Smoke on the Rail (Day 1)
2023-07-28 – 2023-07-29 · New Freedom, PA · 📍 1 Playground Alley · State championship
Reps: ANGELA MCKEE, LOUISE WEIDNER, ROBERT MCKEE · Prize money: $9,200.00
Grand Champion: 3 Eyz BBQ (698.8116) · 51 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 OFF THE RACK BBQ
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Perfect 180s
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
⚖️ Decided by a tiebreaker
The top two teams finished on identical totals — the Grand Championship came down to the KCBS tiebreaker rules.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
3 EYZ BBQ took the Grand Championship home to VA.
🔥 A day of perfect scores
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest.
🧹 A double category winner
Gold-N-Blue Barbecue won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
📸 Photo finishes
Master Series — Chicken places 1–2: HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ and OFF THE RACK BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 2–3: OFF THE RACK BBQ and GLAZED AND INFUSED NEW JERSEY BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: The Fat is Where It's At and WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🃏 An upset on the books
3 EYZ BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, GETTIN' BASTED, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 16-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-28 ← this one | New Freedom, PA | 1 Playground Alley | 51 | 698.8116 | 3 Eyz BBQ | OFF THE RACK BBQ |
| 2023-07-29 | New Freedom, PA | 1 Playground Alley | 40 | 703.9884 | Drilling And Grilling | 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 | 180.0000 | 177.7144 | 175.4172 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 174.2972 | 173.7028 |
| Master Series — Pork | 178.8572 | 174.2856 | 170.8344 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.7144 | 174.8456 | 173.1200 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 179.4400 | 174.2628 | 170.8228 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 170.8688 | 169.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
51 entries · top 698.8116 · median 671.9084
Chicken
51 entries · top 180.0000 · median 170.2744 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
50 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.8228
Pork
50 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.4056
Brisket
51 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.3712
Backyard Series
Overall
33 entries · top 353.7144 · median 333.0740
Chicken
33 entries · top 179.4400 · median 167.4172
Pork Ribs
33 entries · top 174.2744 · median 166.2972
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.
Turkey Smoke Series — Turkey Smoke
45 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2972