A new contest record
678.3428
highest overall ever cooked here
678.3428 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 667.9772 Smokin Steves BBQ set in 2021.
- old record 667.9772
- set 2021 by Smokin Steves BBQ
Smokin' in the Valley 2022
Nov 26–27, 2022 · Perth, Western Australia, Australia · AUSTRALIA · 📍 Swan Settlers Market
Reps: Karina Rumens, Rob Stevens
Ribs n Pigs BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smokin' in the Valley on November 26, 2022 in Perth, Western Australia, at Swan Settlers Market, scoring 678.3428 in a field of 12 teams. Smokin Steve's BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 660.0000. Category winners: Chicken — Ribs n Pigs BBQ (173.2000); Pork Ribs — The King and His Q (171.4172); Pork — Bringing the Flame to Your Game (169.7372); Brisket — Ribs n Pigs BBQ (167.4172). This is the 2nd of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2021 edition was won by Smokin Steves BBQ; 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.
603.93
median 632.58
678.34 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 173.20
- Pork Ribs 171.42
- Pork 169.74
- Brisket 167.42
146.25
173.20
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
12
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
678.3428
Winning margin
18.3428
GC over RC
Field average
637.89
603.93678.34
median 632.58 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
6.3544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
627.3712
603.93678.34
10th place overall
Field spread
74.4120
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 91%
beats 9% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
50%
7 of 14 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.51 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,509
avg power rating going in · stronger than 6% 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
18.3428
points clear of the field
Wider than 98% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The champion won by 18.3428 points — a wider margin than 98% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 5–6: CUMBIA BBQ TEAM edged Lit Salami by 0.0116. Pork places 6–7: Rack Em Up edged Smokin Genius by 0.0116. Chicken places 7–8: Lit Salami edged Outagas BBQ by 0.0344.
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0116
- Pork 6–7 · 0.0116
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0344
- Brisket 7–8 · 0.0456
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Ribs n Pigs 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
Ribs n Pigs BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 2nd.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in chicken
173.2000
best chicken ever cooked here
Ribs n Pigs BBQ turned in 173.2000 in chicken — past the 173.1428 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.1428
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Smokin Steves BBQ (won 2021).
- Smokin Steves BBQ · 2021
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 30, 2021 | Perth | Swan Valley Settlers Markets | 14 | 667.9772 | Smokin Steves BBQ | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ |
| Nov 26, 2022 ← this one | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 12 | 678.3428 | Ribs N Pigs BBQ | Smokin Steve's BBQ |
| Nov 4, 2023 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 11 | 687.3828 | The King & His Q | Pit Bull Smokers |
| May 4, 2024 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 14 | 660.4916 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | Smokin it up BBQ Australia |
| Aug 3, 2024 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 10 | 698.2972 | Brisket the night away | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ |
| Nov 2, 2024 | Perth, Western Australia | Swan Settlers Market | 14 | 673.1084 | Ribs n' Pigs | Aussie TongMasters |
| Apr 26, 2025 | Herne Hill, Western Australia | 124 Leonard Street | 13 | 676.0344 | BLUE MIST BBQ | Ribs n Pigs BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 173.2000 | 162.9028 | 158.7884 |
| Pork Ribs | 171.4172 | 160.0116 | 153.1544 |
| Pork | 169.7372 | 163.3828 | 156.6172 |
| Brisket | 167.4172 | 157.6916 | 151.9884 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
12 entries · top 678.3428 · median 632.5826
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ribs n Pigs BBQ | |
| 2 | Smokin Steve's BBQ | |
| 3 | The King and His Q | |
| 4 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 5 | CUMBIA BBQ TEAM | |
| 6 | Lit Salami | |
| 7 | Smokin Genius | |
| 8 | Outagas BBQ | |
| 9 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 10 | Bringing the Flame to Your Game | |
| 11 | Rack Em Up | |
| 12 | Baldies BBQ |
Chicken
12 entries · top 173.2000 · median 161.4514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ribs n Pigs BBQ | |
| 2 | Smokin Steve's BBQ | |
| 3 | The King and His Q | |
| 4 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 5 | CUMBIA BBQ TEAM | |
| 6 | Smokin Genius | |
| 7 | Lit Salami | |
| 8 | Outagas BBQ | |
| 9 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 10 | Bringing the Flame to Your Game | |
| 11 | Rack Em Up | |
| 12 | Baldies BBQ |
Pork Ribs
12 entries · top 171.4172 · median 157.7086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The King and His Q | |
| 2 | Ribs n Pigs BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokin Steve's BBQ | |
| 4 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 5 | CUMBIA BBQ TEAM | |
| 6 | Lit Salami | |
| 7 | Rack Em Up | |
| 8 | Smokin Genius | |
| 9 | Outagas BBQ | |
| 10 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 11 | Bringing the Flame to Your Game | |
| 12 | Baldies BBQ |
Pork
12 entries · top 169.7372 · median 162.2914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bringing the Flame to Your Game | |
| 2 | Ribs n Pigs BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokin Steve's BBQ | |
| 4 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 5 | The King and His Q | |
| 6 | Rack Em Up | |
| 7 | Smokin Genius | |
| 8 | CUMBIA BBQ TEAM | |
| 9 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 10 | Baldies BBQ | |
| 11 | Lit Salami | |
| 12 | Outagas BBQ |
Brisket
12 entries · top 167.4172 · median 154.8686
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ribs n Pigs BBQ | |
| 2 | Outagas BBQ | |
| 3 | BLUE MIST BBQ | |
| 4 | Smokin Steve's BBQ | |
| 5 | The King and His Q | |
| 6 | Lit Salami | |
| 7 | Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | |
| 8 | Rack Em Up | |
| 9 | Smokin Genius | |
| 10 | CUMBIA BBQ TEAM | |
| 11 | Bringing the Flame to Your Game | |
| 12 | Baldies BBQ |
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 — Ancillary Steak
11 entries · top 172.5600 · median 161.6684