← Every region
KCBS in South Carolina SC
87 tracked contests over 13.3 years,
800 teams on the scoresheets — the 28th busiest of 94 regions on file.
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At a glance
Contests 87
73 scored · 2 upcoming
This season 3
contests in 2026 · 94 teams competing
Teams competed 800
distinct teams on record
Typical field 36
teams · biggest 92
Avg winning score 695.57
Master · of 720 · best 713.12
Avg category score 164.03
across 10,113 meat entries
Perfect 180s 65 🔥
6.4 per 1,000 entries
Grand champions 71
titles handed out here
State championships 28 🏅
on the calendar
Towns 20
43 venues · 48 recurring contests
Seasons on record 14
2013 – 2026
Published purses $225,440
across 19 contests that listed one
Cancelled 11
not counted as contests held
How South Carolina stacks up (against all 94 regions on file)
The bar is South Carolina'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
87
#28 of 94
▲ median 37
Teams competing
800
#23 of 88
▲ median 249.5
Contests this season
3
#36 of 75
▲ median 2.5
Field depth
36 teams
#17 of 61
▲ median 31 teams
Winning score
695.57
#20 of 52
▲ median 694.24
Judging severity (lowest average category score = toughest room)
164.03
#24 of 45
▲ median 163.95
Perfect-180 rate
6.4 /1k
#21 of 45
▲ median 5.7 /1k
Growth (last three completed seasons against the three before)
-69%
#30 of 30
▼ median 9.5%
State championships
28
#24 of 51
▲ median 5
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.
South Carolina marks pork ribs hardest — 0.02 points below the rest of the sport.
Meat Avg here vs sport Entries 180s 180s /1k
Chicken
165.50
+0.34
2,527
26
10.3
Pork Ribs
163.60
-0.02
2,555
13
5.1
Pork
164.42
+0.12
2,536
8
3.2
Brisket
162.58
+0.35
2,495
18
7.2
Top teams who cook here (by power rating)
The regulars (most contests cooked in South Carolina)
Team Contests GCs Last
ELITE BBQ SMOKERS 50 1 Jul 9, 2026
PIG ON FIRE 46 1 Sep 11, 2026
Smoke Central BBQ 42 6 Sep 11, 2026
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ 41 1 Sep 11, 2026
SMOKIN SKULLIES 36 4 Sep 11, 2026
Bald Hawg BBQ 33 — Jul 10, 2025
SMOKING BUTT HEADS 27 3 Jul 7, 2022
HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY 27 — Jul 9, 2026
Backwoods BBQ 26 1 Jul 9, 2026
SWIG-N-PIG 26 — Jul 9, 2026
ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ 25 — Jul 9, 2026
Smokin Gringos BBQ 24 1 Jul 11, 2024
Highest scores in South Carolina (Master · /720)
Score Team Where
713.1200 SMOKIN SKULLIES
SC - BBQ Shoot Out Day 2 Oct 23, 2021
712.5600 MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ
Speed & Feed BBQ Festival at Darlington Raceway May 15, 2026
711.9656 Under the Radar
SC - BBQ Shoot Out Day 2 Oct 23, 2021
709.1200 ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN
Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Pine Ridge Apr 16, 2021
708.5372 FALLOUT BBQ
Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - BARRGH-B-Q on the Beach Pirateland Aug 20, 2021
708 SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 10, 2025
708 SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 7, 2022
707.3944 Brown Liquor BBQ
SC - BBQ Shoot Out Day 2 Oct 23, 2021
707.3828 COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 9, 2026
707.3828 ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 7, 2022
Most GCs in South Carolina
Contests that come back (recurring)
Contest Editions Biggest Last held
SC Festival of Discovery 8 90 Jul 9, 2021
Squealin on the Square 7 28 Sep 30, 2022
South Carolina Festival of Discovery 6 92 Jul 8, 2027
Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown 6 35 Nov 16, 2018
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour 5 30 Aug 11, 2017
Piggin In The Park 4 44 Jun 1, 2018
Beach Boogie and BBQ Festival 3 25 Nov 2, 2018
Certified BBQ Judging Class 3 — Feb 24, 2017
Fiddle 'N Pig Shindig 3 35 Sep 9, 2016
Low Country Hog Fest 3 26 Sep 2, 2016
Big Butt Strutt BBQ Showdown 2 — Mar 10, 2023
Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Aiken 2 34 Aug 13, 2021
Where it happens (towns in South Carolina)
Town Contests Seasons Avg field Last
Greenwood 18 14 82 Jul 8, 2027
Laurens 13 8 24 Oct 1, 2021
Myrtle Beach 9 5 24 Aug 27, 2021
Summerville 8 6 20 Oct 23, 2021
N. Charleston 5 5 28 Aug 11, 2017
Charleston 5 4 27 Sep 2, 2016
Roebuck 4 2 29 Jun 11, 2021
Woodruff 4 4 30 Jun 1, 2018
Darlington 3 3 28 Mar 12, 2027
Aiken 3 1 34 Aug 14, 2020
Mt. Pleasant 3 3 25 Nov 16, 2018
Union 2 2 20 Sep 11, 2026
Reps who work South Carolina
Rep Contests Last
Doug Reid 25 Jul 8, 2027
Alan Rothrock 21 Jul 8, 2027
Julie Cook 9 Jul 6, 2023
Rusty Cook 9 Jul 6, 2023
Carolyn Wells 7 Jul 8, 2027
Noel Kay 6 Sep 11, 2026
Mike Garretson 6 Jul 10, 2025
Wayne Harper 5 Mar 12, 2027
Rachel Harper 4 Mar 12, 2027
Bryan Stewart 4 Sep 11, 2026
State championships 🏅
Contest Teams Grand champion
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 8, 2027
—
—
Speed & Feed BBQ Festival & Car Show Mar 12, 2027
—
—
Uniquely Union Sep 11, 2026
14
Maya Jane BBQ Co.
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 9, 2026
75
Cocamoke Smoke BBQ
Speed & Feed BBQ Festival at Darlington Raceway May 15, 2026
26
Mcadoo Heights BBQ
Uniquely Union Festival Sep 5, 2025
25
Rooters-N-Tooters TN
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 10, 2025
66
Smokin' Sweetmeats
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 11, 2024
76
Hot Cole's BBQ
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 6, 2023
76
CHUNKY BBQ
South Carolina Festival of Discovery Jul 7, 2022
92
SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS
Coming up in South Carolina
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Where else these teams cook
Of the 722 teams with a recorded finish in South Carolina, 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 South Carolina — tap a pin)
⚔ Compare SC with another region
🗺 Browse every region
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☕
Hey, I’m Ross
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