A new contest record
698.2972
highest overall ever cooked here
698.2972 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 687.3828 The King & His Q set in 2023.
- old record 687.3828
- set 2023 by The King & His Q
Smokin' in the Valley 2024
Aug 3–4, 2024 · Perth, Western Australia, Australia · AUSTRALIA · 📍 Swan Settlers Market
Reps: Karina Rumens, Rob Stevens
Lit Salami won Grand Champion at the Smokin' in the Valley on August 3, 2024 in Perth, Western Australia, at Swan Settlers Market, scoring 698.2972 in a field of 10 teams. Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6916. Category winners: Chicken — Smokin Genius (177.1544); Pork Ribs — Pit Bull Smokers (173.7028); Pork — Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ (176.5828); Brisket — Lit Salami (180.0000). This is the 5th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ; the next was held in 2024.
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.
639.91
median 681.11
698.30 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.15
- Pork Ribs 173.70
- Pork 176.58
- Brisket 180 🔥
153.11
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
10
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
698.2972
Winning margin
4.6056
GC over RC
Field average
676.24
639.91698.30
median 681.11 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4056 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
639.9088
639.91698.30
10th place overall
Field spread
58.3884
winner to last place
Double threats
8
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 39%
beats 61% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
64%
9 of 14 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.58 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,497
avg power rating going in · stronger than 0% of contests
Storylines (6 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 2 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 1–2: Pit Bull Smokers and Aussie TongMasters tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: Smokin Genius edged Smokin it up BBQ Australia by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Lit Salami took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 6th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
Lit Salami turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 172.0000 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
- old best 172.0000
- across 4 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ (won 2024).
- Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ · 2024
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Lit Salami · Brisket
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2021 | Perth | Swan Valley Settlers Markets | 14 | 667.9772 | Smokin Steves BBQ | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ |
| Nov 26, 2022 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 12 | 678.3428 | Ribs N Pigs BBQ | Smokin Steve's BBQ |
| Nov 4, 2023 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 11 | 687.3828 | The King & His Q | Pit Bull Smokers |
| May 4, 2024 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 14 | 660.4916 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | Smokin it up BBQ Australia |
| Aug 3, 2024 ← this one | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 10 | 698.2972 | Brisket the night away | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ |
| Nov 2, 2024 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 14 | 673.1084 | Ribs n' Pigs | Aussie TongMasters |
| Apr 26, 2025 | Herne Hill, Western Australia | 124 Leonard Street | 13 | 676.0344 | BLUE MIST BBQ | Ribs n Pigs BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1544 | 171.4056 | 153.1088 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.7028 | 170.2972 | 155.3944 |
| Pork | 176.5828 | 171.9772 | 157.7028 |
| Brisket | 180 | 173.1316 | 159.9544 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
10 entries · top 698.2972 · median 681.1144
Chicken
10 entries · top 177.1544 · median 170.8342
Pork Ribs
10 entries · top 173.7028 · median 168.0058
Pork
10 entries · top 176.5828 · median 171.1258
Brisket
10 entries · top 180 · median 172.8516 · 🔥 perfect 180
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 — Sweet Pie
5 entries · top 171.9772 · median 161.1312
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aussie TongMasters | |
| 2 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokin Genius | |
| 4 | Lit Salami | |
| 5 | Aussie Davo |