Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1)
2024-04-12 – 2024-04-13 · Bristol, CT · 📍 Lake Compounce Campground · State championship
Reps: BILL WRIGHT, KIM WRIGHT · Prize money: $4,000.00
Grand Champion: El Jefe Smoke (693.0744) · 29 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA
Entries
29
4 judged meats
Top score
693.0744
Winning margin
0.0004
GC over RC
Field average
651.13
median 661.53
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8800 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
670.7200
10th place overall
Field spread
192.0344
winner to last place
Prize money
$4,000.00
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 78%
beats 22% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
66%
of the 29 teams with a home region came from outside CT
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.35 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1540
avg power rating going in · stronger than 45% of contests
Storylines
👑 A dynasty in the making
Gettin' Basted has won this contest 3 times across its 14 tracked editions.
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0004 points — closer than 98% of every championship in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
ELJEFE SMOKE took the Grand Championship home to MA.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 9–10: UP-2 BBQ and Transformer BBQ tied on 170.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: Grumpy Old Patriot Barbeque and ELJEFE SMOKE tied on 170.8344 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 2–3: PADDY MCQ'S and American Barbecue Company tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🃏 An upset on the books
ELJEFE SMOKE came in rated below the field's top team, PADDY MCQ'S, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 34-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-15 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 43 | 705.7372 | Top Gun Barbecue | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ |
| 2023-04-15 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 22 | 174.8572 | Grandpa Val's | — |
| 2024-04-12 ← this one | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 29 | 693.0744 | El Jefe Smoke | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| 2024-04-12 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 13 | 176.5600 | Smokin' Hoggz | — |
| 2024-04-13 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 37 | 702.2516 | Good Googly Goo BBQ | UP-2 BBQ |
| 2024-04-13 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 14 | 177.7372 | Live Q or Die | — |
| 2025-04-11 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 30 | 700.5260 | Gettin' Basted | BOGGS HOG BBQ |
| 2025-04-12 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 35 | 709.1084 | Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | GETTIN' BASTED |
| 2025-04-12 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 21 | 177.7144 | Buckeye Blue Smoke | — |
| 2025-04-12 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 19 | 178.2972 | Badass Canz | — |
| 2026-04-10 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 33 | 703.4284 | Boggs Hog BBQ | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| 2026-04-11 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 29 | 705.1088 | Gettin' Basted | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| 2026-04-11 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 13 | 176.0344 | Paddy McQ's | — |
| 2026-04-11 | Bristol, CT | Lake Compounce Campground | 13 | 177.7144 | Gettin' Basted | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 173.7372 | 170.2744 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2972 | 171.4172 | 169.6916 |
| Pork | 180.0000 | 173.7028 | 168.5484 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 173.1544 | 168.5256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 693.0744 · median 661.5312
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ELJEFE SMOKE | |
| 2 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 3 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 4 | LG bbq | |
| 5 | Matt's Backyard BBQ | |
| 6 | Grandpa Val's BBQ | |
| 7 | UP-2 BBQ | |
| 8 | American Barbecue Company | |
| 9 | Waypoint BBQ | |
| 10 | Let It Smoke Barbecue | |
| 11 | Transformer BBQ | |
| 12 | Live Q or Die | |
| 13 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 14 | Big Bobby's Q | |
| 15 | SmoKEN Meatz | |
| 16 | Grumpy Old Patriot Barbeque | |
| 17 | Mountain Men BBQ | |
| 18 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 19 | HOG WASH BBQ | |
| 20 | Squirrel and Sons | |
| 21 | 16 Mesh BBQ | |
| 22 | Angry Cock BBQ | |
| 23 | Q42 | |
| 24 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 25 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 26 | LBLLC BBQ | |
| 27 | Professor Smoke | |
| 28 | PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ | |
| 29 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY |
Chicken
28 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.0970
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 2 | Matt's Backyard BBQ | |
| 3 | ELJEFE SMOKE | |
| 4 | Grandpa Val's BBQ | |
| 5 | American Barbecue Company | |
| 6 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 7 | Let It Smoke Barbecue | |
| 8 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 9 | UP-2 BBQ | |
| 10 | Transformer BBQ | |
| 11 | LG bbq | |
| 12 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 13 | Squirrel and Sons | |
| 14 | 16 Mesh BBQ | |
| 15 | SmoKEN Meatz | |
| 16 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 17 | Mountain Men BBQ | |
| 18 | Big Bobby's Q | |
| 19 | Grumpy Old Patriot Barbeque | |
| 20 | Angry Cock BBQ | |
| 21 | Live Q or Die | |
| 22 | Waypoint BBQ | |
| 23 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | |
| 24 | Q42 | |
| 25 | LBLLC BBQ | |
| 26 | HOG WASH BBQ | |
| 27 | Professor Smoke | |
| 28 | Morning Wood BBQ |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 174.2972 · median 166.2744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bobby's Q | |
| 2 | HOG WASH BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 4 | LG bbq | |
| 5 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | |
| 6 | Live Q or Die | |
| 7 | PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ | |
| 8 | Grumpy Old Patriot Barbeque | |
| 9 | ELJEFE SMOKE | |
| 10 | Q42 | |
| 11 | Waypoint BBQ | |
| 12 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 13 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 14 | Mountain Men BBQ | |
| 15 | Grandpa Val's BBQ | |
| 16 | Matt's Backyard BBQ | |
| 17 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 18 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 19 | American Barbecue Company | |
| 20 | 16 Mesh BBQ | |
| 21 | Transformer BBQ | |
| 22 | SmoKEN Meatz | |
| 23 | Let It Smoke Barbecue | |
| 24 | UP-2 BBQ | |
| 25 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 26 | Professor Smoke | |
| 27 | Angry Cock BBQ | |
| 28 | Squirrel and Sons | |
| 29 | LBLLC BBQ |
Pork
29 entries · top 180.0000 · median 165.1316 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UP-2 BBQ | |
| 2 | PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ | |
| 3 | Transformer BBQ | |
| 4 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 5 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 6 | LG bbq | |
| 7 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 8 | Waypoint BBQ | |
| 9 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | |
| 10 | Let It Smoke Barbecue | |
| 11 | Angry Cock BBQ | |
| 12 | ELJEFE SMOKE | |
| 13 | LBLLC BBQ | |
| 14 | Live Q or Die | |
| 15 | Matt's Backyard BBQ | |
| 16 | SmoKEN Meatz | |
| 17 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 18 | Squirrel and Sons | |
| 19 | Grumpy Old Patriot Barbeque | |
| 20 | Big Bobby's Q | |
| 21 | Grandpa Val's BBQ | |
| 22 | HOG WASH BBQ | |
| 23 | Q42 | |
| 24 | 16 Mesh BBQ | |
| 25 | American Barbecue Company | |
| 26 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 27 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 28 | Mountain Men BBQ | |
| 29 | Professor Smoke |
Brisket
28 entries · top 177.7028 · median 164.8458
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ELJEFE SMOKE | |
| 2 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 3 | American Barbecue Company | |
| 4 | Mountain Men BBQ | |
| 5 | Grandpa Val's BBQ | |
| 6 | Waypoint BBQ | |
| 7 | Matt's Backyard BBQ | |
| 8 | Let It Smoke Barbecue | |
| 9 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 10 | LG bbq | |
| 11 | PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ | |
| 12 | SmoKEN Meatz | |
| 13 | UP-2 BBQ | |
| 14 | Live Q or Die | |
| 15 | Squirrel and Sons | |
| 16 | Grumpy Old Patriot Barbeque | |
| 17 | Big Bobby's Q | |
| 18 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 19 | HOG WASH BBQ | |
| 20 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 21 | Transformer BBQ | |
| 22 | 16 Mesh BBQ | |
| 23 | Angry Cock BBQ | |
| 24 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 25 | Q42 | |
| 26 | LBLLC BBQ | |
| 27 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 28 | Professor Smoke |