A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ · Chicken
- UNFAMOUS DAVE'S · Chicken
- Go Pig or Go Home · Pork Ribs
Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ
Jul 19–20, 2024 · Shenandoah, IA · 📍 709 S. Fremont Street · State championship
Reps: Eugene Wickham, Sarah Wickham · Prize money: $7,000
HOT DADDY'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ on July 19, 2024 in Shenandoah, IA at 709 S. Fremont Street, scoring 704.5256 in a field of 36 teams. Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 699.9428. Category winners: Chicken — Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Go Pig or Go Home (180.0000); Pork — HOT DADDY'S BBQ (177.7028); Brisket — BLAIR'S BIGFOOT BBQ (176.5944).
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.
597.63
median 679.57
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 180 🔥
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 176.59
131.94
180
Entries
36
4 judged meats
Top score
704.5256
Winning margin
4.5828
GC over RC
Field average
672.67
597.63704.53
median 679.57 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Tightest race
Pork
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
689.6344
597.63704.53
10th place overall
Field spread
106.8916
winner to last place
Prize money
$7,000
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 16%
beats 84% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.61 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,547
avg power rating going in · stronger than 35% of contests
Storylines (3 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ and UNFAMOUS DAVE'S tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Go Pig or Go Home and TEAM BREW & QUE tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: TEAM BREW & QUE and HOT DADDY'S BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
HOT DADDY'S BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 6th.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 5th
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 176 | 173.1544 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
| Brisket | 176.5944 | 174.2628 | 171.9656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
36 entries · top 704.5256 · median 679.5710
Chicken
36 entries · top 180 · median 169.6684 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
36 entries · top 180 · median 171.4000 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
36 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.4514
Brisket
36 entries · top 176.5944 · median 168.2628