A statement win
9.6456
points clear of the field
Wider than 86% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 9.6456 points — a wider margin than 86% of championships in the data.
Covington Cork & Pork Festival 2014
Jun 27–28, 2014 · Covington, VA
CHECKERED PIG won Grand Champion at the Covington Cork & Pork Festival on June 27, 2014 in Covington, VA, scoring 689.0512 in a field of 26 teams. 4:20 Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 679.4056. Category winners: Chicken — CHECKERED PIG (176.5600); Pork Ribs — 4:20 Q (173.1772); Pork — 4:20 Q (173.1428); Brisket — DIVA Q (174.2744). This is the 1st of 6 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2015.
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.
607.34
median 650.15
689.05 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.56
- Pork Ribs 173.18
- Pork 173.14
- Brisket 174.27
139.94
176.56
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2023 — this edition picked out.
Entries
26
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
689.0512
Winning margin
9.6456
GC over RC
Field average
649.98
607.34689.05
median 650.15 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.7484 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
658.1948
607.34689.05
10th place overall
Field spread
81.7144
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 74%
beats 26% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,555
avg power rating going in · stronger than 42% 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 dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
SMOKE-AHOLICS has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2015
- 2018
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 4–5: THE BBQ GURU and BIKER BBQ tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: UNCULTURED SWINE edged DIVA Q by 0.0116. Pork places 6–7: APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS edged ROCK'S MONEY PIT BBQ by 0.0116.
- Pork 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
- Pork 6–7 · 0.0116
- Chicken 9–10 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
4:20 Q won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
CHECKERED PIG took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 12th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 12th
- Brisket 2nd
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 27, 2014 ← this one | Covington, VA | Covington, VA 24426 | 26 | 689.0512 | CHECKERED PIG | 4:20 Q |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Covington, VA | Covington, VA 24426 | 25 | 690.8344 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | CHECKERED PIG |
| Jun 24, 2016 | Covington, VA | 333 W Locust St. | 27 | 695.9888 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
| Jun 23, 2017 | Covington, VA | 333 W Locust St | 32 | 685.1428 | 4:20 Q | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 22, 2018 | Covington, VA | 333 W Locust St | 27 | 697.6800 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE |
| Jun 2, 2023 | Covington, VA | 333 W Locust St | 27 | 697.6456 | Optimus Swine | OFF THE RACK BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5600 | 169.1200 | 165.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.1772 | 171.4288 | 163.4288 |
| Pork | 173.1428 | 169.1200 | 166.8572 |
| Brisket | 174.2744 | 171.4056 | 166.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 689.0512 · median 650.1542
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHECKERED PIG | |
| 2 | 4:20 Q | |
| 3 | THE BBQ GURU | |
| 4 | CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ | |
| 5 | DIVA Q | |
| 6 | RED VALLEY BBQ | |
| 7 | MAKIN BACON BBQ | |
| 8 | FINN'S FINEST BBQ | |
| 9 | 270 SMOKERS | |
| 10 | UNCULTURED SWINE | |
| 11 | ROCK'S MONEY PIT BBQ | |
| 12 | HICKORY PRIME | |
| 13 | BIKER BBQ | |
| 14 | FLAVOR SAVOR | |
| 15 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | |
| 16 | J&D SMOKIN | |
| 17 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 18 | E.T.'S BBQ | |
| 19 | PATENT PENDING BBQ | |
| 20 | APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 21 | FOOMANCHOO BBQ | |
| 22 | LAUGHING LADY BBQ | |
| 23 | POP'S SMOKE ON THE HILL | |
