A statement win
9.8060
points clear of the field
Wider than 88% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 9.8060 points — a wider margin than 88% of championships in the data.
WV Coalfields Cookoff 2022
Jun 10–11, 2022 · Welch, WV · 📍 88 Howard Street · State championship
Reps: Julie Cook, Rusty Cook · Prize money: $7,250
UNDER THE RADAR won Grand Champion at the WV Coalfields Cookoff on June 10, 2022 in Welch, WV at 88 Howard Street, scoring 704.5716 in a field of 15 teams. Optimus Swine took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.7656. Category winners: Chicken — Still Workin' On It (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Still Workin' On It (175.4172); Pork — Optimus Swine (177.7144); Brisket — UNDER THE RADAR (177.7372). The Backyard Series standings were won by Swine 'N' Roses BBQ with 519.3944. This is the 1st of 3 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2023.
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.
434.77
median 667.83
704.57 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 178.86
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 175.42
- Master Series — Pork 177.71
- Master Series — Brisket 177.74
- Backyard Series — Chicken 173.70
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 174.86
- Backyard Series — Pork 175.44
140.53
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2022 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
15
7 judged meats
Top score
704.5716
Winning margin
9.8060
GC over RC
Field average
652.75
434.77704.57
median 667.83 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.5828 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
664.4116
434.77704.57
10th place overall
Field spread
269.8060
winner to last place
Prize money
$7,250
on the line
Double threats
11
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 15%
beats 85% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,584
avg power rating going in · stronger than 67% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Pork Ribs places 1–2: Still Workin' On It and UNDER THE RADAR tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Chicken places 2–3: QUE N CUE BBQ and Gold-N-Blue Barbecue tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Chicken places 8–9: Conviction BBQ Team edged POOR BOYS BBQ by 0.0112.
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Backyard Series — Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Backyard Series — Chicken 8–9 · 0.0112
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Still Workin' On It won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 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 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 2nd.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 1st
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2022 ← this one | Welch, WV | 88 Howard Street | 15 | 704.5716 | UNDER THE RADAR | Optimus Swine |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Welch, WV | 88 Howard Street | 16 | 695.8968 | HIGH ON THE HOG | OFF THE RACK BBQ |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Welch, WV | 88 Howard Street | 13 | 701.1084 | Muttley Crew BBQ | HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 178.8572 | 172.5484 | 163.9544 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 175.4172 | 170.8344 | 163.4056 |
| Master Series — Pork | 177.7144 | 169.6800 | 165.0972 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.7372 | 171.9656 | 159.9428 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 173.7028 | 167.9656 | 158.8572 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 174.8572 | 168.5372 | 150.7884 |
| Backyard Series — Pork | 175.4400 | 169.1200 | 151.3256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
15 entries · top 704.5716 · median 667.8284
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 2 | Optimus Swine | |
| 3 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 4 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 5 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 6 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 7 | JL Smokers | |
| 8 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 9 | BAYOU POKER SMOKERS | |
| 10 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 11 | Pappy & Roleys | |
| 12 | Son of A Mitch | |
| 13 | MASON JAR BBQ | |
| 14 | NOLICHUCKY SMOKE | |
| 15 | SUNTAN SWINE BBQ |
Chicken
14 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.2572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 2 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 3 | Optimus Swine | |
| 4 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 5 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 6 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 7 | JL Smokers | |
| 8 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 9 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 10 | BAYOU POKER SMOKERS | |
| 11 | Son of A Mitch | |
| 12 | MASON JAR BBQ | |
| 13 | Pappy & Roleys | |
| 14 | NOLICHUCKY SMOKE |
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 175.4172 · median 167.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 2 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 3 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 4 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 5 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 6 | Pappy & Roleys | |
| 7 | Optimus Swine | |
| 8 | BAYOU POKER SMOKERS | |
| 9 | Son of A Mitch | |
| 10 | JL Smokers | |
| 11 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 12 | MASON JAR BBQ | |
| 13 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 14 | NOLICHUCKY SMOKE | |
| 15 | SUNTAN SWINE BBQ |
Pork
15 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Optimus Swine | |
| 2 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 3 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 4 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 5 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 6 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 7 | Pappy & Roleys | |
| 8 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 9 | JL Smokers | |
| 10 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 11 | MASON JAR BBQ | |
| 12 | BAYOU POKER SMOKERS | |
| 13 | NOLICHUCKY SMOKE | |
| 14 | Son of A Mitch | |
| 15 | SUNTAN SWINE BBQ |
Brisket
15 entries · top 177.7372 · median 165.6684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 2 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 3 | Optimus Swine | |
| 4 | BAYOU POKER SMOKERS | |
| 5 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 6 | JL Smokers | |
| 7 | Blue Ribbon BBQ NC | |
| 8 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 9 | Still Workin' On It | |
| 10 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 11 | Son of A Mitch | |
| 12 | Pappy & Roleys | |
| 13 | MASON JAR BBQ | |
| 14 | NOLICHUCKY SMOKE | |
| 15 | SUNTAN SWINE BBQ |
Backyard Series
Overall
11 entries · top 519.3944 · median 501.0400 · out of 540, not the usual 360
Chicken
11 entries · top 173.7028 · median 164.5372
Pork Ribs
11 entries · top 174.8572 · median 165.1544
Pork
11 entries · top 175.4400 · median 169.1084