Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
3 EYZ BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 18th
- Brisket 3rd
Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest 2016
Oct 14–15, 2016 · Woodstock, VA · 📍 300 Fairground RD
3 EYZ BBQ won Grand Champion at the Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest on October 14, 2016 in Woodstock, VA at 300 Fairground RD, scoring 687.3600 in a field of 38 teams. Sauce This BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 685.1312. Category winners: Chicken — TEAM MEAT COMA (176.5716); Pork Ribs — Sauce This BBQ (178.2972); Pork — Sauce This BBQ (177.1428); Brisket — ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ (177.1544). This is the 3rd of 4 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.
494.79
median 652.11
687.36 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.57
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 177.14
- Brisket 177.15
126.85
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2017 — this edition picked out.
Entries
38
4 judged meats
Top score
687.3600
Winning margin
2.2288
GC over RC
Field average
638.59
494.79687.36
median 652.11 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8344 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
668.4456
494.79687.36
10th place overall
Field spread
192.5716
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 78%
beats 22% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
51%
19 of 37 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.8 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,589
avg power rating going in · stronger than 71% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE and 1752 BARBECUE tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: 3 EYZ BBQ and BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 9–10: LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER and DRILLING & GRILLING tied on 168.5256 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork 9–10 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Sauce This BBQ won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
A contest record in pork
177.1428
best pork ever cooked here
Sauce This BBQ turned in 177.1428 in pork — past the 174.2972 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 174.2972
- across 2 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 | Woodstock, VA | Woodstock, VA 22664 | 37 | 694.8000 | 4:20 Q | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ |
| Oct 14, 2016 ← this one | 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 | 176.5716 | 173.7372 | 169.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 173.1200 | 166.8456 |
| Pork | 177.1428 | 172 | 168.5256 |
| Brisket | 177.1544 | 172.5600 | 170.2512 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
38 entries · top 687.3600 · median 652.1082
Chicken
38 entries · top 176.5716 · median 164.5772
Pork Ribs
38 entries · top 178.2972 · median 160.5428
Pork
37 entries · top 177.1428 · median 164.5256
Brisket
38 entries · top 177.1544 · median 162.2628