A razor-thin finish
1.0972
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 84% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.0972 points — closer than 84% of every championship in the data.
- Ale Yeah
- CHUNKY BBQ
Country Roads BBQ Clash Day 1
Jul 16–17, 2021 · Morgantown, WV · 📍 500 Mylan Park Lane · State championship
Reps: Scott Grinstead, Steve Grinstead · Prize money: $4,800
ALE YEAH BBQ won Grand Champion at the Country Roads BBQ Clash Day 1 on July 16, 2021 in Morgantown, WV at 500 Mylan Park Lane, scoring 695.9200 in a field of 18 teams. CHUNKY BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.8228. Category winners: Chicken — SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS (177.7028); Pork Ribs — CHUNKY BBQ (178.8572); Pork — OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE (176.5600); Brisket — ALL FIRED UP BBQ (177.7028). The Backyard Series standings were won by D’Qued Barbeque with 350.8916.
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.
616.54
median 675.91
695.92 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 177.70
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 178.86
- Master Series — Pork 176.56
- Master Series — Brisket 177.70
- Backyard Series — Chicken 176
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 176.03
143.36
178.86
Entries
18
6 judged meats
Top score
695.9200
Winning margin
1.0972
GC over RC
Field average
671.13
616.54695.92
median 675.91 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
673.6000
616.54695.92
10th place overall
Field spread
79.3828
winner to last place
Prize money
$4,800
on the line
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 51%
beats 49% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.43 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,601
avg power rating going in · stronger than 78% 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.
An upset on the books
18-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 82 times in 100
ALE YEAH BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 18-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1583
- top seed 1849
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
ALE YEAH BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 9th
- Brisket 2nd
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 1–2: SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS and ALE YEAH BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 8–9: ALL FIRED UP BBQ and BURNING PIG BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 3–4: ALE YEAH BBQ and DRILLING & GRILLING tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
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 | 177.7028 | 174.2628 | 170.8344 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 171.4288 |
| Master Series — Pork | 176.5600 | 173.1200 | 169.1200 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.7028 | 170.8344 | 164.5256 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 176 | 171.4172 | 165.6800 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 176.0344 | 169.7028 | 166.8228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
18 entries · top 695.9200 · median 675.9144
Chicken
18 entries · top 177.7028 · median 171.4058
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.6972
Pork
18 entries · top 176.5600 · median 169.4000
Brisket
18 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.6914
Backyard Series
Overall
14 entries · top 350.8916 · median 335.6686
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 2 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 3 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 4 | T & S BBQ | |
| 5 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 6 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 7 | Optimus Swine | |
| 8 | Full Throttle BBQ | |
| 9 | Poor Boys BBQ | |
| 10 | Ham Squad | |
| 11 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 12 | Wild Blue | |
| 13 | 4 Buds & Some Smoke | |
| 14 | Totally Sauced |
Chicken
14 entries · top 176 · median 168.2686
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 2 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 3 | T & S BBQ | |
| 4 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 5 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 6 | Optimus Swine | |
| 7 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 8 | Ham Squad | |
| 9 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 10 | Full Throttle BBQ | |
| 11 | Poor Boys BBQ | |
| 12 | Wild Blue | |
| 13 | 4 Buds & Some Smoke | |
| 14 | Totally Sauced |
Pork Ribs
14 entries · top 176.0344 · median 168.0058
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 2 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 3 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 4 | Poor Boys BBQ | |
| 5 | Full Throttle BBQ | |
| 6 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 7 | SWEET & SAVORY BBQ | |
| 8 | T & S BBQ | |
| 9 | Optimus Swine | |
| 10 | Ham Squad | |
| 11 | Wild Blue | |
| 12 | 4 Buds & Some Smoke | |
| 13 | Totally Sauced | |
| 14 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue |