In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in January 2023.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
The Smoke Ring
Competition Barbecue’s Paper of Record
The Index
- Grand Champions A2
- The Month in Brief A3
- Perfect Scores A5
- Ratings Market A6
- New to the Circuit A8
- Box Scores B1
- Complete Results B4
- Back Issues C4
Score of the month
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit Turns In the Month’s Best Card
706.8228 out of 720 at Lakeland Pig Festival — the highest Master overall scored in January 2023.
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
LAKELAND, Fla. — Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit put up 706.8228 at Lakeland Pig Festival — the highest overall of the month.
Across January 2023, 5 sanctioned contests were scored, across 3 states and provinces, drawing 279 teams to the turn-in table. Judges made 240 top-ten calls and handed out 7 perfect 180s. 106 teams appear in the record for the first time. The full standings run on B1.
Every Grand Championship in this edition — 5 in all.
First one ever
STEVO'S BBQ TEAM Wins Its First, on the 16th Try
A first Grand Championship at Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge, after 16 contests in the record.
16th contest — and their first GC
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. — STEVO'S BBQ TEAM won their first Grand Championship at Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge, in their 16th contest in the data.
Upset of the month
The Long Shot Comes In at Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
The ratings gave STEVO'S BBQ TEAM a 10% chance, with BIG POPPA SMOKERS the team to beat.
10-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. — STEVO'S BBQ TEAM won Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge over top-rated BIG POPPA SMOKERS as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Judges Hand Out Seven Perfect 180s
Six cards, every one a nine — 7 times in January 2023.
7 perfect scores handed out
Six judges, every card a 9: 7 perfect 180s were handed out in January 2023.
Also in Jan 2023
Decided by 0.0000 of a Point
STEVO'S BBQ TEAM edged LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ by 0.0000 at Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge.
Two Drummer's Q-Crew Climbs 21 Rating Points
Two Drummer's Q-Crew gained 21 rating points across 1 contest — the biggest climb of the month.
Four State Champions Crowned
4 state championships were decided in January 2023. The biggest, Lakeland Pig Festival (51 teams), went to UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT.
First Time Out, Belen Grill and Chill Takes 1st
Belen Grill and Chill finished 1st at Panama BBQ Fest — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
Belen Grill and Chill Runs Away With Panama BBQ Fest
Belen Grill and Chill won Panama BBQ Fest by 7.4400 points over Los Smokies — the widest winning margin of the month.
51 Teams Roll Into Lakeland
Lakeland Pig Festival drew 51 teams, and UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT won it.
STEVO'S BBQ TEAM Wins Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Without Winning a Meat
STEVO'S BBQ TEAM won Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 3rd.
A New Contest Opens in Bullhead City
Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge ran for the first time on record, drawing 45 teams, and STEVO'S BBQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
Debra Gage Works Three Contests
Debra Gage repped 3 contests in January 2023 — somebody has to run the table.
Perfect 180s
7 perfect scores — six judges, every card a nine.
- Pork Ribs Cooters N Smoke Lakeland Pig Festival · Jan. 27
- Pork Optimus Swine Lakeland Pig Festival · Jan. 27
- Pork SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA Lakeland Pig Festival · Jan. 27
- Brisket Smokin' Ain't EZ Lakeland Pig Festival · Jan. 27
- Pork Ribs Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit Lakeland Pig Festival · Jan. 27
- Chicken GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ Southern Sunshine BBQ Fest · Jan. 13
- Pork Poppa Pig Southern Sunshine BBQ Fest · Jan. 13
The Ratings Market Power rating and the move over Jan 2023; # is the team’s place in the power rankings
| Team | Rating | Chg. |
|---|---|---|
| Two Drummer's Q-Crew #5,030 | 1,462 | ▲ 21 |
| Denim Dan the BBQ Man #2,296 | 1,527 | ▲ 18 |
| Cherry Anchor BBQ #324 | 1,719 | ▲ 17 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ #1,184 | 1,588 | ▲ 16 |
| Belen Grill and Chill #2,123 | 1,534 | ▲ 16 |
| The Smoked Biscuit Company #3,114 | 1,503 | ▲ 16 |
| STEVO'S BBQ TEAM #349 | 1,712 | ▲ 16 |
| Weekend Warrior BBQ #2,109 | 1,535 | ▲ 15 |
| Team | Rating | Chg. |
|---|---|---|
| ROOSTERS BULLS & BOARS #1,609 | 1,557 | ▲ 15 |
| Slightly Sauced #1,459 | 1,568 | ▲ 15 |
| FOCUS REMODELS | 1,486 | ▼ 14 |
| BBQ Love Club | 1,492 | ▼ 14 |
| Bien Pega'o | 1,484 | ▼ 16 |
| SWAMP BOYS #652 | 1,649 | ▼ 16 |
| Phil the Grill #1,929 | 1,542 | ▼ 17 |
Full power rankings → · Ratings move only on rated contests; invitationals and non-points events are excluded.
