A new contest record
690.2284
highest overall ever cooked here
690.2284 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 687.4056 APORKALYPSE NOW set in 2018.
- old record 687.4056
- set 2018 by APORKALYPSE NOW
Maryland State BBQ Bash 2019
Aug 9–10, 2019 · Belair, MD · 📍 2S Bond St · State championship
Reps: Angela McKee, Robert McKee · Prize money: $12,500
Nice Racks won Grand Champion at the Maryland State BBQ Bash on August 9, 2019 in Belair, MD at 2S Bond St, scoring 690.2284 in a field of 30 teams. APORKALYPSE NOW took Reserve Grand Champion with 683.9544. Category winners: Chicken — SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ (172.5600); Pork Ribs — UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT (176.0116); Pork — SMOKIN' TEX BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — Nice Racks (176.5828). The Open Comp standings were won by Bearded BBQ with 328.5600. This is the 4th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by APORKALYPSE NOW; the next was held in 2021.
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.
563.82
median 659.31
690.23 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 172.56
- Pork Ribs 176.01
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176.58
126.79
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2023 — this edition picked out.
Entries
39
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
690.2284
Winning margin
6.2740
GC over RC
Field average
649.54
563.82690.23
median 659.31 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
668.4344
563.82690.23
10th place overall
Field spread
126.4116
winner to last place
Prize money
$12,500
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 70%
beats 30% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
39%
15 of 38 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.28 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,535
avg power rating going in · stronger than 25% 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
14-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 86 times in 100
Nice Racks came in rated below the field's top team, APORKALYPSE NOW, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 14-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1580
- top seed 1902
A first Grand Championship
25
tracked contests to get there
This was Nice Racks's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 25th tracked contest.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ and APORKALYPSE NOW tied on 170.8344 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: SMOKESTACK REDEMPTION and NOT SO FAMOUS DAVE'S BBQ tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 1–2: UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT edged DRILLING & GRILLING by 0.0116.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · 0.0116
- Chicken 3–4 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Nice Racks took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 10th.
- Chicken 10th
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork
180.0000
best pork ever cooked here
SMOKIN' TEX BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT (won 2017), APORKALYPSE NOW (won 2018).
- UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT · 2017
- APORKALYPSE NOW · 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.
- SMOKIN' TEX BBQ · Pork
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2016 | Bel Air, MD | Bel Air, MD | 42 | 683.9540 | SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE | HAWG NATION BBQ |
| Aug 11, 2017 | Bel Air, MD | 2S Bond Street | 47 | 686.2056 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE |
| Aug 10, 2018 | Bel Air, MD | 2S Bond Street | 38 | 687.4056 | APORKALYPSE NOW | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ |
| Aug 9, 2019 ← this one | Belair, MD | 2S Bond St | 30 | 690.2284 | Nice Racks | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Belair, MD | 2 S Bond St | 25 | 701.1200 | 3N1 Q | DRILLING & GRILLING |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Belair, MD | 2 S Bond St | 30 | 693.6684 | TNT Explosive BBQ | NOT SO FAMOUS DAVE'S BBQ |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Bel Air, MD | 2 S Bond St | 23 | 699.9660 | Cool Smoke | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 172.5600 | 171.4172 | 168.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.0116 | 173.1544 | 171.4172 |
