A stacked field
1639
average power rating going in
Stronger than 93% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1639 power rating going in — stronger than 93% of every contest tracked.
- top seed ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (1929)
- 32 rated teams
Fire in the Foothills BBQ Festival 2023
Sep 1–2, 2023 · King, NC · 📍 446 South Main St · State championship
Prize money: $5,250
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN won Grand Champion at the Fire in the Foothills BBQ Festival on September 1, 2023 in King, NC at 446 South Main St, scoring 700.5028 in a field of 21 teams. One Eyed Pig BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.8000. Category winners: Chicken — One Eyed Pig BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Optimus Swine (174.2744); Pork — OFF THE RACK BBQ (175.4172); Brisket — ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by POOR BOYS BBQ with 345.0856. This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; 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.
590.65
median 674.74
700.50 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 174.27
- Master Series — Pork 175.42
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 178.86
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 171.98
141.09
180
Entries
21
6 judged meats
Top score
700.5028
Winning margin
5.7028
GC over RC
Field average
669.91
590.65700.50
median 674.74 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
2.8688 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
675.8972
590.65700.50
10th place overall
Field spread
109.8512
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,250
on the line
Double threats
9
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 32%
beats 68% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.37 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,639
avg power rating going in · stronger than 93% of contests
Storylines (4 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 — Chicken places 4–5: SMOKECRAFT - MD and MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: SMOKE SHOW MAFIA and Menke Boys BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 5–6: MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ and UNDER THE RADAR tied on 170.8344 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
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 pork at 9th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 9th
- Brisket 1st
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN · Brisket
- One Eyed Pig BBQ · 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 | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2023 ← this one | King, NC | 446 South Main St | 21 | 700.5028 | Rooters-N-Tooters | One Eyed Pig BBQ |
| Aug 30, 2024 | King, NC | 446 South Main St | 28 | 701.1088 | Swig-N-Pig | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 170.8228 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 170.8344 | 168.5372 |
| Master Series — Pork | 175.4172 | 172.5484 | 168.5256 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 174.8456 | 168.5372 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 178.8572 | 165.7028 | 157.0856 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 171.9772 | 163.4060 | 152.5028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
21 entries · top 700.5028 · median 674.7428
Chicken
21 entries · top 180 · median 169.7028 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 174.2744 · median 167.3712
Pork
21 entries · top 175.4172 · median 168.5256
Brisket
21 entries · top 180 · median 167.3828 · 🔥 perfect 180
Backyard Series
Overall
11 entries · top 345.0856 · median 322.7544
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 2 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 3 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 4 | RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 5 | Kooky Kampers Barbecue | |
| 6 | Meadow Cr BBQ | |
| 7 | 3 Brothers BBQ | |
| 8 | Shep's BBQ | |
| 9 | Midlife BBQ | |
| 10 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 11 | Que N Cue |
Chicken
11 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.0856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 2 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 3 | RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 4 | Kooky Kampers Barbecue | |
| 5 | Que N Cue | |
| 6 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 7 | Midlife BBQ | |
| 8 | Meadow Cr BBQ | |
| 9 | 3 Brothers BBQ | |
| 10 | Shep's BBQ | |
| 11 | Dogpatch Q |
Pork Ribs
11 entries · top 171.9772 · median 162.8116
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 2 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 3 | RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 4 | 3 Brothers BBQ | |
| 5 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 6 | Meadow Cr BBQ | |
| 7 | Shep's BBQ | |
| 8 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 9 | Kooky Kampers Barbecue | |
| 10 | Midlife BBQ | |
| 11 | Que N Cue |