A razor-thin finish
0.0116
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 98% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0116 points — closer than 98% of every championship in the data.
- BIG T'Z Q CRU
- SPITFIRE
The Madelia Blazin' Barbeque Blast 2013
Jul 12–13, 2013 · Madelia, MN
BIG T'Z Q CRU won Grand Champion at The Madelia Blazin' Barbeque Blast on July 12, 2013 in Madelia, MN, scoring 685.0744 in a field of 23 teams. SPITFIRE took Reserve Grand Champion with 685.0628. Category winners: Chicken — SPITFIRE (174.2972); Pork Ribs — BIG T'Z Q CRU (172.5716); Pork — SPITFIRE (175.4056); Brisket — LUCKY'S Q (177.7028). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2014.
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.
613.11
median 662.22
685.07 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.30
- Pork Ribs 172.57
- Pork 175.41
- Brisket 177.70
143.42
177.70
Entries
23
4 judged meats
Top score
685.0744
Winning margin
0.0116
GC over RC
Field average
659.53
613.11685.07
median 662.22 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7028 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
666.7660
613.11685.07
10th place overall
Field spread
71.9656
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 82%
beats 18% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,517
avg power rating going in · stronger than 12% of contests
Storylines (4 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 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: BILL-B-QUE-TX and REBEL FIRE QUE'N COMPANY tied on 172.5944 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: REBEL FIRE QUE'N COMPANY and MUSTANG SALLY BBQ tied on 172.5944 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: HOGLINE edged MYASSIS SMOKIN by 0.0112.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0112
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
SPITFIRE won Chicken, Pork — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
BIG T'Z Q CRU took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 14th.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 14th
- Brisket 2nd
In the record book (1 in the KCBS record book)
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2013 ← this one | Madelia, MN | Madelia, MN | 23 | 685.0744 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | SPITFIRE |
| Jul 11, 2014 | Madelia, MN | Madelia, MN 56062 | 26 | 687.3600 | SPITFIRE | CITY SLICKERS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.2972 | 172.5944 | 169.1316 |
| Pork Ribs | 172.5716 | 168.5716 | 166.2856 |
| Pork | 175.4056 | 170.2972 | 166.2628 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 170.2628 | 165.6684 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
23 entries · top 685.0744 · median 662.2172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 2 | SPITFIRE | |
| 3 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 4 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 5 | SWINE ASSASSINS | |
| 6 | HOGLINE | |
| 7 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 8 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 9 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 10 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 11 | QUETOPIA | |
| 12 | CITY SLICKERS BBQ | |
| 13 | OFF IN THE SMOKER | |
| 14 | TWOLITTLEPIGSBBQ.COM | |
| 15 | REBEL FIRE QUE'N COMPANY | |
| 16 | BILL-B-QUE-TX | |
| 17 | WILD SHOOTERS BBQ | |
| 18 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 19 | We Be Porkin | |
| 20 | Johnny Rockets BBQ | |
| 21 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 22 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 23 | Smoke Damage |
Chicken
23 entries · top 174.2972 · median 168
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SPITFIRE | |
| 2 | HOGLINE | |
| 3 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 4 | BILL-B-QUE-TX | |
| 5 | REBEL FIRE QUE'N COMPANY | |
| 6 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 7 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 8 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 9 | Smoke Damage | |
| 10 | TWOLITTLEPIGSBBQ.COM | |
| 11 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 12 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 13 | CITY SLICKERS BBQ | |
| 14 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 15 | SWINE ASSASSINS | |
| 16 | QUETOPIA | |
| 17 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 18 | Johnny Rockets BBQ | |
| 19 | WILD SHOOTERS BBQ | |
| 20 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 21 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 22 | OFF IN THE SMOKER | |
| 23 | We Be Porkin |
Pork Ribs
23 entries · top 172.5716 · median 165.7372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 2 | CITY SLICKERS BBQ | |
| 3 | SPITFIRE | |
| 4 | We Be Porkin | |
| 5 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 6 | REBEL FIRE QUE'N COMPANY | |
| 7 | OFF IN THE SMOKER | |
| 8 | HOGLINE | |
| 9 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 10 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 11 | SWINE ASSASSINS | |
| 12 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 13 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 14 | QUETOPIA | |
| 15 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 16 | TWOLITTLEPIGSBBQ.COM | |
| 17 | WILD SHOOTERS BBQ | |
| 18 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 19 | Johnny Rockets BBQ | |
| 20 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 21 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 22 | BILL-B-QUE-TX | |
| 23 | Smoke Damage |
Pork
23 entries · top 175.4056 · median 165.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SPITFIRE | |
| 2 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 3 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 4 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 5 | QUETOPIA | |
| 6 | SWINE ASSASSINS | |
| 7 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 8 | HOGLINE | |
| 9 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 10 | TWOLITTLEPIGSBBQ.COM | |
| 11 | WILD SHOOTERS BBQ | |
| 12 | OFF IN THE SMOKER | |
| 13 | BILL-B-QUE-TX | |
| 14 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 15 | We Be Porkin | |
| 16 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 17 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 18 | CITY SLICKERS BBQ | |
| 19 | REBEL FIRE QUE'N COMPANY | |
| 20 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 21 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 22 | Smoke Damage | |
| 23 | Johnny Rockets BBQ |
Brisket
23 entries · top 177.7028 · median 164.5828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 2 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 3 | SWINE ASSASSINS | |
| 4 | OFF IN THE SMOKER | |
| 5 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 6 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 7 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 8 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 9 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 10 | QUETOPIA | |
| 11 | WILD SHOOTERS BBQ | |
| 12 | Johnny Rockets BBQ | |
| 13 | TWOLITTLEPIGSBBQ.COM | |
| 14 | SPITFIRE | |
| 15 | CITY SLICKERS BBQ | |
| 16 | We Be Porkin | |
| 17 | HOGLINE | |
| 18 | BILL-B-QUE-TX | |
| 19 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 20 | REBEL FIRE QUE'N COMPANY | |
| 21 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 22 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 23 | Smoke Damage |