A new contest record
707.9888
highest overall ever cooked here
707.9888 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 706.2400 The BBQ Bus set in 2021.
- old record 706.2400
- set 2021 by The BBQ Bus
Smoke on the Water 2022
Apr 29 – May 1, 2022 · Liberty, IN · 📍 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd · State championship
Reps: Becky Druetzler, Dave Druetzler · Prize money: $5,000
THUNDER HOG BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Water on April 29, 2022 in Liberty, IN at 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd, scoring 707.9888 in a field of 25 teams. SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9428. Category winners: Chicken — THUNDER HOG BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — THUNDER HOG BBQ (176.0116); Pork — THUNDER HOG BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS (176.5828). This is the 8th of 14 editions of this contest on record; the 2021 edition was won by Mad Mutt's 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.
548.56
median 649.01
707.99 🏆
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 176.01
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 176.58
119.97
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
25
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
707.9888
Winning margin
12.0460
GC over RC
Field average
642.98
548.56707.99
median 649.01 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
4.0116 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
664.4684
548.56707.99
10th place overall
Field spread
159.4292
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,000
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 7%
beats 93% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
0%
0 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.55 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,552
avg power rating going in · stronger than 39% of contests
Storylines (7 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
12.0460
points clear of the field
Wider than 92% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.0460 points — a wider margin than 92% of championships in the data.
A hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
THUNDER HOG BBQ won Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 14 tracked editions
Thunder Hog BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 14 tracked editions.
- 2019
- 2022
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 5–6: CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. and BPW BBQ tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: MAMA'S BOY BBQ and SMOKE-N-PEPPERS tied on 168.5256 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ and SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
- Brisket 2–3 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
THUNDER HOG BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 2nd.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Thunder Hog BBQ (won 2019).
- Thunder Hog BBQ · 2019
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2013 | Topeka, KS | Topeka, KS | 43 | 687.4516 | CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ | BLACK EYE BBQ |
| Oct 9, 2015 | Topeka, KS | Topeka, KS 66605 | 33 | 696.5600 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | BOXER Q BBQ |
| May 6, 2017 | Liberty, IN | 3801 West Old Dunlapsville RD | 26 | 695.9084 | VICTORY SMOKERS | GREY STREET BBQ |
| May 5, 2018 | Liberty, IN | 3801 West Old Dunlapsville RD | 28 | 693.6684 | GREY STREET BBQ | BANKIN BABY BBQ |
| May 4, 2019 | Liberty, IN | 381 W Old Dunlapsville | 26 | 696.5140 | Thunder Hog BBQ | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ |
| May 1, 2021 | Liberty, IN | 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd | 27 | 706.2400 | The BBQ Bus | GETTIN PIGGY WITH IT BACKYARD BBQ |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 25 | 699.3600 | Mad Mutt's BBQ | SMOKE RINGERS |
| Apr 29, 2022 ← this one | Liberty, IN | 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd | 25 | 707.9888 | Thunder Hog BBQ | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 28 | 701.6688 | Cow Creek BBQ | MAN MEAT BBQ |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 39 | 707.4176 | Slaps BBQ | WOOD HOOK BBQ |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Pine Bluff, AR | 1 Regional Park Dr | 42 | 698.2628 | Kith n Kin | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 31 | 700.5372 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | Bocephus BBQ |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 30 | 703.3828 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ | Damn Fine Beef & Swine |
| Oct 9, 2026 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 25 | 706.2516 | Smokin' Outlaws | Meat Candy Q |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 169.1084 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.0116 | 169.6800 | 167.3828 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 174.8456 | 166.2628 |
| Brisket | 176.5828 | 171.4172 | 165.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 707.9888 · median 649.0056
Chicken
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.8456
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 176.0116 · median 164.5372
Pork
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 161.6800
Brisket
25 entries · top 176.5828 · median 158.2628
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 — Obr Mystery Meat
2 entries · top 161.0740 · median 154.1940
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HORSE SHOE BARBEQUE | |
| 2 | LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ |
Ancillary — Sauce
11 entries · top 176.5600 · median 173.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 2 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 3 | LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ | |
| 4 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 5 | CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. | |
| 6 | BPW BBQ | |
| 7 | WEQ4U | |
| 8 | Lakeshore Eagle Solutions | |
| 9 | Hogwarts BBQ | |
| 10 | Smoke Wagon BBQ | |
| 11 | HORSE SHOE BARBEQUE |
Turkey Smoke Series — Turkey Smoke
14 entries · top 176.5600 · median 167.4114