlongs Smoke & Seafood edged Bentley Que by 0.0116.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0116
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
Furlongs Smoke & Seafood turned in 180.0000 in chicken — 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: Veteran Pork Pullers (won 2022).
- Veteran Pork Pullers · 2022
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Furlongs Smoke & Seafood · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2022 | Winchester, TN | 1561 Phillip Fulmer Parkway | 29 | 353.1316 | Veteran Pork Pullers |
| May 19, 2023 ← this one | Winchester, TN | 1561 Phillip Fulmer Parkway | 34 | 353.1200 | 2 Swine Crew |
| May 17, 2024 | Winchester, TN | 1561 Phillip Fulmer Parkway | 39 | 352 | Smokey Bees BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 172.5716 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.1200 | 171.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
34 entries · top 353.1200 · median 335.4000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 2 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 3 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 4 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 5 | RIBLIFE | |
| 6 | 931 BBQ | |
| 7 | SERIOUS HOG | |
| 8 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 9 | 4 Paws BBQ | |
| 10 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 11 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 12 | LEE LA Q | |
| 13 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 14 | Bentley Que | |
| 15 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 16 | 716 South BBQ | |
| 17 | BUTSY-Q | |
| 18 | Shmack Q | |
| 19 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 20 | Music City Smokers | |
| 21 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 22 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 23 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 24 | Big D's Q | |
| 25 | Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 26 | Black Label Smokers | |
| 27 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 28 | Hey Bruce BBQ | |
| 29 | Toolshed BBQ | |
| 30 | Sweet Charlotte's | |
| 31 | Smokin Willy BBQ | |
| 32 | BootLeg Smokers | |
| 33 | Rue's BBQ | |
| 34 | HIT OR MISS BBQ |
Chicken
34 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 2 | 931 BBQ | |
| 3 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 4 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 5 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 6 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 7 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 8 | Shmack Q | |
| 9 | RIBLIFE | |
| 10 | SERIOUS HOG | |
| 11 | Black Label Smokers | |
| 12 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 13 | LEE LA Q | |
| 14 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 15 | Toolshed BBQ | |
| 16 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 17 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 18 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 19 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 20 | BUTSY-Q | |
| 21 | Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 22 | Sweet Charlotte's | |
| 23 | 4 Paws BBQ | |
| 24 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 25 | 716 South BBQ | |
| 26 | Hey Bruce BBQ | |
| 27 | Music City Smokers | |
| 28 | Bentley Que | |
| 29 | BootLeg Smokers | |
| 30 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 31 | HIT OR MISS BBQ | |
| 32 | Big D's Q | |
| 33 | Smokin Willy BBQ | |
| 34 | Rue's BBQ |
Pork Ribs
34 entries · top 177.7144 · median 165.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 2 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 3 | 4 Paws BBQ | |
| 4 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 6 | Bentley Que | |
| 7 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 8 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 9 | RIBLIFE | |
| 10 | SERIOUS HOG | |
| 11 | 716 South BBQ | |
| 12 | Big D's Q | |
| 13 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 14 | Music City Smokers | |
| 15 | LEE LA Q | |
| 16 | 931 BBQ | |
| 17 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 18 | BUTSY-Q | |
| 19 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 20 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 21 | Smokin Willy BBQ | |
| 22 | Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 23 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS | |
| 24 | Shmack Q | |
| 25 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 26 | Rue's BBQ | |
| 27 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 28 | Hey Bruce BBQ | |
| 29 | Black Label Smokers | |
| 30 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 31 | BootLeg Smokers | |
| 32 | Sweet Charlotte's | |
| 33 | Toolshed BBQ | |
| 34 | HIT OR MISS BBQ |