A new contest record
696.5600
highest overall ever cooked here
696.5600 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 681.7144 3 EYZ BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 681.7144
- set 2013 by 3 EYZ BBQ
Beltway BBQ Showdown 2016
Jun 3–4, 2016 · Fort Washington, MD · 📍 1770 Tucker RD
Sauce This BBQ won Grand Champion at the Beltway BBQ Showdown on June 3, 2016 in Fort Washington, MD at 1770 Tucker RD, scoring 696.5600 in a field of 37 teams. APORKALYPSE NOW took Reserve Grand Champion with 687.9428. Category winners: Chicken — ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — APORKALYPSE NOW (177.1544); Pork — SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY (178.8572); Brisket — Sauce This BBQ (179.4400). This is the 4th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by PORK BARREL BBQ; 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.
169.14
median 647.86
696.56 🏆
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 177.15
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 179.44
126.83
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
37
4 judged meats
Top score
696.5600
Winning margin
8.6172
GC over RC
Field average
628.91
169.14696.56
median 647.86 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8688 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
666.2632
169.14696.56
10th place overall
Field spread
527.4172
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 47%
beats 53% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
38%
15 of 39 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.67 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,564
avg power rating going in · stronger than 49% 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.
An upset on the books
28-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
SAUCE THIS BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, Smoke-A-Holics, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1703
- top seed 1871
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: 2 RHODIES BBQ and Chesapit BBQ tied on 169.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 1–2: APORKALYPSE NOW and SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY tied on 177.1544 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER and Sauce This BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Sauce This BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 9th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 9th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 176.0000 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 176.0000
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 3 EYZ BBQ (won 2013), OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE (won 2014).
- 3 EYZ BBQ · 2013
- OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE · 2014
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.
- ROCKIN ROBYNS 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2013 | Ft. Washington, MD | Ft. Washington, MD | 25 | 681.7144 | 3 EYZ BBQ | CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ |
| Jun 6, 2014 | Ft. Washington, MD | Ft. Washington, MD 20744 | 42 | 667.9656 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| May 29, 2015 | Ft. Washington, MD | Ft. Washington, MD 20744 | 39 | 674.7768 | PORK BARREL BBQ | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| Jun 3, 2016 ← this one | Fort Washington, MD | 1770 Tucker RD | 37 | 696.5600 | SAUCE THIS BBQ | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| Jun 9, 2017 | Upper Marlboro, MD | 14900 Pennsylvania Ave | 29 | 683.3140 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER |
| Jun 9, 2018 | Upper Marlboro, MD | 14900 Pennsylvania Ave | 42 | 681.0856 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC |
| Jun 8, 2019 | Upper Marlboro, MD | Show Place Arena, Prince Georges Equestrian Center | 37 | 698.2628 | APORKALYPSE NOW | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 171.4172 | 169.1084 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 174.2856 | 167.9884 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 166.8228 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 173.7028 | 165.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
37 entries · top 696.5600 · median 647.8624
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sauce This BBQ | |
| 2 | APORKALYPSE NOW | |
| 3 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | |
| 4 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 5 | LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER | |
| 6 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 7 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 8 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 10 | Pork Barrell BBQ | |
| 11 | BONE TO BARK BBQ | |
| 12 | JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS | |
| 13 | ALL FIRED UP BBQ | |
| 14 | BEER MEETS GRILL | |
| 15 | Chesapit BBQ | |
| 16 | TEAM MEAT COMA | |
| 17 | 2 RHODIES BBQ | |
| 18 | BBQ NUTS | |
| 19 | JUST SMOKIN' AROUND | |
| 20 | FREE RANGE BBQ | |
| 21 | BABY GOT BUTT BBQ MD | |
| 22 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 23 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 24 | Bubba Joe's Que | |
| 25 | LYIN' PIGS | |
| 26 | NEW REVOLUTION Q | |
| 27 | Smoke & Dagger | |
| 28 | SMACK THAT BUTT BBQ | |
| 29 | B.D.B. SMOKIN' BLUE | |
| 30 | Freedom Smokers | |
| 31 | BIG O'S LOW N SLOW BBQ | |
