A new contest record
703.9776
highest overall ever cooked here
703.9776 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 703.4172 ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN set in 2016.
- old record 703.4172
- set 2016 by ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN
Smoke on the Shores 2018
Mar 9–10, 2018 · Nashville, TN
ONE2BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Shores on March 9, 2018 in Nashville, TN, scoring 703.9776 in a field of 87 teams. BLUE CHIP BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 702.2628. Category winners: Chicken — ONE2BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — BLUE CHIP BBQ (177.7372); Pork — Organizer Portal (180.0000); Brisket — ONTARGET BBQ (178.8572). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by UNDER THE RADAR; the next was held in 2022.
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.
505.04
median 669.66
703.98 🏆
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 177.74
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 178.86
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
87
4 judged meats
Top score
703.9776
Winning margin
1.7148
GC over RC
Field average
663.88
505.04703.98
median 669.66 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.7372 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
687.3256
505.04703.98
10th place overall
Field spread
198.9376
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 17%
beats 83% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
66%
41 of 62 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,602
avg power rating going in · stronger than 79% 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.
A knife fight at the top
4.5604
points across the top five
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.5604 points.
- 1st ONE2BBQ
- 2nd BLUE CHIP BBQ
- 3rd UNDER THE RADAR
- 4th SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS
- 5th GREY STREET BBQ
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 20 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES and CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: GREY STREET BBQ and THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: SMOKE THIS BBQ MO and LOCAL YOKELS BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
ONE2BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 12th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 12th
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 7th
A contest record in brisket
178.8572
best brisket ever cooked here
ONTARGET BBQ turned in 178.8572 in brisket — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (won 2016), UNDER THE RADAR (won 2017).
- ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN · 2016
- UNDER THE RADAR · 2017
One of the big ones
87
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 97% of the 5,462 contests in the data
87 teams — bigger than 97% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
The biggest field yet
87
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 56 teams
87 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 56.
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.
- Organizer Portal · Pork
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 11, 2016 | Nashville, TN | Nashville, TN | 49 | 703.4172 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS |
| Mar 10, 2017 | Nashville, TN | 4001 Bell RD, | 62 | 702.8688 | UNDER THE RADAR | Organizer Portal |
| Mar 9, 2018 ← this one | Nashville, TN | Nashville, TN 37219 | 87 | 703.9776 | ONE2BBQ | BLUE CHIP BBQ |
| Mar 18, 2022 | Lebanon, TN | 954 E Baddour Pky | 63 | 708.5372 | SMOKE ME SILLY | Heavy Smoke BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 174.8572 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 176 | 175.4172 |
| Pork | 180 | 176 | 174.8572 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 175.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
87 entries · top 703.9776 · median 669.6572
Chicken
87 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.5256
Pork Ribs
87 entries · top 177.7372 · median 165.1088
Pork
87 entries · top 180 · median 168.5484 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
87 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.8112