A new contest record
695.3944
highest overall ever cooked here
695.3944 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 691.3716 KILLER B'S BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 691.3716
- set 2013 by KILLER B'S BBQ
Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN ON 6/15/2014)
Nov 14–15, 2014 · Charleston, SC
KILLER B'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN ON 6/15/2014) on November 14, 2014 in Charleston, SC, scoring 695.3944 in a field of 30 teams. REDNECK SCIENTIFIC took Reserve Grand Champion with 692.5028. Category winners: Chicken — REDNECK SCIENTIFIC (175.4056); Pork Ribs — KILLER B'S BBQ (176.5600); Pork — PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE (173.1200); Brisket — DIG-IN COOKERS (176.5600). This is the 2nd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by KILLER B'S BBQ; 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.
141.10
median 640.69
695.39 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.41
- Pork Ribs 176.56
- Pork 173.12
- Brisket 176.56
128.46
176.56
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
30
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
695.3944
Winning margin
2.8916
GC over RC
Field average
608.02
141.10695.39
median 640.69 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8456 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
663.3260
141.10695.39
10th place overall
Field spread
554.2972
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 52%
beats 48% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
31%
11 of 35 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.59 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,534
avg power rating going in · stronger than 25% of contests
Storylines (7 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.
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
KILLER B'S BBQ won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2013
- 2014
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
KILLER B'S BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2013
- 2014
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 5–6: BIG RED'S BARBECUE and KILLER B'S BBQ tied on 168.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: JB'S SMOKESHACK edged KILLER B'S BBQ by 0.0112. Pork places 8–9: MIDNIGHT BURN edged PIG ON FIRE by 0.0116.
- Pork 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · 0.0112
- Pork 8–9 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0228
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
KILLER B'S BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 6th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
176.5600
best pork ribs ever cooked here
KILLER B'S BBQ turned in 176.5600 in pork ribs — past the 174.2744 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.2744
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: KILLER B'S BBQ (won 2013).
- KILLER B'S BBQ · 2013
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 2013 | Charleston, SC | Charleston, SC | 35 | 691.3716 | KILLER B'S BBQ | BLOWIN' SMOKE LLC |
| Nov 14, 2014 ← this one | Charleston, SC | Charleston, SC 29464 | 30 | 695.3944 | KILLER B'S BBQ | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC |
| Nov 13, 2015 | Mount Pleasant, SC | Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 | 28 | 674.7772 | SMOKE CENTRAL BBQ | JB'S SMOKESHACK |
| Nov 11, 2016 | Mt. Pleasant, SC | 20 Patriots Point RD | 25 | 689.0512 | DIG-IN COOKERS | KILLER B'S BBQ |
| Nov 10, 2017 | Mt. Pleasant, SC | 20 Patriots Point RD | 25 | 690.8116 | FIRE AND SMOKE SHAK | DIG-IN COOKERS |
| Nov 16, 2018 | Mt. Pleasant, SC | 20 Patriots Point RD | 25 | 690.1940 | PIG ON FIRE | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4056 | 172.5600 | 165.0972 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 170.2628 | 168 |
| Pork | 173.1200 | 168.5600 | 165.0972 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 169.7372 | 162.2516 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 695.3944 · median 640.6856
Chicken
28 entries · top 175.4056 · median 162.2400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 2 | JB'S SMOKESHACK | |
| 3 | KILLER B'S BBQ | |
| 4 | PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 5 | QUEOLOGY | |
| 6 | FIRE AND SMOKE SHAK | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' GRINGO'S BBQ | |
| 8 | DR. PEARL'S MEDICINAL SMOKE BBQ TEAM | |
| 9 | MIDNIGHT BURN | |
| 10 | MR.GOODTIME'S BBQ CLUB | |
| 11 | Whoot Whoo BBQ | |
| 12 | BIG RED'S BARBECUE | |
| 13 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 14 | Bunch of Dumbies | |
| 15 | DIG-IN COOKERS | |
| 16 | Rita's Seaside BBQ | |
| 17 | Holy City BBQ | |
| 18 | TJ's BBQ & Burgers | |
| 19 | SMOKE CENTRAL BBQ | |
| 20 | Duke's | |
| 21 | BLOWIN' SMOKE LLC | |
| 22 | Williams Knife Company | |
| 23 | TOM TOM BOB A QUE | |
| 24 | QUED UP | |
| 25 | Black Dog BBQ | |
| 26 | Cackalacky Que | |
| 27 | Swig & Swine | |
| 28 | BACK DRAFT BBQ SC |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 176.5600 · median 163.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KILLER B'S BBQ | |
| 2 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 3 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 4 | DIG-IN COOKERS | |
| 5 | QUED UP | |
| 6 | JB'S SMOKESHACK | |
| 7 | MIDNIGHT BURN | |
| 8 | SMOKIN' GRINGO'S BBQ | |
| 9 | Cackalacky Que | |
| 10 | FIRE AND SMOKE SHAK | |
| 11 | BLOWIN' SMOKE LLC | |
| 12 | PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 13 | Bunch of Dumbies | |
| 14 | MR.GOODTIME'S BBQ CLUB | |
| 15 | Duke's | |
| 16 | Black Dog BBQ | |
| 17 | DR. PEARL'S MEDICINAL SMOKE BBQ TEAM | |
| 18 | TOM TOM BOB A QUE | |
| 19 | Rita's Seaside BBQ | |
| 20 | Whoot Whoo BBQ | |
| 21 | Holy City BBQ | |
| 22 | BACK DRAFT BBQ SC | |
| 23 | TJ's BBQ & Burgers | |
| 24 | QUEOLOGY | |
| 25 | SMOKE CENTRAL BBQ | |
| 26 | BIG RED'S BARBECUE | |
| 27 | Williams Knife Company | |
| 28 | Swig & Swine | |
| 29 | Fly 'N High Q" |
Pork
30 entries · top 173.1200 · median 161.0914
Brisket
27 entries · top 176.5600 · median 160.5144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DIG-IN COOKERS | |
| 2 | KILLER B'S BBQ | |
| 3 | MIDNIGHT BURN | |
| 4 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 5 | MR.GOODTIME'S BBQ CLUB | |
| 6 | JB'S SMOKESHACK | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' GRINGO'S BBQ | |
| 8 | FIRE AND SMOKE SHAK | |
| 9 | BIG RED'S BARBECUE | |
| 10 | SMOKE CENTRAL BBQ | |
| 11 | DR. PEARL'S MEDICINAL SMOKE BBQ TEAM | |
| 12 | QUED UP | |
| 13 | Swig & Swine | |
| 14 | PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 15 | BLOWIN' SMOKE LLC | |
| 16 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 17 | QUEOLOGY | |
| 18 | Duke's | |
| 19 | TOM TOM BOB A QUE | |
| 20 | Cackalacky Que | |
| 21 | Bunch of Dumbies | |
| 22 | Black Dog BBQ | |
| 23 | TJ's BBQ & Burgers | |
| 24 | Fly 'N High Q" | |
| 25 | BACK DRAFT BBQ SC | |
| 26 | Rita's Seaside BBQ | |
| 27 | Williams Knife Company |
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 — Wings
30 entries · top 168.0344 · median 156.6114