A new contest record
711.9772
highest overall ever cooked here
711.9772 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.2400 Swine Life BBQ set in 2021.
- old record 698.2400
- set 2021 by Swine Life BBQ
Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022
Jul 21–23, 2022 · Galax, VA · 📍 Main Street · State championship
Reps: Rachel Harper, Wayne Harper · Prize money: $8,500
UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022 on July 21, 2022 in Galax, VA at Main Street, scoring 711.9772 in a field of 25 teams. Optimus Swine took Reserve Grand Champion with 699.9428. Category winners: Chicken — Organizer Portal (180.0000); Pork Ribs — UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT (177.7028); Pork — UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT (178.8572); Brisket — UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by T & S BBQ with 347.3828. This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2021 edition was won by Swine Life BBQ.
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.
590.03
median 676.47
711.98 🏆
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 177.70
- Master Series — Pork 178.86
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 176.56
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 175.42
129.66
180
Entries
25
6 judged meats
Top score
711.9772
Winning margin
12.0344
GC over RC
Field average
671.00
590.03711.98
median 676.47 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4284 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
689.6228
590.03711.98
10th place overall
Field spread
121.9428
winner to last place
Prize money
$8,500
on the line
Double threats
8
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 2%
beats 98% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
46%
16 of 35 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.67 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,585
avg power rating going in · stronger than 67% of contests
Storylines (8 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
34-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 66 times in 100
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit came in rated below the field's top team, Organizer Portal, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 34-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1822
- top seed 1939
A statement win
12.0344
points clear of the field
Wider than 92% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.0344 points — a wider margin than 92% of championships in the data.
A hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT won Pork Ribs, Pork, Brisket — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: BAD ROOSTER BBQ and BLUE & GRAY BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 5–6: UNDER THE RADAR and BAD ROOSTER BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 7–8: PIGGIN' WHISKEY and Optimus Swine tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 5–6 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 7–8 · tie
- Master Series — Brisket 2–3 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 3rd.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork
178.8572
best pork ever cooked here
UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT turned in 178.8572 in pork — past the 175.4172 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4172
- across 1 past editions
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT · Brisket
- Organizer Portal · 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 23, 2021 | Galax, VA | Galax, VA 24333 | 17 | 698.2400 | Swine Life BBQ | JACK'S OLD SOUTH |
| Jul 21, 2022 ← this one | 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 | 174.2744 | 171.9656 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 174.2744 | 171.9772 |
| Master Series — Pork | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 172.5600 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 175.4172 | 171.9772 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 176.5600 | 169.6800 | 165.7028 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 175.4172 | 170.8228 | 168.5372 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 711.9772 · median 676.4688
Chicken
25 entries · top 180 · median 169.6684 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.7144
Pork
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.7144
Brisket
25 entries · top 180 · median 167.3944 · 🔥 perfect 180
Backyard Series
Overall
22 entries · top 347.3828 · median 327.9258
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | T & S BBQ | |
| 2 | NO LOOKIN' COOKIN' | |
| 3 | Pinky Out BBQ | |
| 4 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 5 | RIBLIFE | |
| 6 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 7 | Ham Squad | |
| 8 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 9 | Que N Cue | |
| 10 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 11 | LEE LA Q | |
| 12 | Little E's Que | |
| 13 | Swinely Done BBQ | |
| 14 | Kiss My Butt BBQ | |
| 15 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 16 | Bark Ring BBQ | |
| 17 | Conviction BBQ Team | |
| 18 | Wild Blue BBQ | |
| 19 | Big Al'z BBQ | |
| 20 | Smoke & Fury | |
| 21 | Drewbie-Que | |
| 22 | Shelby Smokers |
Chicken
22 entries · top 176.5600 · median 164.8114
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 2 | NO LOOKIN' COOKIN' | |
| 3 | T & S BBQ | |
| 4 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 5 | Ham Squad | |
| 6 | Pinky Out BBQ | |
| 7 | RIBLIFE | |
| 8 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 9 | Que N Cue | |
| 10 | Bark Ring BBQ | |
| 11 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 12 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 13 | Kiss My Butt BBQ | |
| 14 | Conviction BBQ Team | |
| 15 | LEE LA Q | |
| 16 | Wild Blue BBQ | |
| 17 | Swinely Done BBQ | |
| 18 | Little E's Que | |
| 19 | Big Al'z BBQ | |
| 20 | Smoke & Fury | |
| 21 | Shelby Smokers | |
| 22 | Drewbie-Que |
Pork Ribs
22 entries · top 175.4172 · median 167.9944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | T & S BBQ | |
| 2 | Pinky Out BBQ | |
| 3 | NO LOOKIN' COOKIN' | |
| 4 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 5 | Ham Squad | |
| 6 | RIBLIFE | |
| 7 | Little E's Que | |
| 8 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 9 | LEE LA Q | |
| 10 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 11 | Que N Cue | |
| 12 | Drewbie-Que | |
| 13 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 14 | Swinely Done BBQ | |
| 15 | Kiss My Butt BBQ | |
| 16 | Smoke & Fury | |
| 17 | Wild Blue BBQ | |
| 18 | Big Al'z BBQ | |
| 19 | Bark Ring BBQ | |
| 20 | Conviction BBQ Team | |
| 21 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 22 | Shelby Smokers |