A new contest record
710.2856
highest overall ever cooked here
710.2856 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 705.6800 Smokin' Hoggz set in 2022.
- old record 705.6800
- set 2022 by Smokin' Hoggz
Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 2025
Sep 20–21, 2025 · Braintree, VT · 📍 Abel Mountain Campground · State championship
Reps: Abigail Nichols, Jake Nichols · Prize money: $3,000
STICKS & STONES BBQ won Grand Champion at the Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) on September 20, 2025 in Braintree, VT at Abel Mountain Campground, scoring 710.2856 in a field of 25 teams. ELJEFE SMOKE took Reserve Grand Champion with 699.3944. Category winners: Chicken — PADDY MCQ'S (178.8572); Pork Ribs — PADDY MCQ'S (178.2972); Pork — STICKS & STONES BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — STICKS & STONES BBQ (180.0000). This is the 13th of 18 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Smokin Hoggz BBQ - MA; the next was held in 2025.
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.
623.91
median 677.05
710.29 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 180 🔥
146.81
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2018 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
25
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
710.2856
Winning margin
10.8912
GC over RC
Field average
670.94
623.91710.29
median 677.05 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
684.4688
623.91710.29
10th place overall
Field spread
86.3768
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,000
on the line
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 3%
beats 97% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.69 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,562
avg power rating going in · stronger than 48% 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
21-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 79 times in 100
STICKS & STONES BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 21-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1617
- top seed 1843
A statement win
10.8912
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.8912 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 18 tracked editions
Smokin' Hoggz has won this contest 3 times across its 18 tracked editions.
- 2022
- 2022
- 2023
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: ELJEFE SMOKE and STICKS & STONES BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: Let It Smoke Barbecue and Titans of BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY and House of Que tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
PADDY MCQ'S won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
STICKS & STONES BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 4th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork
180.0000
best pork ever cooked here
STICKS & STONES BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 179.4400 that had stood across 12 earlier editions.
- old best 179.4400
- across 12 past editions
Back to defend
5
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Fire At the End of the Day (won 2021), Up-2 BBQ (won 2023), Eljefe Smoke (won 2024), Humphrey's BBQ (won 2024), Smokin Hoggz BBQ - MA (won 2024).
- Fire At the End of the Day · 2021
- Up-2 BBQ · 2023
- Eljefe Smoke · 2024
- Humphrey's BBQ · 2024
- Smokin Hoggz BBQ - MA · 2024
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- STICKS & STONES BBQ · Brisket
- STICKS & STONES BBQ · Pork
This contest's own records (4 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 8, 2018 | Randolph, VT | Abel Mountain Campground, 354 Mobile Acres Rd | 33 | 675.9772 | MILLER'S BACKYARD BBQ | SMOKIN ACES |
| Sep 7, 2019 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 31 | 691.3712 | Big Raz BBQ | MILLER'S BACKYARD BBQ |
| Oct 2, 2021 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 16 | 691.9656 | Fire At the End of the Day | A MAZIE Q |
| Sep 16, 2022 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 18 | 698.8000 | Smokin' Hoggz | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
| Sep 17, 2022 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 26 | 705.6800 | Smokin' Hoggz | TOP GUN BARBECUE |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 26 | 693.6800 | Smokin' Hoggz | Dirt Bag Barbeque |
| Sep 10, 2023 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 11 | 177.7028 | Up In Your Grill | — |
| Sep 10, 2023 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 11 | 174.2972 | Up-2 BBQ | — |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 25 | 698.2284 | Chunky BBQ | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 11 | 177.7144 | Eljefe Smoke | — |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 11 | 173.1084 | Humphrey's BBQ | — |
| Sep 14, 2024 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 25 | 702.8228 | Smokin Hoggz BBQ - MA | ELJEFE SMOKE |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Braintree, VT | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 20, 2025 ← this one | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 25 | 710.2856 | Sticks & Stones BBQ | ELJEFE SMOKE |
| Sep 20, 2025 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 12 | 176.5600 | Smokin Hoggz BBQ - MA | — |
| Sep 20, 2025 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 14 | 177.1544 | ElJefe Smoke | — |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 16 | 704.5372 | Meat Monarchy | El Jefe Smoke |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 12 | 180 | Meat Monarchy | — |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Braintree, VT | Abel Mountain Campground | 14 | 178.8572 | Brookside BBQ | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 171.9772 | 168.5372 |
| Pork | 180 | 174.2744 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 180 | 175.4288 | 168.5256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 710.2856 · median 677.0516
Chicken
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.4172
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 178.2972 · median 168.5372
Pork
25 entries · top 180 · median 168 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
25 entries · top 180 · median 166.2284 · 🔥 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 — Poutine
3 entries · top 178.2972 · median 169.7372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Barbecue Company | |
| 2 | BBQ Bandits - Poultney VT | |
| 3 | Swamp Donkey Kreations |