A statement win
12.0228
points clear of the field
Wider than 92% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.0228 points — a wider margin than 92% of championships in the data.
Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT)
May 2–3, 2026 · New Paltz, NY · 📍 Ulster County Fairgrounds · State championship
Reps: Bill Wright, Jeff Chambers, Kim Wright, Regina Bodnar · Prize money: $15,000
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA won Grand Champion at the Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT) on May 2, 2026 in New Paltz, NY at Ulster County Fairgrounds, scoring 712.5828 in a field of 59 teams. BOGGS HOG BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 700.5600. Category winners: Chicken — Titans of BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (178.8572); Pork — CHUNKY BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by Rough Cut Q with 703.9656.
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.
467.36
median 678.17
712.58 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 178.86
- Master Series — Pork 177.71
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 177.70
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 176.57
- Backyard Series — Pork 176.56
- Backyard Series — Brisket 177.71
139.97
180
Entries
59
8 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
712.5828
Winning margin
12.0228
GC over RC
Field average
670.06
467.36712.58
median 678.17 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
689.0744
467.36712.58
10th place overall
Field spread
245.2224
winner to last place
Prize money
$15,000
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 1%
beats 99% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.53 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,599
avg power rating going in · stronger than 77% of contests
Storylines (6 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
Master Series — Chicken places 4–6: Smoke Central BBQ and DIG'N N PIG'N tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 3–4: 73-BBQ and SMOKECRAFT - MD tied on 177.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 8–9: PADDY MCQ'S and CHUNKY BBQ tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 4–6 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 1–2 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 9th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 9th
- Brisket 1st
One of the big ones
59
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 91% of the 5,462 contests in the data
59 teams — bigger than 91% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA · Brisket
- Titans of 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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180 | 177.7028 | 174.8800 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 177.1544 | 174.2628 |
| Master Series — Pork | 177.7144 | 176 | 173.7028 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 177.7028 | 174.8688 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 177.7028 | 163.4172 | — |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 169.6800 | — |
| Backyard Series — Pork | 176.5600 | 171.9772 | — |
| Backyard Series — Brisket | 177.7144 | 163.4172 | — |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
59 entries · top 712.5828 · median 678.1716
Chicken
59 entries · top 180 · median 171.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
59 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.1200
Pork
58 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.4000
Brisket
59 entries · top 180 · median 168.5372 · 🔥 perfect 180
Backyard Series
Overall
5 entries · top 703.9656 · median 685.6572 · out of 720, not the usual 360
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rough Cut Q | |
| 2 | Yardogs BBQ | |
| 3 | Matt's Backyard BBQ | |
| 4 | FIRE & SHINE BBQ | |
| 5 | Oldman's Backyard B B QUE |
Chicken
5 entries · top 177.7028 · median 173.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Rough Cut Q | |
| 8 | Yardogs BBQ | |
| 17 | FIRE & SHINE BBQ | |
| 53 | Oldman's Backyard B B QUE | |
| 56 | Matt's Backyard BBQ |
Pork Ribs
5 entries · top 176.5716 · median 169.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Yardogs BBQ | |
| 10 | Rough Cut Q | |
| 28 | FIRE & SHINE BBQ | |
| 29 | Oldman's Backyard B B QUE | |
| 32 | Matt's Backyard BBQ |
Pork
5 entries · top 176.5600 · median 172.0344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Rough Cut Q | |
| 8 | Matt's Backyard BBQ | |
| 19 | Oldman's Backyard B B QUE | |
| 20 | Yardogs BBQ | |
| 22 | FIRE & SHINE BBQ |
Brisket
5 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.7372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Matt's Backyard BBQ | |
| 12 | Rough Cut Q | |
| 24 | Oldman's Backyard B B QUE | |
| 37 | Yardogs BBQ | |
| 44 | FIRE & SHINE BBQ |
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.
Ancillary — Sausage
12 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bearded Boys BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 3 | DIG'N N PIG'N | |
| 4 | Bear's Den BBQ | |
| 5 | Grandpa Val's BBQ | |
| 6 | CANYON RIDERS BBQ | |
| 7 | CIDER BOYS BBQ | |
| 8 | ALL FIRED UP BBQ | |
| 9 | Q Shanty | |
| 10 | Fat Dog Barbecue | |
| 11 | Catskill Hot Dogs | |
| 12 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ |