The comeback
9.1 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 9.1 years, then back at High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (May 15, 2026).
- last seen Apr 21, 2017
- back May 15, 2026
Dirty South
Dirty South is a competition barbecue team with 4 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 27th of 29 at the High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026).
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1468
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 3
Contests
4
in the data
First seen
May 24, 2014
latest May 15, 2026 · 12 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 4 contests
Avg finish
top 94%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
25%
contests with a top-10 call
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 167.13 · weakest Brisket (142.82)
Road miles
2,079
across 4 mapped stops · furthest 1,046 mi
Schedule strength
48%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1562)
Purse competed for
$5,500
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
Master avg
635.37 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
307.92 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2972 | 147.3828 | 155.61 | top 97% |
| Pork Ribs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171.4172 | 159.9772 | 163.98 | top 67% |
| Pork | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.0228 | 162.2400 | 167.13 | top 54% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 143.3600 | 142.2744 | 142.82 | top 99% |
“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.
By field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 93% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 94% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 27 | 0 | top 94% | May 15, 2026 |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
TN
3 of 4 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
2
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
94
finished ahead 7 times, behind 101
Longest layoff
9.1 yrs
Apr 21, 2017 → May 15, 2026
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20145 milestones
- First tracked contest Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff
- First call Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff
- Career-best overall score643.9428 Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff
- Career-best single call (Pork)172.0228 Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff
- Peak power rating (1488) Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.7 | Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff | May 24, 2014 |
| -10.8 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 15, 2026 |
| -10 | High on the Hog Festival | Apr 21, 2017 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 85.5% | 85.5% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 87.1% | 87.1% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 93% | 89.4% | 89.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2026 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 27 / 29 (307.9200) | 29 (147.3828) | 22 (160.5372) | — | — |
| Apr 21, 2017 | High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN | 39 / 41 (626.7888) | 38 (162.2972) | 35 (159.9772) | 34 (162.2400) | 40 (142.2744) |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Smokin' On The Pecos Artesia, NM | — | — | — | — | — |
| May 24, 2014 | Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff Lewisburg, TN | 38 / 41 (643.9428) | 40 (157.1428) | 16 (171.4172) | 10 (172.0228) | 41 (143.3600) |