They will not let it go
3 in a row
editions of this contest
UNDER THE RADAR won here last time out too — 3 straight editions of this contest.
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
Smoke in the Valley 2018
Sep 21–22, 2018 · Pikeville, TN · 📍 Alan P Deakins Rd
UNDER THE RADAR won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Valley on September 21, 2018 in Pikeville, TN at Alan P Deakins Rd, scoring 698.8456 in a field of 12 teams. HIGH ON THE HAWG took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.3944. Category winners: Chicken — BIG G BBQ (177.1428); Pork Ribs — UNDER THE RADAR (177.7372); Pork — HIGH ON THE HAWG (177.7144); Brisket — UNDER THE RADAR (177.1428). This is the 5th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by UNDER THE RADAR; the next was held in 2025.
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.
634.19
median 674.50
698.85 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.14
- Pork Ribs 177.74
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 177.14
141.69
177.74
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
12
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
698.8456
Winning margin
3.4512
GC over RC
Field average
673.77
634.19698.85
median 674.50 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4628 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
659.3028
634.19698.85
10th place overall
Field spread
64.6512
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 37%
beats 63% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
53%
10 of 19 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.91 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,633
avg power rating going in · stronger than 92% of contests
Storylines (7 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
4×
wins at this contest
4 of 6 tracked editions
UNDER THE RADAR has won this contest 4 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
A stacked field
1633
average power rating going in
Stronger than 92% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1633 power rating going in — stronger than 92% of every contest tracked.
- top seed Under the Radar (1871)
- 12 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ and DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS tied on 166.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: Snoring Hogs and UNDER THE RADAR tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS and K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
UNDER THE RADAR won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
UNDER THE RADAR took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 4th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 1st
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: UNDER THE RADAR (won 2014, 2016, 2017), SMOKE ON THIS (won 2015).
- UNDER THE RADAR · 2014, 2016, 2017
- SMOKE ON THIS · 2015
This contest's own records (2 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10, 2014 | Pikeville, TN | Pikeville, TN 37367 | 11 | 693.6456 | UNDER THE RADAR | SMOKE ON THIS |
| Aug 28, 2015 | Pikeville, TN | Pikeville, TN 37367 | 26 | 702.2744 | SMOKE ON THIS | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
| Aug 26, 2016 | Pikeville, TN | Alan P Deakins Rd | 12 | 689.0856 | UNDER THE RADAR | RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Pikeville, TN | Alan P Deakins Rd | 19 | 706.2400 | UNDER THE RADAR | SMOKE ON THIS |
| Sep 21, 2018 ← this one | Pikeville, TN | Alan P Deakins Rd | 12 | 698.8456 | UNDER THE RADAR | HIGH ON THE HAWG |
| Sep 27, 2025 | Edmonton, AB | 13204 Rainbow Valley Road | 23 | 694.8916 | Phantom Smoke & BBQ | SMELLAQUE |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1428 | 171.4056 | 161.6800 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 174.2744 | 163.4172 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 169.7144 | 166.8112 |
| Brisket | 177.1428 | 169.1200 | 162.8344 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
12 entries · top 698.8456 · median 674.5028
Chicken
12 entries · top 177.1428 · median 169.9714
Pork Ribs
12 entries · top 177.7372 · median 168.2800
Pork
12 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.1200
Brisket
12 entries · top 177.1428 · median 168.8572
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 — Backyard
9 entries · top 339.9888 · median 325.6572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HILLBILLY SMOKE | |
| 2 | AMERICAN PORKERS | |
| 3 | Just Like Dad's | |
| 4 | NOAH'S BARK | |
| 5 | JACK SHACK | |
| 6 | Midnight Rider | |
| 7 | SMOKIN MEDICINE | |
| 8 | White Bros. BBQ | |
| 9 | VOLBQ |
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
9 entries · top 168.0116 · median 161.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HILLBILLY SMOKE | |
| 2 | AMERICAN PORKERS | |
| 3 | Just Like Dad's | |
| 4 | Midnight Rider | |
| 5 | NOAH'S BARK | |
| 6 | SMOKIN MEDICINE | |
| 7 | JACK SHACK | |
| 8 | VOLBQ | |
| 9 | White Bros. BBQ |
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
9 entries · top 171.9772 · median 163.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HILLBILLY SMOKE | |
| 2 | NOAH'S BARK | |
| 3 | AMERICAN PORKERS | |
| 4 | JACK SHACK | |
| 5 | Just Like Dad's | |
| 6 | Midnight Rider | |
| 7 | White Bros. BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKIN MEDICINE | |
| 9 | VOLBQ |
Master Series — Dessert
10 entries · top 180 · median 168.5486 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUE'N CREW | |
| 2 | THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW | |
| 3 | BIG G BBQ | |
| 4 | DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS | |
| 5 | RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES | |
| 6 | HILLBILLY SMOKE | |
| 7 | Midnight Rider | |
| 8 | AMERICAN PORKERS | |
| 9 | White Bros. BBQ | |
| 10 | VOLBQ |