Jul 24–25, 2020 · Leburn, KY · 📍 Knott County Sportsplex · State championship
Reps: Debby Harwell, Don Harwell · Prize money: $5,000
THUNDER HOG BBQ won Grand Champion at the Fire on the Mountain on July 24, 2020 in Leburn, KY at Knott County Sportsplex, scoring 691.4400 in a field of 30 teams. CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. took Reserve Grand Champion with 686.8340. Category winners: Chicken — Shiggin aint easy (178.2972); Pork Ribs — THUNDER HOG BBQ (176.0000); Pork — WHO CARES BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. (177.7372). This is the 5th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by CONTINENTAL BARBECUE CO..
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2020 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
THUNDER HOG BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, Organizer Portal, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
Stronger than 96% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1653 power rating going in — stronger than 96% of every contest tracked.
Brisket places 9–10: Butts-N-Racks BBQ and Organizer Portal tied on 170.8456 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: OWENSBORO PORK PULLERS edged BURNING PIG BBQ by 0.0112. Brisket places 4–5: BURNING PIG BBQ edged Meat Misters by 0.0116.
THUNDER HOG BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 14th.
CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. turned in 177.7372 in brisket — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ (won 2016), THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW (won 2018).
This contest usually draws about 17 teams
30 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 17.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2016 | Leburn, KY | Knott County Sportsplex | 15 | 687.9884 | K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ | SOUTH PORK |
| Jul 28, 2017 | Leburn, KY | Knott County Sportsplex | 13 | 690.2284 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW |
| Jul 27, 2018 | Leburn, KY | Knott County Sportsplex | 13 | 685.0168 | THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW | SMOKE ON THIS |
| Jul 26, 2019 | Leburn, KY | Knott County Sportsplex | 25 | 698.8000 | CONTINENTAL BARBECUE CO. | SMOKE ON THIS |
| Jul 24, 2020 ← this one | Leburn, KY | Knott County Sportsplex | 30 | 691.4400 | Thunder Hog BBQ | CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.2972 | 174.8456 | 169.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 172.5600 | 169.7372 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 170.2856 |
| Brisket | 177.7372 | 173.1428 | 170.8456 |
30 entries · top 691.4400 · median 671.1086
30 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.3030
30 entries · top 176 · median 166.5714
30 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.5942
30 entries · top 177.7372 · median 167.6856