A new contest record
699.3944
highest overall ever cooked here
699.3944 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 681.5884 WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ set in 2018.
- old record 681.5884
- set 2018 by WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ
York County BBQ Festival 2019
Jun 28–29, 2019 · Delta, PA · 📍 5 Pendyrus St · State championship
Reps: Angela McKee, Robert McKee · Prize money: $6,700
TOP GUN BARBECUE won Grand Champion at the York County BBQ Festival on June 28, 2019 in Delta, PA at 5 Pendyrus St, scoring 699.3944 in a field of 48 teams. DRILLING & GRILLING took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.1656. Category winners: Chicken — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (176.5600); Pork Ribs — APORKALYPSE NOW (175.4400); Pork — BAD AZZ MULE BBQ (177.7028); Brisket — DRILLING & GRILLING (177.7028). The Backyard Series standings were won by D'Qued Barbecue with 333.6800. This is the 2nd of 13 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ; 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.
501.70
median 660.20
699.39 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 176.56
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 175.44
- Master Series — Pork 177.70
- Master Series — Brisket 177.70
- Backyard Series — Chicken 170.26
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 166.30
20
177.70
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2018 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
48
6 judged meats
Top score
699.3944
Winning margin
2.2288
GC over RC
Field average
651.63
501.70699.39
median 660.20 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
679.9312
501.70699.39
10th place overall
Field spread
197.6912
winner to last place
Prize money
$6,700
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 36%
beats 64% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
55%
18 of 33 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.47 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,586
avg power rating going in · stronger than 68% 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.
An upset on the books
16-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 84 times in 100
Top Gun Barbecue came in rated below the field's top team, WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 16-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1693
- top seed 1985
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
TOP GUN BARBECUE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 5th
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 13 tracked editions
Dog Bite Barbecue has won this contest 3 times across its 13 tracked editions.
- 2025
- 2025
- 2026
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 17 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 2–3: SOUTH BOWIE SMOKE and TOP GUN BARBECUE tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 5–6: DRILLING & GRILLING and BIG RAZ BBQ tied on 174.3200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 8–9: PULLIN' MY MONEY MUSCLE and PIGGIN' WHISKEY tied on 173.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 2–3 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
175.4400
best pork ribs ever cooked here
APORKALYPSE NOW turned in 175.4400 in pork ribs — past the 175.4288 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4288
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (won 2018).
- WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ · 2018
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 →
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 176.5600 | 174.3200 | 171.9772 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 173.1084 | 170.2856 |
| Master Series — Pork | 177.7028 | 174.2628 | 172.5600 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.7028 | 175.4056 | 171.9656 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 170.2628 | 163.9544 | 155.9772 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 166.2972 | 163.9884 | 152.5140 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
48 entries · top 699.3944 · median 660.2000
Chicken
48 entries · top 176.5600 · median 164.8400
Pork Ribs
48 entries · top 175.4400 · median 164.8114
Pork
48 entries · top 177.7028 · median 166.8286
Brisket
48 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.9714
Backyard Series
Overall
11 entries · top 333.6800 · median 323.3712
Chicken
11 entries · top 170.2628 · median 162.8228
Pork Ribs
11 entries · top 166.2972 · median 163.4056