A new contest record
694.8000
highest overall ever cooked here
694.8000 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 679.9544 PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ set in 2014.
- old record 679.9544
- set 2014 by PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ
Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest 2015
Oct 16–17, 2015 · Woodstock, VA
4:20 Q won Grand Champion at the Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest on October 16, 2015 in Woodstock, VA, scoring 694.8000 in a field of 37 teams. CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 681.0856. Category winners: Chicken — CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ (177.1428); Pork Ribs — OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE (174.2744); Pork — 4:20 Q (174.2628); Brisket — 4:20 Q (178.2972). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ; 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.
292.54
median 638.66
694.80 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.14
- Pork Ribs 174.27
- Pork 174.26
- Brisket 178.30
121.03
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2017 — this edition picked out.
Entries
37
4 judged meats
Top score
694.8000
Winning margin
13.7144
GC over RC
Field average
624.63
292.54694.80
median 638.66 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7256 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
658.7312
292.54694.80
10th place overall
Field spread
402.2628
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 55%
beats 45% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
45%
18 of 40 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,549
avg power rating going in · stronger than 37% 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.
A statement win
13.7144
points clear of the field
Wider than 95% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.7144 points — a wider margin than 95% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ and TASTE OF GRACE tied on 175.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ and 3 EYZ BBQ tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ and Drilling and Grilling tied on 167.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
4:20 Q won Pork, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
4:20 Q took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 9th.
- Chicken 9th
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
178.2972
best brisket ever cooked here
4:20 Q turned in 178.2972 in brisket — past the 174.2628 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.2628
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ (won 2014).
- PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ · 2014
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 17, 2014 | Woodstock, VA | Woodstock, VA 22664 | 40 | 679.9544 | PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| Oct 16, 2015 ← this one | Woodstock, VA | Woodstock, VA 22664 | 37 | 694.8000 | 4:20 Q | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ |
| Oct 14, 2016 | Woodstock, VA | 300 Fairground RD | 38 | 687.3600 | 3 EYZ BBQ | Sauce This BBQ |
| Oct 13, 2017 | Woodstock, VA | 300 Fairground RD | 30 | 678.2400 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Woodstock, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1428 | 175.4172 | 168.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 170.2744 | 167.4172 |
| Pork | 174.2628 | 168 | 165.6800 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 168.5484 | 162.8228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
37 entries · top 694.8000 · median 638.6624
Chicken
37 entries · top 177.1428 · median 162.3200
Pork Ribs
36 entries · top 174.2744 · median 161.9542
Pork
37 entries · top 174.2628 · median 158.2400
Brisket
35 entries · top 178.2972 · median 159.3712