A new contest record
705.1544
highest overall ever cooked here
705.1544 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 701.0740 ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN set in 2018.
- old record 701.0740
- set 2018 by ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN
TN River BBQ Battle & Music Fest 2019
Mar 29–30, 2019 · Savannah, TN · 📍 215 Ziffel Circle · State championship
Reps: Maria Lohman, Wayne Lohman · Prize money: $11,750
SOUTH PORK won Grand Champion at the TN River BBQ Battle & Music Fest on March 29, 2019 in Savannah, TN at 215 Ziffel Circle, scoring 705.1544 in a field of 29 teams. Q-BONES BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.1088. Category winners: Chicken — HOGG LEGG SMOKERS (177.7028); Pork Ribs — Q-BONES BBQ (176.5716); Pork — 4 LEGS UP BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — SOUTH PORK (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN; the next was held in 2020.
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.
620.45
median 679.30
705.15 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 176.57
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 180 🔥
142.82
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2018 to 2020 — this edition picked out.
Entries
29
4 judged meats
Top score
705.1544
Winning margin
8.0456
GC over RC
Field average
674.73
620.45705.15
median 679.30 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.3372
620.45705.15
10th place overall
Field spread
84.7088
winner to last place
Prize money
$11,750
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 13%
beats 87% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
36%
10 of 28 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.74 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,665
avg power rating going in · stronger than 98% 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
22-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 78 times in 100
South Pork came in rated below the field's top team, Organizer Portal, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 22-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1772
- top seed 1994
A stacked field
1665
average power rating going in
Stronger than 98% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1665 power rating going in — stronger than 98% of every contest tracked.
- top seed Organizer Portal (1994)
- 29 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: BULLHEADED BBQ and SOUTH PORK tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 7–8: 4 LEGS UP BBQ and ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: FAT, DRUNK & STUPID edged SMOKE THIS BBQ MO by 0.0116.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Brisket 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SOUTH PORK took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 6th.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork
178.8572
best pork ever cooked here
4 LEGS UP BBQ turned in 178.8572 in pork — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (won 2018).
- ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN · 2018
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.
- SOUTH PORK · Brisket
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2018 | Savannah, TN | 215 Ziffel Circle | 28 | 701.0740 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | RAZORRACKS |
| Mar 29, 2019 ← this one | Savannah, TN | 215 Ziffel Circle | 29 | 705.1544 | South Pork | Q-BONES BBQ |
| Sep 25, 2020 | Savannah, TN | 215 Ziffel Cr | 47 | 704.5944 | Gettin' Basted | THUNDER HOG BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 173.7144 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 174.2744 | 169.6916 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 175.4400 | 173.1084 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176.0228 | 173.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 705.1544 · median 679.3028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 2 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 4 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 6 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | |
| 7 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 8 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 9 | Organizer Portal | |
| 10 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 11 | RUB MY RACK | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 13 | HOGTOWN BARBECUE | |
| 14 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 15 | HOGG LEGG SMOKERS | |
| 16 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 17 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 18 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 19 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 20 | BIG BLUE QUE | |
| 21 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOW | |
| 22 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 23 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 24 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 25 | BUCKSHOT MALONE'S PIG SHACK | |
| 26 | 662 Barbecue | |
| 27 | BULLHEADED BBQ | |
| 28 | FULL METAL PORK | |
| 29 | Danny D's BBQ |
Chicken
29 entries · top 177.7028 · median 170.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOGG LEGG SMOKERS | |
| 2 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 3 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 4 | 662 Barbecue | |
| 5 | BULLHEADED BBQ | |
| 6 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 7 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 9 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 10 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | |
| 11 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 12 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 13 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 14 | BIG BLUE QUE | |
| 15 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 16 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 17 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 18 | HOGTOWN BARBECUE | |
| 19 | BUCKSHOT MALONE'S PIG SHACK | |
| 20 | Organizer Portal | |
| 21 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 22 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 23 | RUB MY RACK | |
| 24 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 25 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 26 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOW | |
| 27 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 28 | FULL METAL PORK | |
| 29 | Danny D's BBQ |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 176.5716 · median 166.2516
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 2 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 3 | RUB MY RACK | |
| 4 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 5 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 6 | HOGTOWN BARBECUE | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 8 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | |
| 9 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 10 | Organizer Portal | |
| 11 | BIG BLUE QUE | |
| 12 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 13 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 14 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 15 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 16 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 17 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOW | |
| 18 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 19 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 20 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 21 | 662 Barbecue | |
| 22 | BULLHEADED BBQ | |
| 23 | FULL METAL PORK | |
| 24 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 25 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 26 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 27 | Danny D's BBQ | |
| 28 | HOGG LEGG SMOKERS | |
| 29 | BUCKSHOT MALONE'S PIG SHACK |
Pork
29 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8112
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 2 | BUCKSHOT MALONE'S PIG SHACK | |
| 3 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 4 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 5 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 6 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOW | |
| 7 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 8 | BIG BLUE QUE | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 10 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 11 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 12 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | |
| 13 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 14 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 15 | Organizer Portal | |
| 16 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 17 | RUB MY RACK | |
| 18 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 19 | HOGTOWN BARBECUE | |
| 20 | HOGG LEGG SMOKERS | |
| 21 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 22 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 23 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 24 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 25 | FULL METAL PORK | |
| 26 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 27 | BULLHEADED BBQ | |
| 28 | Danny D's BBQ | |
| 29 | 662 Barbecue |
Brisket
29 entries · top 180 · median 171.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 2 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 3 | SMOKE ON THIS | |
| 4 | HOGG LEGG SMOKERS | |
| 5 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 6 | Organizer Portal | |
| 7 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 8 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 9 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 10 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 12 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 13 | RUB MY RACK | |
| 14 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | |
| 15 | HOGTOWN BARBECUE | |
| 16 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 17 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 18 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 19 | Hawg Feathers | |
| 20 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 21 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOW | |
| 22 | BUCKSHOT MALONE'S PIG SHACK | |
| 23 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 24 | 662 Barbecue | |
| 25 | FULL METAL PORK | |
| 26 | Danny D's BBQ | |
| 27 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 28 | BIG BLUE QUE | |
| 29 | BULLHEADED BBQ |