New to the Circuit First appearance anywhere in the record — the figure is their best finish
- 1st Belen Grill and Chill Panama BBQ Fest
- 2nd Los Smokies Panama BBQ Fest
- 4th Grill & Chill Panama BBQ Fest
- 5th Barbaros Elite Panama BBQ Fest
- 5th Ramblin Fork BBQ Co Lakeland Pig Festival
- 6th Space Station BBQ Lakeland Pig Festival
- 6th Vamg Bbq Panama BBQ Fest
- 7th Smoke House Pty Panama BBQ Fest
- 8th La Septiima Panama BBQ Fest
- 9th BBQ Fellas Panama BBQ Fest
- 10th La Humacera Panama BBQ Fest
- 11th Parrilleros 4 life Panama BBQ Fest
- 12th Xpl BBQ Panama BBQ Fest
- 13th Urban Smoke Panama BBQ Fest
- 15th La City da pa mas Panama BBQ Fest
- 16th Clan de la Salsa Panama BBQ Fest
- 17th 2q3 Spot Panama BBQ Fest
- 17th Cool Guys with Hot Grills Lakeland Pig Festival
What a first season usually looks like → · 3 contests also ran for the first time on record: Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge, SJV Winter Rub, Panama BBQ Fest.
Best of Each Meat
Both series, out of 180
| Meat | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken† | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ Southern Sunshine BBQ Fest |
180 |
| Pork Ribs†2 | Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit Lakeland Pig Festival |
180 |
| Pork†3 | Poppa Pig Southern Sunshine BBQ Fest |
180 |
| Brisket† | Smokin' Ain't EZ Lakeland Pig Festival |
180 |
† a perfect 180 was scored in this category during the edition.
Who Showed Up
Contests · Grand Championships · best overall finish
| Team | C | GC | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimus Swine | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 2 | — | 5 |
| Ramblin Fork BBQ Co | 2 | — | 5 |
| Poppa Pig | 2 | — | 6 |
| UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ | 2 | — | 6 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 2 | — | 8 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 2 | — | 9 |
| ROOSTERS BULLS & BOARS | 2 | — | 9 |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | 2 | — | 10 |
| Mad Dog BBQ | 2 | — | 11 |
| SCORE ONE SMOKIN' | 2 | — | 12 |
| HOT WACHULA'S | 2 | — | 13 |
| Accutech BBQ | 2 | — | 15 |
| K & E's Little Smokers | 2 | — | 22 |
| Belen Grill and Chill | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Who Ran the Table
Contests worked · states & provinces
| Rep | C | St. |
|---|---|---|
| Debra Gage | 3 | 1 |
| William Gage | 3 | 1 |
| Charlie Brinza | 2 | 1 |
| Maria Lohman | 2 | — |
| Wayne Lohman | 2 | — |
| Alan Rothrock | 1 | 1 |
| Bill Jones | 1 | 1 |
| Bunny Tuttle | 1 | 1 |
| Carol Bigler | 1 | 1 |
| Carolyn Wells | 1 | 1 |
| Dave Rogers | 1 | 1 |
| Jeanne Titus | 1 | 1 |
| Julie Cook | 1 | 1 |
| Kelly McIntosh | 1 | 1 |
| Marianne Van Galen | 1 | — |
| Mayco Van Galen | 1 | — |
| Michael Winter | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Garretson | 1 | 1 |
| Peg Rogers | 1 | 1 |
| Randy G Bigler | 1 | 1 |
Where They Cooked
Contests · teams
| State/Prov. | C | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 2 | 169 |
| Arizona | 1 | 62 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 31 |
Every sanctioned contest scored in this edition — 5 in all, newest first. Click a column head to sort; click a row for the contest.
| Contest | Grand Champion | High score |
|---|---|---|
| Panama BBQ Fest Jan. 28 · Panama City, · 19 teams |
Belen Grill and Chll | 670.7996 |
| Lakeland Pig Festival Jan. 27 · Lakeland, Fla. · 51 teams |
UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | 706.8228 |
| SJV Winter Rub Jan. 27 · Omaha, Neb. · 31 teams |
Bushmaster BBQ | 694.7884 |
| Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Jan. 13 · Bullhead City, Ariz. · 45 teams |
STEVO'S BBQ | 691.3716 |
| Southern Sunshine BBQ Fest Jan. 13 · Lake Wales, Fla. · 26 teams |
Optimus Swine | 699.3484 |
Contests Advertised
- Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) — Friday, Oct. 23. West Creek, N.J. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) — Friday, Oct. 23. West Creek, N.J. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition — Friday, Oct. 23. Vidalia, La. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild — Friday, Oct. 23. Branson, Mo. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- The Butcher's Smoke & Flames Barbeque Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) — Friday, Oct. 23. Cullman, Ala. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Foothills Smoke-Off Challenge — Friday, Oct. 23. Lenoir, N.C. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) — Saturday, Oct. 24. West Creek, N.J. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) — Saturday, Oct. 24. West Creek, N.J. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
Map what is in driving range → · subscribe to the calendar → · the judging notices → · the whole calendar →
Every month with scored results, back to the start of the record. ← December 2022 February 2023 → Latest edition
Seasons in review: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 · 2018 · 2017 · 2016 · 2015 · 2014 · 2013 · 2012