Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 2 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: Hocus Smokus BBQ edged HotMess BBQ by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 3–4: Menke Boys BBQ edged Hog Wash by 0.0116.
- Chicken 2–3 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · 0.0116
Steel City Smokeout
Jul 19–20, 2024 · Bethlehem, PA · 📍 25 W. Third Street · State championship
Reps: Louise Weidner, Robert McKee · Prize money: $8,000
HotMess BBQ won Grand Champion at the Steel City Smokeout on July 19, 2024 in Bethlehem, PA at 25 W. Third Street, scoring 693.0396 in a field of 10 teams. Menke Boys BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 690.8000. Category winners: Chicken — Menke Boys BBQ (175.4400); Pork Ribs — 4 BOXERS Q (175.4172); Pork — HotMess BBQ (177.1428); Brisket — Menke Boys BBQ (178.8572).
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.
597.65
median 648.39
693.04 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.44
- Pork Ribs 175.42
- Pork 177.14
- Brisket 178.86
137.69
178.86
Entries
10
4 judged meats
Top score
693.0396
Winning margin
2.2396
GC over RC
Field average
649.98
597.65693.04
median 648.39 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
8.0228 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
597.6460
597.65693.04
10th place overall
Field spread
95.3936
winner to last place
Prize money
$8,000
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 62%
beats 38% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Weak
ρ = 0.24 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,481
avg power rating going in · stronger than 0% of contests
Storylines (3 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 double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Menke Boys BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
HotMess BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 3rd.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4400 | 167.4172 | 154.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4172 | 161.6688 | 153.6460 |
| Pork | 177.1428 | 165.1088 | 149.0972 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 159.3716 | 137.6916 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
10 entries · top 693.0396 · median 648.3888
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 2 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 3 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 4 | Brisket Butts and BBQ | |
| 5 | PAPPY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 6 | Hog Wash | |
| 7 | Hocus Smokus BBQ | |
| 8 | Calhoon BBQ | |
| 9 | The Taste Smokers | |
| 10 | Grumpy's BBQ |
Chicken
10 entries · top 175.4400 · median 165.6858
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 2 | Hocus Smokus BBQ | |
| 3 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 4 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 5 | Brisket Butts and BBQ | |
| 6 | PAPPY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 7 | Calhoon BBQ | |
| 8 | Hog Wash | |
| 9 | Grumpy's BBQ | |
| 10 | The Taste Smokers |
Pork Ribs
10 entries · top 175.4172 · median 161.4002
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 2 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 3 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 4 | Hog Wash | |
| 5 | The Taste Smokers | |
| 6 | Hocus Smokus BBQ | |
| 7 | Brisket Butts and BBQ | |
| 8 | Calhoon BBQ | |
| 9 | Grumpy's BBQ | |
| 10 | PAPPY PETE'S BBQ |
Pork
10 entries · top 177.1428 · median 163.9544
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 2 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 3 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 4 | PAPPY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 5 | Brisket Butts and BBQ | |
| 6 | Hog Wash | |
| 7 | The Taste Smokers | |
| 8 | Hocus Smokus BBQ | |
| 9 | Calhoon BBQ | |
| 10 | Grumpy's BBQ |
Brisket
10 entries · top 178.8572 · median 158.2230
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 2 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 3 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 4 | PAPPY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 5 | Brisket Butts and BBQ | |
| 6 | Hog Wash | |
| 7 | Calhoon BBQ | |
| 8 | Hocus Smokus BBQ | |
| 9 | The Taste Smokers | |
| 10 | Grumpy's BBQ |