A new contest record
687.3828
highest overall ever cooked here
687.3828 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 678.3428 Ribs N Pigs BBQ set in 2022.
- old record 678.3428
- set 2022 by Ribs N Pigs BBQ
Smokin' in the Valley 2023
Nov 4–5, 2023 · Perth, Western Australia, Australia · AUSTRALIA · 📍 Swan Settlers Market
Reps: Karina Rumens, Rob Stevens
The King and His Q won Grand Champion at the Smokin' in the Valley on November 4, 2023 in Perth, Western Australia, at Swan Settlers Market, scoring 687.3828 in a field of 11 teams. Pit Bull Smokers took Reserve Grand Champion with 665.6112. Category winners: Chicken — Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ (170.8572); Pork Ribs — The King and His Q (174.8800); Pork — The King and His Q (174.2628); Brisket — The King and His Q (172.0000). This is the 3rd of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by Ribs N Pigs BBQ; 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.
618.15
median 645.63
687.38 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 170.86
- Pork Ribs 174.88
- Pork 174.26
- Brisket 172
142.80
174.88
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
11
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
687.3828
Winning margin
21.7716
GC over RC
Field average
644.68
618.15687.38
median 645.63 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
6.9144 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
619.9536
618.15687.38
10th place overall
Field spread
69.2344
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 77%
beats 23% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
50%
6 of 12 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.44 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,500
avg power rating going in · stronger than 1% of contests
Storylines (6 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.
A statement win
21.7716
points clear of the field
Wider than 99% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The champion won by 21.7716 points — a wider margin than 99% of championships in the data.
A hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
The King and His Q won Pork Ribs, Pork, Brisket — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 3 calls decided inside half a point
Brisket places 6–7: Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ edged Raeburn Barbecue by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 4–5: Lit Salami edged Pit Bull Smokers by 0.0116. Pork places 6–7: Lit Salami edged BLUE MIST BBQ by 0.0456.
- Brisket 6–7 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0116
- Pork 6–7 · 0.0456
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
The King and His Q took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 2nd.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork
174.2628
best pork ever cooked here
The King and His Q turned in 174.2628 in pork — past the 172.0000 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 172.0000
- across 2 past editions
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 30, 2021 | Perth | Swan Valley Settlers Markets | 14 | 667.9772 | Smokin Steves BBQ | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ |
| Nov 26, 2022 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 12 | 678.3428 | Ribs N Pigs BBQ | Smokin Steve's BBQ |
| Nov 4, 2023 ← this one | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 11 | 687.3828 | The King & His Q | Pit Bull Smokers |
| May 4, 2024 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 14 | 660.4916 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | Smokin it up BBQ Australia |
| Aug 3, 2024 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 10 | 698.2972 | Brisket the night away | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ |
| Nov 2, 2024 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 14 | 673.1084 | Ribs n' Pigs | Aussie TongMasters |
| Apr 26, 2025 | Herne Hill, Western Australia | 124 Leonard Street | 13 | 676.0344 | BLUE MIST BBQ | Ribs n Pigs BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 170.8572 | 162.8344 | 147.9544 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.8800 | 167.9656 | 152.5600 |
| Pork | 174.2628 | 165.1200 | 154.8456 |
| Brisket | 172 | 164.0456 | 150.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
11 entries · top 687.3828 · median 645.6340
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The King and His Q | |
| 2 | Pit Bull Smokers | |
| 3 | Lit Salami | |
| 4 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 5 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 6 | THE SMOKIN HOT JAGRD EDGE | |
| 7 | Smokin Genius | |
| 8 | Smoke & Dagger | |
| 9 | San Lorenzo BBQ | |
| 10 | Raeburn Barbecue | |
| 11 | Rack Em Up |
Chicken
11 entries · top 170.8572 · median 161.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 2 | The King and His Q | |
| 3 | San Lorenzo BBQ | |
| 4 | Smokin Genius | |
| 5 | Pit Bull Smokers | |
| 6 | Lit Salami | |
| 7 | THE SMOKIN HOT JAGRD EDGE | |
| 8 | Rack Em Up | |
| 9 | Raeburn Barbecue | |
| 10 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 11 | Smoke & Dagger |
Pork Ribs
11 entries · top 174.8800 · median 161.6684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The King and His Q | |
| 2 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 3 | THE SMOKIN HOT JAGRD EDGE | |
| 4 | Lit Salami | |
| 5 | Pit Bull Smokers | |
| 6 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 7 | Smokin Genius | |
| 8 | Smoke & Dagger | |
| 9 | Raeburn Barbecue | |
| 10 | San Lorenzo BBQ | |
| 11 | Rack Em Up |
Pork
11 entries · top 174.2628 · median 164.6056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The King and His Q | |
| 2 | Rack Em Up | |
| 3 | Smoke & Dagger | |
| 4 | Smokin Genius | |
| 5 | THE SMOKIN HOT JAGRD EDGE | |
| 6 | Lit Salami | |
| 7 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 8 | Pit Bull Smokers | |
| 9 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 10 | San Lorenzo BBQ | |
| 11 | Raeburn Barbecue |
Brisket
11 entries · top 172 · median 161.1428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The King and His Q | |
| 2 | Pit Bull Smokers | |
| 3 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 4 | Lit Salami | |
| 5 | Smoke & Dagger | |
| 6 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 7 | Raeburn Barbecue | |
| 8 | Rack Em Up | |
| 9 | THE SMOKIN HOT JAGRD EDGE | |
| 10 | San Lorenzo BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin Genius |
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Ancillary — Steak
7 entries · top 168.6288 · median 163.4512
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The King and His Q | |
| 2 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokin Genius | |
| 4 | Westy's BBQ | |
| 5 | Magilla Grilla | |
| 6 | Steak Rattle & Roll | |
| 7 | THE SMOKIN HOT JAGRD EDGE |