A new contest record
709.1200
highest overall ever cooked here
709.1200 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 701.1200 Gettin' Basted set in 2022.
- old record 701.1200
- set 2022 by Gettin' Basted
Beat the Heat BBQ & Brews 2024
Aug 9–10, 2024 · Alamosa, CO · 📍 506 2nd Street · State championship
Reps: Brian Moore, Michael Winter · Prize money: $10,365
Bushmaster BBQ won Grand Champion at the Beat the Heat BBQ & Brews on August 9, 2024 in Alamosa, CO at 506 2nd Street, scoring 709.1200 in a field of 29 teams. SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6688. Category winners: Chicken — Bushmaster BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Bushmaster BBQ (179.4400); Pork — Bushmaster BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — Texas Smoke Whisperer (178.2972). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Chucho Q.
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.
527.92
median 665.65
709.12 🏆
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 179.44
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 178.30
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2022 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
29
4 judged meats
Top score
709.1200
Winning margin
15.4512
GC over RC
Field average
659.12
527.92709.12
median 665.65 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.1088
527.92709.12
10th place overall
Field spread
181.1996
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,365
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 5%
beats 95% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
56%
15 of 27 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.56 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,553
avg power rating going in · stronger than 40% of contests
Storylines (8 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.
A statement win
15.4512
points clear of the field
Wider than 96% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 15.4512 points — a wider margin than 96% of championships in the data.
A hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
Bushmaster BBQ won Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: Texas Original Charcoal and ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: Texas Smoke Whisperer and HEIFERS, BUTTS, & CLUCKS BBQ tied on 174.8456 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 7–8: At Ease and SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
- Brisket 1–2 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
Bushmaster BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 11th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 11th
A contest record in chicken
178.8572
best chicken ever cooked here
Bushmaster BBQ turned in 178.8572 in chicken — past the 177.7144 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7144
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Chucho Q (won 2023).
- Chucho Q · 2023
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.
- Bushmaster BBQ · Pork
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2022 | Alamosa, CO | 502 2nd Street | 35 | 701.1200 | Gettin' Basted | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ |
| Aug 11, 2023 | Alamosa, CO | 502 2nd Street | 27 | 693.6688 | Chucho Q | Crossed Rifles BBQ |
| Aug 9, 2024 ← this one | Alamosa, CO | 506 2nd Street | 29 | 709.1200 | Bushmaster BBQ | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 176 | 174.2972 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 171.9772 | 168.5372 |
| Pork | 180 | 173.1200 | 170.2856 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 174.8800 | 171.9656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 709.1200 · median 665.6456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 3 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 4 | M-DUBS BBQ | |
| 5 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 6 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 7 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 8 | Texas Original Charcoal | |
| 9 | Texas Smoke Whisperer | |
| 10 | At Ease | |
| 11 | HEIFERS, BUTTS, & CLUCKS BBQ | |
| 12 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 13 | Monarchbbq | |
| 14 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 15 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 16 | 62nd St BBQ | |
| 17 | LA PASADITA | |
| 18 | DOUBLE J SMOKERS | |
| 19 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 20 | Ribbin-1-Out | |
| 21 | Good To Go BBQ | |
| 22 | DragonFyre Smoke | |
| 23 | Still Whiskey BBQ | |
| 24 | 1 2 BBQ | |
| 25 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 26 | Service Dog BBQ | |
| 27 | Sandhill Smokers | |
| 28 | No Pasa Nada Smokers | |
| 29 | Chucho Q |
Chicken
29 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.3944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 2 | 62nd St BBQ | |
| 3 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 4 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 5 | Texas Original Charcoal | |
| 6 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 8 | Texas Smoke Whisperer | |
| 9 | HEIFERS, BUTTS, & CLUCKS BBQ | |
| 10 | M-DUBS BBQ | |
| 11 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 12 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 13 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 14 | LA PASADITA | |
| 15 | Chucho Q | |
| 16 | At Ease | |
| 17 | Ribbin-1-Out | |
| 18 | Monarchbbq | |
| 19 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 20 | Good To Go BBQ | |
| 21 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 22 | 1 2 BBQ | |
| 23 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 24 | Service Dog BBQ | |
| 25 | DragonFyre Smoke | |
| 26 | DOUBLE J SMOKERS | |
| 27 | No Pasa Nada Smokers | |
| 28 | Sandhill Smokers | |
| 29 | Still Whiskey BBQ |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 2 | M-DUBS BBQ | |
| 3 | At Ease | |
| 4 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 5 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 7 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 8 | DOUBLE J SMOKERS | |
| 9 | Chucho Q | |
| 10 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 11 | Texas Original Charcoal | |
| 12 | Still Whiskey BBQ | |
| 13 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 14 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 15 | Monarchbbq | |
| 16 | Good To Go BBQ | |
| 17 | Texas Smoke Whisperer | |
| 18 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 19 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 20 | 1 2 BBQ | |
| 21 | Ribbin-1-Out | |
| 22 | HEIFERS, BUTTS, & CLUCKS BBQ | |
| 23 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 24 | DragonFyre Smoke | |
| 25 | LA PASADITA | |
| 26 | Sandhill Smokers | |
| 27 | 62nd St BBQ | |
| 28 | Service Dog BBQ | |
| 29 | No Pasa Nada Smokers |
Pork
29 entries · top 180 · median 166.8572 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 2 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 3 | LA PASADITA | |
| 4 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 5 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 6 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 7 | At Ease | |
| 8 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 9 | M-DUBS BBQ | |
| 10 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 11 | Texas Original Charcoal | |
| 12 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 13 | DragonFyre Smoke | |
| 14 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 15 | Texas Smoke Whisperer | |
| 16 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 17 | Monarchbbq | |
| 18 | HEIFERS, BUTTS, & CLUCKS BBQ | |
| 19 | Still Whiskey BBQ | |
| 20 | 62nd St BBQ | |
| 21 | DOUBLE J SMOKERS | |
| 22 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 23 | Good To Go BBQ | |
| 24 | 1 2 BBQ | |
| 25 | Ribbin-1-Out | |
| 26 | Service Dog BBQ | |
| 27 | Sandhill Smokers | |
| 28 | No Pasa Nada Smokers | |
| 29 | Chucho Q |
Brisket
29 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Smoke Whisperer | |
| 2 | HEIFERS, BUTTS, & CLUCKS BBQ | |
| 3 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 5 | Monarchbbq | |
| 6 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 7 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 8 | Chucho Q | |
| 9 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 10 | Texas Original Charcoal | |
| 11 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 12 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 13 | M-DUBS BBQ | |
| 14 | Ribbin-1-Out | |
| 15 | At Ease | |
| 16 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 17 | DOUBLE J SMOKERS | |
| 18 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY | |
| 19 | Good To Go BBQ | |
| 20 | 62nd St BBQ | |
| 21 | DragonFyre Smoke | |
| 22 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 23 | Still Whiskey BBQ | |
| 24 | Service Dog BBQ | |
| 25 | LA PASADITA | |
| 26 | 1 2 BBQ | |
| 27 | Sandhill Smokers | |
| 28 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 29 | No Pasa Nada Smokers |