Score of the month
709.1200
Master overall, out of 720
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
JANKY LEG BBQ put up 709.1200 at Smokin' for Down Syndrome — the highest overall of the month.
March 2023 in BBQ
Every sanctioned contest scored in March 2023 — 1 Mar to 31 Mar.
24contests scored
664teams competed
920top-ten calls
41perfect 180s
80biggest field
12states & provinces
107new teams
8Backyard boards
Now on the newsstand
The Smoke Ring
Competition Barbecue’s Paper of Record
March 2023, set as a proper newspaper.
Every Grand Champion named, the month in figures across the top, the perfect 180s,
the box scores, and the calendar as classified notices.
Read the March 2023 edition →
The stories
First one ever
11th
contest — and their first GC
Big Racks BBQ won their first Grand Championship at American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest, in their 11th contest in the data.
- 24 Mar
Upset of the month
7-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings gave them a 7% chance
Smoked & Furious won Lake Views & BBQ (formerly Beats, Brew & BBQ) over top-rated CLARK CREW BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
41
perfect scores handed out
Six judges, every card a 9: 41 perfect 180s were handed out in March 2023.
- Chicken ×15
- Pork ×11
- Brisket ×9
- Pork Ribs ×6
Closest call
0.5484
points between 1st and 2nd
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE edged GETTIN' BASTED by 0.5484 at Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2).
- Master Series
Biggest riser
+68
power rating points
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ gained 68 rating points across 6 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 6 contests
- now #102 overall
Best debut
1st
in their very first contest
CHEWIN' THE BBQ FAT! finished 1st at Sip & Swine BBQ Festival — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 107 new teams in Mar 2023
- field of 65
Best in the backyard
523.9428
Backyard overall, out of 360
Bourbon & Blues BBQ put up 523.9428 on the Backyard board at Sip & Swine BBQ Festival — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 8 Backyard boards in Mar 2023
- won it
Biggest field
80
teams at one contest
Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship drew 80 teams, and TRIPLE H BBQ won it.
- Lebanon
- TN
Road warriors
8
contests cooked
HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ cooked 8 contests in March 2023 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 3rd
New on the calendar
68
teams at a brand-new contest
5th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship ran for the first time on record, drawing 68 teams, and Bull Creek BBQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Mar 2023
- Olathe
- KS
Busiest weekend
7
contests on one date
7 sanctioned contests were cooked on 24 Mar alone.
- 24 Mar
Rep of the month
7
contests worked
JULIE COOK repped 7 contests in March 2023 — somebody has to run the table.
The boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JANKY LEG BBQ Smokin' for Down Syndrome |
709.1200 |
| 2 | BULL CREEK BBQ 5th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
706.8344 |
| 3 | RAZORRACKS Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) |
706.8344 |
| 4 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) |
706.2284 |
| 5 | TRIPLE H BBQ Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship |
705.6800 |
| 6 | ATLANTA BBQ STORE Swampfest |
705.6800 |
| 7 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN Smokin' for Down Syndrome |
705.1200 |
| 8 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) |
705.0972 |
| 9 | SMOKIN SKULLIES BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) |
705.0856 |
| 10 | GETTIN' BASTED Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) |
704.5488 |
| 11 | CHEWIN' THE BBQ FAT! Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
703.9660 |
| 12 | Off The Rack BBQ BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) |
703.4288 |
| 13 | GETTIN' BASTED Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff |
702.8456 |
| 14 | Bushmaster BBQ BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest |
702.8116 |
| 15 | SMOKIN SKULLIES BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) |
702.2744 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×15 💯 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
180.0000 |
| Pork Ribs ×6 💯 | Bushmaster BBQ BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest |
180.0000 |
| Pork ×11 💯 | CHEWIN' THE BBQ FAT! Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
180.0000 |
| Brisket ×9 💯 | Bushmaster BBQ BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest |
