A razor-thin finish
0.5828
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 89% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5828 points — closer than 89% of every championship in the data.
- Triple H BBQ
- Poppa Pig
Covington World's Oldest Barbeque Festival 2024
May 31 – Jun 1, 2024 · Covington, TN · 📍 Cobb Parr Park · State championship
Reps: Maria Lohman, Wayne Lohman · Prize money: $10,700
TRIPLE H BBQ won Grand Champion at the Covington World's Oldest Barbeque Festival on May 31, 2024 in Covington, TN at Cobb Parr Park, scoring 702.2400 in a field of 25 teams. Poppa Pig took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.6572. Category winners: Chicken — ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Poppa Pig (178.8572); Pork — MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — Heavy Smoke BBQ (180.0000). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Triple H; the next was held in 2025.
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.
595.81
median 690.80
702.24 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 180 🔥
141.10
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2022 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
25
4 judged meats
Top score
702.2400
Winning margin
0.5828
GC over RC
Field average
676.43
595.81702.24
median 690.80 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
694.7772
595.81702.24
10th place overall
Field spread
106.4344
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,700
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 25%
beats 75% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
60%
15 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.8 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,657
avg power rating going in · stronger than 97% of contests
Storylines (7 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
TRIPLE H BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 4th. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 9th
- Brisket 6th
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
Triple H BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2022
- 2024
A stacked field
1657
average power rating going in
Stronger than 97% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1657 power rating going in — stronger than 97% of every contest tracked.
- top seed TRIPLE H BBQ (1936)
- 25 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 16 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: Rankin County BBQ Company and Kermit's Ex tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: Kermit's Ex and RAZORRACKS tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: TRIPLE H BBQ and Sweet Swine O' Mine tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Triple H BBQ (won 2022).
- Triple H BBQ · 2022
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.
- Heavy Smoke BBQ · Brisket
- ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 2022 | Covington, TN | Cobb Parr Park | 28 | 707.3828 | Triple H BBQ | JANKY LEG BBQ |
| Jun 2, 2023 | Covington, TN | Cobb Parr Park | 25 | 701.6688 | Triple H | Kith n' Kin |
| May 31, 2024 ← this one | Covington, TN | Cobb Parr Park | 25 | 702.2400 | Triple H BBQ | Poppa Pig |
| May 30, 2025 | Covington, TN | Cobb Parr Park | 25 | 707.3828 | Mudville BBQ | Kith n' Kin |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 176.5716 | 173.1200 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 175.4172 | 172.5716 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176.5600 | 173.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 702.2400 · median 690.8004
Chicken
25 entries · top 180 · median 171.9772 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.9772
Pork
25 entries · top 177.7144 · median 170.8572
Brisket
25 entries · top 180 · median 171.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180