Contest Reports – Georgia Barbecue Association

Mar 21 2025

BACK to BACK Grand Championships for THE LOOK and the COOK BBQ Team with their win at the Firehouse BBQ in Donalsonville, GA

Wow what a weekend! The GBA would like to tip its hat to Tori Gravlee and the Donalsonville DDA for hosting the Firehouse BBQ Festival this past weekend in Donalsonville GA. We had 21 Pro Teams who split over $10,000 in prize money! HUGE THANK YOU to all of the amazing GBA Judges and Reps that made the track down South for some great BBQ. Congratulations to The Look and the Cook on going Back to Back, winning the Grand Championship with their 1st Place Ribs. We would like to give Keith Bowen and the Fish Fry Crew a huge shout out for frying up some of the best Catfish ever, Great Hush Puppies, French fries, and all the other sides and deserts. Thank you to Lisa Oliver O’Neal who coordinated the sides for the Fish Fry. Donalsonville was the first of three

Leron’s BBQ had the most consistent cook of the day pulling off the Reserve Grand Championship.

LOIN CATEGORY

Bite My Butt BBQ took 1st Place in Loin, Flying Pig BBQ was 2nd Place Loin, and Shark Bite BBQ pulled in 3rd Place Loin.

PORK CATEGORY

1st Place Pork was Big Daddy’s BBQ Pit, almost destroying that poor table, 2nd Place Pork was Leron’s BBQ, and 3rd Place Pork Com’n Get It.

RIB CATEGORY

1st Place Rib The Look and the Cook, 2nd Place Rib Rescue Smokers, and 3rd Place Rib Big Daddy’s Meat House.

Loin, Pork, & Rib Category Results

Reserve Grand Scoring

THANK YOU TO our 2025 Georgia BBQ Association TEAM of the YEAR Sponsors – A BETTER BUILT FENCE CO. & DEXTER MEAT CO.

If you’re looking for quality in your fencing needs, look no further than A Better Built Fence company. They install both residential and commercial fencing, serving the entire metro Atlanta area.

Dexter Meats is your go-to shop for quality meats, whether you’re competing on the circuit or in your backyard! They also offer ready made meals, and can cater any size gathering.

Also thanks to our 2025 Product Sponsors:

Mike’s Garage Doors – Need an overhead door? Got one that needs a little work? Call Mike Ratterree to schedule an appointment.

Bubba Grills – looking to upgrade your cooking game? A Bubba grill is definitely the way to go.

Sunflower Apparel and Promotions – If you’re in the market for team shirts, hats, aprons, etc.

Mar 03 2025

2025 Tifton Rhythm & Ribs BBQ Grand Champions – “The Look & The Cook BBQ”

The 12th Annual Tifton Rhythm & Ribs BBQ Festival at Fullwood Park in Tifton, GA was nothing short of spectacular—truly a “Party in the Pines”! The weather was perfect, setting the stage for an unforgettable weekend filled with coast-to-coast music, mouthwatering food, incredible craft vendors, a thrilling dog show, engaging cooking demonstrations, a spirited kids’ cook-off, multiple ancillary competitions, and some of the best BBQ action around!

With 34 Backyard Teams and 34 GBA Pro BBQ Teams, the competition was fierce, but the camaraderie was even stronger. The dedicated, welcoming, and hard-working Team in Tifton, Georgia, made sure this event was one for the books!

GRAND CHAMPION was The Look and The Cook BBQ (Winning with their Amazing Ribs Scoring a 593.7!) Squeezing out the win over the 1st Place Loin (592.6) and the 1st Place Pork(592.4).

RESERVE CHAMPION was 319Q edging out the Rescue Smokers by 2.4 points.

LOIN CATEGORY

1st Place Loin – Shark Bite BBQ (scoring a perfect 600 in the prelims!), 2nd Place Loin – 319Q, and 3rd Place Loin – Rescue Smokers.

PULLED PORK CATEGORY

1st Place Pork – Pig-eee-licious (scoring a perfect 600 in the prelims!), 2nd Place Pork – Smokey Mountain BBQ (with a perfect 600 in the prelims!, in their first ever GBA event!), 3rd Place Pork – The Look and The Cook BBQ.

RIBS CATEGORY

1st Place Ribs – The Look and The Cook BBQ, 2nd Place Ribs – 319Q, and 3rd Place Ribs – Big Daddy’s Meat House.

Finals Notifications

Category Results

Reserve Scoring

A huge THANK YOU to all the teams, judges, vendors, volunteers, and the amazing citizens of Tifton for making this event a BBQ lover’s dream come true! We can’t wait to do it all again next year!

THANK YOU TO our 2025 Georgia BBQ Association TEAM of the YEAR Sponsors – A BETTER BUILT FENCE CO. & DEXTER MEAT CO.

Also thanks to our 2025 Product Sponsors:

Mike’s Garage Doors – Need an overhead door? Got one that needs a little work? Call Mike Ratterree to schedule an appointment.

Bubba Grills – looking to upgrade your cooking game? A Bubba grill is definitely the way to go.

Sunflower Apparel and Promotions – If you’re in the market for team shirts, hats, aprons, etc.

Feb 25 2025

2025 Dilly Dally in Dooly – Vienna, GA – RESCUE SMOKERS Takes the Grand Championship

The Georgia BBQ Association headed over to Vienna, GA for the 2025 Dilly Dally in Dooly. Starting off the 2024 GBA season with 48 amazing teams! We had beautiful weather and at a historic venue, with Great Organizers, GBA Teams, GBA Judges, and GBA Reps. Rhonda, Amanda, and the Dilly Dally Crew did a fabulous job! The GBA Teams made life tough for the judges there, and when all the judging was done, RESCUE SMOKERS won the Grand Championship with their 1st Place in Loin.

**RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION – Pop’s on the Hill**

Pop’s Smoke on the Hill won the Reserve Grand Champion being the most consistent team of the day, being the only team to double final..

PORK LOIN CATEGORY

Rescue Smokers won the Loin Category while scoring a Perfect 600 in the preliminary round, Big Salty’s BBQ took 2nd Place Loin also having a perfect 600 in the preliminary round, and Grills Gone Wild took 3rd Place Loin.

PORK CATEGORY

Hog Harris BBQ won the Pork category in their very first Professional GBA event, Pop’s on the Hill took 2nd Place Pork, and Flaming Hogs BBQ took 3rd Place Pork.

RIB CATEGORY

Georgia Bullhawgs won the Rib category, Pop’s on the Hill took 2nd Place Rib, and Jack’s Old South took 3rd Place Rib.

CATEGORY FINALS

CATEGORY RESULTS

Reserve Grand Champion Scoring

UPCOMING CONTESTS

The 2025 GBA Season is already on fire with the first competition in the books. Our next stop is March 1, 2025 is the Tifton Rhythm & Ribs BBQ Festival with $11,700 in prize money! If you haven’t signed up, you need to contact Angela Elder immediately at (229) 848-9899 mobile or (229) 386-0216 office.

March 14-16, 2025 is the Firehouse BBQ Festival in Donalsonville, GA with $10,000 in prize money and will be the first “Double Points Contest” in the “A Better Built Fence & Dexter Meat Co.” 2025 Team of the Year Points Race! If you plan on competing in the contest, please go ahead and give the organizer Tori Gravlee a quick call so she can get an accurate team estimation. Cell: (229) 416-5929 Office: (229) 524-2118

March 28-29, 2025 is the Fire Ant Festival BBQ Bash in Ashburn, GA with $12,500 in prize money including the Brisket Category paying $2,000 as the other three categories. This contest will be the second “Double Points Contest” in the “A Better Built Fence & Dexter Meat Co.” 2025 Team of the Year Points Race!! Get your applications in as soon as possible, it’s sure to be a great weekend with Fireworks on Friday night and some of the best trophies in BBQ! https://fireantfestival.com/bbq-bash/ The BBQ Bash will also include the Fire Ant Kids Burger Challenge with trophies and prizes 1st through 10th Place, with Turn ins will actually be on Saturday after the BBQ turn ins. There will also be a Peoples Choice Category paying out $500. https://fireantfestival.com/kids-burger-challenge/

Feb 11 2025

2024 GBA TOTY Banquet and 2025 Georgia Hall of Fame Inductions – February 8, 2025

The 2024 GBA TOTY is sponsored by “A Better Built Fence Co.” owned by Chuck & Carrie East of Covington, GA. They repair, replace, or install commercial and residential fence. They pride themselves in efficiency, quality, and making sure every customer is satisfied with the work provided. If you are in need of a fence give them a call at (678) 939-7027.

Congratulations to Rocky Cisneros of 319 Q on being the 2024 GBA TOTY!

11th Let's Smoke Something; 12th Bite My Butt BBQ; 13th B-Rads BBQ; 16th Johnson Boys and Girl BBQ; 18th Grills Gone Wild; 19th Big Daddys BBQ Pit

Oct 22 2024

2024 RED, WHITE, & BLUE BBQ – Canton, GA

BACK to BACK – 319Q Takes the Grand Championship with a Triple Final Showing!

The GBA headed north to one of favorite contests of the year – the Red, White, and Blue BBQ at the American Legion Post 45 in Canton, GA. 20 GBA teams battled it out with some amazing BBQ and there was plenty of shakeups in the making for the 2024 GBA Team of the Year Points Race with this “Double Points” Contest. Hats off to the great group at the American Legion for making this a very special event, and for taking such good care of the GBA. We had an amazing group of GBA Reps and GBA Judges on scene to judge some amazing Q. 319Q showed out with Triple Finals & Winning Back to Back Grand Championships over the last two contests!!!! Pig-eee-licious held off (Posse BBQ with their 3- 4th Place Finishes) to take the Reserve Grand Championship. Huge Congrats to the Apalachee HS Bar-B-Cats on a GREAT showing at the Red, White, & Blue BBQ, please know that all of us here in the GBA continue to keep you and your community in our prayers! There also happened to be a Hootie sighting! We have two contests left in the 2024 GBA Season, October 26, 2024 is the BBQ, Brews, & Blues in Perry, Ga and then December 7, 2024 the 11th Annual Moultrie Moose Lodge #1158 BBQ Cook-off in Moultrie, Ga.

Reserve Grand Champion – Pig-eee-licious

Meat by the Fire took the top Loin spot in finals with a Perfect 600 in the preliminary round, followed by Grills Gone Wild in 2nd place loin also with a Perfect 600 in the preliminary round. 319Q take 3rd place in the loin category.

Pork Category

319Q won 1st Place in Pork, Heavy Metal Hogs 2nd Place in Pork, and Scott’s Smoke Shack taking 3rd Place Pork.

319Q Won the Rib Category with Pig-eee-licious taking 2nd in Ribs and Lolly & Pops Smokin-Que taking the 3rd place Ribs.

Apalachee High School Bar-B-Cats

Reserve Grand Scoring Results