A new contest record
695.9428
highest overall ever cooked here
695.9428 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 691.9888 OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE set in 2017.
- old record 691.9888
- set 2017 by OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE
The Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown 2018
Mar 2–3, 2018 · Brunswick, MD · 📍 Maple Ave
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE won Grand Champion at The Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown on March 2, 2018 in Brunswick, MD at Maple Ave, scoring 695.9428 in a field of 29 teams. UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT took Reserve Grand Champion with 683.9428. Category winners: Chicken — UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT (180.0000); Pork Ribs — OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE (177.7144); Pork — POKE N SMOKE (178.3200); Brisket — SMOKE-AHOLICS (178.2972). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE.
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.
499.31
median 651.84
695.94 🏆
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 177.71
- Pork 178.32
- Brisket 178.30
115.20
180
Entries
29
4 judged meats
Top score
695.9428
Winning margin
12
GC over RC
Field average
645.62
499.31695.94
median 651.84 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
6.3316 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.6000
499.31695.94
10th place overall
Field spread
196.6284
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 51%
beats 49% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
30%
15 of 50 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.69 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,598
avg power rating going in · stronger than 76% 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.
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2017
- 2018
A statement win
12.0000
points clear of the field
Wider than 92% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.0000 points — a wider margin than 92% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 2 tracked editions
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has won this contest 2 times across its 2 tracked editions.
- 2017
- 2018
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 6 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: Sauce This BBQ and OLD TOWN SMOKERS tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT and OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: BIG DOG BBQ VA edged BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM by 0.0228.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · 0.0228
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0344
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 7th.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7144
best pork ribs ever cooked here
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE turned in 177.7144 in pork ribs — past the 175.4400 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4400
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE (won 2017).
- OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE · 2017
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.
- UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2017 | Brunswick, MD | Potomac St | 50 | 691.9888 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Mar 2, 2018 ← this one | Brunswick, MD | Maple Ave | 29 | 695.9428 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 171.9656 | 166.2400 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 170.8344 | 166.8572 |
| Pork | 178.3200 | 169.7144 | 167.4516 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 171.9656 | 167.4516 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 695.9428 · median 651.8400
Chicken
29 entries · top 180 · median 163.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 177.7144 · median 162.8572
Pork
28 entries · top 178.3200 · median 165.1142
Brisket
29 entries · top 178.2972 · median 164.5372