A day of perfect scores
4
perfect 180s
4 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- CYNICAL BBQ · Brisket
- CYNICAL BBQ · Chicken
- Cherry Anchor BBQ · Pork
Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) 2026
Aug 7–8, 2026 · Felton, CA · 📍 5401 Graham Hill Rd · State championship
Reps: Ian Schmidt, Julie Poe · Prize money: $6,000
CYNICAL BBQ won Grand Champion at the Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) on August 7, 2026 in Felton, CA at 5401 Graham Hill Rd, scoring 708.5256 in a field of 25 teams. Simply Marvelous BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.6916. Category winners: Chicken — CYNICAL BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Colorado Bulldawg BBQ (177.7372); Pork — Cherry Anchor BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — CYNICAL BBQ (180.0000). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Cherry Anchor BBQ; the next was held in 2026.
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.
623.85
median 682.18
708.53 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 177.74
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 180 🔥
151.97
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2023 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
25
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
708.5256
Winning margin
6.8340
GC over RC
Field average
677.84
623.85708.53
median 682.18 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
685.0516
623.85708.53
10th place overall
Field spread
84.6740
winner to last place
Prize money
$6,000
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 6%
beats 94% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
32%
10 of 31 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.75 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,589
avg power rating going in · stronger than 70% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: Rio Good BBQ and BONE RUBBIN BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: Cherry Anchor BBQ and Big Cat BBQ tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: Cherry Anchor BBQ and Rio Good BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
CYNICAL BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
CYNICAL BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 14th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 14th
- Brisket 1st
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Simply Marvelous BBQ (won 2023), Cherry Anchor BBQ (won 2024).
- Simply Marvelous BBQ · 2023
- Cherry Anchor BBQ · 2024
The biggest field yet
25
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 20 teams
25 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 20.
The contest returns
2.2 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 2.2 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2024-05-24.
- previous edition 2024-05-24
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2023 | Felton, CA | 5401 Graham Hill Rd | 19 | 689.0856 | Simply Marvelous BBQ | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ |
| May 24, 2024 | Felton, CA | 5401 Graham Hill Rd | 21 | 713.7028 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ |
| Aug 7, 2026 ← this one | Felton, CA | 5401 Graham Hill Rd | 25 | 708.5256 | CYNICAL BBQ | Simply Marvelous BBQ |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Felton, CA | 5401 Graham Hill Rd | 17 | 710.2628 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | Smokin Colt |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4172 | 171.4172 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 174.8572 | 171.9772 |
| Pork | 180 | 175.4400 | 174.2628 |
| Brisket | 180 | 178.8572 | 172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 708.5256 · median 682.1828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 2 | Simply Marvelous BBQ | |
| 3 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 4 | Rio Good BBQ | |
| 5 | Bull Market BBQ | |
| 6 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 7 | OMBBQ COMPANY | |
| 8 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 9 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 10 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 11 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 12 | Bar-B-Cuda BBQ | |
| 13 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 14 | MYA&DJ'S BBQ | |
| 15 | KO BBQ | |
| 16 | SLO DOG Q | |
| 17 | Smokin Colt | |
| 18 | ALOTTA BS BBQ | |
| 19 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 20 | 8UP Barbeque | |
| 21 | Ric's Righteous Ribs | |
| 22 | RBQ | |
| 23 | Butcher's Daughter BBQ | |
| 24 | B&E BBQ | |
| 25 | Smokin Bloak's |
Chicken
25 entries · top 180 · median 169.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 2 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 3 | Simply Marvelous BBQ | |
| 4 | Bull Market BBQ | |
| 5 | Rio Good BBQ | |
| 6 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 7 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 8 | Bar-B-Cuda BBQ | |
| 9 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 10 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 11 | RBQ | |
| 12 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 13 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 14 | Ric's Righteous Ribs | |
| 15 | Smokin Colt | |
| 16 | Butcher's Daughter BBQ | |
| 17 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 18 | SLO DOG Q | |
| 19 | OMBBQ COMPANY | |
| 20 | MYA&DJ'S BBQ | |
| 21 | 8UP Barbeque | |
| 22 | ALOTTA BS BBQ | |
| 23 | B&E BBQ | |
| 24 | KO BBQ | |
| 25 | Smokin Bloak's |
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 177.7372 · median 170.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 2 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 3 | ALOTTA BS BBQ | |
| 4 | OMBBQ COMPANY | |
| 5 | Rio Good BBQ | |
| 6 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 7 | Simply Marvelous BBQ | |
| 8 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 9 | SLO DOG Q | |
| 10 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 11 | KO BBQ | |
| 12 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 13 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 14 | Ric's Righteous Ribs | |
| 15 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 16 | 8UP Barbeque | |
| 17 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 18 | MYA&DJ'S BBQ | |
| 19 | Butcher's Daughter BBQ | |
| 20 | Bull Market BBQ | |
| 21 | RBQ | |
| 22 | Smokin Colt | |
| 23 | Bar-B-Cuda BBQ | |
| 24 | Smokin Bloak's | |
| 25 | B&E BBQ |
Pork
25 entries · top 180 · median 170.8572 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 2 | Rio Good BBQ | |
| 3 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 4 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 5 | Simply Marvelous BBQ | |
| 6 | KO BBQ | |
| 7 | Bull Market BBQ | |
| 8 | MYA&DJ'S BBQ | |
| 9 | OMBBQ COMPANY | |
| 10 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 11 | Bar-B-Cuda BBQ | |
| 12 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 13 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 14 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 15 | Smokin Colt | |
| 16 | Butcher's Daughter BBQ | |
| 17 | SLO DOG Q | |
| 18 | Ric's Righteous Ribs | |
| 19 | 8UP Barbeque | |
| 20 | B&E BBQ | |
| 21 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 22 | ALOTTA BS BBQ | |
| 23 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 24 | RBQ | |
| 25 | Smokin Bloak's |
Brisket
25 entries · top 180 · median 169.6800 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 2 | Bull Market BBQ | |
| 3 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 4 | Bar-B-Cuda BBQ | |
| 5 | Cherry Anchor BBQ | |
| 6 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 7 | Simply Marvelous BBQ | |
| 8 | OMBBQ COMPANY | |
| 9 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 10 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 11 | RBQ | |
| 12 | MYA&DJ'S BBQ | |
| 13 | Smokin Colt | |
| 14 | ALOTTA BS BBQ | |
| 15 | Rio Good BBQ | |
| 16 | 8UP Barbeque | |
| 17 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 18 | SLO DOG Q | |
| 19 | KO BBQ | |
| 20 | B&E BBQ | |
| 21 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 22 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 23 | Butcher's Daughter BBQ | |
| 24 | Ric's Righteous Ribs | |
| 25 | Smokin Bloak's |
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 — Dessert
9 entries · top 180 · median 173.7028 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 2 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 3 | ALOTTA BS BBQ | |
| 4 | Bar-B-Cuda BBQ | |
| 5 | OMBBQ COMPANY | |
| 6 | Pops BBQ 22 | |
| 7 | Smokin Colt | |
| 8 | 8UP Barbeque | |
| 9 | B&E BBQ |