In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in November 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
- The Backyard A7
- New to the Circuit A8
- Box Scores B1
- Complete Results B4
- Back Issues C4
Score of the month
2LiveQ Turns In the Month’s Best Card
710.8228 out of 720 at Golden State Battle of Indio — the highest Master overall scored in November 2023.
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
INDIO, Calif. — 2LiveQ put up 710.8228 at Golden State Battle of Indio — the highest overall of the month.
Across November 2023, 12 sanctioned contests were scored, across 8 states and provinces, drawing 285 teams to the turn-in table. Judges made 450 top-ten calls and handed out 17 perfect 180s. 51 teams appear in the record for the first time. The full standings run on B1.
Every Grand Championship in this edition — 12 in all.
- Triple H Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
- 2LiveQ Golden State Battle of Indio
- Smokin' Ain't EZ Plant City Pig Jam
- Colorado BullDawg BBQ Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival
- Small Axe BBQ Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" (ONE MEAT BRISKET)
- Smokin' Volts BBQ Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout"
- Smokin' Volts BBQ Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- The King & His Q Smokin' in the Valley
- Glamping Grillers VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
- Loot N' Booty BBQ Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic
- SHIGGIN AINT EASY Currituck Bulls and BBQ
- Big Boys BBQ Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic (One Meat Ribs)
First one ever
2LiveQ Wins Its First, on the 48th Try
A first Grand Championship at Golden State Battle of Indio, after 48 contests in the record.
48th contest — and their first GC
INDIO, Calif. — 2LiveQ won their first Grand Championship at Golden State Battle of Indio, in their 48th contest in the data.
Upset of the month
The Long Shot Comes In at Golden State Battle of Indio
The ratings gave 2LiveQ a 14% chance, with BIG POPPA SMOKERS the team to beat.
14-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings
INDIO, Calif. — 2LiveQ won Golden State Battle of Indio over top-rated BIG POPPA SMOKERS as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Judges Hand Out 17 Perfect 180s
Six cards, every one a nine — 17 times in November 2023.
17 perfect scores handed out
Six judges, every card a 9: 17 perfect 180s were handed out in November 2023.
Also in Nov 2023
Decided by 2.8800 Points
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ edged HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ by 2.8800 at Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival.
The King and His Q Back on Top After Three Years
The King and His Q won Smokin' in the Valley — their first Grand Championship since November 2019, after 3 contests without one.
The King and His Q Takes Three of Four Meats at Smokin' in the Valley
The King and His Q won 3 of 4 meats at Smokin' in the Valley (pork ribs, pork and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
Shiggin aint easy Climbs 25 Rating Points
Shiggin aint easy gained 25 rating points across 2 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
Eight State Champions Crowned
8 state championships were decided in November 2023. The biggest, Atlanta BBQ Store Classic (60 teams), went to Triple H.
First Time Out, Rum Runners Takes 2nd
Rum Runners finished 2nd at Plant City Pig Jam — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA Tops the Backyard Board at Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA put up 353.7028 on the Backyard board at Atlanta BBQ Store Classic — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ Runs Away With Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ won Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic by 12.0228 points over BIG POPPA SMOKERS — the widest winning margin of the month.
60 Teams Roll Into Cumming
Atlanta BBQ Store Classic drew 60 teams, and Triple H won it.
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ Cooks Its 250th Contest
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ cooked their 250th contest on record at Currituck Bulls and BBQ, with 12 Grand Championships along the way.
Nobody Hauled Further Than SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ cooked 5 contests in November 2023 — nobody hauled the rig further.
Glamping Grillers Wins VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition Without Winning a Meat
Glamping Grillers won VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
A New Contest Opens in Indio
Golden State Battle of Indio ran for the first time on record, drawing 40 teams, and 2LiveQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
Four Contests on One Friday
4 sanctioned contests were cooked on 3 Nov alone.
Julie Poe Works Four Contests
Julie Poe repped 4 contests in November 2023 — somebody has to run the table.
Perfect 180s
17 perfect scores — six judges, every card a nine.
