A new contest record
683.3372
highest overall ever cooked here
683.3372 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 670.3088 GONEHOGGIN.COM set in 2014.
- old record 670.3088
- set 2014 by GONEHOGGIN.COM
New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 2016
Jul 8–9, 2016 · North Wildwood, NJ
FINN'S FINEST BBQ won Grand Champion at the New Jersey State Barbecue Championship on July 8, 2016 in North Wildwood, NJ, scoring 683.3372 in a field of 65 teams. WILBUR'S REVENGE took Reserve Grand Champion with 680.5256. Category winners: Chicken — PIGGIN' WHISKEY (174.2628); Pork Ribs — WILBUR'S REVENGE (172.0116); Pork — SMOKOPOLIS BBQ (175.4172); Brisket — BEERBEQUE (175.4400). This is the 4th of 12 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT; the next was held in 2017.
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.
520.38
median 616.96
683.34 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.26
- Pork Ribs 172.01
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 175.44
120.49
175.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
65
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
683.3372
Winning margin
2.8116
GC over RC
Field average
614.98
520.38683.34
median 616.96 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.3432 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
642.2056
520.38683.34
10th place overall
Field spread
162.9600
winner to last place
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 85%
beats 15% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
58%
38 of 65 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.52 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,517
avg power rating going in · stronger than 12% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
FINN'S FINEST BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 3rd
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 12 tracked editions
Chunky BBQ has won this contest 3 times across its 12 tracked editions.
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 8–9: WILBUR'S REVENGE and PHILLY SMOKE tied on 164.5256 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: PALM TREE SMOKEHOUSE edged Hot Rod's BBQ by 0.0112. Pork places 7–8: Hot Rod's BBQ edged WILBUR'S REVENGE by 0.0116.
- Pork 8–9 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · 0.0112
- Pork 7–8 · 0.0116
- Chicken 3–4 · 0.0228
Back to defend
3
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: LOCAL SMOKE BBQ (won 2013), GONEHOGGIN.COM (won 2014), UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT (won 2015).
- LOCAL SMOKE BBQ · 2013
- GONEHOGGIN.COM · 2014
- UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT · 2015
One of the big ones
65
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 94% of the 5,468 contests in the data
65 teams — bigger than 94% of the 5,468 contests in the data.
This contest's own records (6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2013 | North Wildwood, NJ | North Wildwood, NJ | 65 | 655.3940 | LOCAL SMOKE BBQ | RIBS WITHIN |
| Jul 11, 2014 | North Wildwood, NJ | North Wildwood, NJ 08260 | 65 | 670.3088 | GONEHOGGIN.COM | SHADY CREW |
| Jul 10, 2015 | North Wildwood, NJ | North Wildwood, NJ 08260 | 65 | 667.9200 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | SLOWER LOWER BBQ |
| Jul 8, 2016 ← this one | North Wildwood, NJ | North Wildwood , NJ | 65 | 683.3372 | FINN'S FINEST BBQ | WILBUR'S REVENGE |
| Jul 7, 2017 | North Wildwood, NJ | 201 New Jersey Ave | 67 | 674.1480 | LOCAL SMOKE BBQ | FINN'S FINEST BBQ |
| Jul 14, 2018 | North Wildwood, NJ | North Wildwood, NJ 08260 | 64 | 690.2516 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | PIGGIN' WHISKEY |
| Jul 12, 2019 | North Wildwood, NJ | 201 New Jersey Ave | 64 | 689.6340 | Uncle Pigs Barbecue Pit | TOP GUN BARBECUE |
| Jul 9, 2022 | North Wildwood, NJ | 201 New Jersey Ave | 61 | 703.3828 | Chunky BBQ | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
