A new contest record
708.5716
highest overall ever cooked here
708.5716 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 702.8344 Smokin' Ghost set in 2022.
- old record 702.8344
- set 2022 by Smokin' Ghost
Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 2024
Sep 20–21, 2024 · Murphysboro, IL · 📍 214 N 17th St · State championship
Reps: Carolyn Wells, Debra Gage, William Gage · Prize money: $12,700
THE BBQ BUS won Grand Champion at the Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard on September 20, 2024 in Murphysboro, IL at 214 N 17th St, scoring 708.5716 in a field of 58 teams. WE WILL ROCK QUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 702.8344. Category winners: Chicken — GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — JANKY LEG BBQ (180.0000); Pork — SmokinGhost BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — MAN MEAT BBQ (180.0000). This is the 3rd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Janky Leg BBQ; 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.
588.75
median 684.18
708.57 🏆
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 180 🔥
- Brisket 180 🔥
124.33
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2022 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
58
4 judged meats
Top score
708.5716
Winning margin
5.7372
GC over RC
Field average
675.42
588.75708.57
median 684.18 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
5 🔥
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
697.0628
588.75708.57
10th place overall
Field spread
119.8176
winner to last place
Prize money
$12,700
on the line
Double threats
3
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
52%
26 of 50 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,615
avg power rating going in · stronger than 85% 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
31-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 69 times in 100
THE BBQ BUS came in rated below the field's top team, JANKY LEG BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 31-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1805
- top seed 1940
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE BBQ BUS won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 10th
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 5th
A day of perfect scores
5
perfect 180s
5 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- MAN MEAT BBQ · Brisket
- Mulkey's BBQ · Brisket
- GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ · Chicken
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 20 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: DB BBQ and CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. and MACHETE BOYS BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: MACHETE BOYS BBQ and ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
JANKY LEG BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8572
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Janky Leg BBQ (won 2023).
- Janky Leg BBQ · 2023
One of the big ones
58
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 91% of the 5,482 contests in the data
58 teams — bigger than 91% of the 5,482 contests in the data.
The biggest field yet
58
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 48 teams
58 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 48.
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 23, 2022 | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 46 | 702.8344 | Smokin' Ghost | SWINE LIFE |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 50 | 701.1200 | Janky Leg BBQ | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ |
| Sep 20, 2024 ← this one | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 58 | 708.5716 | The BBQ Bus | WE WILL ROCK QUE |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 56 | 706.2628 | WeQ4u | TRIPLE H BBQ |
| Sep 25, 2026 | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 71 | 710.2860 | 1Bite Stand | With A 180 |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 178.8572 | 177.7144 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 176.5600 | 175.4172 |
| Pork | 180 | 176.5600 | 175.4400 |
| Brisket | 180 | 177.7028 | 174.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
58 entries · top 708.5716 · median 684.1828
Chicken
58 entries · top 180 · median 173.6914 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
58 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
58 entries · top 180 · median 171.4114 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
58 entries · top 180 · median 168.5256 · 🔥 perfect 180