180.0000 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 17 more in March 2023.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Mar 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ #102 | 1,806 | +68 |
| Dogpatch Q #269 | 1,731 | +43 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ #1242 | 1,582 | +40 |
| HotMess BBQ #278 | 1,728 | +31 |
| Small Batch BBQ - TN #566 | 1,664 | +30 |
| Country Boys BBQ #1188 | 1,587 | +29 |
| POOR BOYS BBQ #199 | 1,756 | +28 |
| Big Racks BBQ #446 | 1,689 | +27 |
| Swine-O-licious BBQ #146 | 1,778 | +27 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ #313 | 1,720 | +26 |
| JACK'S OLD SOUTH #2496 | 1,520 | -30 |
| Top Gun Barbecue #198 | 1,757 | -31 |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS #159 | 1,773 | -32 |
| Rogue Hog BBQ #573 | 1,662 | -34 |
| WOOD HOOK BBQ #262 | 1,734 | -36 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 8 | — | 3 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 7 | — | 2 |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 7 | — | 2 |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 6 | — | 4 |
| Dogpatch Q | 6 | — | 5 |
| RAZORRACKS | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Fergolicious BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | 5 | — | 2 |
| HESSHOGS | 5 | — | 4 |
| Optimus Swine | 5 | — | 6 |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 5 | — | 8 |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 5 | — | 8 |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 5 | — | 9 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 5 | — | 9 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| JULIE COOK | 7 | 3 |
| RUSTY COOK | 7 | 3 |
| ALEX JR BROWN | 4 | 1 |
| LOUISE WEIDNER | 4 | 1 |
| BUNNY TUTTLE | 3 | 3 |
| DAVE ROGERS | 3 | 2 |
| DONNA YOUNG | 3 | 1 |
| ED YOUNG | 3 | 1 |
| PEG ROGERS | 3 | 2 |
| RACHEL HARPER | 3 | 2 |
| WAYNE HARPER | 3 | 2 |
| DOUG REID | 2 | 2 |
| JEFF CHAMBERS | 2 | 1 |
| MARIANNE VAN GALEN | 2 | — |
| MAYCO VAN GALEN | 2 | — |
| REGINA BODNAR | 2 | 1 |
| ANGELA FISHLOCK | 1 | — |
| BOB MCKINNON | 1 | 1 |
| CAROL BIGLER | 1 | 1 |
| CHARLIE BRINZA | 1 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 5 | 70 |
| Virginia | 4 | 81 |
| Georgia | 2 | 136 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 123 |
| Iowa | 1 | 78 |
| Kansas | 1 | 68 |
| Texas | 1 | 57 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 44 |
| Arizona | 1 | 32 |
| Alabama | 1 | 31 |
| California | 1 | 28 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 15 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
523.9428 |
| 2 | NORALA BBQ TEAM Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
522.8572 |
| 3 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) |
521.6800 |
| 4 | TFS PIT VIPERS Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
521.0972 |
| 5 | POOR BOYS BBQ BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) |
521.0968 |
| 6 | Steak Princess BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
520.5372 |
| 7 | REDBONES BBQ Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) |
519.9544 |
| 8 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) |
518.8112 |
| 9 | Dogpatch Q Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
517.6456 |
| 10 | MRC_Barbecue BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) |
517.0972 |
| 11 | POOR BOYS BBQ BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) |
516.5256 |
| 12 | HotMess BBQ BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) |
516.5144 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| 5th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship Olathe, KS |
68 | Bull Creek BBQ |
| Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff Cedar Park, TX |
57 | Gettin'Based |
| BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest Yuma, AZ |
32 | Bushmaster BBQ |
| Lake Views & BBQ (formerly Beats, Brew & BBQ) Wagoner, OK |
29 | Smoked and Furious |
| The Golden State Battle V Hollister, CA |
28 | Big Red BBQ |
| Swampfest Waycross, GA |
28 | ATLANTA BBQ STORE |
| Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) St. Robert, MO |
26 | Razorracks BBQ |
| Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (One Meat Ribs) St. Robert, MO |
20 | Fergolicious BBQ |
| Spring Break BBQ Contest 4 Lommel, 3920 |
18 | BBQ + |
| Smokin' for Down Syndrome Marion, AR |
15 | Janky Leg BBQ |
| Belgisch Barbecue Weekend - Day 1 Boom, 2850 |
13 | Backcorner BBQ |
| Belgisch Barbecue Weekend - Day 2 Boom, 2850 |
13 | BBQ Team Laurentius |
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Every contest scored (24 in March 2023)
The archive
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