A new contest record
698.8344
highest overall ever cooked here
698.8344 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.2516 Smokin' Bliss BBQ set in 2025.
- old record 698.2516
- set 2025 by Smokin' Bliss BBQ
3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) 2025
Aug 9–10, 2025 · Felton, CA · 📍 5401 Graham Hill Rd · State championship
Reps: Ian Schmidt, Julie Poe · Prize money: $6,000
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ won Grand Champion at the 3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) on August 9, 2025 in Felton, CA at 5401 Graham Hill Rd, scoring 698.8344 in a field of 21 teams. CYNICAL BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 687.3716. Category winners: Chicken — Pops BBQ 22 (176.0000); Pork Ribs — Braddah's BBQ (175.4400); Pork — Cherry Anchor BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — OM BBQ COMPANY (177.7028). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Smokin' Bliss BBQ.
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.
631.21
median 678.22
698.83 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176
- Pork Ribs 175.44
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 177.70
147.90
180
Entries
21
4 judged meats
Top score
698.8344
Winning margin
11.4628
GC over RC
Field average
671.03
631.21698.83
median 678.22 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1656 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.6228
631.21698.83
10th place overall
Field spread
67.6228
winner to last place
Prize money
$6,000
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 38%
beats 62% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
68%
17 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.67 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,610
avg power rating going in · stronger than 83% of contests
Storylines (8 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.
An upset on the books
20-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 80 times in 100
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, GETTIN' BASTED, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 20-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1746
- top seed 1990
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 2nd
A statement win
11.4628
points clear of the field
Wider than 91% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 11.4628 points — a wider margin than 91% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 7–8: OM BBQ COMPANY and Meat Candy Q tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 9–10: Big Boys BBQ and BAR-B-CUDA BBQ tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: GETTIN' BASTED edged OM BBQ COMPANY by 0.0116.
- Pork 7–8 · tie
- Brisket 9–10 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0116
- Chicken 9–10 · 0.0116
A contest record in brisket
177.7028
best brisket ever cooked here
OM BBQ COMPANY turned in 177.7028 in brisket — past the 175.4056 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4056
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Smokin' Bliss BBQ (won 2025).
- Smokin' Bliss BBQ · 2025
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.
- Cherry Anchor BBQ · Pork
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2025 | Felton, CA | 5401 Graham Hill Rd | 25 | 698.2516 | Smokin' Bliss BBQ | Cherry Anchor BBQ |
| Aug 9, 2025 ← this one | Felton, CA | 5401 Graham Hill Rd | 21 | 698.8344 | Smokin' Volts BBQ | CYNICAL BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176 | 173.1316 | 170.8112 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 174.2744 | 169.1660 |
| Pork | 180 | 174.8572 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 171.4288 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
21 entries · top 698.8344 · median 678.2172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 2 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 3 | Chompa Q | |
| 4 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 6 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 7 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 8 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 9 | Smokin' SRB | |
| 10 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 11 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 12 | Braddah's BBQ | |
| 13 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 14 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 15 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 16 | PRISON BREAK BBQ | |
| 17 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 18 | Old Greenwood BBQ | |
| 19 | Los Mexi"Q"tioners | |
| 20 | KO BBQ | |
| 21 | COACHES PIT BBQ |
Chicken
21 entries · top 176 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 2 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 3 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 4 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 6 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 7 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 8 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 9 | Chompa Q | |
| 10 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 11 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 12 | Old Greenwood BBQ | |
| 13 | COACHES PIT BBQ | |
| 14 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 15 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 16 | Smokin' SRB | |
| 17 | Braddah's BBQ | |
| 18 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 19 | KO BBQ | |
| 20 | Los Mexi"Q"tioners | |
| 21 | PRISON BREAK BBQ |
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 175.4400 · median 167.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braddah's BBQ | |
| 2 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 4 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 5 | Chompa Q | |
| 6 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 7 | Smokin' SRB | |
| 8 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 9 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 10 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 11 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 12 | Los Mexi"Q"tioners | |
| 13 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 14 | KO BBQ | |
| 15 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 16 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 17 | PRISON BREAK BBQ | |
| 18 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 19 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 20 | Old Greenwood BBQ | |
| 21 | COACHES PIT BBQ |
Pork
21 entries · top 180 · median 171.4172 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 3 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 5 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 6 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 7 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 8 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 9 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 10 | Braddah's BBQ | |
| 11 | Chompa Q | |
| 12 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 13 | Smokin' SRB | |
| 14 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 15 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 16 | PRISON BREAK BBQ | |
| 17 | COACHES PIT BBQ | |
| 18 | KO BBQ | |
| 19 | Los Mexi"Q"tioners | |
| 20 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 21 | Old Greenwood BBQ |
Brisket
21 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 3 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 4 | Smokin' SRB | |
| 5 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 6 | Chompa Q | |
| 7 | PRISON BREAK BBQ | |
| 8 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 9 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 10 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 12 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 13 | Braddah's BBQ | |
| 14 | Old Greenwood BBQ | |
| 15 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 16 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 17 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 18 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 19 | Los Mexi"Q"tioners | |
| 20 | KO BBQ | |
| 21 | COACHES PIT BBQ |