A new contest record
706.2972
highest overall ever cooked here
706.2972 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 703.4172 3 EYZ BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 703.4172
- set 2015 by 3 EYZ BBQ
Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 2017
Jun 16–17, 2017 · Weston, WV · 📍 Downtown Buckhannon
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE won Grand Champion at the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash on June 16, 2017 in Weston, WV at Downtown Buckhannon, scoring 706.2972 in a field of 57 teams. WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.3372. Category winners: Chicken — WHO CARES BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE (178.8800); Pork — SMOKE CENTRAL BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — GAME ON BBQ (176.5600). This is the 3rd of 10 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by CHECKERED PIG; 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.
410.91
median 661.11
706.30 🏆
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 178.88
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 176.56
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
57
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
706.2972
Winning margin
14.9600
GC over RC
Field average
645.89
410.91706.30
median 661.11 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
2.3088 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
680.4916
410.91706.30
10th place overall
Field spread
295.3828
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 10%
beats 90% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
62%
26 of 42 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.69 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,616
avg power rating going in · stronger than 86% of contests
Storylines (10 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.
A statement win
14.9600
points clear of the field
Wider than 96% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 14.9600 points — a wider margin than 96% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 10 tracked editions
UNDER THE RADAR has won this contest 2 times across its 10 tracked editions.
- 2021
- 2022
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 17 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS and WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ and LO' -N- SLO' BBQ tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ and GAME ON BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 7th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8800
best pork ribs ever cooked here
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE turned in 178.8800 in pork ribs — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 3 EYZ BBQ (won 2015), CHECKERED PIG (won 2016).
- 3 EYZ BBQ · 2015
- CHECKERED PIG · 2016
One of the big ones
57
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 90% of the 5,469 contests in the data
57 teams — bigger than 90% of the 5,469 contests in the data.
The biggest field yet
57
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 42 teams
57 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 42.
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.
- WHO CARES 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2015 | Buckhannon, WV | Buckhannon, WV 26201 | 41 | 703.4172 | 3 EYZ BBQ | CHECKERED PIG |
| Jun 17, 2016 | Buckhannon, WV | Buckhannon, WV 26201 | 42 | 699.9544 | CHECKERED PIG | SMOKIN FOOLZ |
| Jun 16, 2017 ← this one | Weston, WV | Downtown Buckhannon | 57 | 706.2972 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Weston, WV | Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum | 59 | 690.8000 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Roanoke, WV | Stonewall Resort State Park | 31 | 691.3944 | ROCKY TOP BBQ | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Jun 18, 2021 | Roanoke, WV | Stonewall Resort | 28 | 705.1428 | UNDER THE RADAR | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Roanoke, WV | Stonewall Resort | 20 | 704.5600 | UNDER THE RADAR | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Buckhannon, WV | 17 Friendly Way | 28 | 702.2284 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | CHUNKY BBQ |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Buckhannon, WV | Jawbone Park | 30 | 698.8228 | CHUNKY BBQ | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Buckhannon, WV | Jawbone Park | 30 | 698.2516 | Chunky BBQ | BEER TIME BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 173.1084 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8800 | 174.2628 | 172.5600 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 175.4056 | 173.2000 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 172.0228 | 170.8344 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
57 entries · top 706.2972 · median 661.1084
Chicken
57 entries · top 180 · median 166.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
57 entries · top 178.8800 · median 163.9888
Pork
57 entries · top 177.7144 · median 166.2400
Brisket
57 entries · top 176.5600 · median 161.6800
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 — Backyard Chicken
12 entries · top 171.4400 · median 163.6858
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
12 entries · top 173.7028 · median 160.2686
Master Series — Dessert
10 entries · top 178.8800 · median 169.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHARLIE-QUE BBQ | |
| 2 | BLAZED BBQ JOINT | |
| 3 | PULLIN' MY MONEY MUSCLE | |
| 4 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | E.T.'S BBQ | |
| 6 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 7 | Lem's Meat Varnish | |
| 8 | BEVERLY BISTRO | |
| 9 | SULTANS OF SWINE | |
| 10 | PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ |