Best Dam Barbeque
2024-05-24 – 2024-05-25 · Boulder City, NV · 📍 Boulder City, NV 89005 · State championship
Reps: KATHLEEN MCINTOSH, KELLY MCINTOSH · Prize money: $8,500.00
Grand Champion: Porterhouse BBQ (695.3600) · 33 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 BURNIN AND LOOTIN
Entries
33
4 judged meats
Top score
695.3600
Winning margin
0.5828
GC over RC
Field average
668.21
median 678.79
Tightest race
Brisket
2.8916 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
687.3024
10th place overall
Field spread
106.3888
winner to last place
Prize money
$8,500.00
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 70%
beats 30% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
79%
of the 33 teams with a home region came from outside NV
Came back for more
56%
15 of 27 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1561
avg power rating going in · stronger than 66% of contests
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5828 points — closer than 88% of every championship in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Porterhouse BBQ took the Grand Championship home to CA.
🧹 A double category winner
Tuffy's BBQ won Chicken, Pork — a double.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 9–10: SLINGIN MEATS and Needs More Cowbell BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: B' MACKIN BBQ and Big Johns BBQ Company tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 4–5: PORTERHOUSE BBQ and B' MACKIN BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Girls Can Grill (won 2022).
🃏 An upset on the books
Porterhouse BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, Meat Candy Q, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-05-25 | Boulder City, NV 89005 | 30 | 693.1316 | SQUAT AND GOBBLE BARBEQUE | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2022-05-27 | Boulder City, NV | 999 Colorado Street | 26 | 698.2516 | Girls Can Grill | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ |
| 2023-05-26 | Boulder City, NV | Boulder City, NV 89005 | 27 | 711.4056 | Stevo's BBQ | Rhythm n QUE |
| 2024-05-24 ← this one | Boulder City, NV | Boulder City, NV 89005 | 33 | 695.3600 | Porterhouse BBQ | BURNIN AND LOOTIN |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 176.0000 | 174.2628 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 175.4172 | 174.2628 |
| Brisket | 177.1544 | 174.2628 | 171.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
33 entries · top 695.3600 · median 678.7888
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 2 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 3 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 4 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 5 | Mad Dog BBQ | |
| 6 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 7 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 8 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 9 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 10 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 12 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 13 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 14 | Roughhouse Barbecue | |
| 15 | Chucho Q | |
| 16 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 17 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 18 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 19 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 20 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 21 | Smoke-Em-Good | |
| 22 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 23 | CLOUD OF SMOKE BBQ | |
| 24 | Vegas Grillbillies | |
| 25 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 26 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 27 | LUCKY LADIES BBQ | |
| 28 | Jay Miller and the Experience | |
| 29 | Generation Q | |
| 30 | The Smokin' B.A.R. | |
| 31 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 32 | Rue-Do BBQ | |
| 33 | Churchhill Downs Smokers |
Chicken
33 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.1428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 2 | Mad Dog BBQ | |
| 3 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 5 | Smoke-Em-Good | |
| 6 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 7 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 9 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 10 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 11 | Vegas Grillbillies | |
| 12 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 13 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 14 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 15 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 16 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 17 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 18 | The Smokin' B.A.R. | |
| 19 | Jay Miller and the Experience | |
| 20 | Generation Q | |
| 21 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 22 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 23 | CLOUD OF SMOKE BBQ | |
| 24 | Chucho Q | |
| 25 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 26 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 27 | Roughhouse Barbecue | |
| 28 | Churchhill Downs Smokers | |
| 29 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 30 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 31 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 32 | LUCKY LADIES BBQ | |
| 33 | Rue-Do BBQ |
Pork Ribs
33 entries · top 180.0000 · median 170.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chucho Q | |
| 2 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 3 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 5 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 6 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 7 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 8 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 9 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 10 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 11 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 12 | Roughhouse Barbecue | |
| 13 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 14 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 15 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 16 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 17 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 18 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 19 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 20 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 21 | Vegas Grillbillies | |
| 22 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 23 | LUCKY LADIES BBQ | |
| 24 | Smoke-Em-Good | |
| 25 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 26 | The Smokin' B.A.R. | |
| 27 | Mad Dog BBQ | |
| 28 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 29 | CLOUD OF SMOKE BBQ | |
| 30 | Generation Q | |
| 31 | Jay Miller and the Experience | |
| 32 | Rue-Do BBQ | |
| 33 | Churchhill Downs Smokers |
Pork
33 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 2 | Mad Dog BBQ | |
| 3 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 4 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 5 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 6 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 7 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 8 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 9 | Smoke-Em-Good | |
| 10 | CLOUD OF SMOKE BBQ | |
| 11 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 12 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 14 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 15 | Chucho Q | |
| 16 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 17 | Vegas Grillbillies | |
| 18 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 19 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 20 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 21 | Roughhouse Barbecue | |
| 22 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 23 | Generation Q | |
| 24 | LUCKY LADIES BBQ | |
| 25 | Jay Miller and the Experience | |
| 26 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 27 | The Smokin' B.A.R. | |
| 28 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 29 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 30 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 31 | Churchhill Downs Smokers | |
| 32 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 33 | Rue-Do BBQ |
Brisket
33 entries · top 177.1544 · median 167.9888
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roughhouse Barbecue | |
| 2 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 3 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 4 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 5 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 6 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 7 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 8 | Mad Dog BBQ | |
| 9 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 10 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 11 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 12 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 14 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 15 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 16 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 17 | LUCKY LADIES BBQ | |
| 18 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 19 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 20 | CLOUD OF SMOKE BBQ | |
| 21 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 22 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 23 | Chucho Q | |
| 24 | Vegas Grillbillies | |
| 25 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 26 | Smoke-Em-Good | |
| 27 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 28 | Jay Miller and the Experience | |
| 29 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 30 | Generation Q | |
| 31 | The Smokin' B.A.R. | |
| 32 | Rue-Do BBQ | |
| 33 | Churchhill Downs Smokers |