A new contest record
713.7028
highest overall ever cooked here
713.7028 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.2284 Fergolicious BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 698.2284
- set 2017 by Fergolicious BBQ
Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-off & Cruise In (Day 2) 2017
Jul 9, 2017 · Jamestown, TN · 📍 3598 So York Hwy
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ won Grand Champion at the Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-off & Cruise In (Day 2) on July 9, 2017 in Jamestown, TN at 3598 So York Hwy, scoring 713.7028 in a field of 30 teams. WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 702.8116. Category winners: Chicken — HIGH ON THE HAWG (178.8572); Pork Ribs — SMOKING BUTT HEADS (180.0000); Pork — BIG G BBQ (177.7028); Brisket — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by Fergolicious BBQ; the next was held in 2019.
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.
654.08
median 684.19
713.70 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 180 🔥
157.07
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
30
4 judged meats
Top score
713.7028
Winning margin
10.8912
GC over RC
Field average
682.68
654.08713.70
median 684.19 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Tightest race
Pork
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
690.7772
654.08713.70
10th place overall
Field spread
59.6228
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 1%
beats 99% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
83%
30 of 36 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.64 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,688
avg power rating going in · stronger than 99% of contests
Storylines (9 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
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 2nd
A statement win
10.8912
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.8912 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ · Brisket
- CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ · Brisket
- SMOKING BUTT HEADS · Pork Ribs
A stacked field
1688
average power rating going in
Stronger than 99% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1688 power rating going in — stronger than 99% of every contest tracked.
- top seed Organizer Portal (1932)
- 30 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ and CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN and CONTAGIOUS Q tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW and SMOKE ON THIS tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
SMOKING BUTT HEADS turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 177.7144 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7144
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Fergolicious BBQ (won 2017).
- Fergolicious BBQ · 2017
They keep coming back
83%
of last edition’s field returned
30 of 36 teams from 2017-07-08 came back
30 of the 36 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2017 | Jamestown, TN | 3598 S York Hwy | 36 | 698.2284 | Fergolicious BBQ | SWIGGIN PIG |
| Jul 9, 2017 ← this one | Jamestown, TN | 3598 So York Hwy | 30 | 713.7028 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jul 12, 2019 | Jamestown, TN | 3598 So York Hwy | 29 | 706.2400 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | UNDER THE RADAR |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 174.8572 | 172.5600 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 175.4172 | 174.2744 |
| Brisket | 180 | 177.1428 | 173.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 713.7028 · median 684.1942
Chicken
30 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.9656
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 180 · median 168.5486 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
30 entries · top 177.7028 · median 171.6856
Brisket
30 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180