Holy Smokes Wins Grand at Smoke on the Water
Grand Champion – Holy Smokes
The Smoke on the Water BBQ Contest in Thomaston has a long history as one of the top BBQ contests in the state. This year the contest was sanctioned by the Georgia Barbecue Association (GBA) for the first time. Taking the traditional plunge into the lake as Grand Champions was Holy Smokes. Gary & Dionn Lanton’s team finished a dominant season on the GBA circuit with the win.
Reserve Grand Champion – Rescue Smokers
Rescue Smokers, Pitmaster Robby Royal, also put the finishing touches on a soild season by taking the Reserve Grand Championship.
1st Place Loin – Hootie Q
In the Pork Loin preliminary round Just Blowing Smoke and Hootie Q both recorded perfect 600 scores. They were joined in the Finals round by 92 BBQ/Assassin Smokers. Hootie Q had the top score in Finals to win the category. 92 BBQ/Assassin Smokers came in 2nd with Just Blowing Smoke finishing in 3rd place
In Pulled Pork all three finalists had perfect 600 scores in the preliminaries. After the final round, Holy Smokes took 1st place, Daddy O’s BBQ took 2nd and Flint River Cookers placed third.
1st Place Ribs – Raging Smoke BBQ
The Ribs category was extremely close as 3 teams tied for the 3rd and final spot in the Finals round. After the tiebreakers were run, Raging Smoke BBQ edged out Rescue Smokers & The Fat Boys of Tenneson Nissan for the spot in the Finals. Raging Smoke won the Finals round and captured 1st place, 92 BBQ/Assassin Smokers had a perfect 600 score in preliminaries but finished 2nd. Just Smoke N Around captured 3rd place.
In the Brisket ancillary, Rescue Smokers lead the way. Captain Jack’s Freedom BBQ Team was runner up with Wright on Q in 3rd place.
Full Results:
| LOIN | PULLED PORK | RIBS | ||||||||
| 1 | 599.3 | Hootie Q | 1 | 599.4 | Holy Smokes | 1 | 597.5 | Raging Smoke | ||
| 2 | 594 | 92/Assassin BBQ | 2 | 594 | Daddy O’s BBQ | 2 | 597.2 | 92/Assassin BBQ | ||
| 3 | 590.1 | Just Blowing Smoke | 3 | 590 | Flint River Cookers | 3 | 589.6 | Just Smoke ‘N’ Around | ||
| 4 | 599.4 | Holy Smokes | 4 | 599.1 | Team Hold Your Horses BBQ | 4 | 599.13 | Rescue Smokers | ||
| 5 | 599.11 | Flint River Cookers | 5 | 598.8 | Captain Jack’s Freedom BBQ | 5 | 599.12 | The Fat Boys of Tenneson Nissan | ||
| 6 | 599.1 | Southern Hogs | 6 | 598.5 | Rescue Smokers | 6 | 598.81 | Bubba Grills | ||
| 7 | 598.8 | Captain Jack’s Freedom BBQ | 7 | 597.1 | Carter Q | 7 | 598.8 | Holy Smokes | ||
| 8 | 598.5 | Rescue Smokers | 8 | 596.1 | Lang BBQ Smokers | 8 | 598.2 | Daddy-O’s BBQ | ||
| 9 | 596.5 | We Want Que | 9 | 595.8 | Smokin the Good Stuff | 9 | 596.4 | Real South BBQ | ||
| 10 | 596.1 | Bubba Grills | 10 | 595.21 | Hootie Q | 10 | 596.12 | Just Blowing Smoke | ||
| 11 | 595.4 | Barnesville Blues Brother | 11 | 595.2 | Wright On Q | 11 | 596.11 | Team Hold Your Horses BBQ | ||
| 12 | 594.8 | Off the Chain | 12 | 594.8 | Real South BBQ | 12 | 596.1 | Southern Hogs | ||
| 13 | 594.2 | Team Hold Your Horses BBQ | 13 | 594.8 | The BBQ Ninja | 13 | 595.8 | Shark Bite BBQ | ||
| 14 | 594.2 | Smokin the Good Stuff | 14 | 593.9 | Silver Hammer BBQ | 14 | 595.8 | Hootie Q | ||
| 15 | 593.9 | Shark Bite BBQ | 15 | 593.9 | Southern Hogs | 15 | 594.2 | Party Fowl | ||
| 16 | 593.3 | Fire in the Hole | 16 | 593.6 | Dawg Pit BBQ | 16 | 593.9 | Front Porch BBQ | ||
| 17 | 593.1 | Silver Hammer BBQ | 17 | 592.1 | Soggy Bottom Boys | 17 | 593.9 | Smokin the Good Stuff | ||
| 18 | 591.5 | The BBQ Ninja | 18 | 591 | Fire in the Hole | 18 | 592.4 | Carter Q | ||
| 19 | 590.3 | The Fat Boys of Tenneson Nissan | 19 | 590.8 | Fat Boys Cooking Team | 19 | 591.6 | Flint River Cookers | ||
| 20 | 590.3 | Wright On Q | 20 | 590.2 | We Want Que | 20 | 590.9 | Off the Chain | ||
| 21 | 590.2 | Real South BBQ | 21 | 590.2 | Smoke Stack Lightning | 21 | 589.9 | Wright On Q | ||
| 22 | 589.9 | Front Porch BBQ | 22 | 589.6 | Off the Chain | 22 | 588 | The Stiuation BBQ Team | ||
| 23 | 586.7 | Smoke Stack Lightning | 23 | 589.3 | Butts and Bones BBQ | 23 | 586.3 | Lang BBQ Smokers | ||
| 24 | 586.4 | The Stiuation BBQ Team | 24 | 588 | Barnesville Blues Brother | 24 | 586 | Barnesville Blues Brother | ||
| 25 | 585.7 | Dawg Pit BBQ | 25 | 586.6 | Shark Bite BBQ | 25 | 583.4 | Dawg Pit BBQ | ||
| 26 | 585.1 | Raging Smoke BBQ | 26 | 586.3 | Just Blowing Smoke | 26 | 583.4 | Hillbilly’s BBQ | ||
| 27 | 582 | Just Smokin ‘N’ Around | 27 | 581.3 | Kelvin’s BBQ | 27 | 583 | Fire in the Hole | ||
| 28 | 581.3 | Soggy Bottom Boys | 28 | 581.2 | Hillbilly’s BBQ | 28 | 582.3 | The BBQ Ninja | ||
| 29 | 580.5 | Pink Pork Porkers | 29 | 580.5 | Just Smokin ‘N’ Around | 29 | 581.8 | Silver Hammer BBQ | ||
| 30 | 580 | Carter Q | 30 | 579.7 | Front Porch BBQ | 30 | 581.5 | Fat Boys Cooking Team | ||
| 31 | 578.4 | Daddy-O’s BBQ | 31 | 578.4 | Bubba Grills | 31 | 580.6 | Mason Dixon | ||
| 32 | 576.6 | Mason Dixon | 32 | 578.1 | The Fat Boys of Tenneson Nissan | 32 | 578.7 | Smoke Stack Lightning | ||
| 33 | 574.5 | FireHouse Smokers | 33 | 576.6 | 92/Assassin BBQ | 33 | 578.2 | EMC Engineering | ||
| 34 | 571.4 | Piggy Paulks | 34 | 576.1 | Mason Dixon | 34 | 578 | Tobesofkee Farm | ||
| 35 | 570.8 | Hillbilly’s BBQ | 35 | 576 | Raging Smoke BBQ | 35 | 577.4 | Captain Jack’s Freedom BBQ | ||
| 36 | 569.6 | Party Fowl | 36 | 574.7 | The Stiuation BBQ Team | 36 | 576.6 | We Want Que | ||
| 37 | 568.5 | EMC Engineering | 37 | 573.9 | Party Fowl | 37 | 575.8 | Piggy Paulks | ||
| 38 | 566.6 | Lang BBQ Smokers | 38 | 573.5 | Rooftop BBQ | 38 | 575.4 | Soggy Bottom Boys | ||
| 39 | 564.6 | Fat Boys Cooking Team | 39 | 569.9 | FireHouse Smokers | 39 | 573.2 | Butts and Bones BBQ | ||
| 40 | 562.2 | Tobesofkee Farm | 40 | 568.9 | Pink Pork Porkers | 40 | 570.2 | Kelvin’s BBQ | ||
| 41 | 562 | Kelvin’s BBQ | 41 | 565.9 | Tobesofkee Farm | 41 | 563.9 | Rooftop BBQ | ||
| 42 | 558.7 | Butts and Bones BBQ | 42 | 563.2 | Piggy Paulks | 42 | 560.1 | FireHouse Smokers | ||
| 42 | 0 | Rooftop BBQ | 42 | 562.9 | EMC Engineering | 42 | 559.3 | Pink Pork Porkers |