- Chicken 2LiveQ Golden State Battle of Indio · Nov. 17
- Chicken Cherry Anchor BBQ Golden State Battle of Indio · Nov. 17
- Chicken Meat Candy Q Golden State Battle of Indio · Nov. 17
- Pork Ribs Smoke Central BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Nov. 17
- Chicken Smokin' Ain't EZ Plant City Pig Jam · Nov. 17
- Pork Ribs Stewbabys BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Nov. 17
- Brisket TRIPLE H BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Nov. 17
- Chicken TRIPLE H BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Nov. 17
- Pork Ribs Tillman's BBQ Plant City Pig Jam · Nov. 17
- Chicken Heavy Smoke BBQ Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival · Nov. 11
- Chicken Poppa Pig Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival · Nov. 11
- Pork Ribs SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" (ONE MEAT RIBS) · Nov. 10
- Pork Glamping Grillers VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition · Nov. 3
- Pork Ribs Italians Do it Better VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition · Nov. 3
- Pork Ribs Kermit's Ex VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition · Nov. 3
- Brisket STEVO'S BBQ TEAM Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic · Nov. 3
- Pork Walk The Swine VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition · Nov. 3
The Ratings Market Power rating and the move over Nov 2023; # is the team’s place in the power rankings
| Team | Rating | Chg. |
|---|---|---|
| Shiggin aint easy #173 | 1,768 | ▲ 25 |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ #106 | 1,804 | ▲ 22 |
| B.G.Q. #1,233 | 1,584 | ▲ 18 |
| OFF THE CHAIN #1,347 | 1,576 | ▲ 17 |
| OM BBQ #663 | 1,647 | ▲ 16 |
| 4 Paws BBQ #2,251 | 1,529 | ▲ 16 |
| 2LiveQ #809 | 1,627 | ▲ 16 |
| BIG RED BBQ #820 | 1,625 | ▲ 15 |
| Team | Rating | Chg. |
|---|---|---|
| Rum Runners | 1,515 | ▲ 15 |
| Ramblin Fork BBQ Co #1,456 | 1,568 | ▲ 15 |
| COOL HAND QUE #729 | 1,637 | ▼ 15 |
| ROAST BEAST BBQ #429 | 1,692 | ▼ 16 |
| GIRLS CAN GRILL #872 | 1,620 | ▼ 16 |
| Off The Rack BBQ #224 | 1,750 | ▼ 16 |
| Rhythm n QUE #351 | 1,711 | ▼ 19 |
Full power rankings → · Ratings move only on rated contests; invitationals and non-points events are excluded.
The Backyard Two meats, out of 360 — never against the Master board
The Backyard division was cooked at two contests in Nov 2023.
- 1 RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Cumming, Ga. 353.7028
- 2 B.G.Q. Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Cumming, Ga. 350.2628
- 3 NORALA BBQ TEAM Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Cumming, Ga. 349.6800
- 4 Smokey Bees BBQ - MS Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Cumming, Ga. 347.9772
- 5 Ramblin Fork BBQ Co Plant City Pig Jam · Plant City, Fla. 347.3828
- 6 4 Paws BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Cumming, Ga. 345.0856
- 7 Dogpatch Q Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Cumming, Ga. 344.5256
- 8 SLATER HOUSE BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Cumming, Ga. 343.3828
- 9 Steak Princess BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Cumming, Ga. 342.8344
- 10 WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic · Cumming, Ga. 341.6340
The Backyard series in full → · Its own record board, its own champions and its own Team of the Year.
New to the Circuit First appearance anywhere in the record — the figure is their best finish
- 2nd Rum Runners Plant City Pig Jam
- 9th Brisket and Burrbon Plant City Pig Jam
- 9th Italians Do it Better VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
- 10th Pipkin Creek BBQ Plant City Pig Jam
- 10th Raeburn Barbecue Smokin' in the Valley
- 10th Smokey's Bar-B-Que Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout"
- 11th Cajun JuJu VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
- 11th Willie's Smokehouse Plant City Pig Jam
- 12th It's Just Me BBQ Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout"
- 13th Rollin Smoke BBQ & Co Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout"
- 14th Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
- 14th Daddy Delicious BBQ LLC Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout"
- 15th United By BBQ VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
- 17th Dope BBQ Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout"
- 17th Grande Oaks BBQ Plant City Pig Jam
- 17th Po' Thangs Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival
- 18th Bailout BBQ Plant City Pig Jam
- 18th Team Huli-Huli Chicken Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout"
What a first season usually looks like → · 7 contests also ran for the first time on record: Golden State Battle of Indio, VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition, Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic, Currituck Bulls and BBQ, Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic (One Meat Ribs), Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout", Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" (ONE MEAT RIBS).
