← Every region
KCBS in Alabama AL
284 tracked contests over 13.6 years,
2,567 teams on the scoresheets — the 6th busiest of 94 regions on file.
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At a glance
Contests 284
236 scored · 5 upcoming
This season 12
contests in 2026 · 191 teams competing
Teams competed 2,567
distinct teams on record
Typical field 30
teams · biggest 93
Avg winning score 697.29
Master · of 720 · best 714.26
Avg category score 165.80
across 20,998 meat entries
Perfect 180s 215 🔥
10.2 per 1,000 entries
Grand champions 206
titles handed out here
State championships 38 🏅
on the calendar
Towns 49
128 venues · 158 recurring contests
Seasons on record 14
2013 – 2026
Published purses $702,080
across 117 contests that listed one
Cancelled 10
not counted as contests held
How Alabama stacks up (against all 94 regions on file)
The bar is Alabama's standing on that measure: a full bar is the region that leads it, an empty one is the region that trails it. Rate-based measures need a minimum body of results before a region is ranked at all, so a single hot weekend can't buy a place. The median is the middle region, not the average — one huge region would drag an average somewhere no region actually is.
Contests held
284
#6 of 94
▲ median 37
Teams competing
2,567
#5 of 88
▲ median 249.5
Contests this season
12
#8 of 75
▲ median 2.5
Field depth
30 teams
#34 of 61
▼ median 31 teams
Winning score
697.29
#11 of 52
▲ median 694.24
Judging severity (lowest average category score = toughest room)
165.80
#43 of 45
▲ median 163.95
Perfect-180 rate
10.2 /1k
#5 of 45
▲ median 5.7 /1k
Growth (last three completed seasons against the three before)
55%
#8 of 30
▲ median 9.5%
State championships
38
#16 of 51
▲ median 5
In the record book (2 in the KCBS record book)
Where this state or province stands in the all-time KCBS record book, against every other one on file.
#5
👥 Most teams seen
2,567 different teams to have cooked there · over 198 contests · Sep 18, 2026
#6
🗺️ Most contests hosted
284 sanctioned contests held · 158 separate contests on the calendar · Apr 2, 2027
Regions like this one
Matched on the shape of the scene — how many contests it runs, how deep the fields get, how the room scores and how often it hands out a 180 — not on the map. Counts are compared on a log scale, because 5 contests to 15 is a different scene while 300 to 310 is the same one.
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Season by season
Click a column heading to re-sort. Winning score is the Master overall (of 720); a season with no scored Master contest leaves it blank.
Contests per season (up to 2026)
When they cook (month of year)
Field depth over time (average teams per contest, and teams competing that season)
What it took to win (average Master winning score, and 180s scored)
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How the room scores (every judged meat, against the sport as a whole)
A lower average means a harder room. “vs sport” is this region's average minus the same meat's average everywhere KCBS is scored.
Meat Avg here vs sport Entries 180s 180s /1k
Chicken
166.36
+1.2
6,751
89
13.2
Pork Ribs
165.27
+1.65
6,778
54
8
Pork
166.22
+1.92
4,149
34
8.2
Brisket
165.24
+3.02
3,320
38
11.4
Top teams who cook here (by power rating)
The regulars (most contests cooked in Alabama)
Team Contests GCs Last
LEE LA Q 90 6 Jun 5, 2026
Organizer Portal 65 16 Dec 5, 2025
Hickory Hangover 63 9 Apr 3, 2026
PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q 63 5 Jun 5, 2026
NORALA BBQ TEAM 62 8 Oct 25, 2025
RIBLIFE 61 6 Dec 5, 2025
JIGGY PIGGY 57 5 Dec 1, 2023
REDBONES BBQ 57 1 Sep 19, 2025
The Specialists 56 7 May 5, 2022
South Pork 54 4 Sep 8, 2022
HELL ON SQUEALS 46 2 Sep 20, 2025
SMOKIN BUTT CREW 45 2 Dec 1, 2023
Highest scores in Alabama (Master · /720)
Score Team Where
714.2628 ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN
Smoke on the Falls Apr 3, 2026
710.8344 Organizer Portal
Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 Oct 27, 2023
709.6800 BAD ROOSTER BBQ
Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT) Dec 5, 2025
708.5372 SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS
4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL Nov 12, 2022
706.2632 Organizer Portal
4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL Nov 12, 2022
706.2284 Blue Smoke Q
Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition Apr 11, 2025
705.6916 COOL HAND QUE
Smoke on the Falls Apr 3, 2026
705.6916 TEDDY CAMP
4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL Nov 12, 2022
705.1428 CONTAGIOUS Q
Christmas on the River Dec 2, 2016
705.1316 JIGGY PIGGY
20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest Sep 19, 2014
Contests that come back (recurring)
Contest Editions Biggest Last held
Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) 10 35 Jun 5, 2026
Smoke on the Falls 9 39 Apr 3, 2026
Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) 8 35 Jun 12, 2026
Mission Q (Backyard Only) 8 21 Sep 16, 2022
Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) 7 31 Mar 13, 2026
Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT) 6 21 Dec 4, 2026
Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) 6 38 Oct 9, 2026
Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off 6 33 Jul 24, 2020
The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 6 69 May 3, 2019
Poosa Q 5 73 Jun 20, 2025
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour 5 30 Feb 24, 2017
Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) 4 43 Apr 2, 2027
Where it happens (towns in Alabama)
Town Contests Seasons Avg field Last
Huntsville 24 13 46 Oct 16, 2026
Gadsden 20 14 39 Apr 3, 2026
Tuscumbia 16 10 18 Sep 16, 2022
Florence 13 9 35 Aug 1, 2025
Hartselle 13 8 29 Mar 6, 2020
Demopolis 12 12 24 Dec 4, 2026
Glencoe 11 9 26 Jun 5, 2026
Guntersville 11 7 22 Sep 12, 2025
Cullman 10 6 24 Oct 23, 2026
Oneonta 10 4 18 May 3, 2025
Birmingham 9 6 22 Oct 18, 2025
Chelsea 9 9 17 Apr 5, 2024
Reps who work Alabama
Rep Contests Last
Carol Bigler 110 Apr 2, 2027
Randy G Bigler 110 Apr 2, 2027
Janet Appleton 28 Apr 11, 2025
Sam Appleton 28 Apr 11, 2025
Lygia (Lex) Vanegas 6 Dec 4, 2026
Robert Vanderipe 6 Dec 4, 2026
Rachel Harper 4 Jun 20, 2025
Roxanne Gould 4 Jun 20, 2025
Wayne Harper 4 Jun 20, 2025
Karen Jane Williams 4 May 3, 2024
State championships 🏅
Contest Teams Grand champion
Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT) Dec 4, 2026
—
—
Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff Sep 18, 2026
16
Bad Rooster BBQ
Smoke on the Falls Apr 3, 2026
36
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN
Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT) Dec 5, 2025
21
Bad Rooster
Poosa Q Jun 20, 2025
42
YES, DEAR BBQ
Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition Apr 11, 2025
31
Blue Smoke Q
Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship Dec 6, 2024
11
Smoke Me Silly
Poosa Q Oct 4, 2024
59
BAD ROOSTER BBQ
Smoke on the Falls Apr 12, 2024
31
We Will Rock 'Que
Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship Dec 1, 2023
17
Heavy Smoke BBQ
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Where else these teams cook
Of the 1,956 teams with a recorded finish in Alabama, this is where else they turn up — the honest picture of which scenes share a travelling field. Follow one to open it up.
On the map (every mapped contest in Alabama — tap a pin)
⚔ Compare AL with another region
🗺 Browse every region
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☕
Hey, I’m Ross
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