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Clayton BBQ Challenge 2023

Sep 15–16, 2023 · Clayton, NC · 📍 340 McCullers St · State championship

Reps: Alan Rothrock, Doug Reid · Prize money: $7,500

🥇
Optimus Swine
705.0856 · Master Series — Overall
🥈
SMOKECRAFT - MD
702.8232 · Master Series — Overall
🥉
One Eyed Pig BBQ
702.2516 · Master Series — Overall

Optimus Swine won Grand Champion at the Clayton BBQ Challenge on September 15, 2023 in Clayton, NC at 340 McCullers St, scoring 705.0856 in a field of 17 teams. SMOKECRAFT - MD took Reserve Grand Champion with 702.8232. Category winners: Chicken — REDNECK SCIENTIFIC (178.8572); Pork Ribs — One Eyed Pig BBQ (180.0000); Pork — OFF THE RACK BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — MUTTLEY CREW BBQ (178.8572). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2024.

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.

How the meats cooked

Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.

  • Chicken 178.86
  • Pork Ribs 180 🔥
  • Pork 178.86
  • Brisket 178.86
156.55 180

Entries

17
4 judged meats

Top score

705.0856

Winning margin

2.2624
GC over RC

Field average

683.26
652.43705.09
median 682.75 · last place to winner

Perfect 180s

1 🔥
One Eyed Pig BBQ (Pork Ribs)

Tightest race

Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5

Top-10 cutoff

678.7540
652.43705.09
10th place overall

Field spread

52.6516
winner to last place

Prize money

$7,500
on the line

Most consistent

OFF THE RACK BBQ
avg finish 4.25 across 4 meats

Double threats

7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls

Widest winning margin

Pork
won by 1.1544 pts — OFF THE RACK BBQ

How hot was the win?

Top 15%
beats 85% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data

Form held

Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish

Field strength

1,665
avg power rating going in · stronger than 98% of contests

Top-rated in the field

REDNECK SCIENTIFIC
rated 1875 pre-contest

Storylines (4 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.

Won without a category win

4 of 4 meats called to the stage

Optimus Swine won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.

  • Chicken 10th
  • Pork Ribs 2nd
  • Pork 6th
  • Brisket 3rd

A stacked field

1665 average power rating going in

Stronger than 98% of every rated contest

The field averaged a 1665 power rating going in — stronger than 98% of every contest tracked.

  • top seed REDNECK SCIENTIFIC (1875)
  • 17 rated teams

Photo finishes

Tie closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point

Chicken places 2–3: North Meets South BBQ and SMOKECRAFT - MD tied on 177.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: SMOKE N BREW and OFF THE RACK BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: OFF THE RACK BBQ and One Eyed Pig BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.

  • Chicken 2–3 · tie
  • Chicken 4–5 · tie
  • Chicken 5–6 · tie
  • Chicken 7–8 · tie

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.

  • One Eyed Pig BBQ · Pork Ribs

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)

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 →

DateWhereVenueTeamsHigh scoreGrand ChampionReserve Champion
Sep 15, 2023 ← this one Clayton, NC 340 McCullers St 17 705.0856 Optimus Swine SMOKECRAFT - MD
Sep 13, 2024 Clayton, NC 340 McCullers St 27 697.6456 Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit MUTTLEY CREW BBQ

What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)

Category1st5th10th
Chicken178.8572176.5600173.1084
Pork Ribs180171.9772168.5372
Pork178.8572176.5600173.1200
Brisket178.8572175.4172169.1428

