A new contest record
704.5256
highest overall ever cooked here
704.5256 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 699.3832 Glamping Grillers set in 2022.
- old record 699.3832
- set 2022 by Glamping Grillers
Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival 2023
Nov 11–12, 2023 · Biloxi, MS · 📍 6505 Riviera Dr. · State championship
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $4,000
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ won Grand Champion at the Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival on November 11, 2023 in Biloxi, MS at 6505 Riviera Dr., scoring 704.5256 in a field of 19 teams. HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.6456. Category winners: Chicken — Heavy Smoke BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — DOUBLE BARREL BBQ - OK (178.8572); Pork — Ring of Fire (179.4400); Brisket — Colorado Bulldawg BBQ (178.8572). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by Glamping Grillers.
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.
497.04
median 691.92
704.53 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 178.86
162.23
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2023 — this edition picked out.
Entries
19
4 judged meats
Top score
704.5256
Winning margin
2.8800
GC over RC
Field average
678.53
497.04704.53
median 691.92 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
691.9200
497.04704.53
10th place overall
Field spread
207.4860
winner to last place
Prize money
$4,000
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 16%
beats 84% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
36%
4 of 11 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.72 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,674
avg power rating going in · stronger than 98% of contests
Storylines (9 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
28-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, Organizer Portal, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1757
- top seed 1919
A stacked field
1674
average power rating going in
Stronger than 98% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1674 power rating going in — stronger than 98% of every contest tracked.
- top seed Organizer Portal (1919)
- 19 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 16 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: Heavy Smoke BBQ and Poppa Pig tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: Smoke Busters and Organizer Portal tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Colorado Bulldawg BBQ and Glamping Grillers tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 8th.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 8th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8572
best pork ribs ever cooked here
DOUBLE BARREL BBQ - OK turned in 178.8572 in pork ribs — past the 173.7372 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 173.7372
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Glamping Grillers (won 2022).
- Glamping Grillers · 2022
The biggest field yet
19
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 15 teams
19 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 15.
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Heavy Smoke BBQ · Chicken
- Poppa Pig · Chicken
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 12, 2021 | Biloxi, MS | 6505 Riviera Dr. | 18 | 693.6684 | Kith n' Kin | GENERAL LEE SMOKING |
| Nov 4, 2022 | Biloxi, MS | 6505 Riviera Dr. | 11 | 699.3832 | Glamping Grillers | PIGGIN' WHISKEY |
| Nov 11, 2023 ← this one | Biloxi, MS | 6505 Riviera Dr. | 19 | 704.5256 | Colorado BullDawg BBQ | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4056 | 172.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 177.7028 | 173.7028 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 176.5600 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 174.2972 | 171.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
19 entries · top 704.5256 · median 691.9200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 2 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 3 | Organizer Portal | |
| 4 | Poppa Pig | |
| 5 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 6 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 7 | DOUBLE BARREL BBQ - OK | |
| 8 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 9 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 10 | SWINE LIFE | |
| 11 | Smoke Busters | |
| 12 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 13 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 14 | GENERAL LEE SMOKING | |
| 15 | Ring of Fire | |
| 16 | 901Q | |
| 17 | Po' Thangs | |
| 18 | Que-N-Da 662 | |
| 19 | J-B-Q |
Chicken
19 entries · top 180 · median 172.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 2 | Poppa Pig | |
| 3 | SWINE LIFE | |
| 4 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 5 | Smoke Busters | |
| 6 | Organizer Portal | |
| 7 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 8 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 9 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 10 | GENERAL LEE SMOKING | |
| 11 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 12 | DOUBLE BARREL BBQ - OK | |
| 13 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 14 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 15 | Ring of Fire | |
| 16 | J-B-Q | |
| 17 | 901Q | |
| 18 | Que-N-Da 662 | |
| 19 | Po' Thangs |
Pork Ribs
19 entries · top 178.8572 · median 173.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DOUBLE BARREL BBQ - OK | |
| 2 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 3 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 4 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 5 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 6 | GENERAL LEE SMOKING | |
| 7 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 8 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 9 | SWINE LIFE | |
| 10 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 11 | Smoke Busters | |
| 12 | Organizer Portal | |
| 13 | Po' Thangs | |
| 14 | 901Q | |
| 15 | Poppa Pig | |
| 16 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 17 | Ring of Fire | |
| 18 | J-B-Q | |
| 19 | Que-N-Da 662 |
Pork
19 entries · top 179.4400 · median 171.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ring of Fire | |
| 2 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 3 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 4 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 5 | Organizer Portal | |
| 6 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 7 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 8 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 9 | Poppa Pig | |
| 10 | DOUBLE BARREL BBQ - OK | |
| 11 | 901Q | |
| 12 | Que-N-Da 662 | |
| 13 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | Smoke Busters | |
| 15 | J-B-Q | |
| 16 | SWINE LIFE | |
| 17 | GENERAL LEE SMOKING | |
| 18 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 19 | Po' Thangs |
Brisket
18 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.6856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 2 | Poppa Pig | |
| 3 | Organizer Portal | |
| 4 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 5 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 6 | Smoke Busters | |
| 7 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | |
| 8 | Po' Thangs | |
| 9 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 10 | SWINE LIFE | |
| 11 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 12 | DOUBLE BARREL BBQ - OK | |
| 13 | GENERAL LEE SMOKING | |
| 14 | Ring of Fire | |
| 15 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 16 | 901Q | |
| 17 | Que-N-Da 662 | |
| 18 | Glamping Grillers |