A new contest record
693.6684
highest overall ever cooked here
693.6684 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 688.5484 The Notorious P.I.G. set in 2023.
- old record 688.5484
- set 2023 by The Notorious P.I.G.
Didsbury Lions BBQ 2024
Jul 27–28, 2024 · Didsbury, AB · CANADA
Reps: Brenda Black, Ken Black
HOME COOKIN' BBQ won Grand Champion at the Didsbury Lions BBQ on July 27, 2024 in Didsbury, AB, scoring 693.6684 in a field of 28 teams. SMELLAQUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.9772. Category winners: Chicken — Kreiser Barbecue (176.5600); Pork Ribs — RUSTY'S BBQ (178.2972); Pork — Q Cartel (175.4056); Brisket — SMELLAQUE (176.5600). This is the 4th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by The Notorious P.I.G.; the next was held in 2025.
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.
584.93
median 667.67
693.67 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.56
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 175.41
- Brisket 176.56
127.36
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
28
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
693.6684
Winning margin
1.6912
GC over RC
Field average
664.23
584.93693.67
median 667.67 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
678.7772
584.93693.67
10th place overall
Field spread
108.7428
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 59%
beats 41% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
59%
10 of 17 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,530
avg power rating going in · stronger than 22% of contests
Storylines (7 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
18-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 82 times in 100
HOME COOKIN' BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, SMELLAQUE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 18-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1556
- top seed 1814
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
HOME COOKIN' BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 4th. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 4th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ and MOTLEY QUE tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 3–4: Kreiser Barbecue and HOME COOKIN' BBQ tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 5–6: Homestead Smoke Shack and Bad to the Brisket tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Brisket 3–4 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · 0.0112
A contest record in pork ribs
178.2972
best pork ribs ever cooked here
RUSTY'S BBQ turned in 178.2972 in pork ribs — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Motley Que (won 2022).
- Motley Que · 2022
The biggest field yet
28
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 21 teams
28 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 21.
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 3, 2021 | Didsbury, AB | Didsbury, Al T0M 0W0 | 26 | 658.1712 | Frozen Toque BBQ | MEAT SWEATS BBQ AB |
| Aug 27, 2022 | Didsbury, AB | AG Society Grounds | 19 | 673.1084 | Motley Que | Kreiser Barbecue |
| Aug 5, 2023 | Didsbury, AB | AG Society Grounds | 17 | 688.5484 | The Notorious P.I.G. | Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery |
| Jul 27, 2024 ← this one | Didsbury, AB | Didsbury AG Society Grounds | 28 | 693.6684 | Home Cookin' BBQ | SMELLAQUE |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Didsbury, AB | Didsbury AG Society Grounds | 32 | 700.5600 | SmellaQue | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5600 | 172 | 170.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 172.5600 | 169.6684 |
| Pork | 175.4056 | 173.1084 | 168.5600 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 174.2628 | 168.5828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 693.6684 · median 667.6684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOME COOKIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 3 | Homestead Smoke Shack | |
| 4 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 5 | Q Cartel | |
| 6 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 7 | RUSTY'S BBQ | |
| 8 | Brisket Butts | |
| 9 | Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | |
| 10 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 11 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 12 | Burnt Down BBQ | |
| 13 | Bad to the Brisket | |
| 14 | Fire BBQ | |
| 15 | Just Katie | |
| 16 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 17 | ROKER Q | |
| 18 | Panther BBQ | |
| 19 | Pour Decisions Pit | |
| 20 | Mc Que It | |
| 21 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 22 | Old Soul BBQ Co. | |
