Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
CHUNKY BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 9th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 4th
Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 2024
Jun 14–15, 2024 · Buckhannon, WV · 📍 Jawbone Park · State championship
Reps: Alex Jr Brown, Bill Jones · Prize money: $10,000
CHUNKY BBQ won Grand Champion at the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash on June 14, 2024 in Buckhannon, WV at Jawbone Park, scoring 698.8228 in a field of 30 teams. 3 EYZ BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.2400. Category winners: Chicken — Bowmans Butt & BBQ (175.4172); Pork Ribs — 3 EYZ BBQ (176.5828); Pork — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — BEER TIME BBQ (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by Mad Hatter BBQ with 346.2976. This is the 9th of 11 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ; 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.
487.41
median 674.21
698.82 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 175.42
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 176.58
- Master Series — Pork 180 🔥
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 176.56
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 173.73
131.92
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
30
6 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
698.8228
Winning margin
4.5828
GC over RC
Field average
656.01
487.41698.82
median 674.21 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7144 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
679.4060
487.41698.82
10th place overall
Field spread
211.4168
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 38%
beats 62% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
52%
22 of 42 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.37 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,621
avg power rating going in · stronger than 88% of contests
Storylines (5 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 day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- BEER TIME BBQ · Brisket
- Menke Boys BBQ · Brisket
- WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ · Pork
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 11 tracked editions
UNDER THE RADAR has won this contest 2 times across its 11 tracked editions.
- 2021
- 2022
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 16 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 1–2: Bowmans Butt & BBQ and 3 EYZ BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 4–5: SmokinGhost BBQ and UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 5–6: UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT and ALE YEAH BBQ tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 8–9 · tie
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 3 EYZ BBQ (won 2015), WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (won 2023).
- 3 EYZ BBQ · 2015
- WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ · 2023
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 19, 2015 | Buckhannon, WV | Buckhannon, WV 26201 | 41 | 703.4172 | 3 EYZ BBQ | CHECKERED PIG |
| Jun 17, 2016 | Buckhannon, WV | Buckhannon, WV 26201 | 42 | 699.9544 | CHECKERED PIG | SMOKIN FOOLZ |
| Jun 16, 2017 | Weston, WV | Downtown Buckhannon | 57 | 706.2972 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Weston, WV | Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum | 59 | 690.8000 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Roanoke, WV | Stonewall Resort State Park | 31 | 691.3944 | ROCKY TOP BBQ | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Jun 18, 2021 | Roanoke, WV | Stonewall Resort | 28 | 705.1428 | UNDER THE RADAR | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Roanoke, WV | Stonewall Resort | 20 | 704.5600 | UNDER THE RADAR | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Buckhannon, WV | 17 Friendly Way | 28 | 702.2284 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | CHUNKY BBQ |
| Jun 14, 2024 ← this one | Buckhannon, WV | Jawbone Park | 30 | 698.8228 | CHUNKY BBQ | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Buckhannon, WV | Jawbone Park | 30 | 698.2516 | Chunky BBQ | BEER TIME BBQ |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Buckhannon, WV | Jawbone Park | 29 | 699.3484 | Poor Boys BBQ | Smoked & Furious |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 175.4172 | 173.7028 | 172.0344 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 176.5828 | 173.7028 | 172 |
| Master Series — Pork | 180 | 173.7144 | 171.9656 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 174.8572 | 171.9772 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 176.5600 | 170.2628 | 161.1200 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 173.7260 | 169.1200 | 162.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 698.8228 · median 674.2114
Chicken
30 entries · top 175.4172 · median 167.6914
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 176.5828 · median 166.8458
Pork
29 entries · top 180 · median 168.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
29 entries · top 180 · median 168.5484 · 🔥 perfect 180
Backyard Series
Overall
11 entries · top 346.2976 · median 336.0228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 2 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 3 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 4 | BROCK'S BBQ | |
| 5 | Bay Brothers BBQ | |
| 6 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 7 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 8 | Pinky Out BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM | |
| 10 | Little E's Que | |
| 11 | BIRD DAWG BBQ |
Chicken
11 entries · top 176.5600 · median 168
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 2 | Bay Brothers BBQ | |
| 3 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 4 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 5 | Pinky Out BBQ | |
| 6 | BROCK'S BBQ | |
| 7 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 8 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM | |
| 10 | Little E's Que | |
| 11 | BIRD DAWG BBQ |
Pork Ribs
11 entries · top 173.7260 · median 168
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 2 | BROCK'S BBQ | |
| 3 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 4 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 5 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 6 | BIRD DAWG BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM | |
| 8 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 9 | Pinky Out BBQ | |
| 10 | Bay Brothers BBQ | |
| 11 | Little E's Que |
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 — Anything But Cheesecake
16 entries · top 176.5600 · median 163.6628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 2 | CONVICTED PIGS BBQ | |
| 3 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 4 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 5 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 6 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 7 | JL Smokers | |
| 8 | Little E's Que | |
| 9 | Bay Brothers BBQ | |
| 10 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 11 | BIRD DAWG BBQ | |
| 12 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 13 | DOUBLE E SMOKERS | |
| 14 | Bigfoot Mountain BBQ | |
| 15 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 16 | Menke Boys BBQ |
Ancillary — Mystery Box
14 entries · top 180 · median 168.5542 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 2 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 3 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 4 | Full Throttle BBQ | |
| 5 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 6 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 7 | Little E's Que | |
| 8 | BIRD DAWG BBQ | |
| 9 | Bigfoot Mountain BBQ | |
| 10 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 11 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 12 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 13 | DOUBLE E SMOKERS | |
| 14 | Professor Smoke |
Turkey Smoke Series — Turkey Smoke
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168.8228