A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2017
- 2019
Smoke in the Park 2019
Sep 27–28, 2019 · Lemoyne, PA · 📍 Hummel Ave · State championship
Reps: Louise Weidner, Robert McKee · Prize money: $10,000
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Park on September 27, 2019 in Lemoyne, PA at Hummel Ave, scoring 680.4796 in a field of 40 teams. SMOKIN' TEX BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 674.7888. Category winners: Chicken — 4 BOXERS Q (173.7372); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN' TEX BBQ (171.4172); Pork — OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE (174.2628); Brisket — OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE (176.5828). This is the 5th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by LO' -N- SLO' BBQ; 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.
459.50
median 649.90
680.48 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 173.74
- Pork Ribs 171.42
- Pork 174.26
- Brisket 176.58
139.37
176.58
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
40
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
680.4796
Winning margin
5.6908
GC over RC
Field average
644.39
459.50680.48
median 649.90 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
660.4112
459.50680.48
10th place overall
Field spread
220.9824
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 89%
beats 11% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
52%
16 of 31 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,582
avg power rating going in · stronger than 65% 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 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: MMM PORK PORK PORK and BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 6–7: V Licious BBQ and 4 BOXERS Q tied on 170.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 8–9: ALL FIRED UP BBQ and PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS tied on 169.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Brisket 6–7 · tie
- Brisket 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE won Pork, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 25th.
- Chicken 25th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE (won 2017).
- OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2015 | Lemoyne, PA | Lemoyne, PA | 34 | 674.8000 | 3 EYZ BBQ | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Lemoyne, PA | Memorial Park | 38 | 686.2744 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Lemoyne, PA | 60 Hummel Av, Memorial Park | 44 | 682.7656 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 4:20 Q |
| Sep 28, 2018 | Lemoyne, PA | 60 Hummel Av, Memorial Park | 31 | 686.8000 | LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Sep 27, 2019 ← this one | Lemoyne, PA | Hummel Ave | 40 | 680.4796 | Old Virginia Smoke | SMOKIN' TEX BBQ |
| Sep 24, 2021 | Lemoyne, PA | Memorial Park | 31 | 690.2744 | Good Googly Goo BBQ | Checkered Flag 500 |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 173.7372 | 170.8228 | 168.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 171.4172 | 166.3316 | 163.4516 |
| Pork | 174.2628 | 171.4056 | 167.9772 |
| Brisket | 176.5828 | 170.2744 | 169.1084 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
40 entries · top 680.4796 · median 649.9028
Chicken
39 entries · top 173.7372 · median 164.5488
Pork Ribs
40 entries · top 171.4172 · median 159.4058
Pork
40 entries · top 174.2628 · median 165.4286
Brisket
40 entries · top 176.5828 · median 164.5370
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.
Ancillary — Chef'S Choice
8 entries · top 177.7028 · median 171.4000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN' TEX BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 3 | PULLIN' MY MONEY MUSCLE | |
| 4 | SMOKIN' STUFF BBQ | |
| 5 | ALL FIRED UP BBQ | |
| 6 | 50 SHADES OF PORK | |
| 7 | BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM | |
| 8 | River Smokers WV |
Ancillary — Sausage
18 entries · top 176.5600 · median 165.1258