Score of the month
714.2744
Master overall, out of 720
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
RAZORRACKS put up 714.2744 at Southaven Springfest — the highest overall of the month.
April 2023 in BBQ
Every sanctioned contest scored in April 2023 — 1 Apr to 30 Apr.
36contests scored
832teams competed
1,417top-ten calls
44perfect 180s
103biggest field
16states & provinces
139new teams
11Backyard boards
Now on the newsstand
The Smoke Ring
Competition Barbecue’s Paper of Record
April 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 April 2023 edition →
The stories
Hottest hand
2×
Grand Championships
BBQ Team Laurentius took 2 Grand Championships in April 2023.
First one ever
70th
contest — and their first GC
WE WILL ROCK QUE won their first Grand Championship at Smoke on the Falls, in their 70th contest in the data.
- 7 Apr
Upset of the month
10-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings gave them a 10% chance
Smoked & Furious won Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition over top-rated CLARK CREW BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
44
perfect scores handed out
Six judges, every card a 9: 44 perfect 180s were handed out in April 2023.
- Chicken ×14
- Brisket ×12
- Pork Ribs ×9
- Pork ×9
Closest call
0.0116
points between 1st and 2nd
Swine-O-licious BBQ edged Compete BBQ Team by 0.0116 at Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition.
- Backyard Series
Biggest riser
+47
power rating points
Smoked & Furious gained 47 rating points across 3 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 3 contests
- now #173 overall
Best debut
1st
in their very first contest
Leaning Jowler BBQ finished 1st at Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 1) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 139 new teams in Apr 2023
- field of 20
Best in the backyard
529.1544
Backyard overall, out of 360
T & S BBQ put up 529.1544 on the Backyard board at WV Hunting Heroes BBQ Throwdown — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 11 Backyard boards in Apr 2023
- won it
Biggest field
103
teams at one contest
Smoke in the Spring drew 103 teams, and Janky Leg BBQ won it.
- Osage City
- KS
Road warriors
9
contests cooked
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit cooked 9 contests in April 2023 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 2nd
New on the calendar
51
teams at a brand-new contest
Smokin in the Creek BBQ ran for the first time on record, drawing 51 teams, and HIGH I QUE won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Apr 2023
- Sugar Creek
- MO
Busiest weekend
11
contests on one date
11 sanctioned contests were cooked on 28 Apr alone.
- 28 Apr
Rep of the month
11
contests worked
JEFF CHAMBERS repped 11 contests in April 2023 — somebody has to run the table.
The boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RAZORRACKS Southaven Springfest |
714.2744 |
| 2 | Meat Candy Q BBQ, Boots & Brew |
713.7144 |
| 3 | Smoked & Furious Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition |
708.5488 |
| 4 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest (JUDGING FULL) |
708.5372 |
| 5 | GETTIN' BASTED BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2023 |
708.0228 |
| 6 | JANKY LEG BBQ Smoke in the Spring |
707.9772 |
| 7 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition |
706.8344 |
| 8 | Organizer Portal 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ |
706.8228 |
| 9 | Top Gun Barbecue Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES |
705.7372 |
| 10 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ BBQ, Boots & Brew |
704.5372 |
| 11 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS BBQ, Boots & Brew |
704.5256 |
| 12 | Smokin' Bliss BBQ Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship |
704.0000 |
| 13 | HIGH i QUE Smokin in the Creek BBQ |
703.9544 |
| 14 | HIGH ON THE HAWG 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ |
703.9428 |
| 15 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ BBQ, Boots & Brew |
703.9428 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×14 💯 | HIGH i QUE Smoke in the Spring |
180.0000 |
| Pork Ribs ×9 💯 | JANKY LEG BBQ Smoke in the Spring |
180.0000 |
| Pork ×9 💯 | Barking Dog BBQ Smoke in the Spring |
180.0000 |
| Brisket ×12 💯 | GETTIN' BASTED Smoke in the Spring |
180.0000 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 20 more in April 2023.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Apr 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Smoked & Furious #173 | 1,767 | +47 |
| BBQ Team Laurentius #667 | 1,646 | +43 |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ #98 | 1,808 | +38 |
| ONE EYED PIG BBQ #354 | 1,711 | +36 |
| T & S BBQ #302 | 1,722 | +34 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ #102 | 1,806 | +34 |
| HotMess BBQ #278 | 1,728 | +29 |
| Deviant Smoke #599 | 1,658 | +29 |
| Beefy Bros BBQ #1229 | 1,583 | +28 |
| Off The Rack BBQ #218 | 1,750 | +28 |
| Nine Echo | 1,474 | -26 |
| Low and Slow Smokehouse #4956 | 1,463 | -26 |
| SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS #626 | 1,654 | -27 |
| Disco Brisket BBQ | 1,457 | -31 |
| POKE N SMOKE #1654 | 1,554 | -37 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 9 | — | 2 |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 6 | — | 2 |
| STICKS & STONES BBQ | 6 | — | 2 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 5 | — | 3 |
| Grandpa Val's BBQ | 5 | — | 4 |
| BLUE & GRAY BBQ | 5 | — | 6 |
| SmoKEN Meatz | 5 | — | 10 |
| Live Q or Die | 5 | — | 17 |
| Disco Brisket BBQ | 5 | — | 28 |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Off The Rack BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| JEFF CHAMBERS | 11 | 4 |
| REGINA BODNAR | 7 | 3 |
| BILL JONES | 4 | 3 |
| LOUISE WEIDNER | 4 | 1 |
| ALAN ROTHROCK | 3 | 1 |
| ALEX JR BROWN | 3 | 2 |
| CAROL BIGLER | 3 | 2 |
| CHARLIE BRINZA | 3 | 2 |
| DOUG REID | 3 | 1 |
| FORREST BRUCE | 3 | 2 |
| JANET APPLETON | 3 | 2 |
| MARIANNE VAN GALEN | 3 | — |
| MAYCO VAN GALEN | 3 | — |
| RANDY G BIGLER | 3 | 2 |
| SAM APPLETON | 3 | 2 |
| BECKY DRUETZLER | 2 | 1 |
| DAVE DRUETZLER | 2 | 1 |
| DAVE ROGERS | 2 | 1 |
| DEBRA GAGE | 2 | 1 |
| HAYMO GUTWENIGER | 2 | — |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 4 | 54 |
| Alabama | 3 | 135 |
| Missouri | 3 | 86 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 78 |
| Kansas | 2 | 138 |
| California | 2 | 60 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 53 |
| Virginia | 2 | 48 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 46 |
| Ohio | 2 | 44 |
| Alaska | 2 | 12 |
| Georgia | 1 | 48 |
| Florida | 1 | 32 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 30 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 25 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 21 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | T & S BBQ WV Hunting Heroes BBQ Throwdown |
529.1544 |
| 2 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
527.9656 |
| 3 | TFS PIT VIPERS BBQ Boogie & Blues |
525.6916 |
| 4 | RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA BBQ Boogie & Blues |
525.0972 |
| 5 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) |
521.6572 |
| 6 | Shmack Q BBQ Boogie & Blues |
521.6572 |
| 7 | LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
520.5256 |
| 8 | LEE LA Q Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) |
519.9544 |
| 9 | Steak Princess BBQ BBQ Boogie & Blues |
519.3600 |
| 10 | LEE LA Q Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
518.8000 |
| 11 | REDBONES BBQ Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
518.2516 |
| 12 | Deviant Smoke Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
518.2516 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Smokin in the Creek BBQ Sugar Creek, MO |
51 | HIGH I QUE |
| Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Bristol, CT |
43 | Top Gun Barbecue |
| Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL |
36 | PuckDaddy's Killer Q |
| The Downtown BBQ Showdown Lake City, FL |
32 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ LLC |
| Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition Derby, KS |
28 | SMOKED & FURIOUS |
| Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff Brandon, MS |
28 | Chicken Fried BBQ |
| 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ Somerville, TN |
25 | Smoke Me Silly |
| Smokin' in the Pines Pinehurst, NC |
24 | One Eyed Pig BBQ |
| Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT |
22 | Grandpa Val's |
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 1) Williamsburg, VA |
20 | BUSHMASTER BBQ |
| WV Hunting Heroes BBQ Throwdown Cottageville, WV |
15 | Under the Radar |
| Break Up Shake Up BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Palmer, AK |
12 | Smokin J's BBQ |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (36 in April 2023)
The archive
Every month with scored results, back to the start of the data. Subscribe to the monthly feed and each one lands as it closes.