A new contest record
688.4912
highest overall ever cooked here
688.4912 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 675.8972 CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 675.8972
- set 2017 by CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ
Smoke in the Grove 2018
Jul 27–28, 2018 · Spring Grove, PA · 📍 205 E Railroad Street
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Grove on July 27, 2018 in Spring Grove, PA at 205 E Railroad Street, scoring 688.4912 in a field of 54 teams. APORKALYPSE NOW took Reserve Grand Champion with 685.7144. Category winners: Chicken — JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS (178.8800); Pork Ribs — 2 RHODIES BBQ (176.5716); Pork — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (176.0000); Brisket — SMOKIN FOOLZ (175.4400). This is the 2nd of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ; 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.
604.95
median 646.40
688.49 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.88
- Pork Ribs 176.57
- Pork 176
- Brisket 175.44
140.50
178.88
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
54
4 judged meats · 5 ancillary
Top score
688.4912
Winning margin
2.7768
GC over RC
Field average
646.64
604.95688.49
median 646.40 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
3.4744 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
667.3600
604.95688.49
10th place overall
Field spread
83.5428
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 75%
beats 25% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
45%
23 of 51 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,623
avg power rating going in · stronger than 89% of contests
Storylines (5 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: QUEGASM and PIGGIN' WHISKEY tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 4–5: WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ and TEAM MEAT COMA tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 9–10: LO' -N- SLO' BBQ and FRED VEGAS SMOKERS tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Brisket 4–5 · tie
- Brisket 9–10 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 14th.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 14th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 4th
A contest record in pork ribs
176.5716
best pork ribs ever cooked here
2 RHODIES BBQ turned in 176.5716 in pork ribs — past the 173.7488 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.7488
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ (won 2017).
- CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2017 | Spring Grove, PA | 205 E Railroad Street | 51 | 675.8972 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ |
| Jul 27, 2018 ← this one | Spring Grove, PA | 205 E Railroad Street | 54 | 688.4912 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| Jul 26, 2019 | Spring Grove, PA | 205 E Railroad Street | 53 | 692.5488 | Team Meat Coma | SMOKIN' TEX BBQ |
| Jul 24, 2020 | Spring Grove, PA | 205 East Railroad St | 59 | 697.7372 | Dign N Pign | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Spring Grove, PA | Spring Grove, PA 17362 | 54 | 692.5256 | Not So Famous Dave's BBQ | TOP GUN BARBECUE |
| Jul 29, 2022 | Spring Grove, PA | 205 East Railroad Street | 54 | 697.6688 | Piggin' Whiskey | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE |
| Jul 30, 2022 | Spring Grove, PA | 205 East Railroad Street | 42 | 703.9888 | Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jul 28, 2023 | Spring Grove, PA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 29, 2023 | Spring Grove, PA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8800 | 172.5600 | 169.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 169.7144 | 168 |
| Pork | 176 | 170.2628 | 167.3944 |
| Brisket | 175.4400 | 171.9656 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
54 entries · top 688.4912 · median 646.3998
Chicken
54 entries · top 178.8800 · median 161.6686
Pork Ribs
54 entries · top 176.5716 · median 163.1144
Pork
54 entries · top 176 · median 161.9600
Brisket
54 entries · top 175.4400 · median 164.0058
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 Overall
17 entries · top 327.8856 · median 305.6684
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
17 entries · top 166.2284 · median 157.0856
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
17 entries · top 166.8344 · median 152.5488
Master Series — Frist Responder'S Cup - Wings
12 entries · top 170.9144 · median 161.4000
Master Series — Wings
12 entries · top 170.9144 · median 161.4000