Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
2025-06-13 – 2025-06-14 · Huntsville, AL · 📍 Ditto Landing
Reps: CAROL BIGLER, RANDY G BIGLER · Prize money: $2,300.00
Grand Champion: Mind If I Smoke? (358.8572) · 35 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 GSP Barbecue
Entries
35
2 judged meats
Top score
358.8572
Winning margin
5.1428
GC over RC
Field average
336.60
median 338.82
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
345.1088
10th place overall
Field spread
70.4232
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,300.00
on the line
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 18%
beats 82% of 708 Backyard Series wins in the data
Traveled in
9%
of the 35 teams with a home region came from outside AL
Came back for more
46%
16 of 35 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.61 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1565
avg power rating going in · stronger than 69% of contests
Storylines
👑 A dynasty in the making
NORALA BBQ TEAM has won this contest 2 times across its 8 tracked editions.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 2–3: Jury's Out and Mind if I Smoke? tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: Armstrong Smoke & Co. edged Say My Name BBQ by 0.0116. Chicken places 8–9: Smith Brothers BBQ edged NORALA BBQ TEAM by 0.0116.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: NORALA BBQ TEAM (won 2023, 2024).
🃏 An upset on the books
Mind if I Smoke? came in rated below the field's top team, NORALA BBQ TEAM, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 19-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-06-08 | 293 Ditto Landing RD | — | — | — | — | |
| 2019-06-07 | Huntsville, AL | Ditto Landing | 25 | 347.9772 | Thin Blue Swine | — |
| 2021-06-11 | Huntsville, AL | Ditto Landing | 31 | 348.0000 | The Real Squeal | — |
| 2022-06-10 | Huntsville, AL | Ditto Landing | 23 | 350.2628 | Hickory Hangover | — |
| 2023-06-09 | Huntsville, AL | Ditto Landing | 26 | 346.2632 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | — |
| 2024-06-07 | Huntsville, AL | Ditto Landing | 35 | 353.1428 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | — |
| 2025-06-13 ← this one | Huntsville, AL | Ditto Landing | 35 | 358.8572 | Mind If I Smoke? | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Huntsville, AL | Ditto Landing | 31 | 360.0000 | Big Fluff BBQ | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 177.1428 | 173.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 176.0000 | 171.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
35 entries · top 358.8572 · median 338.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mind if I Smoke? | |
| 2 | GSP Barbecue | |
| 3 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 4 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 5 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 6 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 7 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 8 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 9 | Jury's Out | |
| 10 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 11 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 12 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 13 | MANOS AL FUEGO | |
| 14 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 15 | Modest Meats | |
| 16 | Fire Pig | |
| 17 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 18 | Last Place Chicken | |
| 19 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 20 | Bonnie Blue BBQ | |
| 21 | Smith Brothers BBQ | |
| 22 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 23 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 24 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 25 | LEE LA Q | |
| 26 | Southern Swine | |
| 27 | GRILLBILLY HOLLAND | |
| 28 | Three Chiefs BBQ | |
| 29 | Black Box BBQ | |
| 30 | Brother In-Law BBQ | |
| 31 | Big Back BBQ | |
| 32 | Invarique | |
| 33 | J. Piggy's BBQ | |
| 34 | "Squeal Deal BBQ" | |
| 35 | Naw-Da-Bone |
Chicken
35 entries · top 180.0000 · median 171.4172 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 2 | Jury's Out | |
| 3 | Mind if I Smoke? | |
| 4 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 5 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 6 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 7 | GSP Barbecue | |
| 8 | Smith Brothers BBQ | |
| 9 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 10 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 11 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 12 | Fire Pig | |
| 13 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | Southern Swine | |
| 15 | GRILLBILLY HOLLAND | |
| 16 | MANOS AL FUEGO | |
| 17 | Modest Meats | |
| 18 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 19 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 20 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 21 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 22 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 23 | LEE LA Q | |
| 24 | Bonnie Blue BBQ | |
| 25 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 26 | Three Chiefs BBQ | |
| 27 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 28 | Black Box BBQ | |
| 29 | J. Piggy's BBQ | |
| 30 | Last Place Chicken | |
| 31 | Invarique | |
| 32 | Brother In-Law BBQ | |
| 33 | Big Back BBQ | |
| 34 | "Squeal Deal BBQ" | |
| 35 | Naw-Da-Bone |
Pork Ribs
35 entries · top 180.0000 · median 167.3944 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mind if I Smoke? | |
| 2 | GSP Barbecue | |
| 3 | Armstrong Smoke & Co. | |
| 4 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 5 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 6 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 7 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 8 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 9 | Last Place Chicken | |
| 10 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 11 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 12 | MANOS AL FUEGO | |
| 13 | Bonnie Blue BBQ | |
| 14 | Modest Meats | |
| 15 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 16 | Burnt Plow BBQ | |
| 17 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 18 | Fire Pig | |
| 19 | Jury's Out | |
| 20 | LEE LA Q | |
| 21 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 22 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 23 | Brother In-Law BBQ | |
| 24 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 25 | Black Box BBQ | |
| 26 | Three Chiefs BBQ | |
| 27 | Smith Brothers BBQ | |
| 28 | Big Back BBQ | |
| 29 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 30 | Southern Swine | |
| 31 | GRILLBILLY HOLLAND | |
| 32 | Invarique | |
| 33 | "Squeal Deal BBQ" | |
| 34 | J. Piggy's BBQ | |
| 35 | Naw-Da-Bone |