A new contest record
670.8452
highest overall ever cooked here
670.8452 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 670.2168 SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA set in 2013.
- old record 670.2168
- set 2013 by SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA
Hudson Valley Ribfest 2014
Aug 16–17, 2014 · New Paltz, NY
ACK-QUE won Grand Champion at the Hudson Valley Ribfest on August 16, 2014 in New Paltz, NY, scoring 670.8452 in a field of 60 teams. BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 659.3600. Category winners: Chicken — BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ (170.3200); Pork Ribs — QUE AND A HALF MEN (176.0000); Pork — PULLIN' MY MONEY MUSCLE (174.2744); Brisket — SOW WE MEAT AGAIN (178.3200). This is the 2nd of 8 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA; 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.
148.05
median 627.93
670.85 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 170.32
- Pork Ribs 176
- Pork 174.27
- Brisket 178.32
124.56
178.32
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
60
4 judged meats · 5 ancillary
Top score
670.8452
Winning margin
11.4852
GC over RC
Field average
612.84
148.05670.85
median 627.93 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.3428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
649.6916
148.05670.85
10th place overall
Field spread
522.7992
winner to last place
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 96%
beats 4% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
53%
27 of 51 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.46 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,519
avg power rating going in · stronger than 13% of contests
Storylines (10 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
23-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 77 times in 100
ACK-QUE came in rated below the field's top team, SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 23-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1493
- top seed 1705
Won without a category win
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
ACK-QUE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 2 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 32nd
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 14th
- Brisket 2nd
A first Grand Championship
14
tracked contests to get there
This was ACK-QUE's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 14th tracked contest.
A statement win
11.4852
points clear of the field
Wider than 91% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 11.4852 points — a wider margin than 91% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 8 tracked editions
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has won this contest 2 times across its 8 tracked editions.
- 2013
- 2019
Photo finishes
0.0112
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 8–9: A-SALTED BBQ edged SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA by 0.0112. Chicken places 7–8: BIG KEV'S BBQ edged GOOD SMOKE BBQ by 0.0116. Pork places 4–5: DR. PEARL'S MEDICINAL SMOKE BBQ TEAM edged GOT PORK? GOT BEER? by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0112
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
- Pork 4–5 · 0.0116
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0344
A contest record in brisket
178.3200
best brisket ever cooked here
SOW WE MEAT AGAIN turned in 178.3200 in brisket — past the 171.9884 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 171.9884
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (won 2013).
- SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA · 2013
One of the big ones
60
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 92% of the 5,462 contests in the data
60 teams — bigger than 92% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
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 16, 2013 | New Paltz, NY | New Paltz, NY | 51 | 670.2168 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2014 ← this one | New Paltz, NY | New Paltz, NY 12561 | 60 | 670.8452 | ACK-QUE | BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ |
| Aug 14, 2015 | New Paltz, NY | New Paltz, NY 12561 | 57 | 663.9200 | RED VALLEY BBQ | SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS |
| Aug 19, 2016 | New Paltz, NY | 249 Libertyville | 52 | 683.4516 | SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS | ACK-QUE |
| Aug 18, 2017 | New Paltz, NY | 249 Libertyville RD | 59 | 690.8572 | BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ | PULLIN' MY MONEY MUSCLE |
| Aug 17, 2018 | New Paltz, NY | 249 Libertyville RD | 58 | 697.1200 | MILLER'S BACKYARD BBQ | Rogue Hog BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2019 | New Paltz, NY | 249 Libertyville RD | 53 | 691.9656 | Smokin' Hoggz BBQ | FIRE DOWN BELOW |
| Aug 21, 2020 | New Paltz, NY | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 170.3200 | 167.9772 | 165.1544 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 170.2628 | 165.7828 |
| Pork | 174.2744 | 168.5256 | 164.5600 |
| Brisket | 178.3200 | 167.4056 | 163.4628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
60 entries · top 670.8452 · median 627.9254
Chicken
59 entries · top 170.3200 · median 159.9772
Pork Ribs
60 entries · top 176 · median 158.2456
Pork
59 entries · top 174.2744 · median 155.4284
Brisket
59 entries · top 178.3200 · median 154.2628
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 — A Grilling Overall
28 entries · top 677.0400 · median 621.2626
Master Series — Grill Apple Dessert
27 entries · top 173.7372 · median 154.8800
Master Series — Grill Salmon
26 entries · top 175.4400 · median 154.7942
Master Series — Grill Wrapped In Bacon
27 entries · top 179.4400 · median 160
Master Series — Grilling Pizza
27 entries · top 174.2744 · median 157.7028