Maryland State BBQ Bash
2022-10-14 – 2022-10-15 · Belair, MD · 📍 2 S Bond St · State championship
Reps: ANGELA MCKEE, ROBERT MCKEE · Prize money: $12,500.00
Grand Champion: TNT Explosive BBQ (693.6684) · 30 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 NOT SO FAMOUS DAVE'S BBQ
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Came back for more
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0572 points — closer than 95% of every championship in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
TNT Explosive BBQ took the Grand Championship home to VA.
🧹 A double category winner
Ham Squad won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
📸 Photo finishes
Master Series — Pork places 2–3: NOT SO FAMOUS DAVE'S BBQ and SMOKECRAFT - MD tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 5–6: GLAZED AND INFUSED NEW JERSEY BBQ and 3 EYZ BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Brisket places 4–5: CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ and LAKEVIEW BBQ tied on 170.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Nice Racks (won 2019).
🃏 An upset on the books
TNT Explosive BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 23-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-08-12 | Bel Air, MD | 42 | 683.9540 | SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE | HAWG NATION BBQ | |
| 2017-08-11 | 2S Bond Street | 47 | 686.2056 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 2018-08-10 | 2S Bond Street | 38 | 687.4056 | APORKALYPSE NOW | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | |
| 2019-08-09 | Belair, MD | 2S Bond St | 30 | 690.2284 | Nice Racks | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| 2021-10-15 | Belair, MD | 2 S Bond St | 25 | 701.1200 | 3N1 Q | DRILLING & GRILLING |
| 2022-10-14 ← this one | Belair, MD | 2 S Bond St | 30 | 693.6684 | TNT Explosive BBQ | NOT SO FAMOUS DAVE'S BBQ |
| 2023-10-13 | Bel Air, MD | 2 S Bond St | 23 | 699.9660 | Cool Smoke | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 179.4400 | 176.0000 | 172.5600 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 174.2628 | 169.1200 |
| Master Series — Pork | 175.4172 | 174.2628 | 170.8228 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.1428 | 170.2628 | 167.3828 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 178.2972 | 166.8572 | 166.2400 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 169.7144 | 167.3944 | 164.6288 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 693.6684 · median 664.4516
Chicken
30 entries · top 179.4400 · median 168.8228
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 180.0000 · median 163.9886 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
30 entries · top 175.4172 · median 163.9828
Brisket
30 entries · top 177.1428 · median 163.6570
Backyard Series
Overall
41 entries · top 348.0116 · median 313.6000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ham Squad | |
| 2 | Sticky Bones BBQ | |
| 3 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 4 | Mispillion Meat Works | |
| 5 | Weber's Backyard BBQ | |
| 6 | Alchemy BBQ | |
| 7 | Capt. Blue BBQ | |
| 8 | Zoni-Q | |
| 9 | Small Batch BBQ MD | |
| 10 | Bill's Back Yard | |
| 11 | Smokin Dixie BBQ | |