| 24 | BARNYARD BBQ | |
| 25 | Still Workin On It | |
| 26 | Smokin Bros BBQ |
Chicken
26 entries · top 176.5600 · median 162.5198
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHECKERED PIG | |
| 2 | 4:20 Q | |
| 3 | 270 SMOKERS | |
| 4 | RED VALLEY BBQ | |
| 5 | THE BBQ GURU | |
| 6 | CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ | |
| 7 | UNCULTURED SWINE | |
| 8 | DIVA Q | |
| 9 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 10 | LAUGHING LADY BBQ | |
| 11 | E.T.'S BBQ | |
| 12 | FINN'S FINEST BBQ | |
| 13 | PATENT PENDING BBQ | |
| 14 | ROCK'S MONEY PIT BBQ | |
| 15 | FLAVOR SAVOR | |
| 16 | FOOMANCHOO BBQ | |
| 17 | J&D SMOKIN | |
| 18 | BIKER BBQ | |
| 19 | MAKIN BACON BBQ | |
| 20 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | |
| 21 | Still Workin On It | |
| 22 | POP'S SMOKE ON THE HILL | |
| 23 | APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 24 | BARNYARD BBQ | |
| 25 | HICKORY PRIME | |
| 26 | Smokin Bros BBQ |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 173.1772 · median 161.1372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:20 Q | |
| 2 | CHECKERED PIG | |
| 3 | CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ | |
| 4 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | THE BBQ GURU | |
| 6 | FINN'S FINEST BBQ | |
| 7 | MAKIN BACON BBQ | |
| 8 | ROCK'S MONEY PIT BBQ | |
| 9 | HICKORY PRIME | |
| 10 | RED VALLEY BBQ | |
| 11 | UNCULTURED SWINE | |
| 12 | APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 13 | FLAVOR SAVOR | |
| 14 | Still Workin On It | |
| 15 | DIVA Q | |
| 16 | BIKER BBQ | |
| 17 | 270 SMOKERS | |
| 18 | BARNYARD BBQ | |
| 19 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 20 | POP'S SMOKE ON THE HILL | |
| 21 | PATENT PENDING BBQ | |
| 22 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 23 | J&D SMOKIN | |
| 24 | E.T.'S BBQ | |
| 25 | FOOMANCHOO BBQ | |
| 26 | LAUGHING LADY BBQ |
Pork
26 entries · top 173.1428 · median 162.5542
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:20 Q | |
| 2 | MAKIN BACON BBQ | |
| 3 | DIVA Q | |
| 4 | THE BBQ GURU | |
| 5 | BIKER BBQ | |
| 6 | APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 7 | ROCK'S MONEY PIT BBQ | |
| 8 | J&D SMOKIN | |
| 9 | E.T.'S BBQ | |
| 10 | RED VALLEY BBQ | |
| 11 | FINN'S FINEST BBQ | |
| 12 | CHECKERED PIG | |
| 13 | CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ | |
| 14 | HICKORY PRIME | |
| 15 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 16 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 17 | Still Workin On It | |
| 18 | 270 SMOKERS | |
| 19 | UNCULTURED SWINE | |
| 20 | FOOMANCHOO BBQ | |
| 21 | PATENT PENDING BBQ | |
| 22 | LAUGHING LADY BBQ | |
| 23 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | |
| 24 | FLAVOR SAVOR | |
| 25 | POP'S SMOKE ON THE HILL | |
| 26 | BARNYARD BBQ |
Brisket
26 entries · top 174.2744 · median 162.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DIVA Q | |
| 2 | CHECKERED PIG | |
| 3 | HICKORY PRIME | |
| 4 | PATENT PENDING BBQ | |
| 5 | CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ | |
| 6 | FLAVOR SAVOR | |
| 7 | UNCULTURED SWINE | |
| 8 | RED VALLEY BBQ | |
| 9 | 270 SMOKERS | |
| 10 | J&D SMOKIN | |
| 11 | THE BBQ GURU | |
| 12 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | |
| 13 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 14 | BIKER BBQ | |
| 15 | FOOMANCHOO BBQ | |
| 16 | MAKIN BACON BBQ | |
| 17 | FINN'S FINEST BBQ | |
| 18 | E.T.'S BBQ | |
| 19 | LAUGHING LADY BBQ | |
| 20 | POP'S SMOKE ON THE HILL | |
| 21 | 4:20 Q | |
| 22 | BARNYARD BBQ | |
| 23 | ROCK'S MONEY PIT BBQ | |
| 24 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 25 | APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 26 | Still Workin On It |
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.
Master Series — Anything But
3 entries · top 165.7488 · median 160.5944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnyard BBQ -2 | |
| 2 | Laughing Lady BBQ -2 | |
| 3 | 270 SMOKERS-2 |
Master Series — Dessert
3 entries · top 167.9656 · median 160.0688
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sauced! BBQ -2 | |
| 2 | Barnyard BBQ -2 | |
| 3 | Laughing Lady BBQ -2 |