Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2016
- 2017
New Holland Summer Fest 2017
Aug 25–26, 2017 · New Holland, PA · 📍 400 Block E Jackson St
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ won Grand Champion at the New Holland Summer Fest on August 25, 2017 in New Holland, PA at 400 Block E Jackson St, scoring 681.0860 in a field of 69 teams. BEERBEQUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 674.7888. Category winners: Chicken — 50 SHADES OF PORK (177.1544); Pork Ribs — LITTLE LUKE'S BBQ (177.7144); Pork — BEERBEQUE (174.2744); Brisket — DANTE'S INFERNO (174.8572). This is the 5th of 11 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by LO' -N- SLO' BBQ; 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.
439.84
median 643.89
681.09 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.15
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 174.27
- Brisket 174.86
135.94
177.71
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
68
4 judged meats · 6 ancillary
Top score
681.0860
Winning margin
6.2972
GC over RC
Field average
636.05
439.84681.09
median 643.89 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
2.3088 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
661.5884
439.84681.09
10th place overall
Field spread
241.2464
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 88%
beats 12% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
71%
46 of 65 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,546
avg power rating going in · stronger than 35% 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
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 4th. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 18th
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 11 tracked editions
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 11 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2017
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: HAWG NATION BBQ and WEEKEND SMOKERS tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: BOVINE & SWINE and LITTLE CREEK BAR B CUE COMPANY tied on 167.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: LO' -N- SLO' BBQ edged FLYING PORKERS by 0.0116.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0116
- Pork 4–5 · 0.0116
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7144
best pork ribs ever cooked here
LITTLE LUKE'S BBQ turned in 177.7144 in pork ribs — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 4 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: DIZZY PIG (won 2014), LO' -N- SLO' BBQ (won 2016).
- DIZZY PIG · 2014
- LO' -N- SLO' BBQ · 2016
One of the big ones
69
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 95% of the 5,482 contests in the data
69 teams — bigger than 95% of the 5,482 contests in the data.
They keep coming back
71%
of last edition’s field returned
46 of 65 teams from 2016-08-26 came back
46 of the 65 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2013 | New Holland, PA | New Holland, PA | 71 | 675.4056 | Drilling & Grilling BBQ Team | PA MIDNITE SMOKERS |
| Aug 22, 2014 | New Holland, PA | New Holland, PA 17557 | 70 | 685.0856 | DIZZY PIG | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Aug 28, 2015 | New Holland, PA | New Holland, PA 17557 | 70 | 682.8456 | 4:20 Q | FLYING PORKERS |
| Aug 26, 2016 | New Holland, PA | New Holland, PA | 66 | 691.9312 | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | BIG D'S BBQ |
| Aug 25, 2017 ← this one | New Holland, PA | 400 Block E Jackson St | 69 | 681.0860 | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | BEERBEQUE |
| Aug 24, 2018 | New Holland, PA | 400 Block E Jackson St | 71 | 692 | 3N1 Q | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ |
| Aug 23, 2019 | New Holland, PA | 400 E Jackson St | 65 | 685.0740 | SMOKECRAFT | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Aug 27, 2021 | New Holland, PA | 400 E Jackson St | 44 | 694.8112 | WOLF'S REVENGE | DANTE'S INFERNO |
| Aug 26, 2022 | New Holland, PA | 400 E. Jackson St. | 49 | 698.8000 | OPTIMUS SWINE | GLAZED AND INFUSED NEW JERSEY BBQ |
| Aug 25, 2023 | New Holland, PA | 400 E. Jackson St. | 44 | 693.0512 | Chunky BBQ | SMOKECRAFT - MD |
| Aug 23, 2024 | New Holland, PA | 400 E. Jackson St. | 38 | 699.9428 | Wolf's Revenge BBQ | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1544 | 170.8916 | 167.4172 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.7260 | 170.8228 |
| Pork | 174.2744 | 171.9656 | 166.2628 |
| Brisket | 174.8572 | 170.2972 | 168.5828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
68 entries · top 681.0860 · median 643.8914
Chicken
68 entries · top 177.1544 · median 162.2570
Pork Ribs
68 entries · top 177.7144 · median 160.8342
Pork
68 entries · top 174.2744 · median 160.2342
Brisket
67 entries · top 174.8572 · median 161.0972
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 — Chef'S Choice
27 entries · top 180 · median 175.4172 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Kids - Beef
4 entries · top 177.1428 · median 169.4000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Tie BBQ Jr | |
| 2 | 20 Pounds of Smoke | |
| 3 | Brothers BBQ | |
| 4 | Karate Chop Chop BBQ |
Master Series — Kids - Chicken
4 entries · top 171.4172 · median 169.1258
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karate Chop Chop BBQ | |
| 2 | 20 Pounds of Smoke | |
| 3 | Black Tie BBQ Jr | |
| 4 | Brothers BBQ |
Master Series — Kids - Choice
4 entries · top 168.5256 · median 166.2914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Tie BBQ Jr | |
| 2 | Brothers BBQ | |
| 3 | 20 Pounds of Smoke | |
| 4 | Karate Chop Chop BBQ |
Master Series — Sausage
43 entries · top 178.2972 · median 161.7372
Master Series — Whole Hog
7 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.0972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | |
| 2 | PIG PEN BBQ | |
| 3 | LITTLE CREEK BAR B CUE COMPANY | |
| 4 | CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ | |
| 5 | GALVINELL'S MEAT MONKEYS | |
| 6 | Bob and Lena | |
| 7 | Heavy Hitters BBQ |