| 12 | Rubbin' and Chuggin' | |
| 13 | Money Muscle BBQ | |
| 14 | House of Hawg BBQ | |
| 15 | Top Hat Smoking | |
| 16 | Oink n Doink BBQ | |
| 17 | Bark-N-Dawgz BBQ | |
| 18 | Kane's BBQ | |
| 19 | Harford Retirement Planners | |
| 20 | Berb-BQ | |
| 21 | Blue Line BBQ | |
| 22 | Make BBQ Great Again | |
| 23 | Smokey Bro's | |
| 24 | Big Boy BBQ | |
| 25 | Pig Kahunas | |
| 26 | Big River BBQ | |
| 27 | Bone Suckin' Good BBQ | |
| 28 | Smokin Daddio | |
| 29 | Pool Crew BBQ | |
| 30 | Smokie and The Bandits | |
| 31 | Estancia | |
| 32 | Smoke Show BBQ | |
| 33 | Meats and Bounds | |
| 34 | Castleton Q' | |
| 35 | Crofton Backyard Smoke | |
| 36 | BBQ McLovin' | |
| 37 | Whip Up King | |
| 38 | Bearded BBQ | |
| 39 | Four Roses BBQ | |
| 40 | BulldogBBQ | |
| 41 | CDI/Clearpath %231 |
Chicken
41 entries · top 178.2972 · median 158.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ham Squad | |
| 2 | Sticky Bones BBQ | |
| 3 | Rubbin' and Chuggin' | |
| 4 | Smokie and The Bandits | |
| 5 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 6 | Zoni-Q | |
| 7 | Smokin Dixie BBQ | |
| 8 | Bill's Back Yard | |
| 9 | Money Muscle BBQ | |
| 10 | Oink n Doink BBQ | |
| 11 | Mispillion Meat Works | |
| 12 | CDI/Clearpath %231 | |
| 13 | Alchemy BBQ | |
| 14 | Capt. Blue BBQ | |
| 15 | Weber's Backyard BBQ | |
| 16 | Kane's BBQ | |
| 17 | Big River BBQ | |
| 18 | Small Batch BBQ MD | |
| 19 | Smokey Bro's | |
| 20 | Pig Kahunas | |
| 21 | Make BBQ Great Again | |
| 22 | Berb-BQ | |
| 23 | Top Hat Smoking | |
| 24 | Blue Line BBQ | |
| 25 | House of Hawg BBQ | |
| 26 | Bone Suckin' Good BBQ | |
| 27 | Pool Crew BBQ | |
| 28 | Bark-N-Dawgz BBQ | |
| 29 | Big Boy BBQ | |
| 30 | Smokin Daddio | |
| 31 | Four Roses BBQ | |
| 32 | Harford Retirement Planners | |
| 33 | Bearded BBQ | |
| 34 | Castleton Q' | |
| 35 | Smoke Show BBQ | |
| 36 | BulldogBBQ | |
| 37 | Whip Up King | |
| 38 | Meats and Bounds | |
| 39 | Estancia | |
| 40 | Crofton Backyard Smoke | |
| 41 | BBQ McLovin' |
Pork Ribs
41 entries · top 169.7144 · median 156.5028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ham Squad | |
| 2 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 3 | Weber's Backyard BBQ | |
| 4 | Mispillion Meat Works | |
| 5 | House of Hawg BBQ | |
| 6 | Harford Retirement Planners | |
| 7 | Capt. Blue BBQ | |
| 8 | Alchemy BBQ | |
| 9 | Small Batch BBQ MD | |
| 10 | Bark-N-Dawgz BBQ | |
| 11 | Top Hat Smoking | |
| 12 | Zoni-Q | |
| 13 | Sticky Bones BBQ | |
| 14 | Estancia | |
| 15 | Bill's Back Yard | |
| 16 | Smokin Dixie BBQ | |
| 17 | BBQ McLovin' | |
| 18 | Money Muscle BBQ | |
| 19 | Big Boy BBQ | |
| 20 | Smokin Daddio | |
| 21 | Blue Line BBQ | |
| 22 | Berb-BQ | |
| 23 | Kane's BBQ | |
| 24 | Rubbin' and Chuggin' | |
| 25 | Make BBQ Great Again | |
| 26 | Meats and Bounds | |
| 27 | Bone Suckin' Good BBQ | |
| 28 | Oink n Doink BBQ | |
| 29 | Crofton Backyard Smoke | |
| 30 | Smoke Show BBQ | |
| 31 | Smokey Bro's | |
| 32 | Pig Kahunas | |
| 33 | Pool Crew BBQ | |
| 34 | Big River BBQ | |
| 35 | Castleton Q' | |
| 36 | Whip Up King | |
| 37 | Bearded BBQ | |
| 38 | BulldogBBQ | |
| 39 | Four Roses BBQ | |
| 40 | Smokie and The Bandits | |
| 41 | CDI/Clearpath %231 |