A new contest record
698.2400
highest overall ever cooked here
698.2400 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 693.6572 SMOKING BUTT HEADS set in 2016.
- old record 693.6572
- set 2016 by SMOKING BUTT HEADS
Piggin In The Park (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) 2017
Jun 2–3, 2017 · Woodruff, SC · 📍 231 E Hayne St
UNDER THE RADAR won Grand Champion at the Piggin In The Park (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) on June 2, 2017 in Woodruff, SC at 231 E Hayne St, scoring 698.2400 in a field of 44 teams. CAROLINA SMOKIN JOHN'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.3484. Category winners: Chicken — BALD HAWG BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Southern Embers BBQ (175.4056); Pork — K & D SMOKERS (177.7028); Brisket — MUTTLEY CREW BBQ (176.5600). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by SMOKING BUTT HEADS; the next was held in 2018.
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.
519.29
median 664.39
698.24 🏆
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 175.41
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 176.56
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
44
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
698.2400
Winning margin
6.8916
GC over RC
Field average
657.20
519.29698.24
median 664.39 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
678.7544
519.29698.24
10th place overall
Field spread
178.9488
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 41%
beats 59% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
65%
13 of 20 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.74 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,584
avg power rating going in · stronger than 66% of contests
Storylines (8 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
UNDER THE RADAR won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 13th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 2nd
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
SMOKING BUTT HEADS has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2018
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: BACKWOODS BBQ and WHO CARES BBQ tied on 178.8800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: SMOKING BUTT HEADS and SAUCED! BBQ TEAM tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: CONTAGIOUS Q and UNDER THE RADAR tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
BALD HAWG BBQ turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 177.7372 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7372
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SMOKING BUTT HEADS (won 2016).
- SMOKING BUTT HEADS · 2016
The biggest field yet
44
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 22 teams
44 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 22.
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.
- BALD HAWG 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 29, 2015 | Woodruff, SC | Woodruff, SC 29388 | 23 | 689.2000 | POT'S BBQ | J & B'S BBQ |
| May 20, 2016 | Woodruff, SC | 231 East Haynestreet | 20 | 693.6572 | SMOKING BUTT HEADS | POT'S BBQ |
| Jun 2, 2017 ← this one | Woodruff, SC | 231 E Hayne St | 44 | 698.2400 | UNDER THE RADAR | CAROLINA SMOKIN JOHN'S BBQ |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Woodruff, SC | 231 E Hayne St | 34 | 701.0856 | SMOKING BUTT HEADS | UNDER THE RADAR |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4056 | 173.1200 | 170.8344 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 173.1200 | 170.8344 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 171.9772 | 168.5256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
44 entries · top 698.2400 · median 664.3940
Chicken
44 entries · top 180 · median 167.6972 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
44 entries · top 175.4056 · median 166.2456
Pork
44 entries · top 177.7028 · median 166.2342
Brisket
44 entries · top 176.5600 · median 164.2400
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
11 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 2 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 3 | MIDNIGHT BURN | |
| 4 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 5 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 6 | HEY GOOD BUDDY BARBECUE TEAM | |
| 7 | UNCLE BUD'S BBQ | |
| 8 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 9 | PALMETTO SMOKE | |
| 10 | PORK COUNTY BARBECUE | |
| 11 | V QUE |
Master Series — Kids Que
6 entries · top 177.1544 · median 174.8514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbecuelicious | |
| 2 | Anna Banana Que | |
| 3 | Sassy Sauce | |
| 4 | Hey Good Buddy Jr. | |
| 5 | Brooke Trout Que | |
| 6 | Skint Back Jr. |
Master Series — Wings
9 entries · top 174.2856 · median 162.2744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 2 | Southern Embers BBQ | |
| 3 | BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 4 | HICKORY NUT BBQ OF SOUTH CAROLINA | |
| 5 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 6 | MIDNIGHT BURN | |
| 7 | PALMETTO SMOKE | |
| 8 | UNCLE BUD'S BBQ | |
| 9 | Camo Que |