South Carolina State Barbeque Championship
The official state championship since 2011

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 may enter as many contests as they wish but only their top ten (10) scores are totaled to determine the winner of the state championship.
At the end of the year, the team with the ten highest scores is named the South Carolina State Barbeque Champion. In January, an awards ceremony takes place at the State House in Columbia where trophies and cash prizes are awarded to the top five teams.
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.
Past and Present South Carolina State Barbeque Champions
| Year | Team | Pitmaster | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sadie Beth Barbeque Company | Gage Blue | Mt. Pleasant |
| 2023 | Tail-Gater Hater | Phillip Miles/Dennis Caraway | Lake City |
| 2022 | Tail-Gater Hater | Phillip Miles/Dennis Caraway | Lake City |
| 2021 | Tail-Gater Hater | Phillip Miles/Dennis Caraway | Lake City |
| 2019 | Tail-Gater Hater | Phillip Miles/Glenn Lee | Lake City |
| 2018 | Pimp My Pig | Dean Price | Leesville |
| 2017 | Pimp My Pig | Dean Price | Leesville |
| 2016 | Backwoods Bar-B-Que | Gene Culbertson | Trenton |
| 2015 | Backwoods Bar-B-Que | Gene Culbertson | Trenton |
| 2014 | Smokin' Stacks | Jeff Smith | Aiken |
| 2013 | All Smoked Up | Gary Taylor | Lexington |
| 2012 | Can't Quit Smoking | George King | Winnsboro |
| 2011 | Can't Quit Smoking | George King | Winnsboro |
| 2010 | No Pig Left Behind | Doug Quinn | Goose Creek |
| 2009 | Pot Belly Cookers | Dennis Jarret | Summerville |
| 2008 | Red Neck Barbeque | Sam Bower | Elgin |
| 2007 | JT's BBQ | Tim Handy | Summerville |
Ready to Compete?
Join the ranks of South Carolina's best pitmasters. Check out our upcoming events and start accumulating points toward the state championship.