A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 7 tracked editions
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2017
Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival
2024-05-17 – 2024-05-18 · Ayden, NC · 📍 Ayden, NC 28513 · State championship
Prize money: $10,000.00
Grand Champion: Optimus Swine (695.3716) · 18 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 SMOKIN SKULLIES
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.
456.43
median 679.05
695.37 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 173.11
146.80
177.71
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
18
4 judged meats
Top score
695.3716
Winning margin
6.8916
GC over RC
Field average
660.06
456.43695.37
median 679.05 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
3.4284 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
678.7772
456.43695.37
10th place overall
Field spread
238.9372
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000.00
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 52%
beats 48% of 4707 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
44%
11 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.82 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1596
avg power rating going in · stronger than 75% of contests
Storylines (4 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 6 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: TWISTED PAIR BBQ and Blue Ribbon BBQ NC tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: SMOKIN SKULLIES and Swine 'N' Roses BBQ tied on 176.0116 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: MUTTLEY CREW BBQ and MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Brisket 3–4 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Optimus Swine took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 6th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 6th
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: MUTTLEY CREW BBQ (won 2018, 2019).
- MUTTLEY CREW BBQ · 2018, 2019
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-20 | Ayden, NC | Downtown Ayden | 30 | 688.6060 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE |
| 2017-05-19 | Ayden, NC | 462 second st | 36 | 684.4796 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ |
| 2018-05-18 | Ayden, NC | 462 second st | 38 | 691.9772 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM |
| 2019-05-17 | Ayden, NC | 462 Second St | 36 | 691.3712 | Muttley Crew BBQ | 3N1 Q |
| 2022-05-20 | Ayden, NC | 462 Second St | 32 | 691.9084 | Old Virginia Smoke | Optimus Swine |
| 2023-05-19 | Ayden, NC | 462 Second St | 25 | 705.6684 | Smoke and Brew | OFF THE RACK BBQ |
| 2024-05-17 ← this one | Ayden, NC | Ayden, NC 28513 | 18 | 695.3716 | Optimus Swine | SMOKIN SKULLIES |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 173.1200 | 168.5372 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 172.5600 | 167.3944 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 170.8228 | 166.8228 |
| Brisket | 173.1084 | 169.6800 | 165.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
18 entries · top 695.3716 · median 679.0516
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Optimus Swine | |
| 2 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 3 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 5 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 6 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 7 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 8 | POKE N SMOKE | |
| 9 | TNT Explosive BBQ | |
| 10 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 11 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 12 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 13 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 14 | J-3 BBQ | |
| 15 | Reel Fly Pit Crew | |
| 16 | Grillin' Thyme | |
| 17 | Southern Bell BBQ | |
| 18 | Taking Care of BBQ |
Chicken
18 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.1086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 2 | TNT Explosive BBQ | |
| 3 | Optimus Swine | |
| 4 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 5 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 6 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 7 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 8 | POKE N SMOKE | |
| 9 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 10 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 12 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 13 | Grillin' Thyme | |
| 14 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 15 | J-3 BBQ | |
| 16 | Reel Fly Pit Crew | |
| 17 | Southern Bell BBQ | |
| 18 | Taking Care of BBQ |
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 177.7144 · median 168.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Optimus Swine | |
| 2 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 3 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 4 | POKE N SMOKE | |
| 5 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 6 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 7 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 9 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 10 | J-3 BBQ | |
| 11 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 12 | Reel Fly Pit Crew | |
| 13 | TNT Explosive BBQ | |
| 14 | Southern Bell BBQ | |
| 15 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 16 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 17 | Grillin' Thyme | |
| 18 | Taking Care of BBQ |
Pork
18 entries · top 175.4172 · median 167.4000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 2 | Optimus Swine | |
| 3 | TNT Explosive BBQ | |
| 4 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 5 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 6 | Reel Fly Pit Crew | |
| 7 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 8 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 9 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 10 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 11 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 12 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 14 | J-3 BBQ | |
| 15 | POKE N SMOKE | |
| 16 | Southern Bell BBQ | |
| 17 | Grillin' Thyme | |
| 18 | Taking Care of BBQ |
Brisket
17 entries · top 173.1084 · median 166.2400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 2 | CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | |
| 3 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 4 | POKE N SMOKE | |
| 5 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 6 | Optimus Swine | |
| 7 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKE N BREW | |
| 9 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 10 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 11 | TNT Explosive BBQ | |
| 12 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 13 | Grillin' Thyme | |
| 14 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 15 | J-3 BBQ | |
| 16 | Reel Fly Pit Crew | |
| 17 | Southern Bell BBQ |