A new contest record
698.2400
highest overall ever cooked here
698.2400 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 688.5028 VICTORY LANE BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 688.5028
- set 2017 by VICTORY LANE BBQ
Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2021
Jul 23–24, 2021 · Galax, VA · State championship
Reps: Bill Jones, Debby Harwell · Prize money: $8,500
Swine Life BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship on July 23, 2021 in Galax, VA, scoring 698.2400 in a field of 17 teams. JACK'S OLD SOUTH took Reserve Grand Champion with 686.7772. Category winners: Chicken — Swine Life BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Swine Life BBQ (176.5600); Pork — CONTAGIOUS Q (175.4172); Brisket — JACK'S OLD SOUTH (178.8572). The Backyard Series standings were won by Optimus Swine with 345.0972. This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by VICTORY LANE BBQ; the next was held in 2022.
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.
559.87
median 668.99
698.24 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 176.56
- Master Series — Pork 175.42
- Master Series — Brisket 178.86
- Backyard Series — Chicken 173.11
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 175.42
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
18
6 judged meats
Top score
698.2400
Winning margin
11.4628
GC over RC
Field average
661.62
559.87698.24
median 668.99 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.9656 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
662.6972
559.87698.24
10th place overall
Field spread
138.3660
winner to last place
Prize money
$8,500
on the line
Double threats
9
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 41%
beats 59% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
12%
3 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.61 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,553
avg power rating going in · stronger than 40% of contests
Storylines (11 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
11-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 89 times in 100
Swine Life BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, 3N1 Q, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 11-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1500
- top seed 1866
A first Grand Championship
1
title in the data
This was Swine Life BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data.
A statement win
11.4628
points clear of the field
Wider than 91% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 11.4628 points — a wider margin than 91% of championships in the data.
A rookie on the podium
1st
at their first tracked contest
Swine Life BBQ finished 1st overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 5–6: 3N1 Q and CONTAGIOUS Q tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: CONTAGIOUS Q and SWEET SWINE O'MINE tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 7–8: SWEET SWINE O'MINE and Poker Porkers BBQ tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Swine Life BBQ won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Swine Life BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 9th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 9th
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in brisket
178.8572
best brisket ever cooked here
JACK'S OLD SOUTH turned in 178.8572 in brisket — past the 174.2628 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.2628
- across 1 past editions
The contest returns
4 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 4 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2017-07-21.
- previous edition 2017-07-21
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.
- Swine Life BBQ · Chicken
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2017 | Galax, VA | Main Street | 25 | 688.5028 | VICTORY LANE BBQ | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ |
| Jul 23, 2021 ← this one | Galax, VA | Galax, VA 24333 | 17 | 698.2400 | Swine Life BBQ | JACK'S OLD SOUTH |
| Jul 21, 2022 | Galax, VA | Main Street | 25 | 711.9772 | Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | Optimus Swine |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180 | 170.8228 | 167.3712 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 170.8344 | 165.0972 |
| Master Series — Pork | 175.4172 | 168.5372 | 166.2400 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 178.8572 | 169.6800 | 164.5256 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 173.1084 | 169.1428 | 161.6456 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 175.4172 | 169.7028 | 166.8456 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
17 entries · top 698.2400 · median 668.9944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swine Life BBQ | |
| 2 | JACK'S OLD SOUTH | |
| 3 | 3N1 Q | |
| 4 | Checkered Flag 500 | |
| 5 | KILLER HOGS | |