| Pork | 180 | 171.4172 | 166.2744 |
| Brisket | 176.5828 | 173.7372 | 165.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 690.2284 · median 659.3084
Chicken
30 entries · top 172.5600 · median 165.6914
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 176.0116 · median 165.6858
Pork
30 entries · top 180 · median 162.8056 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
30 entries · top 176.5828 · median 163.9656
Open Comp
Overall
39 entries · top 328.5600 · median 300.5832 · out of 360, not the usual 720
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bearded BBQ | |
| 2 | Kane's Competition BBQ | |
| 3 | Alchemy BBQ | |
| 4 | Capt Blue BBQ | |
| 5 | Top Hat Smoking BBQ | |
| 6 | Little Brothers BBQ | |
| 7 | Old Hilltop BBQ | |
| 8 | Blowin' Smoke | |
| 9 | THE NUT HOUSE | |
| 10 | Smoke N Hos | |
| 11 | Granny-Q | |
| 12 | Appleswine | |
| 13 | The Bearded Grillbillies | |
| 14 | Smokin Daddio | |
| 15 | Smoke Damage | |
| 16 | Three J's BBQ | |
| 17 | Benefit Ct BBQ | |
| 18 | Pig Kahunas | |
| 19 | Sauced Up Porkers | |
| 20 | SNAFU BBQ | |
| 21 | Rubbin' and Chuggin' BBQ | |
| 22 | Dirty Boy BBQ | |
| 23 | Make BBQ Great Again | |
| 24 | Blue Line BBQ | |
| 25 | Bone Suckin Good BBQ | |
| 26 | Snow Hillbilly BBQ | |
| 27 | Smoker Ace | |
| 28 | Admiral Nelsons BBQ | |
| 29 | Smoke Rings Barbecue | |
| 30 | Pork Engineering | |
| 31 | Bush River BBQ | |
| 32 | Cabbageman BBQ | |
| 33 | Big G's Smokehouse | |
| 34 | Bros & BBQ | |
| 35 | Hot Meat and Cold Beer | |
| 36 | Black and White BBQ | |
| 37 | Buckley Boys BBQ | |
| 38 | Spartan Sports and Wellness | |
| 39 | Warpig BBQ |
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 — Tailgate Chicken
39 entries · top 164.5944 · median 150.2172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appleswine | |
| 2 | Kane's Competition BBQ | |
| 3 | Smoke N Hos | |
| 4 | Three J's BBQ | |
| 5 | Capt Blue BBQ | |
| 6 | SNAFU BBQ | |
| 7 | Little Brothers BBQ | |
| 8 | THE NUT HOUSE | |
| 9 | Rubbin' and Chuggin' BBQ | |
| 10 | Sauced Up Porkers | |
| 11 | Blue Line BBQ | |
| 12 | Alchemy BBQ | |
| 13 | Top Hat Smoking BBQ | |
| 14 | Blowin' Smoke | |
| 15 | Bearded BBQ | |
| 16 | Smokin Daddio | |
| 17 | Pig Kahunas | |
| 18 | Old Hilltop BBQ | |
| 19 | Dirty Boy BBQ | |
| 20 | The Bearded Grillbillies | |
| 21 | Benefit Ct BBQ | |
| 22 | Smoke Damage | |
| 23 | Make BBQ Great Again | |
| 24 | Bros & BBQ | |
| 25 | Granny-Q | |
| 26 | Bone Suckin Good BBQ | |
| 27 | Snow Hillbilly BBQ | |
| 28 | Bush River BBQ | |
| 29 | Black and White BBQ | |
| 30 | Pork Engineering | |
| 31 | Big G's Smokehouse | |
| 32 | Smoker Ace | |
| 33 | Cabbageman BBQ | |
| 34 | Admiral Nelsons BBQ | |
| 35 | Buckley Boys BBQ | |
| 36 | Smoke Rings Barbecue | |
| 37 | Spartan Sports and Wellness | |
| 38 | Hot Meat and Cold Beer | |
| 39 | Warpig BBQ |
Open Comp — Tailgate Ribs
39 entries · top 173.7372 · median 147.4172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bearded BBQ | |
| 2 | Granny-Q | |
| 3 | Alchemy BBQ | |
| 4 | Old Hilltop BBQ | |
| 5 | Top Hat Smoking BBQ | |
| 6 | Smoke Rings Barbecue | |
| 7 | Kane's Competition BBQ | |
| 8 | The Bearded Grillbillies | |
| 9 | Blowin' Smoke | |
| 10 | Capt Blue BBQ | |
| 11 | Smoke Damage | |
| 12 | Admiral Nelsons BBQ | |
| 13 | Warpig BBQ | |
| 14 | Little Brothers BBQ | |
| 15 | Benefit Ct BBQ | |
| 16 | THE NUT HOUSE | |
| 17 | Smokin Daddio | |
| 18 | Smoker Ace | |
| 19 | Pig Kahunas | |
| 20 | Bone Suckin Good BBQ | |
| 21 | Smoke N Hos | |
| 22 | Snow Hillbilly BBQ | |
| 23 | Dirty Boy BBQ | |
| 24 | Make BBQ Great Again | |
| 25 | Sauced Up Porkers | |
| 26 | Pork Engineering | |
| 27 | Cabbageman BBQ | |
| 28 | Appleswine | |
| 29 | Hot Meat and Cold Beer | |
| 30 | SNAFU BBQ | |
| 31 | Three J's BBQ | |
| 32 | Bush River BBQ | |
| 33 | Big G's Smokehouse | |
| 34 | Rubbin' and Chuggin' BBQ | |
| 35 | Blue Line BBQ | |
| 36 | Bros & BBQ | |
| 37 | Spartan Sports and Wellness | |
| 38 | Buckley Boys BBQ | |
| 39 | Black and White BBQ |