A new contest record
692.5488
highest overall ever cooked here
692.5488 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 688.4912 WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ set in 2018.
- old record 688.4912
- set 2018 by WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ
Smoke in the Grove 2019
Jul 26–27, 2019 · Spring Grove, PA · 📍 205 E Railroad Street · State championship
Reps: Alex Jr Brown, Louise Weidner, Robert McKee · Prize money: $13,000
TEAM MEAT COMA won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Grove on July 26, 2019 in Spring Grove, PA at 205 E Railroad Street, scoring 692.5488 in a field of 53 teams. SMOKIN' TEX BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 686.2744. Category winners: Chicken — TEAM MEAT COMA (177.1428); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN' TEX BBQ (177.7372); Pork — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (176.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by SWEET & SAVORY BBQ with 341.1888. The Open Comp standings were won by YORK COUNTY SHERIFF with 337.0628. This is the 3rd of 7 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.
537.25
median 652.01
692.55 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 177.14
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 177.74
- Master Series — Pork 177.71
- Master Series — Brisket 176
- Backyard Series — Chicken 173.74
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 168.59
- Open Comp — Pork Ribs 174.86
58.48
177.74
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
53
7 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
692.5488
Winning margin
6.2744
GC over RC
Field average
646.43
537.25692.55
median 652.01 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
671.9544
537.25692.55
10th place overall
Field spread
155.3028
winner to last place
Prize money
$13,000
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
Widest winning margin
Pork Ribs
won by 7.4744 pts — CARROLL COUNTY PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS AND PARAMEDICS
How hot was the win?
Top 62%
beats 38% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
56%
30 of 54 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.38 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,549
avg power rating going in · stronger than 37% 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
14-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 86 times in 100
Team Meat Coma came in rated below the field's top team, WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 14-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1645
- top seed 1961
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 5–6: APORKALYPSE NOW and MACK DADDYS BBQ tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: MACK DADDYS BBQ and JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 7–8: JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS and CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ won Pork, Brisket — a double.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
TEAM MEAT COMA took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 8th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 7th
A contest record in pork
177.7144
best pork ever cooked here
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ turned in 177.7144 in pork — past the 176.0000 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 176.0000
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ (won 2017), WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (won 2018).
- CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ · 2017
- 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 →
| 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 | Spring Grove, PA | 205 E Railroad Street | 54 | 688.4912 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| Jul 26, 2019 ← this one | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 177.1428 | 173.7144 | 172.5716 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 170.8572 | 169.7144 |
| Master Series — Pork | 177.7144 | 172.5716 | 170.2972 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 176 | 173.1428 | 169.1316 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 173.7372 | 165.0856 | 155.3940 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 168.5944 | 159.4056 | 155.9432 |
| Open Comp — Pork Ribs | 174.8572 | 159.4628 | 142.8572 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
53 entries · top 692.5488 · median 652.0120
Chicken
53 entries · top 177.1428 · median 164.5828
Pork Ribs
53 entries · top 177.7372 · median 162.2744
Pork
53 entries · top 177.7144 · median 163.3828
Brisket
53 entries · top 176 · median 162.8800
Backyard Series
Overall
21 entries · top 341.1888 · median 308.5488
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 2 | THE NUT HOUSE | |
| 3 | Zoni-Q | |
| 4 | TNT Explosive BBQ | |
| 5 | Capt. Blue BBQ | |
| 6 | MANHATTAN JACK'S BBQ | |
| 7 | No Worries BBQ! | |
| 8 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 9 | BUTCHIE'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 10 | Bullet Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | Smoke 'em if you got 'em bbq | |
| 12 | Ungertaker BBQ | |
| 13 | Small Batch BBQ | |
| 14 | JarheadBbq | |
| 15 | MoFoHo Smokin BBQ | |
| 16 | Freedom BBQ | |
| 17 | MEATHEAD BBQ | |
| 18 | Ribbin One Out | |
| 19 | 2 Old Navy Chiefs and a Baker | |
| 20 | McClown's Que | |
| 21 | Porkers Post BBQ |
Chicken
21 entries · top 173.7372 · median 152.5488
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 2 | THE NUT HOUSE | |
| 3 | Zoni-Q | |
| 4 | BUTCHIE'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 5 | TNT Explosive BBQ | |
| 6 | Smoke 'em if you got 'em bbq | |
| 7 | MANHATTAN JACK'S BBQ | |
| 8 | Capt. Blue BBQ | |
| 9 | Bullet Smoke BBQ | |
| 10 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 11 | Small Batch BBQ | |
| 12 | MEATHEAD BBQ | |
| 13 | JarheadBbq | |
| 14 | Ribbin One Out | |
| 15 | No Worries BBQ! | |
| 16 | Porkers Post BBQ | |
| 17 | Ungertaker BBQ | |
| 18 | MoFoHo Smokin BBQ | |
| 19 | Freedom BBQ | |
| 20 | McClown's Que | |
| 21 | 2 Old Navy Chiefs and a Baker |
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 168.5944 · median 147.9200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No Worries BBQ! | |
| 2 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 3 | THE NUT HOUSE | |
| 4 | Ungertaker BBQ | |
| 5 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 6 | Capt. Blue BBQ | |
| 7 | Zoni-Q | |
| 8 | MANHATTAN JACK'S BBQ | |
| 9 | TNT Explosive BBQ | |
| 10 | Bullet Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | 2 Old Navy Chiefs and a Baker | |
| 12 | BUTCHIE'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 13 | Small Batch BBQ | |
| 14 | MoFoHo Smokin BBQ | |
| 15 | Smoke 'em if you got 'em bbq | |
| 16 | Freedom BBQ | |
| 17 | JarheadBbq | |
| 18 | McClown's Que | |
| 19 | Ribbin One Out | |
| 20 | MEATHEAD BBQ | |
| 21 | Porkers Post BBQ |
Open Comp
Overall
10 entries · top 337.0628 · median 318.5886 · out of 360, not the usual 720
Pork Ribs
10 entries · top 174.8572 · median 156.8686
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.
Open Comp — Wings
10 entries · top 169.6800 · median 163.1428