A new contest record
691.9312
highest overall ever cooked here
691.9312 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 685.0856 DIZZY PIG set in 2014.
- old record 685.0856
- set 2014 by DIZZY PIG
New Holland Summer Fest 2016
Aug 26–27, 2016 · New Holland, PA
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ won Grand Champion at the New Holland Summer Fest on August 26, 2016 in New Holland, PA, scoring 691.9312 in a field of 66 teams. BIG D'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 678.2284. Category winners: Chicken — WILLY'S Q SHACK (174.8800); Pork Ribs — CAMP BACON BBQ (175.4400); Pork — SLOWER LOWER BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — PIGHEADED BBQ (180.0000). This is the 4th of 11 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by 4:20 Q; 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.
490.74
median 639.87
691.93 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.88
- Pork Ribs 175.44
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 180 🔥
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
65
4 judged meats · 7 ancillary
Top score
691.9312
Winning margin
13.7028
GC over RC
Field average
633.12
490.74691.93
median 639.87 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.7028 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
665.5656
490.74691.93
10th place overall
Field spread
201.1884
winner to last place
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 65%
beats 35% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
71%
49 of 69 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.62 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,534
avg power rating going in · stronger than 25% of contests
Storylines (10 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
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 11th
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 5th
A statement win
13.7028
points clear of the field
Wider than 95% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.7028 points — a wider margin than 95% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 11 tracked editions
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 11 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2017
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: SMOKOPOLIS BBQ and BEERBEQUE tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: HAWG NATION BBQ and SMOKEN DUDES BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: DRILLING & GRILLING and BOVINE & SWINE tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Brisket 6–7 · tie
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
PIGHEADED BBQ turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 177.1772 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1772
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
One of the big ones
66
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 94% of the 5,482 contests in the data
66 teams — bigger than 94% of the 5,482 contests in the data.
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.
- PIGHEADED BBQ · Brisket
They keep coming back
71%
of last edition’s field returned
49 of 69 teams from 2015-08-28 came back
49 of the 69 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 23, 2013 | New Holland, PA | New Holland, PA | 71 | 675.4056 | Drilling & Grilling BBQ Team | PA MIDNITE SMOKERS |
| Aug 22, 2014 | New Holland, PA | New Holland, PA 17557 | 70 | 685.0856 | DIZZY PIG | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Aug 28, 2015 | New Holland, PA | New Holland, PA 17557 | 70 | 682.8456 | 4:20 Q | FLYING PORKERS |
| Aug 26, 2016 ← this one | New Holland, PA | New Holland, PA | 66 | 691.9312 | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | BIG D'S BBQ |
| Aug 25, 2017 | New Holland, PA | 400 Block E Jackson St | 69 | 681.0860 | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | BEERBEQUE |
| Aug 24, 2018 | New Holland, PA | 400 Block E Jackson St | 71 | 692 | 3N1 Q | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ |
| Aug 23, 2019 | New Holland, PA | 400 E Jackson St | 65 | 685.0740 | SMOKECRAFT | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Aug 27, 2021 | New Holland, PA | 400 E Jackson St | 44 | 694.8112 | WOLF'S REVENGE | DANTE'S INFERNO |
