A new contest record
703.4172
highest overall ever cooked here
703.4172 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 678.8228 PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE set in 2014.
- old record 678.8228
- set 2014 by PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE
Low Country Hog Fest 2015
Sep 4–5, 2015 · Charleston, SC
SMOKE ON THIS won Grand Champion at the Low Country Hog Fest on September 4, 2015 in Charleston, SC, scoring 703.4172 in a field of 26 teams. BACKWOODS BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 690.1712. Category winners: Chicken — BACKWOODS BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SMOKE ON THIS (177.7028); Pork — QUEOLOGY (176.0000); Brisket — ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ (179.4400). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE; 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.
438.22
median 657.90
703.42 🏆
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 177.70
- Pork 176
- Brisket 179.44
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2016 — this edition picked out.
Entries
26
4 judged meats
Top score
703.4172
Winning margin
13.2460
GC over RC
Field average
640.76
438.22703.42
median 657.90 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
673.6344
438.22703.42
10th place overall
Field spread
265.2000
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 20%
beats 80% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
41%
7 of 17 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.2 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,524
avg power rating going in · stronger than 17% of contests
Storylines (6 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 statement win
13.2460
points clear of the field
Wider than 94% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.2460 points — a wider margin than 94% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 5–6: BACKWOODS BBQ and CARTER-QUE-ING tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: QUEOLOGY and ST. LOUIS PIT QUE tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: CARTER-QUE-ING and ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKE ON THIS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 4th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7028
best pork ribs ever cooked here
SMOKE ON THIS turned in 177.7028 in pork ribs — past the 172.5600 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 172.5600
- across 1 past editions
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- BACKWOODS BBQ · Chicken
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 29, 2014 | Charleston, SC | Charleston, SC 29405 | 17 | 678.8228 | PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE | JB'S SMOKESHACK |
| Sep 4, 2015 ← this one | Charleston, SC | Charleston, SC 29405 | 26 | 703.4172 | SMOKE ON THIS | BACKWOODS BBQ |
| Sep 2, 2016 | Charleston, SC | 4707 Dorchester | 26 | 700.5372 | CONTAGIOUS Q | SMOKE ON THIS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 170.2972 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 171.9772 | 168.6172 |
| Pork | 176 | 171.4172 | 166.2284 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 171.9656 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 703.4172 · median 657.8974
Chicken
26 entries · top 180 · median 168.8342 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 164.2630
Pork
25 entries · top 176 · median 164.5600
Brisket
26 entries · top 179.4400 · median 163.9828