A new contest record
697.0972
highest overall ever cooked here
697.0972 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 683.9544 TheBBQSuperStore.com set in 2013.
- old record 683.9544
- set 2013 by TheBBQSuperStore.com
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) 2013
Sep 13–14, 2013 · Hendersonville, TN
MOONSWINERS won Grand Champion at the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) on September 13, 2013 in Hendersonville, TN, scoring 697.0972 in a field of 30 teams. Swamp Boys took Reserve Grand Champion with 685.6800. Category winners: Chicken — TNT SOUTHERN BBQ (175.4172); Pork Ribs — MOONSWINERS (177.1544); Pork — ASH KICKERS BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM (180.0000). This is the 4th of 28 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by Rhode Hog BBQ; the next was held in 2013.
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.
648.41
median 668.72
697.10 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.42
- Pork Ribs 177.15
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 180 🔥
138.18
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2017 — this edition picked out.
Entries
30
4 judged meats
Top score
697.0972
Winning margin
11.4172
GC over RC
Field average
669.53
648.41697.10
median 668.72 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
1.6800 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
675.4512
648.41697.10
10th place overall
Field spread
48.6860
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 46%
beats 54% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
0%
0 of 30 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.41 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,554
avg power rating going in · stronger than 41% 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.
An upset on the books
33-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 67 times in 100
MOONSWINERS came in rated below the field's top team, 3 EYZ BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 33-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1547
- top seed 1671
A statement win
11.4172
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 11.4172 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 28 tracked editions
RHYTHM 'N QUE has won this contest 2 times across its 28 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: HOT WACHULA'S and SOUTHERN THUNDER BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N and KILLER B'S BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: KILLER B'S BBQ and UNCULTURED SWINE tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
MOONSWINERS took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 14th.
- Chicken 14th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 8th
A contest record in pork ribs
177.1544
best pork ribs ever cooked here
MOONSWINERS turned in 177.1544 in pork ribs — past the 175.4286 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4286
- across 3 past editions
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.
- MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM · Brisket
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2013 | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 667.4280 | TOMBSTONE BBQ | GQUE |
| Aug 2, 2013 | Rockford, IL | Rockford, IL | 30 | 683.9544 | TheBBQSuperStore.com | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA |
| Sep 6, 2013 | Chesapeake, VA | Chesapeake, VA | 30 | 673.6796 | Rhode Hog BBQ | SMOKE THIS |
| Sep 13, 2013 ← this one | Hendersonville, TN | Hendersonville, TN | 30 | 697.0972 | MOONSWINERS | Swamp Boys |
| Oct 11, 2013 | Midwest City, OK | Midwest City, OK | 30 | 697.6684 | CAVEMAN CUISINE | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| Apr 25, 2014 | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 685.7140 | RHYTHM 'N QUE | SLAP YO' DADDY BBQ |
| May 23, 2014 | Hendersonville, TN | Hendersonville, TN | 30 | 700.0232 | SWIGGIN PIG | Organizer Portal |
| Aug 1, 2014 | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | 30 | 689.1316 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | iBQ'n |
| Aug 29, 2014 | Richmond, VA | Richmond, VA | 30 | 673.0740 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | THE BBQ GURU |
| Sep 5, 2014 | Southaven, MS | Southaven, MS | 30 | 701.7144 | PIG WHISPERERS | LANG BBQ SMOKERS |
| Sep 19, 2014 | Midwest City, OK | Midwest City, OK | 29 | 694.2288 | CLARK CREW BBQ | CAVEMAN CUISINE |
| Apr 24, 2015 | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 702.8576 | RHYTHM 'N QUE | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| May 29, 2015 | Hendersonville, TN | Hendersonville, TN | 29 | 703.4056 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | Q-BONES BBQ |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | 30 | 694.8344 | THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ | BIG T'Z Q CRU |
| Sep 4, 2015 | Richmond, VA | Richmond, VA | 30 | 688.5488 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | INSANE SWINE BBQ |
| Sep 18, 2015 | Southaven, MS | Southaven, MS | 30 | 701.1200 | CAJUN BLAZE | EAT MOR BUTT BBQ |
| Sep 25, 2015 | Midwest City, OK | Midwest City, OK | 30 | 694.2632 | CLARK CREW BBQ | SMOKEAHOLICS |
| Apr 22, 2016 | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 695.4172 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | SMOKIN MO'S BBQ |
| Jun 17, 2016 | Hendersonville, TN | Hendersonville, TN | 29 | 699.9544 | SON SEEKERS BBQ | THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW |
| Jul 1, 2016 | Marietta, GA | Marietta, GA | 30 | 697.6572 | CONTAGIOUS Q | Organizer Portal |
| Aug 26, 2016 | N. Charleston, SC | N. Charleston, SC | 30 | 695.3484 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
| Sep 16, 2016 | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | 30 | 705.7144 | LUCKY'S Q | TOTALLY SAUCED |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Midwest City, OK | Midwest City, OK | 30 | 698.8572 | JAESTAR BBQ | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| Apr 21, 2017 | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 706.8572 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ |
| Jun 30, 2017 | Bartlett, TN | Bartlett, TN | 30 | 704.5488 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | RAZORRACKS |
| Aug 25, 2017 | Richmond, VA | Richmond, VA | 29 | 698.8228 | SMOKING BUTT HEADS | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | 30 | 685.1432 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | iBQ'n |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Edmond, OK | Edmond, OK | 30 | 709.7260 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | JAESTAR BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4172 | 173.7372 | 170.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 174.2628 | 171.4172 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 173.1084 | 170.3200 |
| Brisket | 180 | 175.4056 | 173.1428 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 697.0972 · median 668.7198
Chicken
30 entries · top 175.4172 · median 168.5314
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 177.1544 · median 169.1256
Pork
30 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.1084
Brisket
30 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180