Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)
2023-08-11 – 2023-08-12 · Glencoe, AL · 📍 313 Nancy Carrol Ave
Reps: CAROL BIGLER, RANDY G BIGLER · Prize money: $3,500.00
Grand Champion: Small Batch BBQ (523.9772) · 35 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 REDBONES BBQ
Entries
35
3 judged meats
Top score
523.9772
Winning margin
2.3316
GC over RC
Field average
495.17
median 501.04
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
506.2400
10th place overall
Field spread
189.2232
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,500.00
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 7%
beats 93% 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
51%
18 of 35 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.59 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1565
avg power rating going in · stronger than 70% of contests
Storylines
👑 A dynasty in the making
Dogpatch Q has won this contest 2 times across its 10 tracked editions.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Small Batch BBQ - TN took the Grand Championship home to TN.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 4–5: HICKORY HANGOVER and LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: HICKORY HANGOVER and Deviant Smoke tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: LeeLa Q and REDBONES BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Slinging Pig Meat (won 2019), Leela Q (won 2020), Hickory Hangover (won 2022).
🃏 An upset on the books
Small Batch BBQ - TN came in rated below the field's top team, Hickory Hangover, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 26-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-08-10 | 407 Hollingsworth Park dr | — | — | — | — | |
| 2019-08-09 | Glencoe, AL | 313 Nancy Carrol Av | 26 | 518.8116 | Slinging Pig Meat | — |
| 2020-08-07 | Glencoe, AL | 313 Nancy Carrol Av | 21 | 521.1088 | Leela Q | — |
| 2021-08-06 | Glencoe, AL | 313 Nancy Carrol Av | 31 | 514.2284 | NOROLA BBQ Team | — |
| 2022-08-12 | Glencoe, AL | 313 Nancy Carrol Ave | 35 | 530.8228 | Hickory Hangover | — |
| 2023-08-11 ← this one | Glencoe, AL | 313 Nancy Carrol Ave | 35 | 523.9772 | Small Batch BBQ | — |
| 2024-09-20 | Glencoe, AL | 313 Nancy Carrol Ave | 18 | 354.2744 | Curly Bird BBQ | — |
| 2025-09-19 | Glencoe, AL | 313 Nancy Carrol Ave | 30 | 351.9656 | Puddleduck BBQ | — |
| 2025-09-20 | Glencoe, AL | 313 Nancy Carrol Ave | 22 | 348.0116 | Dogpatch Q | — |
| 2026-06-05 | Glencoe, AL | 313 Nancy Carol Dr | 26 | 353.7144 | Dogpatch Q | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5600 | 173.7028 | 170.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 173.1200 | 170.8228 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 173.7144 | 168.5256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
35 entries · top 523.9772 · median 501.0400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 2 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 3 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 4 | RIBLIFE | |
| 5 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 6 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 7 | Jury's Out | |
| 8 | 931 BBQ | |
| 9 | Maggie's Farm | |
| 10 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 11 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 12 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 13 | LeeLa Q | |
| 14 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 15 | %23Skillin It | |
| 16 | Slinging Pig Meat | |
| 17 | Bentley Que | |
| 18 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 19 | Thin Blue Swine | |
| 20 | Simply Smoked | |
| 21 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 22 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 23 | Pork Life | |
| 24 | Modest Meats | |
| 25 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 26 | Raise the Steaks | |
| 27 | Eastside Grillin & Chillin | |
| 28 | J.T.'s Smoke Shack | |
| 29 | Shark Bite BBQ | |
| 30 | Creekside BBQ | |
| 31 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 32 | The Pig Posse | |
| 33 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 34 | Smokin Aces | |
| 35 | Veteran Pork Pullers |
Chicken
35 entries · top 176.5600 · median 169.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 2 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 3 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 4 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 5 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 6 | Maggie's Farm | |
| 7 | Veteran Pork Pullers | |
| 8 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 9 | RIBLIFE | |
| 10 | %23Skillin It | |
| 11 | LeeLa Q | |
| 12 | Pork Life | |
| 13 | Eastside Grillin & Chillin | |
| 14 | Slinging Pig Meat | |
| 15 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 16 | 931 BBQ | |
| 17 | Jury's Out | |
| 18 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 19 | Raise the Steaks | |
| 20 | Thin Blue Swine | |
| 21 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 22 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 23 | Creekside BBQ | |
| 24 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 25 | Bentley Que | |
| 26 | J.T.'s Smoke Shack | |
| 27 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 28 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 29 | Modest Meats | |
| 30 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 31 | Simply Smoked | |
| 32 | The Pig Posse | |
| 33 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 34 | Shark Bite BBQ | |
| 35 | Smokin Aces |
Pork Ribs
34 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.2630
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 2 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 3 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 4 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 5 | LeeLa Q | |
| 6 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 7 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 8 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 9 | Thin Blue Swine | |
| 10 | RIBLIFE | |
| 11 | Maggie's Farm | |
| 12 | Slinging Pig Meat | |
| 13 | 931 BBQ | |
| 14 | %23Skillin It | |
| 15 | Bentley Que | |
| 16 | Jury's Out | |
| 17 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 18 | Modest Meats | |
| 19 | Simply Smoked | |
| 20 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 21 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 22 | Shark Bite BBQ | |
| 23 | Pork Life | |
| 24 | Eastside Grillin & Chillin | |
| 25 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 26 | Creekside BBQ | |
| 27 | Smokin Aces | |
| 28 | Raise the Steaks | |
| 29 | J.T.'s Smoke Shack | |
| 30 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 31 | The Pig Posse | |
| 32 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 33 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 34 | ETOWAH SMOKE |
Pork
35 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.6684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 2 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 3 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 4 | Jury's Out | |
| 5 | RIBLIFE | |
| 6 | ETOWAH SMOKE | |
| 7 | 931 BBQ | |
| 8 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 9 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 10 | Bentley Que | |
| 11 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 12 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | |
| 13 | Simply Smoked | |
| 14 | The Pig Posse | |
| 15 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 16 | J.T.'s Smoke Shack | |
| 17 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 18 | Shark Bite BBQ | |
| 19 | Maggie's Farm | |
| 20 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 21 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 22 | Raise the Steaks | |
| 23 | %23Skillin It | |
| 24 | Slinging Pig Meat | |
| 25 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 26 | Modest Meats | |
| 27 | Veteran Pork Pullers | |
| 28 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 29 | Thin Blue Swine | |
| 30 | LeeLa Q | |
| 31 | Pork Life | |
| 32 | Eastside Grillin & Chillin | |
| 33 | Creekside BBQ | |
| 34 | Smokin Aces | |
| 35 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team |