Best of Each Meat
Both series, out of 180
| Meat | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken†7 | Heavy Smoke BBQ Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival |
180 |
| Pork Ribs†6 | Kermit's Ex VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition |
180 |
| Pork†2 | Walk The Swine VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition |
180 |
| Brisket†2 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SMOKECRAFT - MD | 4 | — | 6 |
| LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 3 | — | 2 |
| Small Axe BBQ | 3 | — | 3 |
| CROOKED PIGS | 3 | — | 4 |
| WARPIG BBQ & SAUSAGE CO. | 3 | — | 5 |
| SHIG NINJA BBQ | 3 | — | 6 |
| VRM Pit Crew | 3 | — | 8 |
| B Lee's BBQ | 3 | — | 9 |
| Smokey's Bar-B-Que | 3 | — | 10 |
| Hometown BBQ | 3 | — | 11 |
| It's Just Me BBQ | 3 | — | 12 |
| Daddy Delicious BBQ LLC | 3 | — | 14 |
| Big Boys BBQ | 3 | — | 15 |
Who Ran the Table
Contests worked · states & provinces
| Rep | C | St. |
|---|---|---|
| Julie Poe | 4 | 1 |
| Kathleen McIntosh | 4 | 2 |
| Kelly McIntosh | 4 | 2 |
| Ian Schmidt | 3 | 1 |
| Alex Jr Brown | 1 | 1 |
| Bill Jones | 1 | 1 |
| Carol Bigler | 1 | 1 |
| Carolyn Wells | 1 | 1 |
| Charlie Brinza | 1 | 1 |
| Craig Maidens | 1 | — |
| Heather Maidens | 1 | — |
| Julie Cook | 1 | 1 |
| Karina Rumens | 1 | — |
| Maria Lohman | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Garretson | 1 | 1 |
| Rachel Harper | 1 | 1 |
| Randy G Bigler | 1 | 1 |
| Rob Stevens | 1 | — |
| Rusty Cook | 1 | 1 |
| Steven Flewallen | 1 | 1 |
Where They Cooked
Contests · teams
| State/Prov. | C | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 3 | 19 |
| Arizona | 2 | 30 |
| Georgia | 1 | 103 |
| Florida | 1 | 47 |
| California | 1 | 40 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 27 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 21 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 19 |
Every sanctioned contest scored in this edition — 12 in all, newest first. Click a column head to sort; click a row for the contest.
| Contest | Grand Champion | High score |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta BBQ Store Classic Nov. 17 · Cumming, Ga. · 60 teams |
Triple H | 708.5372 |
| Golden State Battle of Indio Nov. 17 · Indio, Calif. · 40 teams |
2LiveQ | 710.8228 |
| Plant City Pig Jam Nov. 17 · Plant City, Fla. · 25 teams |
Smokin' Ain't EZ | 695.3944 |
| Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival Nov. 11 · Biloxi, Miss. · 19 teams |
Colorado BullDawg BBQ | 704.5256 |
| Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" (ONE MEAT BRISKET) Nov. 11 · Honolulu, Hawaii · 12 teams |
Small Axe BBQ | 172.5600 |
| Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" Nov. 10 · Honolulu, Hawaii · 18 teams |
Smokin' Volts BBQ | 693.6800 |
| Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" (ONE MEAT RIBS) Nov. 10 · Honolulu, Hawaii · 14 teams |
Smokin' Volts BBQ | 180 |
| Smokin' in the Valley Nov. 4 · Perth, Western Australia, · 11 teams |
The King & His Q | 687.3828 |
| VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition Nov. 3 · Vidalia, La. · 27 teams |
Glamping Grillers | 709.1200 |
| Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic Nov. 3 · Mesa, Ariz. · 26 teams |
Loot N' Booty BBQ | 703.9884 |
| Currituck Bulls and BBQ Nov. 3 · Powells Point, N.C. · 21 teams |
SHIGGIN AINT EASY | 697.0628 |
| Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic (One Meat Ribs) Nov. 3 · Mesa, Ariz. · 19 teams |
Big Boys BBQ | 176.6172 |
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. ← October 2023 December 2023 → Latest edition
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