A first Grand Championship
2
tracked contests to get there
This was HOG ISLAND PITMASTERS's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 2nd tracked contest.
2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship
Mar 15–16, 2013 · Arcadia, CA
HOG ISLAND PITMASTERS won Grand Champion at the 2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship on March 15, 2013 in Arcadia, CA, scoring 672.5708 in a field of 57 teams. SMOKIN MO'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 658.8578. Category winners: Chicken — TOO ASHAMED TO NAME (175.4286); Pork Ribs — HOG ISLAND PITMASTERS (170.8572); Pork — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (176.5714); Brisket — SMOKIN MO'S BBQ (173.7144).
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.
508.00
median 630.29
672.57 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.43
- Pork Ribs 170.86
- Pork 176.57
- Brisket 173.71
103.43
176.57
Entries
57
4 judged meats
Top score
672.5708
Winning margin
13.7130
GC over RC
Field average
625.48
508.00672.57
median 630.29 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4.5716 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
642.8568
508.00672.57
10th place overall
Field spread
164.5702
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 95%
beats 5% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.36 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,504
avg power rating going in · stronger than 4% of contests
Storylines (5 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
13.7130
points clear of the field
Wider than 95% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.7130 points — a wider margin than 95% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 8–9: HOG HEAVEN BARBECUE COMPANY and Smoqued California BBQ tied on 164.5716 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: Smoqued California BBQ and MAD DAWGZ BBQ tied on 164.5716 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 3–4: TOO ASHAMED TO NAME and LADY OF Q tied on 170.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Brisket 3–4 · tie
- Brisket 6–7 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
HOG ISLAND PITMASTERS took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 12th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 12th
- Brisket 8th
One of the big ones
57
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 90% of the 5,469 contests in the data
57 teams — bigger than 90% of the 5,469 contests in the data.
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 | 175.4286 | 170.8570 | 165.7142 |
| Pork Ribs | 170.8572 | 165.7140 | 164.5716 |
| Pork | 176.5714 | 165.7142 | 164 |
| Brisket | 173.7144 | 169.1428 | 166.2856 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
57 entries · top 672.5708 · median 630.2856
Chicken
57 entries · top 175.4286 · median 159.4282
Pork Ribs
57 entries · top 170.8572 · median 156.5714
Pork
57 entries · top 176.5714 · median 156.5712
Brisket
57 entries · top 173.7144 · median 157.7144