| Jul 14, 2023 | North Wildwood, NJ | 201 New Jersey Ave | 64 | 703.9772 | Chunky BBQ | GLAZED AND INFUSED NEW JERSEY BBQ |
| Jul 13, 2024 | North Wildwood, NJ | 201 New Jersey Ave | 62 | 695.3944 | Chunky BBQ | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
| Jul 12, 2025 | North Wildwood, NJ | 201 New Jersey Ave | 63 | 694.2400 | Pig Candy Barbeque Co. | Big Butts BBQ |
| Jul 11, 2026 | North Wildwood, NJ | 201 New Jersey Ave | 62 | 704.5256 | B's Que | Bogg's Hog BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.2628 | 170.8456 | 166.8800 |
| Pork Ribs | 172.0116 | 169.6684 | 167.4056 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 167.3828 | 163.9656 |
| Brisket | 175.4400 | 166.8228 | 164.5372 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
65 entries · top 683.3372 · median 616.9600
Chicken
65 entries · top 174.2628 · median 155.9660
Pork Ribs
65 entries · top 172.0116 · median 155.9884
Pork
65 entries · top 175.4172 · median 154.2400
Brisket
65 entries · top 175.4400 · median 152.5144
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 — Dessert
36 entries · top 180 · median 164.2514 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN' TEX BBQ | |
| 2 | Cookin Commandos BBQ Squad | |
| 3 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | |
| 4 | DEAD ON Q | |
| 5 | TOM TOM BOB A QUE | |
| 6 | Team BoyBQ | |
| 7 | PALM TREE SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 8 | WE RIB U LONG TIME | |
| 9 | The Stu Pit | |
| 10 | PepRKatQ | |
| 11 | BEERBEQUE | |
| 12 | RUB ME TENDER OF SMYRNA | |
| 13 | SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ | |
| 14 | GONEHOGGIN.COM | |
| 15 | WILBUR'S REVENGE | |
| 16 | LOCAL SMOKE BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKOPOLIS BBQ | |
| 18 | RIBS WITHIN | |
| 19 | FINN'S FINEST BBQ | |
| 20 | COOKS N HOOKS | |
| 21 | SHADY CREW | |
| 22 | PACKANACK LAKE BBQ CLUB | |
| 23 | Mates Nice Rack BBQ | |
| 24 | SWINE AND CHEESE | |
| 25 | BONES & BIBS SWINE TEAM | |
| 26 | B'S QUE | |
| 27 | Ryan's BBQ Shack | |
| 28 | Hot Rod's BBQ | |
| 29 | HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM | |
| 30 | PHILLY SMOKE | |
| 31 | Crotchwood BBQ Team | |
| 32 | BAR B Q DAT | |
| 33 | Crescent Moon BBQ | |
| 34 | BIG BAD WOLVES | |
| 35 | Sweeney's Wild Irish BBQ | |
| 36 | J 'n' C BBQ |
Master Series — Iron Chef
52 entries · top 172 · median 157.7256
Master Series — Lupinetti Best Ribs In Nj
38 entries · top 170.8572 · median 154.2742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HERDER HERDER BBQ | |
| 2 | SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ | |
| 3 | TOM TOM BOB A QUE | |
| 4 | BEERBEQUE | |
| 5 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | |
| 6 | LITTLE LUKE'S BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKOPOLIS BBQ | |
| 8 | RIBS WITHIN | |
| 9 | THE NOTORIOUS P.I.G. (AKA PIGGY SMALLZ BBQ) | |
| 10 | Bubber's BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' HOT PIGGIES | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' TEX BBQ | |
| 13 | BAR B Q DAT | |
| 14 | SMOKE OR BE SMOKED | |
| 15 | MIKEY O'S REAL BBQ | |
| 16 | SACRED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 17 | Cookin Commandos BBQ Squad | |
| 18 | Whole Hog Cafe | |
| 19 | Team BoyBQ | |
| 20 | WHAT'S SMOKIN | |
| 21 | Coming In Hot BBQ | |
| 22 | Ameri-Smoke | |
| 23 | LOCAL SMOKE BBQ | |
| 24 | Hot Rod's BBQ | |
| 25 | Open Bar BQ | |
| 26 | BONES & BIBS SWINE TEAM | |
| 27 | Tut-T-Que | |
| 28 | J 'n' C BBQ | |
| 29 | SHADY CREW | |
| 30 | GLAZED AND INFUSED NEW JERSEY BBQ | |
| 31 | The Stu Pit | |
| 32 | Crescent Moon BBQ | |
| 33 | Crotchwood BBQ Team | |
| 34 | Nice Racks | |
| 35 | Jerry's Kids | |
| 36 | PACKANACK LAKE BBQ CLUB | |
| 37 | Ryan's BBQ Shack | |
| 38 | PepRKatQ |
Master Series — Sauce
52 entries · top 176.5600 · median 157.6914