A new contest record
710.2628
highest overall ever cooked here
710.2628 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 705.0972 THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 705.0972
- set 2017 by THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ
Smoke in the House 2018
Jun 15–16, 2018 · White House, TN · 📍 3041 Hwy 31 W
A-1 TAX SERVICE INC won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the House on June 15, 2018 in White House, TN at 3041 Hwy 31 W, scoring 710.2628 in a field of 16 teams. HIGH ON THE HAWG took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9084. Category winners: Chicken — A-1 TAX SERVICE INC (176.0000); Pork Ribs — A-1 TAX SERVICE INC (178.8572); Pork — A-1 TAX SERVICE INC (177.7028); Brisket — ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (178.8572). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ.
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.
314.21
median 675.06
710.26 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 178.86
145.06
178.86
Entries
16
4 judged meats
Top score
710.2628
Winning margin
14.3544
GC over RC
Field average
650.39
314.21710.26
median 675.06 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8800 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
661.0172
314.21710.26
10th place overall
Field spread
396.0572
winner to last place
Double threats
8
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 3%
beats 97% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
45%
10 of 22 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.51 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,539
avg power rating going in · stronger than 29% 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.
An upset on the books
18-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 82 times in 100
A-1 TAX SERVICE INC came in rated below the field's top team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 18-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1554
- top seed 1819
A first Grand Championship
9
tracked contests to get there
This was A-1 TAX SERVICE INC's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 9th tracked contest.
A statement win
14.3544
points clear of the field
Wider than 96% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 14.3544 points — a wider margin than 96% of championships in the data.
A hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
A-1 TAX SERVICE INC won Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: A-1 TAX SERVICE INC and BIG G BBQ tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: THE OPRY BACKSTAGE GRILLERS and FULL METAL PORK tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: THE OPRY BACKSTAGE GRILLERS and SON SEEKERS BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
A-1 TAX SERVICE INC took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 3rd.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in pork
177.7028
best pork ever cooked here
A-1 TAX SERVICE INC turned in 177.7028 in pork — past the 177.1428 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1428
- across 1 past editions
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 2017 | White House, TN | White house Municipel Center | 22 | 705.0972 | THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ | Organizer Portal |
| Jun 15, 2018 ← this one | White House, TN | 3041 Hwy 31 W | 16 | 710.2628 | A-1 TAX SERVICE INC | HIGH ON THE HAWG |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176 | 173.1200 | 168.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 169.6916 | 166.2972 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 170.8228 | 166.2400 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 163.9544 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
16 entries · top 710.2628 · median 675.0626
Chicken
15 entries · top 176 · median 170.8112
Pork Ribs
16 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.7086
Pork
16 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.4000
Brisket
15 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.5256