A new contest record
705.1316
highest overall ever cooked here
705.1316 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 177.7028 Rooters-N-Tooters set in 2023.
- old record 177.7028
- set 2023 by Rooters-N-Tooters
Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 2023
Oct 28–29, 2023 · Galax, VA · 📍 2330 Edmonds Rd · State championship
Reps: Alan Rothrock, Doug Reid · Prize money: $3,000
Swine 'N' Roses BBQ won Grand Champion at the Zom-B-Q (Day 2) on October 28, 2023 in Galax, VA at 2330 Edmonds Rd, scoring 705.1316 in a field of 17 teams. WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 702.8232. Category winners: Chicken — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (177.7144); Pork — Swine 'N' Roses BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — CHUNKY BBQ (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by Dog Bite Barbecue with 338.8460. This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Rooters-N-Tooters; the next was held in 2024.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
669.02
median 692.50
705.13 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 177.71
- Master Series — Pork 178.86
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 170.87
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 172.59
149.66
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2023 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
17
6 judged meats
Top score
705.1316
Winning margin
2.3084
GC over RC
Field average
691.39
669.02705.13
median 692.50 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
691.3944
669.02705.13
10th place overall
Field spread
36.1148
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,000
on the line
Double threats
8
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 13%
beats 87% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.29 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,687
avg power rating going in · stronger than 99% of contests
Storylines (9 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
An upset on the books
23-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 77 times in 100
Swine 'N' Roses BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 23-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1701
- top seed 1908
A stacked field
1687
average power rating going in
Stronger than 99% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1687 power rating going in — stronger than 99% of every contest tracked.
- top seed ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (1908)
- 31 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: OFF THE RACK BBQ and Swine 'N' Roses BBQ tied on 177.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 3–4: Bowmans Butt & BBQ and MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ tied on 176.0116 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 3–4: SMOKECRAFT - MD and One Eyed Pig BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 3–4 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 5–6 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
Swine 'N' Roses BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 13th.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 13th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Bushmaster BBQ (won 2023).
- Bushmaster BBQ · 2023
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- CHUNKY BBQ · Brisket
- WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ · Chicken
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2022 | Galax, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Galax, VA | 2330 Edmonds Rd | 13 | 176.5716 | Bushmaster BBQ | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Galax, VA | 2330 Edmonds Rd | 17 | 177.7028 | Rooters-N-Tooters | — |
| Oct 28, 2023 ← this one | Galax, VA | 2330 Edmonds Rd | 17 | 705.1316 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Oct 26, 2024 | Roseland, VA | 30 Three Ridges Ln | 11 | 698.8228 | Off the Rack BBQ | HotMess BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180 | 177.7028 | 175.4056 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 175.4172 | 171.9772 |
| Master Series — Pork | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 170.8228 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 177.1428 | 172 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 170.8688 | 163.9772 | 158.2056 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 172.5944 | 167.9772 | 164.5372 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
17 entries · top 705.1316 · median 692.5028
Chicken
17 entries · top 180 · median 175.4288 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
17 entries · top 177.7144 · median 172.5716
Pork
17 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8344
Brisket
17 entries · top 180 · median 173.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
Backyard Series
Overall
14 entries · top 338.8460 · median 327.9486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 2 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 3 | Shmack Q | |
| 4 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 5 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 6 | T & S BBQ | |
| 7 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 8 | Leaning Jowler BBQ | |
| 9 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 10 | Little E's Que | |
| 11 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 12 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 13 | Pinky Out BBQ | |
| 14 | Meadow Creek BBQ |
Chicken
14 entries · top 170.8688 · median 163.0914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 2 | T & S BBQ | |
| 3 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 4 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 5 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 6 | Little E's Que | |
| 7 | Shmack Q | |
| 8 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 9 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 10 | Meadow Creek BBQ | |
| 11 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 12 | Leaning Jowler BBQ | |
| 13 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 14 | Pinky Out BBQ |
Pork Ribs
14 entries · top 172.5944 · median 166.5486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leaning Jowler BBQ | |
| 2 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 3 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 4 | Shmack Q | |
| 5 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 6 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 7 | Pinky Out BBQ | |
| 8 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 9 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 10 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 11 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 12 | T & S BBQ | |
| 13 | Little E's Que | |
| 14 | Meadow Creek BBQ |