A new contest record
696.5028
highest overall ever cooked here
696.5028 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 694.7656 REDNECK SCIENTIFIC set in 2016.
- old record 694.7656
- set 2016 by REDNECK SCIENTIFIC
Squealin on the Square 2019
Oct 4–5, 2019 · Laurens, SC · 📍 119 E Laurens St · State championship
Reps: Debby Harwell, Don Harwell · Prize money: $7,400
SMOKE ON THIS won Grand Champion at the Squealin on the Square on October 4, 2019 in Laurens, SC at 119 E Laurens St, scoring 696.5028 in a field of 19 teams. RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES took Reserve Grand Champion with 684.4912. Category winners: Chicken — Nard's Backyard BBQ (173.7600); Pork Ribs — SMOKE ON THIS (174.8572); Pork — SMOKE ON THIS (173.1200); Brisket — RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES (175.4400). This is the 5th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by REDNECK SCIENTIFIC; 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.
565.99
median 663.31
696.50 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 173.76
- Pork Ribs 174.86
- Pork 173.12
- Brisket 175.44
123.30
175.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
19
4 judged meats
Top score
696.5028
Winning margin
12.0116
GC over RC
Field average
648.99
565.99696.50
median 663.31 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
0.6516 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
663.3144
565.99696.50
10th place overall
Field spread
130.5144
winner to last place
Prize money
$7,400
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 48%
beats 52% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
27%
7 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.83 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,581
avg power rating going in · stronger than 64% of contests
Storylines (6 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.
A statement win
12.0116
points clear of the field
Wider than 92% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.0116 points — a wider margin than 92% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: CONTAGIOUS Q and RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES tied on 173.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES and SMOKIN NC tied on 173.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: SMOKE CENTRAL BBQ and SUE E PIGG tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
SMOKE ON THIS won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKE ON THIS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 2nd.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
The contest returns
3 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 3 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2016-09-30.
- previous edition 2016-09-30
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 2013 | Laurens, SC | Laurens, SC | 28 | 691.3828 | KILLER B'S BBQ | TENACIOUS Q |
| Oct 3, 2014 | Laurens, SC | Laurens, SC 29360 | 25 | 692.0116 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | TEMPLAR TEMPTATIONS |
| Oct 2, 2015 | Laurens, SC | Laurens, SC 29360 | 25 | 687.3368 | VICTORY SMOKERS | THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA |
| Sep 30, 2016 | Laurens, SC | Downtown | 26 | 694.7656 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE |
| Oct 4, 2019 ← this one | Laurens, SC | 119 E Laurens St | 19 | 696.5028 | Smoke on This | RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES |
| Oct 1, 2021 | Laurens, SC | 119 E Laurens St | 17 | 695.9316 | Continental Barbecue Co. | REDMULE'S BBQ |
| Sep 30, 2022 | Laurens, SC | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 173.7600 | 173.1084 | 168.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.8572 | 173.1200 | 167.3944 |
| Pork | 173.1200 | 169.1084 | 162.7884 |
| Brisket | 175.4400 | 167.3828 | 162.2516 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
19 entries · top 696.5028 · median 663.3144
Chicken
19 entries · top 173.7600 · median 168.5256
Pork Ribs
19 entries · top 174.8572 · median 167.3944
Pork
19 entries · top 173.1200 · median 162.7884
Brisket
19 entries · top 175.4400 · median 162.2516