Official results on kcbs.us ↗

Master Series

Overall

17 entries · top 705.0856 · median 682.7540

#TeamScore
1 Optimus Swine 705.0856
2 SMOKECRAFT - MD 702.8232
3 One Eyed Pig BBQ 702.2516
4 OFF THE RACK BBQ 701.0972
5 MUTTLEY CREW BBQ 695.9084
6 SMOKE N BREW 690.7772
7 WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ 690.1944
8 REDNECK SCIENTIFIC 687.8856
9 SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM 682.7540
10 TWISTED PAIR BBQ 678.7540
11 North Meets South BBQ 677.6232
12 SMOKIN SKULLIES 676.4112
13 BUD WISER'S BBQ 671.2800
14 BB Barbecue and Pits 669.0172
15 Blue Ribbon BBQ NC 666.1600
16 POKE N SMOKE 665.0288
17 Tuff Smoke 652.4340

Chicken

17 entries · top 178.8572 · median 175.4056

#TeamScore
1 REDNECK SCIENTIFIC 178.8572
2 North Meets South BBQ 177.7144
3 SMOKECRAFT - MD 177.7144
4 SMOKE N BREW 176.5600
5 OFF THE RACK BBQ 176.5600
6 One Eyed Pig BBQ 176.5600
7 TWISTED PAIR BBQ 176
8 BUD WISER'S BBQ 176
9 SMOKIN SKULLIES 175.4056
10 Optimus Swine 173.1084
11 MUTTLEY CREW BBQ 170.8112
12 Blue Ribbon BBQ NC 170.2512
13 WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ 169.6800
14 SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM 169.6684
15 POKE N SMOKE 168.5716
16 BB Barbecue and Pits 160.5256
17 Tuff Smoke 159.3828

Pork Ribs

17 entries · top 180 · median 169.6916 · 🔥 perfect 180

#TeamScore
1 One Eyed Pig BBQ 180 🔥
2 Optimus Swine 178.8572
3 SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM 175.4172
4 OFF THE RACK BBQ 172.5600
5 WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ 171.9772
6 TWISTED PAIR BBQ 170.8228
7 MUTTLEY CREW BBQ 170.8228
8 SMOKE N BREW 169.6916
9 SMOKECRAFT - MD 169.6916
10 POKE N SMOKE 168.5372
11 SMOKIN SKULLIES 166.2400
12 North Meets South BBQ 165.1088
13 REDNECK SCIENTIFIC 163.9428
14 BB Barbecue and Pits 162.8116
15 Tuff Smoke 161.6800
16 BUD WISER'S BBQ 158.2172
17 Blue Ribbon BBQ NC 156.5488

Pork

17 entries · top 178.8572 · median 174.2628

#TeamScore
1 OFF THE RACK BBQ 178.8572
2 REDNECK SCIENTIFIC 177.7028
3 North Meets South BBQ 176.5600
4 One Eyed Pig BBQ 176.5600
5 SMOKECRAFT - MD 176.5600
6 Optimus Swine 175.4172
7 MUTTLEY CREW BBQ 175.4172
8 WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ 174.2628
9 BUD WISER'S BBQ 174.2628
10 Blue Ribbon BBQ NC 173.1200
11 BB Barbecue and Pits 170.2628
12 SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM 168.5256
13 SMOKE N BREW 168.5256
14 POKE N SMOKE 166.2400
15 Tuff Smoke 162.8228
16 SMOKIN SKULLIES 162.8000
17 TWISTED PAIR BBQ 159.3712

Brisket

17 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.9656

#TeamScore
1 MUTTLEY CREW BBQ 178.8572
2 SMOKECRAFT - MD 178.8572
3 Optimus Swine 177.7028
4 SMOKE N BREW 176
5 BB Barbecue and Pits 175.4172
6 WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ 174.2744
7 OFF THE RACK BBQ 173.1200
8 TWISTED PAIR BBQ 172.5600
9 SMOKIN SKULLIES 171.9656
10 SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM 169.1428
11 One Eyed Pig BBQ 169.1316
12 Tuff Smoke 168.5484
13 REDNECK SCIENTIFIC 167.3828
14 Blue Ribbon BBQ NC 166.2400
15 BUD WISER'S BBQ 162.8000
16 POKE N SMOKE 161.6800
17 North Meets South BBQ 158.2400

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