| 23 | Shu-B-Que | |
| 24 | Mark's Meats and Treats | |
| 25 | Elbow Grease | |
| 26 | Just Smoke It! BBQ | |
| 27 | Rack Addicts BBQ Team | |
| 28 | Monkey's Marauders |
Chicken
28 entries · top 176.5600 · median 167.1314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 2 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 3 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 4 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 5 | Burnt Down BBQ | |
| 6 | HOME COOKIN' BBQ | |
| 7 | Just Katie | |
| 8 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 9 | Q Cartel | |
| 10 | Homestead Smoke Shack | |
| 11 | Bad to the Brisket | |
| 12 | Fire BBQ | |
| 13 | Rack Addicts BBQ Team | |
| 14 | RUSTY'S BBQ | |
| 15 | Panther BBQ | |
| 16 | Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | |
| 17 | Elbow Grease | |
| 18 | ROKER Q | |
| 19 | Monkey's Marauders | |
| 20 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 21 | Shu-B-Que | |
| 22 | Mc Que It | |
| 23 | Old Soul BBQ Co. | |
| 24 | Mark's Meats and Treats | |
| 25 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 26 | Brisket Butts | |
| 27 | Just Smoke It! BBQ | |
| 28 | Pour Decisions Pit |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 178.2972 · median 167.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RUSTY'S BBQ | |
| 2 | Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | |
| 3 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 4 | HOME COOKIN' BBQ | |
| 5 | Homestead Smoke Shack | |
| 6 | Brisket Butts | |
| 7 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 8 | Q Cartel | |
| 9 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 10 | Mark's Meats and Treats | |
| 11 | ROKER Q | |
| 12 | Mc Que It | |
| 13 | Pour Decisions Pit | |
| 14 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 15 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 16 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 17 | Fire BBQ | |
| 18 | Bad to the Brisket | |
| 19 | Old Soul BBQ Co. | |
| 20 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 21 | Shu-B-Que | |
| 22 | Panther BBQ | |
| 23 | Elbow Grease | |
| 24 | Burnt Down BBQ | |
| 25 | Just Smoke It! BBQ | |
| 26 | Just Katie | |
| 27 | Rack Addicts BBQ Team | |
| 28 | Monkey's Marauders |
Pork
28 entries · top 175.4056 · median 166.8458
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q Cartel | |
| 2 | Brisket Butts | |
| 3 | Burnt Down BBQ | |
| 4 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 5 | Homestead Smoke Shack | |
| 6 | RUSTY'S BBQ | |
| 7 | HOME COOKIN' BBQ | |
| 8 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 9 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 10 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 11 | Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | |
| 12 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 13 | ROKER Q | |
| 14 | Just Smoke It! BBQ | |
| 15 | Pour Decisions Pit | |
| 16 | Just Katie | |
| 17 | Fire BBQ | |
| 18 | Panther BBQ | |
| 19 | Mc Que It | |
| 20 | Shu-B-Que | |
| 21 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 22 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 23 | Bad to the Brisket | |
| 24 | Elbow Grease | |
| 25 | Old Soul BBQ Co. | |
| 26 | Mark's Meats and Treats | |
| 27 | Rack Addicts BBQ Team | |
| 28 | Monkey's Marauders |
Brisket
28 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.8514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 2 | Brisket Butts | |
| 3 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 4 | HOME COOKIN' BBQ | |
| 5 | Homestead Smoke Shack | |
| 6 | Bad to the Brisket | |
| 7 | Just Katie | |
| 8 | Q Cartel | |
| 9 | Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | |
| 10 | Fire BBQ | |
| 11 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 12 | Panther BBQ | |
| 13 | Old Soul BBQ Co. | |
| 14 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 15 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 16 | RUSTY'S BBQ | |
| 17 | Pour Decisions Pit | |
| 18 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 19 | Burnt Down BBQ | |
| 20 | ROKER Q | |
| 21 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 22 | Mc Que It | |
| 23 | Mark's Meats and Treats | |
| 24 | Shu-B-Que | |
| 25 | Elbow Grease | |
| 26 | Rack Addicts BBQ Team | |
| 27 | Just Smoke It! BBQ | |
| 28 | Monkey's Marauders |
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Kids-Q — Kids Que - Pork
4 entries · top 169.7372 · median 162.5484
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rollin Smoke Jr | |
| 2 | Fire Bandit | |
| 3 | THE HAWT DAWGS | |
| 4 | 3000 Degrees |