| Reserve Scores | Loin | Pulled | Ribs | Total | ||
| 1 | Holy Smokes | 599.4 | 600.0 | 598.8 | 1798.2 | |
| 2 | Rescue Smokers | 598.5 | 598.5 | 599.1 | 1796.1 | |
| 3 | Hootie Q | 600.0 | 595.2 | 595.8 | 1791.0 | |
| 4 | Flint River Cookers | 599.1 | 600.0 | 591.6 | 1790.7 | |
| 5 | Team Hold Your Horses BBQ | 594.2 | 599.1 | 596.1 | 1789.4 | |
| 6 | Southern Hogs | 599.1 | 593.9 | 596.1 | 1789.1 | |
| 7 | Smokin the Good Stuff | 594.2 | 595.8 | 593.9 | 1783.9 | |
| 8 | Just Blowing Smoke | 600.0 | 586.3 | 596.1 | 1782.4 | |
| 9 | Real South BBQ | 590.2 | 594.8 | 596.4 | 1781.4 | |
| 10 | Daddy-O’s BBQ | 578.4 | 600.0 | 598.2 | 1776.6 | |
| 11 | 92/Assassin BBQ | 599.7 | 576.6 | 600.0 | 1776.3 | |
| 12 | Shark Bite BBQ | 593.9 | 586.6 | 595.8 | 1776.3 | |
| 13 | Wright On Q | 590.3 | 595.2 | 589.9 | 1775.4 | |
| 14 | Off the Chain | 594.8 | 589.6 | 590.9 | 1775.3 | |
| 15 | Captain Jack’s Freedom BBQ | 598.8 | 598.8 | 577.4 | 1775.0 | |
| 16 | Bubba Grills | 596.1 | 578.4 | 598.8 | 1773.3 | |
| 17 | Carter Q | 580.0 | 597.1 | 592.4 | 1769.5 | |
| 18 | Barnesville Blues Brother | 595.4 | 588.0 | 586.0 | 1769.4 | |
| 19 | Silver Hammer BBQ | 593.1 | 593.9 | 581.8 | 1768.8 | |
| 20 | The BBQ Ninja | 591.5 | 594.8 | 582.3 | 1768.6 | |
| 21 | The Fat Boys of Tenneson Nissan | 590.3 | 578.1 | 599.1 | 1767.5 | |
| 22 | Fire in the Hole | 593.3 | 591.0 | 583.0 | 1767.3 | |
| 23 | Front Porch BBQ | 589.9 | 579.7 | 593.9 | 1763.5 | |
| 24 | We Want Que | 596.5 | 590.2 | 576.6 | 1763.3 | |
| 25 | Dawg Pit BBQ | 585.7 | 593.6 | 583.4 | 1762.7 | |
| 26 | Just Smokin ‘N’ Around | 582.0 | 580.5 | 599.4 | 1761.9 | |
| 27 | Raging Smoke BBQ | 585.1 | 576.0 | 599.1 | 1760.2 | |
| 28 | Smoke Stack Lightning | 586.7 | 590.2 | 578.7 | 1755.6 | |
| 29 | The Stiuation BBQ Team | 586.4 | 574.7 | 588.0 | 1749.1 | |
| 30 | Lang BBQ Smokers | 566.6 | 596.1 | 586.3 | 1749.0 | |
| 31 | Soggy Bottom Boys | 581.3 | 592.1 | 575.4 | 1748.8 | |
| 32 | Party Fowl | 569.6 | 573.9 | 594.2 | 1737.7 | |
| 33 | Fat Boys BBQ Cooking Team | 564.6 | 590.8 | 581.5 | 1736.9 | |
| 34 | Hillbilly’s BBQ | 570.8 | 581.2 | 583.4 | 1735.4 | |
| 35 | Mason Dixon | 576.6 | 576.1 | 580.6 | 1733.3 | |
| 36 | Butts and Bones BBQ | 558.7 | 589.3 | 573.2 | 1721.2 | |
| 37 | Kelvin’s BBQ | 562.0 | 581.3 | 570.2 | 1713.5 | |
| 38 | Piggy Paulks | 571.4 | 563.2 | 575.8 | 1710.4 | |
| 39 | EMC Engineering | 568.5 | 562.9 | 578.2 | 1709.6 | |
| 40 | Pink Pork Porkers | 580.5 | 568.9 | 559.3 | 1708.7 | |
| 41 | Tobesofkee Farm | 562.2 | 565.9 | 578.0 | 1706.1 | |
| 42 | FireHouse Smokers | 574.5 | 569.9 | 560.1 | 1704.5 | |
| 43 | Rooftop BBQ | 0.0 | 573.5 | 563.9 | 1137.4 |
Brisket Ancillary
| 1 | 595.1 | Rescue Smokers |
| 2 | 591.8 | Captain Jack’s Freedom BBQ |
| 3 | 589.9 | Wright On Q |
| 4 | 588.2 | Flint River Cookers |
| 5 | 587.9 | Kelvin’s BBQ |
| 6 | 585 | Team Hold Your Horses |
| 7 | 583.4 | Fat Boys BBQ Cooking Team |
| 8 | 581.4 | Bubba Grills |
| 9 | 580.5 | BBQ Ninja |
| 10 | 569.8 | Mason Dixon |
| 11 | 564.3 | Piggy Paulks |