A new contest record
705.7144
highest overall ever cooked here
705.7144 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.8344 one2bbq set in 2020.
- old record 698.8344
- set 2020 by one2bbq
Smokin' in the Hills 2021
Sep 24–25, 2021 · Hillsboro, OH · 📍 604 John Street · State championship
Reps: Becky Druetzler, Dave Druetzler · Prize money: $9,000
LOCAL YOKELS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smokin' in the Hills on September 24, 2021 in Hillsboro, OH at 604 John Street, scoring 705.7144 in a field of 26 teams. HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO took Reserve Grand Champion with 692.5832. Category winners: Chicken — LOCAL YOKELS BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO (178.8800); Pork — CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. (177.1544); Brisket — LOCAL YOKELS BBQ (173.7028). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2020 edition was won by one2bbq.
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.
502.25
median 647.06
705.71 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 178.88
- Pork 177.15
- Brisket 173.70
95.33
178.88
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
26
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
705.7144
Winning margin
13.1312
GC over RC
Field average
628.41
502.25705.71
median 647.06 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
667.3140
502.25705.71
10th place overall
Field spread
203.4628
winner to last place
Prize money
$9,000
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 11%
beats 89% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
32%
13 of 41 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.78 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,551
avg power rating going in · stronger than 39% of contests
Storylines (6 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.
A statement win
13.1312
points clear of the field
Wider than 94% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.1312 points — a wider margin than 94% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 6 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: WE WILL ROCK QUE and SMOKIN HOOSIERS tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE and Shiggin aint easy tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: SMOKIN HOOSIERS and WEQ4U tied on 168.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
LOCAL YOKELS BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
LOCAL YOKELS BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 4th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8800
best pork ribs ever cooked here
HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO turned in 178.8800 in pork ribs — past the 177.7144 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7144
- across 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2017 | Hillsboro, OH | Rocky Fork Lake | 25 | 695.9544 | ELEGANTLY VIOLENT BBQ | SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ |
| Sep 18, 2020 | Hillsboro, OH | 604 John Street | 41 | 698.8344 | one2bbq | HIGH ON THE HAWG |
| Sep 24, 2021 ← this one | Hillsboro, OH | 604 John Street | 26 | 705.7144 | Local Yokels | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.8456 | 169.6800 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8800 | 171.4172 | 163.9888 |
| Pork | 177.1544 | 174.8572 | 168 |
| Brisket | 173.7028 | 168.5372 | 162.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 705.7144 · median 647.0572
Chicken
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2570
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 178.8800 · median 159.3886
Pork
26 entries · top 177.1544 · median 162.8572
Brisket
26 entries · top 173.7028 · median 158.8458
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Ancillary — Anything Butt
9 entries · top 180 · median 168.5944 · 🔥 perfect 180