Score of the month
706.8460
Master overall, out of 720
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
Sure Shot BBQ put up 706.8460 at Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff — the highest overall of the month.
April 2024 in BBQ
Every sanctioned contest scored in April 2024 — 1 Apr to 30 Apr.
34contests scored
859teams competed
1,223top-ten calls
48perfect 180s
97biggest field
16states & provinces
164new teams
9Backyard boards
Now on the newsstand
The Smoke Ring
Competition Barbecue’s Paper of Record
April 2024, 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 2024 edition →
The stories
Hottest hand
2×
Grand Championships
Optimus Swine took 2 Grand Championships in April 2024.
First one ever
88th
contest — and their first GC
Wabash BBQ won their first Grand Championship at Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest, in their 88th contest in the data.
- 26 Apr
Upset of the month
10-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings gave them a 10% chance
The good, the bad & the pitbitches won De Vliegende Hollander BBQ Contest 2024 over top-rated IQ - NETHERLANDS as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
48
perfect scores handed out
Six judges, every card a 9: 48 perfect 180s were handed out in April 2024.
- Chicken ×21
- Brisket ×13
- Pork ×8
- Pork Ribs ×6
Closest call
0.0000
points between 1st and 2nd
WE WILL ROCK QUE edged FRED VEGAS SMOKERS by 0.0000 at Smoke on the Falls.
- Master Series
Biggest riser
+29
power rating points
BEER TIME BBQ gained 29 rating points across 2 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 2 contests
- now #709 overall
Best debut
1st
in their very first contest
Yardogs BBQ finished 1st at New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 164 new teams in Apr 2024
- field of 27
Best in the backyard
356.5716
Backyard overall, out of 360
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS put up 356.5716 on the Backyard board at Smoke on the Falls — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 9 Backyard boards in Apr 2024
- won it
Biggest field
97
teams at one contest
Smoke in the Spring drew 97 teams, and Burnt Trees won it.
- Osage City
- KS
Road warriors
9
contests cooked
Professor Smoke cooked 9 contests in April 2024 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 21st
New on the calendar
62
teams at a brand-new contest
GLBBQA Spring Fling ran for the first time on record, drawing 62 teams, and Poppa Pig? won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 10 first editions in Apr 2024
- Charlotte
- MI
Busiest weekend
7
contests on one date
7 sanctioned contests were cooked on 26 Apr alone.
- 26 Apr
Rep of the month
5
contests worked
ALAN ROTHROCK repped 5 contests in April 2024 — somebody has to run the table.
The boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sure Shot BBQ Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff |
706.8460 |
| 2 | Poppa Pig GLBBQA Spring Fling |
706.3088 |
| 3 | BURNT TREES BBQ Smoke in the Spring |
706.2628 |
| 4 | HOT CHIHUAHUA BARBECUE Lake Views & BBQ |
705.6916 |
| 5 | Rhythm n QUE BBQ Boots & Brew |
705.6800 |
| 6 | CHUNKY BBQ Marietta River City BBQ |
705.6800 |
| 7 | Kith n' Kin 12th Annual Bull Moose BBQ |
705.6684 |
| 8 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine Smoke in the Spring |
705.0972 |
| 9 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE Smoke in the Spring |
704.5488 |
| 10 | Wabash BBQ Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest |
703.9544 |
| 11 | HIGH ON THE HAWG 12th Annual Bull Moose BBQ |
703.3944 |
| 12 | Meat Candy Q BBQ Boots & Brew |
703.3944 |
| 13 | B' Mackin BBQ BBQ Boots & Brew |
703.3828 |
| 14 | WOOD HOOK BBQ Lake Views & BBQ |
702.8688 |
| 15 | O' Town Que Lake Views & BBQ |
702.8456 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×21 💯 | Sure Shot BBQ Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff |
180.0000 |
| Pork Ribs ×6 💯 | Mr. Dudes BBQ Smoke in the Spring |
180.0000 |
| Pork ×8 💯 | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD Smoke in the Spring |
180.0000 |
| Brisket ×13 💯 | SUPER SWINE Lake Views & BBQ |
180.0000 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 24 more in April 2024.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Apr 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| BEER TIME BBQ #709 | 1,640 | +29 |
| LG bbq #767 | 1,631 | +28 |
| T-Squared BBQ #1183 | 1,587 | +27 |
| BLUE & GRAY BBQ #537 | 1,668 | +27 |
| smokey anderson bbq #6399 | 1,347 | +26 |
| Rough Cut Q #251 | 1,740 | +25 |
| Buckshot's BBQ #678 | 1,645 | +25 |
| OFF THE CHAIN #1322 | 1,576 | +24 |
| Yardogs BBQ #476 | 1,683 | +24 |
| Mad Rocket Barbecue #544 | 1,667 | +23 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ #313 | 1,720 | -28 |
| FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY #104 | 1,805 | -30 |
| REDNECK SCIENTIFIC #205 | 1,753 | -31 |
| Dogpatch Q #269 | 1,731 | -35 |
| Professor Smoke #6411 | 1,303 | -53 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Smoke | 9 | — | 21 |
| Grandpa Val's BBQ | 8 | — | 6 |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| SmoKEN Meatz | 7 | — | 4 |
| Live Q or Die | 7 | — | 6 |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 6 | — | 2 |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 6 | — | 3 |
| STICKS & STONES BBQ | 5 | — | 4 |
| Optimus Swine | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| ELJEFE SMOKE | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Off The Rack BBQ | 4 | — | 2 |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 4 | — | 3 |
| PADDY MCQ'S | 4 | — | 3 |
| LEE LA Q | 4 | — | 5 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| ALAN ROTHROCK | 5 | 3 |
| BILL JONES | 4 | 3 |
| BILL WRIGHT | 4 | 1 |
| JEFF CHAMBERS | 4 | 1 |
| KIM WRIGHT | 4 | 1 |
| LUCA FAMIGLI | 4 | — |
| REGINA BODNAR | 4 | 1 |
| BECKY DRUETZLER | 3 | 2 |
| CHARLIE BRINZA | 3 | 3 |
| CLARA WILLIAMS | 3 | 1 |
| DAVE DRUETZLER | 3 | 2 |
| DOUG REID | 3 | 2 |
| JANET APPLETON | 3 | 2 |
| JONATHAN B WILLIAMS | 3 | 1 |
| SAM APPLETON | 3 | 2 |
| ALEX JR BROWN | 2 | 1 |
| BUNNY TUTTLE | 2 | 2 |
| CAROL BIGLER | 2 | 1 |
| CAROLYN WELLS | 2 | 2 |
| HAYMO GUTWENIGER | 2 | — |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 4 | 49 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 42 |
| Alabama | 3 | 110 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 97 |
| California | 2 | 80 |
| Virginia | 2 | 54 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 43 |
| Ohio | 2 | 14 |
| Kansas | 1 | 97 |
| Michigan | 1 | 62 |
| Georgia | 1 | 55 |
| Missouri | 1 | 44 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 44 |
| Texas | 1 | 40 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 25 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 21 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS Smoke on the Falls |
356.5716 |
| 2 | Buckshot's BBQ Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) |
353.7144 |
| 3 | Mad Rocket Barbecue Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
353.7028 |
| 4 | Shmack Q Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
353.1200 |
| 5 | Small Batch BBQ - TN Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
351.9656 |
| 6 | Pork Posse Lake Views & BBQ |
351.4172 |
| 7 | RIBLIFE Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
350.8344 |
| 8 | B Team BBQ Lake Views & BBQ |
350.2744 |
| 9 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
349.7144 |
| 10 | Deviant Smoke Smoke on the Falls |
349.6916 |
| 11 | Country Boys BBQ Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) |
349.6916 |
| 12 | Rollin Smoke BBQ Smoke on the Falls |
349.1316 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| GLBBQA Spring Fling Charlotte, MI |
62 | Poppa Pig? |
| Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship Lodi, CA |
34 | Small Axe BBQ |
| "Smokin' Ribs Showdown" (ONE MEAT RIBS) #1 Brescia, 25125 |
29 | Griller unchained |
| "Smokin' Ribs Showdown" (ONE MEAT RIBS) #2 Brescia, 25125 |
26 | Luna Smoke |
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) Williamsburg, VA |
25 | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2024 Heredia, 40703 |
24 | Prairie Smoke & Spice BBQ |
| De Vliegende Hollander BBQ Contest 2024 Terneuzen, 4538AP |
23 | The good, the bad & the pitbitches |
| The Ironman Seven Valleys, PA |
21 | Chunky BBQ |
| 12th Annual Bull Moose BBQ Somerville, TN |
14 | Kith n' Kin |
| World Championship Hot Wings Contest & Festival (COMPETITORS SERIES) Memphis, TN |
— | — |
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Every contest scored (34 in April 2024)
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