| 32 | 301 BBQ | |
| 33 | RACK TIME | |
| 34 | M & E BBQ Inc. | |
| 35 | Rock-N-Smokers | |
| 36 | 2 CAN QUE OF MARYLAND | |
| 37 | Warpig |
Chicken
37 entries · top 180 · median 162.8572 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | |
| 2 | JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS | |
| 3 | APORKALYPSE NOW | |
| 4 | Sauce This BBQ | |
| 5 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 6 | BONE TO BARK BBQ | |
| 7 | Warpig | |
| 8 | ALL FIRED UP BBQ | |
| 9 | 2 RHODIES BBQ | |
| 10 | Chesapit BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 12 | JUST SMOKIN' AROUND | |
| 13 | FREE RANGE BBQ | |
| 14 | Bubba Joe's Que | |
| 15 | SMACK THAT BUTT BBQ | |
| 16 | TEAM MEAT COMA | |
| 17 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 18 | LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER | |
| 19 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 20 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 21 | BABY GOT BUTT BBQ MD | |
| 22 | Freedom Smokers | |
| 23 | BBQ NUTS | |
| 24 | Pork Barrell BBQ | |
| 25 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 26 | RACK TIME | |
| 27 | LYIN' PIGS | |
| 28 | Smoke & Dagger | |
| 29 | BEER MEETS GRILL | |
| 30 | NEW REVOLUTION Q | |
| 31 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 32 | B.D.B. SMOKIN' BLUE | |
| 33 | M & E BBQ Inc. | |
| 34 | BIG O'S LOW N SLOW BBQ | |
| 35 | 301 BBQ | |
| 36 | Rock-N-Smokers | |
| 37 | 2 CAN QUE OF MARYLAND |
Pork Ribs
36 entries · top 177.1544 · median 163.3886
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | APORKALYPSE NOW | |
| 2 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 3 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 4 | LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER | |
| 5 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 6 | FREE RANGE BBQ | |
| 7 | TEAM MEAT COMA | |
| 8 | ALL FIRED UP BBQ | |
| 9 | Sauce This BBQ | |
| 10 | BABY GOT BUTT BBQ MD | |
| 11 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 12 | Pork Barrell BBQ | |
| 13 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | |
| 14 | BEER MEETS GRILL | |
| 15 | 2 RHODIES BBQ | |
| 16 | Bubba Joe's Que | |
| 17 | M & E BBQ Inc. | |
| 18 | JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS | |
| 19 | NEW REVOLUTION Q | |
| 20 | Chesapit BBQ | |
| 21 | BBQ NUTS | |
| 22 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 23 | BIG O'S LOW N SLOW BBQ | |
| 24 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 25 | Rock-N-Smokers | |
| 26 | JUST SMOKIN' AROUND | |
| 27 | BONE TO BARK BBQ | |
| 28 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 29 | LYIN' PIGS | |
| 30 | B.D.B. SMOKIN' BLUE | |
| 31 | RACK TIME | |
| 32 | Smoke & Dagger | |
| 33 | SMACK THAT BUTT BBQ | |
| 34 | 301 BBQ | |
| 35 | 2 CAN QUE OF MARYLAND | |
| 36 | Freedom Smokers |
Pork
36 entries · top 178.8572 · median 161.6742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 2 | LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER | |
| 3 | Sauce This BBQ | |
| 4 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | |
| 5 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 6 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 8 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 9 | 2 RHODIES BBQ | |
| 10 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 11 | Smoke & Dagger | |
| 12 | BEER MEETS GRILL | |
| 13 | LYIN' PIGS | |
| 14 | SMACK THAT BUTT BBQ | |
| 15 | Pork Barrell BBQ | |
| 16 | BONE TO BARK BBQ | |
| 17 | APORKALYPSE NOW | |
| 18 | Chesapit BBQ | |
| 19 | FREE RANGE BBQ | |
| 20 | BBQ NUTS | |
| 21 | NEW REVOLUTION Q | |
| 22 | JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS | |
| 23 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 24 | ALL FIRED UP BBQ | |
| 25 | TEAM MEAT COMA | |
| 26 | 301 BBQ | |
| 27 | Bubba Joe's Que | |
| 28 | BIG O'S LOW N SLOW BBQ | |
| 29 | Freedom Smokers | |
| 30 | B.D.B. SMOKIN' BLUE | |
| 31 | BABY GOT BUTT BBQ MD | |
| 32 | JUST SMOKIN' AROUND | |
| 33 | RACK TIME | |
| 34 | Rock-N-Smokers | |
| 35 | M & E BBQ Inc. | |
| 36 | 2 CAN QUE OF MARYLAND |
Brisket
36 entries · top 179.4400 · median 160.5028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sauce This BBQ | |
| 2 | BONE TO BARK BBQ | |
| 3 | Pork Barrell BBQ | |
| 4 | BEER MEETS GRILL | |
| 5 | APORKALYPSE NOW | |
| 6 | BAD AZZ MULE BBQ | |
| 7 | JUST SMOKIN' AROUND | |
| 8 | SMOKE-AHOLICS | |
| 9 | JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS | |
| 10 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 11 | BBQ NUTS | |
| 12 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | |
| 13 | LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER | |
| 14 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 15 | ALL FIRED UP BBQ | |
| 16 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | |
| 17 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 18 | Chesapit BBQ | |
| 19 | BABY GOT BUTT BBQ MD | |
| 20 | TEAM MEAT COMA | |
| 21 | LYIN' PIGS | |
| 22 | Freedom Smokers | |
| 23 | B.D.B. SMOKIN' BLUE | |
| 24 | NEW REVOLUTION Q | |
| 25 | 301 BBQ | |
| 26 | Smoke & Dagger | |
| 27 | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | |
| 28 | 2 RHODIES BBQ | |
| 29 | Bubba Joe's Que | |
| 30 | BIG O'S LOW N SLOW BBQ | |
| 31 | FREE RANGE BBQ | |
| 32 | SMACK THAT BUTT BBQ | |
| 33 | Rock-N-Smokers | |
| 34 | RACK TIME | |
| 35 | M & E BBQ Inc. | |
| 36 | 2 CAN QUE OF MARYLAND |