A statement win
12.6288
points clear of the field
Wider than 93% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.6288 points — a wider margin than 93% of championships in the data.
City of Welch Coalfields Cook-off
Jun 11–12, 2021 · Welch, WV · 📍 141 McDowell Street · State championship
Reps: Julie Cook, Rusty Cook · Prize money: $3,800
UNDER THE RADAR won Grand Champion at the City of Welch Coalfields Cook-off on June 11, 2021 in Welch, WV at 141 McDowell Street, scoring 709.1200 in a field of 15 teams. MUTTLEY CREW BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 696.4912. Category winners: Chicken — Still Workin' On It (177.7144); Pork Ribs — UNDER THE RADAR (180.0000); Pork — UNDER THE RADAR (180.0000); Brisket — OL' DOMINION Q (178.8572). The Backyard Series standings were won by Ham Squad with 347.9772.
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.
612.56
median 677.67
709.12 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 177.71
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork 180 🔥
- Master Series — Brisket 178.86
- Backyard Series — Chicken 178.86
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 176.56
- Ancillary — Pork 176.58
123.92
180
Entries
15
7 judged meats
Top score
709.1200
Winning margin
12.6288
GC over RC
Field average
664.21
612.56709.12
median 677.67 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
4.5828 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
647.2912
612.56709.12
10th place overall
Field spread
96.5600
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,800
on the line
Double threats
10
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 5%
beats 95% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.35 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,564
avg power rating going in · stronger than 49% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Brisket places 1–2: OL' DOMINION Q and UNDER THE RADAR tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Brisket places 5–6: Still Workin' On It and HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO tied on 166.2284 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Chicken places 6–7: SMOKIN ENGINEERS and GOLD-N-BLUE BARBECUE tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Brisket 1–2 · tie
- Master Series — Brisket 5–6 · tie
- Backyard Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
UNDER THE RADAR 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
UNDER THE RADAR took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 6th.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- UNDER THE RADAR · Pork
- UNDER THE RADAR · Pork Ribs
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 177.7144 | 171.9772 | 164.5372 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 180 | 170.8344 | 166.2284 |
| Master Series — Pork | 180 | 175.4172 | 168.5488 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 178.8572 | 166.2284 | 156.5372 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 178.8572 | 171.4172 | 168.5256 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 170.2972 | 166.8228 |
| Ancillary — Pork | 176.5828 | 171.4172 | 165.7372 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
15 entries · top 709.1200 · median 677.6688
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 2 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 3 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 4 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 5 | OL' DOMINION Q | |
| 6 | ON A WHIM | |
| 7 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 8 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 9 | TARBILLY'S BBQ | |
| 10 | MOORE SMOKE | |
| 11 | Laughing Scotsman BBQ | |
| 12 | LETTIN' THE SMOKE OUT | |
| 13 | BEACHES BBQ | |
| 14 | Old Man Jeff | |
| 15 | NOTORIOUS PIGs |
Chicken
15 entries · top 177.7144 · median 166.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 2 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 3 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 4 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 5 | OL' DOMINION Q | |
| 6 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 7 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 8 | Laughing Scotsman BBQ | |
| 9 | LETTIN' THE SMOKE OUT | |
| 10 | TARBILLY'S BBQ | |
| 11 | ON A WHIM | |
| 12 | Old Man Jeff | |
| 13 | MOORE SMOKE | |
| 14 | NOTORIOUS PIGs | |
| 15 | BEACHES BBQ |
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 180 · median 168.5256 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 2 | ON A WHIM | |
| 3 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 4 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 5 | OL' DOMINION Q | |
| 6 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 7 | MOORE SMOKE | |
| 8 | TARBILLY'S BBQ | |
| 9 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 10 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 11 | LETTIN' THE SMOKE OUT | |
| 12 | BEACHES BBQ | |
| 13 | Laughing Scotsman BBQ | |
| 14 | NOTORIOUS PIGs | |
| 15 | Old Man Jeff |
Pork
15 entries · top 180 · median 174.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 2 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 3 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 4 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 5 | TARBILLY'S BBQ | |
| 6 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 7 | LETTIN' THE SMOKE OUT | |
| 8 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 9 | ON A WHIM | |
| 10 | OL' DOMINION Q | |
| 11 | BEACHES BBQ | |
| 12 | Laughing Scotsman BBQ | |
| 13 | MOORE SMOKE | |
| 14 | NOTORIOUS PIGs | |
| 15 | Old Man Jeff |
Brisket
15 entries · top 178.8572 · median 161.1316
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OL' DOMINION Q | |
| 2 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 3 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 4 | ON A WHIM | |
| 5 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 6 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 7 | TWISTED PAIR BBQ | |
| 8 | House of Smoke NC | |
| 9 | TARBILLY'S BBQ | |
| 10 | MOORE SMOKE | |
| 11 | Laughing Scotsman BBQ | |
| 12 | Old Man Jeff | |
| 13 | NOTORIOUS PIGs | |
| 14 | BEACHES BBQ | |
| 15 | LETTIN' THE SMOKE OUT |
Backyard Series
Overall
15 entries · top 347.9772 · median 337.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ham Squad | |
| 2 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 3 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 4 | Que N Cue | |
| 5 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 6 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 7 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 8 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 9 | Optimus Swine | |
| 10 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKIN ENGINEERS | |
| 12 | GOLD-N-BLUE BARBECUE | |
| 13 | BOWMAN'S BUTT & BBQ | |
| 14 | KenzielouQ | |
| 15 | FULGHUM AND SON'S BBQ |
Chicken
15 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 2 | Que N Cue | |
| 3 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 4 | BOWMAN'S BUTT & BBQ | |
| 5 | Ham Squad | |
| 6 | SMOKIN ENGINEERS | |
| 7 | GOLD-N-BLUE BARBECUE | |
| 8 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 9 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 10 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 11 | Optimus Swine | |
| 12 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 13 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 14 | KenzielouQ | |
| 15 | FULGHUM AND SON'S BBQ |
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 176.5600 · median 167.4172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 2 | Ham Squad | |
| 3 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 4 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 5 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 6 | Optimus Swine | |
| 7 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 8 | Que N Cue | |
| 9 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 10 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 11 | KenzielouQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN ENGINEERS | |
| 13 | GOLD-N-BLUE BARBECUE | |
| 14 | BOWMAN'S BUTT & BBQ | |
| 15 | FULGHUM AND SON'S BBQ |
Ancillary
Pork
15 entries · top 176.5828 · median 167.3712
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GOLD-N-BLUE BARBECUE | |
| 2 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 3 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 4 | Ham Squad | |
| 5 | Optimus Swine | |
| 6 | FULGHUM AND SON'S BBQ | |
| 7 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 8 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 9 | KenzielouQ | |
| 10 | SMOKIN ENGINEERS | |
| 11 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 12 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 13 | BOWMAN'S BUTT & BBQ | |
| 14 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 15 | Que N Cue |