A new contest record
701.0856
highest overall ever cooked here
701.0856 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.2400 UNDER THE RADAR set in 2017.
- old record 698.2400
- set 2017 by UNDER THE RADAR
Piggin In The Park 2018
Jun 1–2, 2018 · Woodruff, SC · 📍 231 E Hayne St
SMOKING BUTT HEADS won Grand Champion at the Piggin In The Park on June 1, 2018 in Woodruff, SC at 231 E Hayne St, scoring 701.0856 in a field of 34 teams. UNDER THE RADAR took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.6456. Category winners: Chicken — OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE (178.2972); Pork Ribs — SAUCED! BBQ TEAM (177.7144); Pork — SMOKING BUTT HEADS (177.7028); Brisket — PALMETTO PITMASTERS (176.5716). This is the 4th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by UNDER THE RADAR; 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.
469.66
median 672.15
701.09 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.30
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 176.57
143.93
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
34
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
701.0856
Winning margin
3.4400
GC over RC
Field average
666.23
469.66701.09
median 672.15 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
682.2284
469.66701.09
10th place overall
Field spread
231.4284
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 29%
beats 71% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
39%
17 of 44 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.83 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,631
avg power rating going in · stronger than 91% of contests
Storylines (6 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 dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 5 tracked editions
SMOKING BUTT HEADS has won this contest 2 times across its 5 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2018
A stacked field
1631
average power rating going in
Stronger than 91% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1631 power rating going in — stronger than 91% of every contest tracked.
- top seed SAUCED! BBQ TEAM (1890)
- 34 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: PALMETTO PITMASTERS and HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: UNDER THE RADAR and SMOKE THIS tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: SMOKE THIS and SMOKE ON THIS tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKING BUTT HEADS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 9th.
- Chicken 9th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 7th
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SMOKING BUTT HEADS (won 2016), UNDER THE RADAR (won 2017).
- SMOKING BUTT HEADS · 2016
- UNDER THE RADAR · 2017
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2015 | Woodruff, SC | Woodruff, SC 29388 | 23 | 689.2000 | POT'S BBQ | J & B'S BBQ |
| May 20, 2016 | Woodruff, SC | 231 East Haynestreet | 20 | 693.6572 | SMOKING BUTT HEADS | POT'S BBQ |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Woodruff, SC | 231 E Hayne St | 44 | 698.2400 | UNDER THE RADAR | CAROLINA SMOKIN JOHN'S BBQ |
| Jun 1, 2018 ← this one | Woodruff, SC | 231 E Hayne St | 34 | 701.0856 | SMOKING BUTT HEADS | UNDER THE RADAR |
| Jul 19, 2019 | Jasper, GA | 500 Stegall | 25 | 698.2856 | PIG-CHICKA-COW-COW | First Start/ Big B's BBQ |
| Jul 17, 2020 | Jasper, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.2972 | 175.4056 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.7144 | 169.6800 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 174.2744 | 171.4172 |
| Brisket | 176.5716 | 175.4172 | 172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
34 entries · top 701.0856 · median 672.1542
Chicken
34 entries · top 178.2972 · median 169.4058
Pork Ribs
34 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.4114
Pork
34 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.6800
Brisket
33 entries · top 176.5716 · median 167.9888
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 — Dessert
9 entries · top 178.8572 · median 173.1428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIDNIGHT BURN | |
| 2 | OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 3 | V QUE | |
| 4 | TENACIOUS Q | |
| 5 | HEY GOOD BUDDY BARBECUE TEAM | |
| 6 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 7 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 8 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 9 | High On The Hog |
Master Series — Kids Que Hamburger
3 entries · top 180 · median 178.2972 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Ketchup | |
| 2 | The Smokin Grill Two! | |
| 3 | Will N Grillin |
Master Series — Kids Que Steak
4 entries · top 180 · median 176.2914 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piggy Got Back | |
| 2 | Annie Que | |
| 3 | Cookin w/Brooke | |
| 4 | Go Grill! |
Master Series — Wings
7 entries · top 174.8800 · median 168.5828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 2 | OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 3 | SMOKE THIS | |
| 4 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 5 | DIVINE SWINE BBQ COMPANY | |
| 6 | BAYOU POKER SMOKERS | |
| 7 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC |