Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
2025-07-25 – 2025-07-26 · New Freedom, PA · 📍 1 Playground Alley · State championship
Reps: BILL JONES, LOUISE WEIDNER, ROBERT MCKEE · Prize money: $8,000.00
Grand Champion: Piggy & Swine BBQ (706.8112) · 30 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 HotMess BBQ
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Perfect 180s
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Came back for more
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Piggy & Swine BBQ took the Grand Championship home to VA.
🔥 A day of perfect scores
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest.
📸 Photo finishes
Master Series — Chicken places 7–8: Mispillion Meat Works and HotMess BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 8–9: HotMess BBQ and OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 1–2: 3 EYZ BBQ and Mispillion Meat Works tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: The Fat is Where It's At (won 2024).
🃏 An upset on the books
Piggy & Swine BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, GETTIN' BASTED, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 14-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-07-26 | New Freedom, PA | 1 Playground Alley | 35 | 693.0512 | Rooters-N-Tooters TN | BLUE EYED BBQ |
| 2024-07-27 | New Freedom, PA | 1 Playground Alley | 32 | 703.9544 | The Fat is Where It's At | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| 2025-07-25 ← this one | New Freedom, PA | 1 Playground Alley | 30 | 706.8112 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | HotMess BBQ |
| 2025-07-26 | New Freedom, PA | 1 Playground Alley | 27 | 704.5256 | Smokin Hoggz BBQ - MA | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE |
| 2026-07-24 | New Freedom, PA | 1 Playground Alley | 43 | 710.8688 | B's Que | BBQ Maestros |
| 2026-07-25 | New Freedom, PA | 1 Playground Alley | 39 | 707.4172 | Boggs Hog BBQ | ELJEFE SMOKE |
| 2027-07-23 | New Freedom, PA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2027-07-24 | New Freedom, PA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180.0000 | 177.1544 | 174.8800 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 174.2856 | 171.4056 |
| Master Series — Pork | 178.8572 | 177.1428 | 175.4056 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180.0000 | 176.0000 | 174.2628 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 177.7144 | 174.2744 | 173.1200 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 174.3200 | 170.8688 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 706.8112 · median 679.0630
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | |
| 2 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 3 | Mispillion Meat Works | |
| 4 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 5 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 6 | The Fat is Where It's At | |
| 7 | SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | |
| 8 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 9 | QUE U | |
| 10 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 11 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 12 | Palm tree smokehouse | |
| 13 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 15 | Big Bobs Smokin Que | |
| 16 | Ain't That Rich | |
| 17 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 18 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 19 | HARCO LOCO BBQ | |
| 20 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 21 | UP IN SMOKERS | |
| 22 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 23 | Fire Ants BBQ | |
| 24 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 25 | Gigabyte BBQ | |
| 26 | Them Bones | |
| 27 | BIG DOG BBQ VA | |
| 28 | BBQ Blokes | |
| 29 | Pappy's Q | |
| 30 | DRILLING & GRILLING |
Chicken
30 entries · top 180.0000 · median 171.9772 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Fat is Where It's At | |
| 2 | Big Bobs Smokin Que | |
| 3 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 4 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | |
| 5 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 6 | Ain't That Rich | |
| 7 | Mispillion Meat Works | |
| 8 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 9 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 10 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 11 | QUE U | |
| 12 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 13 | Palm tree smokehouse | |
| 14 | SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | |
| 15 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 16 | DRILLING & GRILLING | |
| 17 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 18 | UP IN SMOKERS | |
| 19 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 20 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 21 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 22 | Gigabyte BBQ | |
| 23 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 24 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 25 | HARCO LOCO BBQ | |
| 26 | BBQ Blokes | |
| 27 | Them Bones | |
| 28 | Fire Ants BBQ | |
| 29 | BIG DOG BBQ VA | |
| 30 | Pappy's Q |
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.2688
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 3 | Mispillion Meat Works | |
| 4 | SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | |
| 5 | QUE U | |
| 6 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 7 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 8 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 9 | DRILLING & GRILLING | |
| 10 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | |
| 11 | Gigabyte BBQ | |
| 12 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 14 | Palm tree smokehouse | |
| 15 | Fire Ants BBQ | |
| 16 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | HARCO LOCO BBQ | |
| 18 | BIG DOG BBQ VA | |
| 19 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 20 | Big Bobs Smokin Que | |
| 21 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 22 | Them Bones | |
| 23 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 24 | UP IN SMOKERS | |
| 25 | Ain't That Rich | |
| 26 | The Fat is Where It's At | |
| 27 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 28 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 29 | BBQ Blokes | |
| 30 | Pappy's Q |
Pork
29 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.4172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 2 | Mispillion Meat Works | |
| 3 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | |
| 4 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 5 | The Fat is Where It's At | |
| 6 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 7 | SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | |
| 8 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 9 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 10 | Ain't That Rich | |
| 11 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 12 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 13 | QUE U | |
| 14 | Palm tree smokehouse | |
| 15 | Fire Ants BBQ | |
| 16 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 17 | HARCO LOCO BBQ | |
| 18 | UP IN SMOKERS | |
| 19 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 20 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 21 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 22 | Them Bones | |
| 23 | BIG DOG BBQ VA | |
| 24 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 25 | Big Bobs Smokin Que | |
| 26 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 27 | Pappy's Q | |
| 28 | Gigabyte BBQ | |
| 29 | BBQ Blokes |
Brisket
30 entries · top 180.0000 · median 171.9886 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | |
| 2 | The Fat is Where It's At | |
| 3 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 4 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 5 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 6 | Big Bobs Smokin Que | |
| 7 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 8 | DRILLING & GRILLING | |
| 9 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 10 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | |
| 11 | SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | |
| 12 | Mispillion Meat Works | |
| 13 | Menke Boys BBQ | |
| 14 | HARCO LOCO BBQ | |
| 15 | Palm tree smokehouse | |
| 16 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 18 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 19 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 20 | QUE U | |
| 21 | Ain't That Rich | |
| 22 | UP IN SMOKERS | |
| 23 | BBQ Blokes | |
| 24 | Mullen It Over BBQ | |
| 25 | Pappy's Q | |
| 26 | Fire Ants BBQ | |
| 27 | 4 BOXERS Q | |
| 28 | BIG DOG BBQ VA | |
| 29 | Them Bones | |
| 30 | Gigabyte BBQ |
Backyard Series
Overall
36 entries · top 349.1548 · median 337.6802
Chicken
36 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.9830
Pork Ribs
35 entries · top 177.1544 · median 167.9772
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 — Turkey Smoke
41 entries · top 180.0000 · median 167.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180