A first Grand Championship
21
tracked contests to get there
This was HOUSE OF Q's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 21st tracked contest.
BBQ on the Bow 2013
Aug 31 – Sep 1, 2013 · Calgary, Alberta, CA
HOUSE OF Q won Grand Champion at the BBQ on the Bow on August 31, 2013 in Calgary, Alberta, CA, scoring 657.6796 in a field of 26 teams. ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS took Reserve Grand Champion with 654.2744. Category winners: Chicken — Smoking Crocus (179.4400); Pork Ribs — Gettin' Sauced BBQ (175.4400); Pork — HOUSE OF Q (173.7256); Brisket — LORD OF THE GRILL (170.3088). This is the 1st of 8 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2015.
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.
466.30
median 598.87
657.68 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 175.44
- Pork 173.73
- Brisket 170.31
109.03
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
25
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
657.6796
Winning margin
3.4052
GC over RC
Field average
597.94
466.30657.68
median 598.87 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
9.7260 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
604.1260
466.30657.68
10th place overall
Field spread
191.3828
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 99%
beats 1% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.39 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,501
avg power rating going in · stronger than 2% 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.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 8 tracked editions
SMELLAQUE has won this contest 2 times across its 8 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2019
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 4 calls decided inside half a point
Brisket places 9–10: Redneck Kitchen edged ETA 199 by 0.0116. Chicken places 2–3: HOUSE OF Q edged Northern Smokers by 0.0228. Pork Ribs places 6–7: More Than a Mouthful edged GRILLERS IN THE MIST by 0.0456.
- Brisket 9–10 · 0.0116
- Chicken 2–3 · 0.0228
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0456
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · 0.4916
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
HOUSE OF Q took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 15th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 15th
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 31, 2013 ← this one | Calgary, Alberta, CA | Calgary, Alberta, Ca | 26 | 657.6796 | HOUSE OF Q | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS |
| Sep 5, 2015 | Calgary, AB | Calgary, Alberta, T2W3J6 | 35 | 671.9312 | Bordertown Bar-B-Que | SMELLAQUE |
| Sep 3, 2016 | Calgary, Alberta, CA | Montgomery Community | 35 | 681.7144 | SMELLAQUE | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ |
| Sep 2, 2017 | Calgary | Montgomery Community Association | 42 | 666.2400 | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | SMELLAQUE |
| Sep 1, 2018 | Calgary | Montgomery Community Association | 43 | 677.7140 | HOME COOKIN' BBQ | BIGG SMOAK BBQ |
| Aug 31, 2019 | Calgary | 5003 16 Ave NW | 37 | 670.2972 | SmellaQue | RUSTY'S BBQ |
| Sep 26, 2020 | Didsbury, AB | Didsbury, Alberta, | 21 | 662.7656 | Prairie Smoke & Spice | SMELLAQUE |
| Sep 4, 2021 | Didsbury, AB | Rosebud Valley Campground | 29 | 677.7712 | Meat Sweats | THE DEVIL MADE ME Q IT |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 167.4056 | 159.3712 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 165.1084 | 155.9428 |
| Pork | 173.7256 | 161.1428 | 156.5256 |
| Brisket | 170.3088 | 160.5828 | 152.5484 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 657.6796 · median 598.8688
Chicken
25 entries · top 179.4400 · median 158.8684
Pork Ribs
24 entries · top 175.4400 · median 152.2456
Pork
25 entries · top 173.7256 · median 149.7028
Brisket
25 entries · top 170.3088 · median 150.8228
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.
Master Series — Bbq Sauce
18 entries · top 158.8800 · median 143.7486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bookers BBQ | |
| 3 | The Big LebowsQ | |
| 4 | Redneck Kitchen | |
| 5 | LORD OF THE GRILL | |
| 6 | Old Baja Boys | |
| 7 | Smokey Smokerton | |
| 8 | Smoky Butt BBQ | |
| 9 | GRILLERS IN THE MIST | |
| 10 | Rylie's Cattle Barn | |
| 11 | Saucy Dawgs BBQ | |
| 12 | PORKY FATSTACKS BBQ & SOCIAL CLUB | |
| 13 | ETA 199 | |
| 14 | HOUSE OF Q | |
| 15 | Toad n Turtle Pubhouse & Grill | |
| 16 | Way Over Done | |
| 17 | Smoking Crocus | |
| 18 | NOTORIOUS P.I.G. | |
| 19 | Boom Town BBQ |
Master Series — Chef'S Challange
16 entries · top 171.4288 · median 156.8572