| Aug 26, 2022 | New Holland, PA | 400 E. Jackson St. | 49 | 698.8000 | OPTIMUS SWINE | GLAZED AND INFUSED NEW JERSEY BBQ |
| Aug 25, 2023 | New Holland, PA | 400 E. Jackson St. | 44 | 693.0512 | Chunky BBQ | SMOKECRAFT - MD |
| Aug 23, 2024 | New Holland, PA | 400 E. Jackson St. | 38 | 699.9428 | Wolf's Revenge BBQ | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8800 | 173.1200 | 170.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 173.7372 | 170.3316 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 171.4056 |
| Brisket | 180 | 170.8228 | 167.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
65 entries · top 691.9312 · median 639.8744
Chicken
65 entries · top 174.8800 · median 159.9888
Pork Ribs
65 entries · top 175.4400 · median 161.7144
Pork
65 entries · top 178.8572 · median 161.1428
Brisket
64 entries · top 180 · median 155.9372 · 🔥 perfect 180
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 — Chef'S Choice
27 entries · top 180 · median 175.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who Are Those Guys | |
| 2 | HAWG NATION BBQ | |
| 3 | PIG PEN BBQ | |
| 4 | CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ | |
| 5 | BABA AND THE PIG MAN | |
| 6 | SMOKIN GNOME BBQ | |
| 7 | BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM | |
| 8 | Bushnics BBQ | |
| 9 | PEQUEA PULLERS | |
| 10 | BURNT SIDE DOWN | |
| 11 | WILBUR'S REVENGE | |
| 12 | BLACK TIE BBQ | |
| 13 | BIG D'S BBQ | |
| 14 | LAYMAN FAMILY BBQ | |
| 15 | BURNING PIG BBQ | |
| 16 | PIGHEADED BBQ | |
| 17 | Q'IN BY THE FIRE | |
| 18 | ENGINEERED SMOKE | |
| 19 | GALVINELL'S MEAT MONKEYS | |
| 20 | BIG DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 21 | DIZZY PIG | |
| 22 | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | |
| 23 | FREE RANGE BBQ | |
| 24 | CAMP BACON BBQ | |
| 25 | SMOKE SHACKERS | |
| 26 | CHUCK'SWAGON BBQ | |
| 27 | 5-0 BBQ |
Master Series — Kids - Beef
5 entries · top 179.4400 · median 173.1772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karate Chop Chop BBQ | |
| 2 | Fus BBQ | |
| 3 | Black Tie BBQ, Jr. | |
| 4 | QUE KINGS OF QUEENS | |
| 5 | Gracie Tennet |
Master Series — Kids - Chicken
5 entries · top 171.9772 · median 166.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gracie Tennet | |
| 2 | Karate Chop Chop BBQ | |
| 3 | QUE KINGS OF QUEENS | |
| 4 | Black Tie BBQ, Jr. | |
| 5 | Fus BBQ |
Master Series — Kids - Choice
5 entries · top 177.7028 · median 174.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUE KINGS OF QUEENS | |
| 2 | Fus BBQ | |
| 3 | Black Tie BBQ, Jr. | |
| 4 | Karate Chop Chop BBQ | |
| 5 | Gracie Tennet |
Master Series — Kids Que
5 entries · top 521.6568 · median 516.5256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karate Chop Chop BBQ | |
| 2 | Fus BBQ | |
| 3 | QUE KINGS OF QUEENS | |
| 4 | Black Tie BBQ, Jr. | |
| 5 | Gracie Tennet |
Master Series — Sausage
31 entries · top 176 · median 160.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PAPA'S SMOKIN' AGAIN | |
| 2 | GALVINELL'S MEAT MONKEYS | |
| 3 | BURNT SIDE DOWN | |
| 4 | BIG DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 5 | 5-0 BBQ | |
| 6 | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | |
| 7 | PEQUEA PULLERS | |
| 8 | BARN FIRE SMOKERS | |
| 9 | DIZZY PIG | |
| 10 | WILBUR'S REVENGE | |
| 11 | SMOKIN TURTLE LOW N SLOW BAR-BE-QUE | |
| 12 | BOVINE & SWINE | |
| 13 | BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM | |
| 14 | SMOKIN GNOME BBQ | |
| 15 | HAWG NATION BBQ | |
| 16 | BUTTHEADS BBQ TEAM | |
| 17 | PIG PEN BBQ | |
| 18 | THE BBQ GURU | |
| 19 | FLYING PORKERS | |
| 20 | SMOKEN DUDES BBQ | |
| 21 | CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ | |
| 22 | BABA AND THE PIG MAN | |
| 23 | DRILLING & GRILLING | |
| 24 | FREE RANGE BBQ | |
| 25 | LITTLE LUKE'S BBQ | |
| 26 | ENGINEERED SMOKE | |
| 27 | PIGHEADED BBQ | |
| 28 | LAYMAN FAMILY BBQ | |
| 29 | Who Are Those Guys | |
| 30 | D&G'S REAL BBQ | |
| 31 | BIG D'S BBQ |
Master Series — Whole Hog
11 entries · top 173.1200 · median 162.2400