A new contest record
706.8460
highest overall ever cooked here
706.8460 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 703.4288 Chunky BBQ set in 2023.
- old record 703.4288
- set 2023 by Chunky BBQ
Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) 2023
Sep 9–10, 2023 · Mannington, WV · 📍 206 Main Street · State championship
Reps: Louise Weidner, Robert McKee · Prize money: $3,000
UNDER THE RADAR won Grand Champion at the Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) on September 9, 2023 in Mannington, WV at 206 Main Street, scoring 706.8460 in a field of 11 teams. OFF THE RACK BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 703.3944. Category winners: Chicken — D’Qued Barbeque (176.0000); Pork Ribs — OFF THE RACK BBQ (177.1428); Pork — UNDER THE RADAR (178.2972); Brisket — OFF THE RACK BBQ (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by POOR BOYS BBQ with 351.4516. This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit.
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.
609.57
median 690.22
706.85 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 176
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 177.14
- Master Series — Pork 178.30
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 176.01
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 175.44
139.37
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2023 to 2023 — this edition picked out.
Entries
12
6 judged meats
Top score
706.8460
Winning margin
3.4516
GC over RC
Field average
683.83
609.57706.85
median 690.22 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
670.2060
609.57706.85
10th place overall
Field spread
97.2796
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,000
on the line
Double threats
11
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 9%
beats 91% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.6 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,655
avg power rating going in · stronger than 96% 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.
A stacked field
1655
average power rating going in
Stronger than 96% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1655 power rating going in — stronger than 96% of every contest tracked.
- top seed Under the Radar (1866)
- 23 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 2–3: Optimus Swine and OFF THE RACK BBQ tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: SMOKECRAFT - MD and BEER TIME BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 7–8: BEER TIME BBQ and CHUNKY BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 2–3 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
OFF THE RACK BBQ won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
UNDER THE RADAR took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 4th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
OFF THE RACK BBQ turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8572
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Chunky BBQ (won 2023), Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit (won 2023).
- Chunky BBQ · 2023
- Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit · 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.
- OFF THE RACK BBQ · Brisket
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 8, 2023 | Mannington, WV | 206 Main Street | 12 | 703.4288 | Chunky BBQ | UNDER THE RADAR |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Mannington, WV | 206 Main Street | 8 | 178.8572 | Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | — |
| Sep 9, 2023 ← this one | Mannington, WV | 206 Main Street | 11 | 706.8460 | Under the Radar | OFF THE RACK BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 176 | 173.7144 | 169.6684 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 177.1428 | 172.5716 | 163.9428 |
| Master Series — Pork | 178.2972 | 174.2628 | 168.5372 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 176.0116 | 154.8000 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 176.0116 | 171.9884 | 163.4172 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 170.2744 | 161.6684 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
11 entries · top 706.8460 · median 690.2176
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 2 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 3 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 4 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | |
| 5 | CHUNKY BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 7 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 8 | Optimus Swine | |
| 9 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 10 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin1 .4fun |
Chicken
11 entries · top 176 · median 173.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 2 | Optimus Swine | |
| 3 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 4 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 5 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 6 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 7 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 8 | CHUNKY BBQ | |
| 9 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | |
| 10 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin1 .4fun |
Pork Ribs
11 entries · top 177.1428 · median 171.4056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 2 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 3 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | |
| 4 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 5 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 6 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 7 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 8 | CHUNKY BBQ | |
| 9 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 10 | Optimus Swine | |
| 11 | Smokin1 .4fun |
Pork
11 entries · top 178.2972 · median 173.7144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 2 | CHUNKY BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 4 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 5 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 6 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 7 | Optimus Swine | |
| 8 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 9 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | |
| 10 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin1 .4fun |
Brisket
11 entries · top 180 · median 173.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OFF THE RACK BBQ | |
| 2 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ | |
| 3 | UNDER THE RADAR | |
| 4 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | |
| 5 | Optimus Swine | |
| 6 | CHUNKY BBQ | |
| 7 | D’Qued Barbeque | |
| 8 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 9 | SMOKECRAFT - MD | |
| 10 | BEER TIME BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin1 .4fun |
Backyard Series
Overall
12 entries · top 351.4516 · median 337.9830
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 2 | Leaning Jowler BBQ | |
| 3 | T & S BBQ | |
| 4 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 5 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 6 | FIRE & SHINE BBQ | |
| 7 | Full Throttle BBQ | |
| 8 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 9 | Pink Ring BBQ | |
| 10 | Little E's Que | |
| 11 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 12 | 5 Alarm BBQ |
Chicken
12 entries · top 176.0116 · median 169.6684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 2 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 3 | T & S BBQ | |
| 4 | Leaning Jowler BBQ | |
| 5 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 6 | Pink Ring BBQ | |
| 7 | Full Throttle BBQ | |
| 8 | FIRE & SHINE BBQ | |
| 9 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 10 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 11 | 5 Alarm BBQ | |
| 12 | Little E's Que |
Pork Ribs
12 entries · top 175.4400 · median 168.8400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 2 | Leaning Jowler BBQ | |
| 3 | T & S BBQ | |
| 4 | FIRE & SHINE BBQ | |
| 5 | Little E's Que | |
| 6 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 7 | Dog Bite Barbecue | |
| 8 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 9 | Full Throttle BBQ | |
| 10 | Pink Ring BBQ | |
| 11 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 12 | 5 Alarm BBQ |