A new contest record
702.2744
highest overall ever cooked here
702.2744 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 693.6456 UNDER THE RADAR set in 2014.
- old record 693.6456
- set 2014 by UNDER THE RADAR
Smoke in the Valley 2015
Aug 28–29, 2015 · Pikeville, TN
SMOKE ON THIS won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Valley on August 28, 2015 in Pikeville, TN, scoring 702.2744 in a field of 26 teams. ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9084. Category winners: Chicken — Organizer Portal (180.0000); Pork Ribs — HIGH ON THE HAWG (176.5600); Pork — Hawg Feathers (177.7028); Brisket — ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by UNDER THE RADAR; the next was held in 2016.
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.
624.96
median 670.73
702.27 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 176.56
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 180 🔥
146.22
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
26
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
702.2744
Winning margin
6.3660
GC over RC
Field average
670.89
624.96702.27
median 670.73 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
682.7540
624.96702.27
10th place overall
Field spread
77.3144
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 23%
beats 77% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
73%
8 of 11 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.72 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,566
avg power rating going in · stronger than 51% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKE ON THIS won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 2nd
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN · Brisket
- Organizer Portal · Chicken
- Hawg Feathers · Chicken
A dynasty in the making
4×
wins at this contest
4 of 6 tracked editions
UNDER THE RADAR has won this contest 4 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: Organizer Portal and Hawg Feathers tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: SWIGGIN PIG and Big B BBQ Company tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: HIGH ON THE HAWG and CHAIRMAN OF THE BOAR tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
Organizer Portal turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: UNDER THE RADAR (won 2014).
- UNDER THE RADAR · 2014
They keep coming back
73%
of last edition’s field returned
8 of 11 teams from 2014-10-10 came back
8 of the 11 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
This contest's own records (2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10, 2014 | Pikeville, TN | Pikeville, TN 37367 | 11 | 693.6456 | UNDER THE RADAR | SMOKE ON THIS |
| Aug 28, 2015 ← this one | Pikeville, TN | Pikeville, TN 37367 | 26 | 702.2744 | SMOKE ON THIS | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
| Aug 26, 2016 | Pikeville, TN | Alan P Deakins Rd | 12 | 689.0856 | UNDER THE RADAR | RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Pikeville, TN | Alan P Deakins Rd | 19 | 706.2400 | UNDER THE RADAR | SMOKE ON THIS |
| Sep 21, 2018 | Pikeville, TN | Alan P Deakins Rd | 12 | 698.8456 | UNDER THE RADAR | HIGH ON THE HAWG |
| Sep 27, 2025 | Edmonton, AB | 13204 Rainbow Valley Road | 23 | 694.8916 | Phantom Smoke & BBQ | SMELLAQUE |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 175.4172 | 171.4172 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 173.7028 | 169.7028 |
| Brisket | 180 | 173.7256 | 167.9656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 702.2744 · median 670.7314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 2 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 3 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 4 | Organizer Portal | |
| 5 | HOT COLE'S BBQ | |
| 6 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 7 | SWIGGIN PIG | |
| 8 | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOAR | |
| 9 | HIGH ON THE HAWG | |
| 10 | BAILEY'S SMOKERS | |
| 11 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 12 | Big B BBQ Company | |
| 13 | THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW | |
| 14 | SMOKE'M IF U GOT'M | |
| 15 | Q-WE-DO BBQ | |
| 16 | SNORING HOGS BBQ | |
| 17 | T-N-T BBQ | |
| 18 | DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS | |
| 19 | RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES | |
| 20 | BIG G BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKIN BRICKS BBQ | |
| 22 | MUSIC CITY PIG PALS | |
| 23 | RT QUE KUSINE | |
| 24 | Still Fly BBQ | |
| 25 | CAN 2 BBQ | |
| 26 | DAVE'S LAKESIDE QUE |
Chicken
26 entries · top 180 · median 171.9828 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Organizer Portal | |
| 2 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 3 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 4 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 5 | SWIGGIN PIG | |
