A new contest record
697.0972
highest overall ever cooked here
697.0972 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 691.9432 Who Cares BBQ set in 2020.
- old record 691.9432
- set 2020 by Who Cares BBQ
Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club 2021
Mar 19–20, 2021 · Summerville, SC · 📍 Dorchester Shrine Club · State championship
Reps: Alan Rothrock, Doug Reid
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE won Grand Champion at the Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club on March 19, 2021 in Summerville, SC at Dorchester Shrine Club, scoring 697.0972 in a field of 26 teams. SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6456. Category winners: Chicken — HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — SWIG-N-PIG (178.8572); Pork — SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM (176.5600); Brisket — REDNECK SCIENTIFIC (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by TFS PIT VIPERS with 345.1200. This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2020 edition was won by Who Cares BBQ.
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.
522.80
median 679.09
697.10 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 178.86
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 178.86
- Master Series — Pork 176.56
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 170.86
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 176.01
147.95
180
Entries
26
6 judged meats
Top score
697.0972
Winning margin
3.4516
GC over RC
Field average
671.82
522.80697.10
median 679.09 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.8972
522.80697.10
10th place overall
Field spread
174.2972
winner to last place
Double threats
9
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 45%
beats 55% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
42%
10 of 24 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.39 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,615
avg power rating going in · stronger than 85% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 7th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 4–5: MAYA JANE BBQ CO. and OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM and Smoke Central BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 4–5: SMOKIN SKULLIES and Smoke Central BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 1–2 · tie
A contest record in chicken
178.8572
best chicken ever cooked here
HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ turned in 178.8572 in chicken — past the 174.8572 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.8572
- across 1 past editions
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.
- REDNECK SCIENTIFIC · Brisket
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 16, 2020 | Summerville, SC | Summerville, SC | 24 | 691.9432 | Who Cares BBQ | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ |
| Mar 19, 2021 ← this one | Summerville, SC | Dorchester Shrine Club | 26 | 697.0972 | Old Virginia Smoke | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 174.2744 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 171.9888 |
| Master Series — Pork | 176.5600 | 173.7028 | 169.6800 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 172.5484 | 170.8228 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 170.8572 | 163.4056 | — |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 176.0116 | 169.1084 | — |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 697.0972 · median 679.0860
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 3 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 4 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 5 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 6 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 7 | SWIG-N-PIG | |
| 8 | SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM | |
| 9 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 10 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 11 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 12 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 13 | HawgWash BBQ. | |
| 14 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 15 | MAYA JANE BBQ CO. | |
| 16 | Kings BBQ Team | |
| 17 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 18 | WILD HOGS BBQ | |
| 19 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 20 | ELEGANTLY VIOLENT BBQ | |
| 21 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 22 | YES, DEAR BBQ | |
| 23 | Big Bear's BBQ | |
| 24 | Centsless BBQ | |
| 25 | Fu Man Que | |
| 26 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ |
Chicken
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.9714
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 2 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 3 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 4 | MAYA JANE BBQ CO. | |
| 5 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 6 | SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM | |
| 7 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 8 | Kings BBQ Team | |
| 9 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 10 | HawgWash BBQ. | |
| 11 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 13 | SWIG-N-PIG | |
| 14 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 15 | Big Bear's BBQ | |
| 16 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 17 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 18 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 19 | ELEGANTLY VIOLENT BBQ | |
| 20 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 21 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 22 | Centsless BBQ | |
| 23 | YES, DEAR BBQ | |
| 24 | WILD HOGS BBQ | |
| 25 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 26 | Fu Man Que |
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWIG-N-PIG | |
| 2 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 3 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 5 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 6 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 7 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 8 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 10 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 11 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 12 | ELEGANTLY VIOLENT BBQ | |
| 13 | WILD HOGS BBQ | |
| 14 | HawgWash BBQ. | |
| 15 | YES, DEAR BBQ | |
| 16 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 17 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 18 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 19 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 20 | Kings BBQ Team | |
| 21 | SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM | |
| 22 | MAYA JANE BBQ CO. | |
| 23 | Big Bear's BBQ | |
| 24 | Centsless BBQ | |
| 25 | Fu Man Que |
Pork
26 entries · top 176.5600 · median 168.5314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM | |
| 2 | WILD HOGS BBQ | |
| 3 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 4 | SWIG-N-PIG | |
| 5 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 7 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 8 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 9 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 10 | YES, DEAR BBQ | |
| 11 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 12 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 13 | ELEGANTLY VIOLENT BBQ | |
| 14 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 15 | Centsless BBQ | |
| 16 | Big Bear's BBQ | |
| 17 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 18 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 19 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 20 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 21 | HawgWash BBQ. | |
| 22 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 23 | MAYA JANE BBQ CO. | |
| 24 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 25 | Kings BBQ Team | |
| 26 | Fu Man Que |
Brisket
26 entries · top 180 · median 169.3942 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 2 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 3 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 5 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 6 | Kings BBQ Team | |
| 7 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 8 | MAYA JANE BBQ CO. | |
| 9 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 10 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 11 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 12 | SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM | |
| 13 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 14 | HawgWash BBQ. | |
| 15 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 16 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 17 | ELEGANTLY VIOLENT BBQ | |
| 18 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 19 | YES, DEAR BBQ | |
| 20 | Fu Man Que | |
| 21 | WILD HOGS BBQ | |
| 22 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 23 | SWIG-N-PIG | |
| 24 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 25 | Centsless BBQ | |
| 26 | Big Bear's BBQ |
Backyard Series
Overall
7 entries · top 345.1200 · median 335.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TFS PIT VIPERS | |
| 2 | KenzielouQ | |
| 3 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 4 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 5 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 6 | Ham Squad | |
| 7 | Dogpatch Q |
Chicken
7 entries · top 170.8572 · median 165.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TFS PIT VIPERS | |
| 2 | KenzielouQ | |
| 3 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 4 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 5 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 6 | Ham Squad | |
| 7 | Dogpatch Q |
Pork Ribs
7 entries · top 176.0116 · median 171.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KenzielouQ | |
| 2 | TFS PIT VIPERS | |
| 3 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 4 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 5 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 6 | Ham Squad | |
| 7 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH |