The South Carolina State Barbeque Championship Awards
In 2011 the South Carolina Legislature designated the South Carolina Barbeque Association as the official organization to name the South Carolina State Barbeque Champion.
The SCBA conducts a year-long contest which runs from January to December of each year with contests held in over 35 different towns and cities across the great state of South Carolina. At each SCBA sanctioned event, participating cook teams receive points based on their scores, which are tallied throughout the year. Teams are not required to be members of the SCBA in order to compete in events, however, their event scores will only be awarded toward the South Carolina State Barbeque Championship for events in which they, or their Head Cook, are members in good standing of the SCBA at the time of participation in that event. Cook Team’s scores and standings will be listed on the SCBA website regardless if the Team is a SCBA member. Teams may enter as many contests as they wish, but only their top ten (10) scores are totaled to determine placement in the State Barbeque Championship.
At the end of the year, the teams with the highest State Barbeque Championship scores are named the South Carolina State Barbeque Champions. In 2026 the top teams in Butts and Rib will be awarded as follows:
Butts
1st Place – $2000 and a Trophy
2nd Place – $1000 and a Trophy
3rd Place – $500 and a Trophy
4th Place – $250 and a Trophy
5th Place – $250 and a Trophy
6th thru 10th Place – Plaque
Ribs
1st Place – $500 and a Trophy
2nd Place – Trophy
3rd thru 5th Place – Plaque
South Carolina in conjunction with the SCBA was the first state in the nation to adopt this year-long, state-wide contest which is the very best way to see which team is truly the South Carolina State Champion.
South Carolina State Barbeque Champions
2007 – JT’s BBQ, Tim Handy of Summerville, SC
2008 – Red Neck Barbeque, Sam Bower of Elgin, SC
2009 – Pot Belly Cookers, Dennis Jarret of Summerville, SC
2010 – No Pig Left Behind, Doug Quinn of Goose Creek, SC
2011 – Can’t Quit Smoking, George King of Winnsboro, SC
2012 – Can’t Quit Smoking, George King of Winnsboro, SC
2013 – All Smoke Up, Gary Taylor of Lexington, SC
2014 – Smokin’ Stacks, Jeff Smith of Aiken, SC
2015 – Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson of Trenton, SC
2016 – Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson of Trenton, SC
2017 – Pimp My Pig, Dean Price of Leesville, SC
2018 – Pimp My Pig, Dean Price of Leesville, SC
2019 – Tail-Gater Hater, Phillip Miles/Glenn Lee of Lake City, SC
2021 – Tail-Gater HHater, Phillip Miles/Dennis Caraway of Lake City, SC
2022 – Tail-Gater Hater, Phillip Miles/Dennis Caraway of Lake City, SC
2023 – Tail-Gater Hater, Phillip Miles/Dennis Caraway of Lake City, SC
2024 – Sadie Beth Barbeque Company, Gage Blue of Mt. Pleasant, SC
2025 – Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson of Trenton, SC