| 6 | Big B BBQ Company | |
| 7 | BAILEY'S SMOKERS | |
| 8 | HIGH ON THE HAWG | |
| 9 | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOAR | |
| 10 | THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW | |
| 11 | RT QUE KUSINE | |
| 12 | Q-WE-DO BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKE'M IF U GOT'M | |
| 14 | HOT COLE'S BBQ | |
| 15 | SNORING HOGS BBQ | |
| 16 | BIG G BBQ | |
| 17 | CAN 2 BBQ | |
| 18 | MUSIC CITY PIG PALS | |
| 19 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 20 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 21 | SMOKIN BRICKS BBQ | |
| 22 | RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES | |
| 23 | T-N-T BBQ | |
| 24 | DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS | |
| 25 | DAVE'S LAKESIDE QUE | |
| 26 | Still Fly BBQ |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 176.5600 · median 169.1144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIGH ON THE HAWG | |
| 2 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 3 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 4 | THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW | |
| 5 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 6 | SNORING HOGS BBQ | |
| 7 | BAILEY'S SMOKERS | |
| 8 | BIG G BBQ | |
| 9 | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOAR | |
| 10 | HOT COLE'S BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKE'M IF U GOT'M | |
| 12 | SWIGGIN PIG | |
| 13 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 14 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 15 | Big B BBQ Company | |
| 16 | Q-WE-DO BBQ | |
| 17 | RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES | |
| 18 | Organizer Portal | |
| 19 | CAN 2 BBQ | |
| 20 | DAVE'S LAKESIDE QUE | |
| 21 | T-N-T BBQ | |
| 22 | SMOKIN BRICKS BBQ | |
| 23 | RT QUE KUSINE | |
| 24 | Still Fly BBQ | |
| 25 | MUSIC CITY PIG PALS | |
| 26 | DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS |
Pork
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 166.8056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 2 | HOT COLE'S BBQ | |
| 3 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 4 | Organizer Portal | |
| 5 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 6 | Q-WE-DO BBQ | |
| 7 | HIGH ON THE HAWG | |
| 8 | Still Fly BBQ | |
| 9 | SWIGGIN PIG | |
| 10 | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOAR | |
| 11 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 12 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 13 | BAILEY'S SMOKERS | |
| 14 | RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES | |
| 15 | Big B BBQ Company | |
| 16 | DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS | |
| 17 | SMOKIN BRICKS BBQ | |
| 18 | RT QUE KUSINE | |
| 19 | T-N-T BBQ | |
| 20 | CAN 2 BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKE'M IF U GOT'M | |
| 22 | SNORING HOGS BBQ | |
| 23 | MUSIC CITY PIG PALS | |
| 24 | THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW | |
| 25 | DAVE'S LAKESIDE QUE | |
| 26 | BIG G BBQ |
Brisket
26 entries · top 180 · median 165.6800 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 2 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 3 | DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS | |
| 4 | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOAR | |
| 5 | Organizer Portal | |
| 6 | SWIGGIN PIG | |
| 7 | T-N-T BBQ | |
| 8 | HOT COLE'S BBQ | |
| 9 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 10 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 11 | BAILEY'S SMOKERS | |
| 12 | SMOKE'M IF U GOT'M | |
| 13 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 14 | THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW | |
| 15 | SNORING HOGS BBQ | |
| 16 | MUSIC CITY PIG PALS | |
| 17 | HIGH ON THE HAWG | |
| 18 | Big B BBQ Company | |
| 19 | RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES | |
| 20 | Still Fly BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKIN BRICKS BBQ | |
| 22 | BIG G BBQ | |
| 23 | RT QUE KUSINE | |
| 24 | Q-WE-DO BBQ | |
| 25 | DAVE'S LAKESIDE QUE | |
| 26 | CAN 2 BBQ |
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 — Backyard
5 entries · top 353.1200 · median 338.7884
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUCKEYE BBQ | |
| 2 | Ole Smokey is Coming | |
| 3 | SMOKE IN THE GROVE | |
| 4 | TDUBS BBQ | |
| 5 | QUE'N CREW |
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
5 entries · top 173.1200 · median 170.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUCKEYE BBQ | |
| 2 | QUE'N CREW | |
| 3 | Ole Smokey is Coming | |
| 4 | SMOKE IN THE GROVE | |
| 5 | TDUBS BBQ |
Master Series — Ribs Backyard
5 entries · top 180 · median 170.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUCKEYE BBQ | |
| 2 | TDUBS BBQ | |
| 3 | Ole Smokey is Coming | |
| 4 | SMOKE IN THE GROVE | |
| 5 | QUE'N CREW |