A new contest record
682.7196
highest overall ever cooked here
682.7196 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 672.5716 SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA set in 2014.
- old record 672.5716
- set 2014 by SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA
Smoke in the Valley BBQ competition 2016
May 6–7, 2016 · Greenlane, PA · 📍 Walnut St.
FINN'S FINEST BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Valley BBQ competition on May 6, 2016 in Greenlane, PA at Walnut St., scoring 682.7196 in a field of 47 teams. THE BBQ GURU took Reserve Grand Champion with 678.1944. Category winners: Chicken — LO' -N- SLO' BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — FEEDING FRIENDZ (174.2972); Pork — RIBS WITHIN (174.2628); Brisket — SMOKIN FOOLZ (174.8800). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA.
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.
584.49
median 645.61
682.72 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 174.30
- Pork 174.26
- Brisket 174.88
125.69
178.86
Entries
47
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
682.7196
Winning margin
4.5252
GC over RC
Field average
640.94
584.49682.72
median 645.61 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
3.4744 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
666.1596
584.49682.72
10th place overall
Field spread
98.2280
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 86%
beats 14% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
47%
25 of 53 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,565
avg power rating going in · stronger than 50% of contests
Storylines (5 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.
An upset on the books
29-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 71 times in 100
FINN'S FINEST BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, LO' -N- SLO' BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 29-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1624
- top seed 1781
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 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 7th
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Brisket places 8–9: PIGHEADED BBQ edged LO' -N- SLO' BBQ by 0.0116. Chicken places 6–7: FEEDING FRIENDZ edged HAWG NATION BBQ by 0.0228. Pork places 3–4: THE BBQ GURU edged BRISKET BURNERS by 0.0228.
- Brisket 8–9 · 0.0116
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0228
- Pork 3–4 · 0.0228
- Brisket 4–5 · 0.0228
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (won 2014).
- SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2014 | Green Lane, PA | Green Lane, PA 18054 | 54 | 672.5716 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | FINN'S FINEST BBQ |
| May 6, 2016 ← this one | Greenlane, PA | Walnut St. | 47 | 682.7196 | FINN'S FINEST BBQ | THE BBQ GURU |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 170.8456 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2972 | 167.9772 | 164.5600 |
| Pork | 174.2628 | 170.2856 | 165.7372 |
| Brisket | 174.8800 | 171.4056 | 167.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
47 entries · top 682.7196 · median 645.6112
Chicken
47 entries · top 178.8572 · median 163.3828
Pork Ribs
47 entries · top 174.2972 · median 161.1428
Pork
47 entries · top 174.2628 · median 161.1084
Brisket
47 entries · top 174.8800 · median 161.1200
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
7 entries · top 176.5828 · median 173.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TOM TOM BOB A QUE | |
| 2 | LITTLE CREEK BAR B CUE COMPANY | |
| 3 | Smoke Showin | |
| 4 | CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ | |
| 5 | CAMP BACON BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN' TEX BBQ | |
| 7 | BONES AND BIBS SWINE TEAM |
Master Series — Dessert
11 entries · top 180 · median 166.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180