| 6 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 7 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 8 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE | |
| 9 | Poker Porkers BBQ | |
| 10 | Ain't it the Life | |
| 11 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 12 | King's Cooking | |
| 13 | BANJOMAN'S BBQ | |
| 14 | Big Butts BBQ | |
| 15 | Parrothead Porkers of Florida | |
| 16 | SmokeMasters BBQ | |
| 17 | Whitley Pit BBQ |
Chicken
17 entries · top 180 · median 169.1428 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swine Life BBQ | |
| 2 | Checkered Flag 500 | |
| 3 | Big Butts BBQ | |
| 4 | BANJOMAN'S BBQ | |
| 5 | 3N1 Q | |
| 6 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 7 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE | |
| 8 | Poker Porkers BBQ | |
| 9 | KILLER HOGS | |
| 10 | JACK'S OLD SOUTH | |
| 11 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 12 | King's Cooking | |
| 13 | Ain't it the Life | |
| 14 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 15 | SmokeMasters BBQ | |
| 16 | Parrothead Porkers of Florida | |
| 17 | Whitley Pit BBQ |
Pork Ribs
17 entries · top 176.5600 · median 165.0972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swine Life BBQ | |
| 2 | 3N1 Q | |
| 3 | JACK'S OLD SOUTH | |
| 4 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 5 | KILLER HOGS | |
| 6 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 7 | Big Butts BBQ | |
| 8 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE | |
| 9 | Ain't it the Life | |
| 10 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 11 | Checkered Flag 500 | |
| 12 | Poker Porkers BBQ | |
| 13 | BANJOMAN'S BBQ | |
| 14 | Parrothead Porkers of Florida | |
| 15 | SmokeMasters BBQ | |
| 16 | King's Cooking | |
| 17 | Whitley Pit BBQ |
Pork
17 entries · top 175.4172 · median 166.2744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 2 | 3N1 Q | |
| 3 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 4 | Checkered Flag 500 | |
| 5 | KILLER HOGS | |
| 6 | Poker Porkers BBQ | |
| 7 | JACK'S OLD SOUTH | |
| 8 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 9 | Swine Life BBQ | |
| 10 | Ain't it the Life | |
| 11 | King's Cooking | |
| 12 | BANJOMAN'S BBQ | |
| 13 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE | |
| 14 | Parrothead Porkers of Florida | |
| 15 | SmokeMasters BBQ | |
| 16 | Whitley Pit BBQ | |
| 17 | Big Butts BBQ |
Brisket
17 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JACK'S OLD SOUTH | |
| 2 | Checkered Flag 500 | |
| 3 | Swine Life BBQ | |
| 4 | KILLER HOGS | |
| 5 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 6 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE | |
| 7 | Poker Porkers BBQ | |
| 8 | 3N1 Q | |
| 9 | Ain't it the Life | |
| 10 | King's Cooking | |
| 11 | Parrothead Porkers of Florida | |
| 12 | SLAYTON'S BARBEQUE COMPANY | |
| 13 | Big Butts BBQ | |
| 14 | SmokeMasters BBQ | |
| 15 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 16 | BANJOMAN'S BBQ | |
| 17 | Whitley Pit BBQ |
Backyard Series
Overall
18 entries · top 345.0972 · median 329.3542
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Optimus Swine | |
| 2 | Ham Squad | |
| 3 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 4 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 5 | Off The Rack BBQ | |
| 6 | BIGGUNS BBQ OK | |
| 7 | Poor Boys BBQ | |
| 8 | Que N Cue | |
| 9 | Killer B's Righteous Smoke | |
| 10 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 11 | Swinely Done BBQ | |
| 12 | Three smokin pigs | |
| 13 | Fulghum & Son’s BBQ | |
| 14 | Mt Joy | |
| 15 | Bark Ring BBQ | |
| 16 | Big Sheet Barbecue | |
| 17 | Shelby Smokers | |
| 18 | Just Good BBQ |
Chicken
18 entries · top 173.1084 · median 162.5142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 2 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 3 | Ham Squad | |
| 4 | Optimus Swine | |
| 5 | Off The Rack BBQ | |
| 6 | Que N Cue | |
| 7 | BIGGUNS BBQ OK | |
| 8 | Poor Boys BBQ | |
| 9 | Fulghum & Son’s BBQ | |
| 10 | Swinely Done BBQ | |
| 11 | Killer B's Righteous Smoke | |
| 12 | Mt Joy | |
| 13 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 14 | Three smokin pigs | |
| 15 | Bark Ring BBQ | |
| 16 | Big Sheet Barbecue | |
| 17 | Shelby Smokers | |
| 18 | Just Good BBQ |
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 175.4172 · median 167.6856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Optimus Swine | |
| 2 | Ham Squad | |
| 3 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 4 | BIGGUNS BBQ OK | |
| 5 | Poor Boys BBQ | |
| 6 | Off The Rack BBQ | |
| 7 | Killer B's Righteous Smoke | |
| 8 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 9 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 10 | Three smokin pigs | |
| 11 | Swinely Done BBQ | |
| 12 | Que N Cue | |
| 13 | Big Sheet Barbecue | |
| 14 | Bark Ring BBQ | |
| 15 | Shelby Smokers | |
| 16 | Mt Joy | |
| 17 | Fulghum & Son’s BBQ | |
| 18 | Just Good BBQ |