A new contest record
703.9884
highest overall ever cooked here
703.9884 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.8116 3 Eyz BBQ set in 2023.
- old record 698.8116
- set 2023 by 3 Eyz BBQ
Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) 2023
Jul 29–30, 2023 · New Freedom, PA · 📍 1 Playground Alley · State championship
Reps: Louise Weidner, Robert McKee · Prize money: $9,200
Drilling And Grilling BBQ Team won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) on July 29, 2023 in New Freedom, PA at 1 Playground Alley, scoring 703.9884 in a field of 40 teams. SWEET BELLY'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 699.3600. Category winners: Chicken — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — PIGGIN' WHISKEY (180.0000); Pork — PIG CANDY BARBEQUE CO. (176.5828); Brisket — Menke Boys BBQ (179.4400). The Backyard Series standings were won by Weber's Backyard BBQ with 346.2516. This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by 3 Eyz 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.
612.42
median 678.25
703.99 🏆
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 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork 176.58
- Master Series — Brisket 179.44
- Backyard Series — Chicken 178.86
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 175.41
131.89
180
Entries
40
6 judged meats
Top score
703.9884
Winning margin
4.6284
GC over RC
Field average
673.29
612.42703.99
median 678.25 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
1.1772 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
688.5144
612.42703.99
10th place overall
Field spread
91.5652
winner to last place
Prize money
$9,200
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 17%
beats 83% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
74%
62 of 84 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.59 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,602
avg power rating going in · stronger than 79% 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
7-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 93 times in 100
Drilling And Grilling BBQ Team came in rated below the field's top team, GETTIN' BASTED, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 7-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1529
- top seed 1986
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
Drilling And Grilling BBQ Team won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 11th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 9th
- Brisket 4th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 16 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: Mispillion Meat Works and SWEET BELLY'S BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 8–9: Deans Rockn Rednecks and GETTIN' BASTED tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 4–5: HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ and 3 EYZ BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 3–4 · tie
A contest record in brisket
179.4400
best brisket ever cooked here
Menke Boys BBQ turned in 179.4400 in brisket — past the 177.7144 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7144
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 3 Eyz BBQ (won 2023).
- 3 Eyz BBQ · 2023
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- PIGGIN' WHISKEY · Pork Ribs
They keep coming back
74%
of last edition’s field returned
62 of 84 teams from 2023-07-28 came back
62 of the 84 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 28, 2023 | New Freedom, PA | 1 Playground Alley | 51 | 698.8116 | 3 Eyz BBQ | OFF THE RACK BBQ |
| Jul 29, 2023 ← this one | 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 | 178.8572 | 176.5716 | 175.4400 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 180 | 176.5600 | 172.0116 |
| Master Series — Pork | 176.5828 | 175.4056 | 173.1428 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 179.4400 | 175.4172 | 170.8228 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 178.8572 | 172.5600 | 170.2744 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 175.4056 | 171.9656 | 167.3944 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
40 entries · top 703.9884 · median 678.2456
Chicken
40 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.9772
Pork Ribs
40 entries · top 180 · median 168.5658 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
40 entries · top 176.5828 · median 171.1142
Brisket
40 entries · top 179.4400 · median 168.5314
Backyard Series
Overall
22 entries · top 346.2516 · median 335.9544
Chicken
22 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.6914
Pork Ribs
22 entries · top 175.4056 · median 166.8228