A knife fight at the top
4.5716
points across the top five
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.5716 points.
- 1st PALMETTO PITMASTERS
- 2nd SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS
- 3rd FALLOUT BBQ
- 4th HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ
- 5th Smoke Central BBQ
Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Roebuck 2021
Jun 11–12, 2021 · Roebuck, SC · 📍 Pine Ridge Campground · State championship
Reps: Alan Rothrock, Doug Reid
PALMETTO PITMASTERS won Grand Champion at the Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Roebuck on June 11, 2021 in Roebuck, SC at Pine Ridge Campground, scoring 699.9428 in a field of 28 teams. SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.0628. Category winners: Chicken — CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC (179.4400); Pork Ribs — HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ (179.4400); Pork — PALMETTO PITMASTERS (178.8572); Brisket — SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS (177.7028). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2020 edition was won by Redneck Scientific.
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.
638.71
median 679.63
699.94 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 179.44
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 177.70
151.95
179.44
Entries
28
4 judged meats
Top score
699.9428
Winning margin
2.8800
GC over RC
Field average
678.19
638.71699.94
median 679.63 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
686.1480
638.71699.94
10th place overall
Field spread
61.2340
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 34%
beats 66% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
44%
15 of 34 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.56 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,590
avg power rating going in · stronger than 72% of contests
Storylines (4 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 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: SPEAKS FOR ITSELF BBQ and SMOKE SHOW MAFIA tied on 177.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: PALMETTO PITMASTERS and $centless bbq$ tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ and FALLOUT BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
PALMETTO PITMASTERS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 10th.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 6th
A contest record in chicken
179.4400
best chicken ever cooked here
CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC turned in 179.4400 in chicken — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 1 past editions
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2020 | Roebuck, SC | Roebuck, SC | 34 | 700.5144 | Redneck Scientific | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
| Jun 11, 2021 ← this one | Roebuck, SC | Pine Ridge Campground | 28 | 699.9428 | Palmetto Pitmasters | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 177.1428 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 173.1200 | 170.8228 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 171.9656 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 175.4056 | 173.1084 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 699.9428 · median 679.6342
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PALMETTO PITMASTERS | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 3 | FALLOUT BBQ | |
| 4 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 5 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 6 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 7 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | |
| 9 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 10 | Swine-O's | |
| 11 | SPEAKS FOR ITSELF BBQ | |
| 12 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 13 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 14 | Pig on Fire | |
| 15 | CBF Que | |
| 16 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 17 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 18 | Willingham's | |
| 19 | HOLT BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 20 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 21 | THE HOG MAFIA | |
| 22 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 23 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 24 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 25 | $centless bbq$ | |
| 26 | Smokin J's Barbeque | |
| 27 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 28 | Swine-O’s |
Chicken
28 entries · top 179.4400 · median 172.5428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 2 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 3 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 4 | SPEAKS FOR ITSELF BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | |
| 6 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 7 | PALMETTO PITMASTERS | |
| 8 | $centless bbq$ | |
| 9 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 10 | FALLOUT BBQ | |
| 11 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 13 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 14 | Swine-O's | |
| 15 | Pig on Fire | |
| 16 | CBF Que | |
| 17 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 18 | Willingham's | |
| 19 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 20 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 21 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 22 | THE HOG MAFIA | |
| 23 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 24 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 25 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 26 | Swine-O’s | |
| 27 | Smokin J's Barbeque | |
| 28 | HOLT BROTHERS BBQ |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.1142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 2 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 3 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 4 | THE HOG MAFIA | |
| 5 | HOLT BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 6 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 8 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 9 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 10 | PALMETTO PITMASTERS | |
| 11 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 12 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 13 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 14 | SPEAKS FOR ITSELF BBQ | |
| 15 | FALLOUT BBQ | |
| 16 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 17 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | |
| 18 | Smokin J's Barbeque | |
| 19 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 20 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 21 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 22 | CBF Que | |
| 23 | Swine-O's | |
| 24 | Pig on Fire | |
| 25 | Willingham's | |
| 26 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 27 | $centless bbq$ | |
| 28 | Swine-O’s |
Pork
28 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PALMETTO PITMASTERS | |
| 2 | FALLOUT BBQ | |
| 3 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 4 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 6 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 7 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 8 | Pig on Fire | |
| 9 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | |
| 10 | Swine-O's | |
| 11 | SPEAKS FOR ITSELF BBQ | |
| 12 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 13 | CBF Que | |
| 14 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 15 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 16 | Swine-O’s | |
| 17 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 18 | HOLT BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 19 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 20 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 21 | Willingham's | |
| 22 | Smokin J's Barbeque | |
| 23 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 24 | $centless bbq$ | |
| 25 | THE HOG MAFIA | |
| 26 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 27 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 28 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY |
Brisket
28 entries · top 177.7028 · median 170.8170
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 2 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 3 | FALLOUT BBQ | |
| 4 | Swine-O's | |
| 5 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | |
| 6 | PALMETTO PITMASTERS | |
| 7 | Willingham's | |
| 8 | BALD HAWG BBQ | |
| 9 | REDMULE'S BBQ | |
| 10 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 11 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | |
| 12 | Pig on Fire | |
| 13 | Smoke Central BBQ | |
| 14 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 15 | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 16 | CBF Que | |
| 17 | SWEET DIXIE BBQ | |
| 18 | HOLT BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 19 | BARREL FEVER BBQ | |
| 20 | SPEAKS FOR ITSELF BBQ | |
| 21 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 22 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | |
| 23 | THE HOG MAFIA | |
| 24 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 25 | Smokin J's Barbeque | |
| 26 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 27 | $centless bbq$ | |
| 28 | Swine-O’s |