A first Grand Championship
3
tracked contests to get there
This was GRILLIN' BEAVERS's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 3rd tracked contest.
Smoke In The Spring 2013
Apr 12–13, 2013 · Osage City, KS
GRILLIN' BEAVERS won Grand Champion at the Smoke In The Spring on April 12, 2013 in Osage City, KS, scoring 685.7142 in a field of 71 teams. PELLET ENVY took Reserve Grand Champion with 682.8570. Category winners: Chicken — WHISKEY PIT BBQ COMPANY (176.0000); Pork Ribs — PORK ME PURPLE (175.4286); Pork — DODGE COUNTY SMOKERS (177.7144); Brisket — GRILLIN' BEAVERS (178.2858). This is the 1st of 14 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.
461.14
median 651.43
685.71 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176
- Pork Ribs 175.43
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 178.29
20
178.29
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
71
4 judged meats
Top score
685.7142
Winning margin
2.8572
GC over RC
Field average
644.03
461.14685.71
median 651.43 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8570 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
673.7138
461.14685.71
10th place overall
Field spread
224.5718
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 80%
beats 20% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.46 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,504
avg power rating going in · stronger than 3% 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 dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 14 tracked editions
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 14 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: WHISKEY PIT BBQ COMPANY and SMOKERS WILD tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: SMOKERS WILD and DODGE COUNTY SMOKERS tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: MOE CASON BBQ and K.C. CAN CREW tied on 173.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
How the title was won
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
GRILLIN' BEAVERS took the title on 2 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 21st.
- Chicken 21st
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 12th
- Brisket 1st
One of the big ones
71
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 95% of the 5,462 contests in the data
71 teams — bigger than 95% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
This contest's own records (3 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 12, 2013 ← this one | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS | 71 | 685.7142 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | PELLET ENVY |
| Apr 11, 2014 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS 66523 | 73 | 689.6916 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ |
| Apr 10, 2015 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS 66523 | 97 | 698.2516 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | SMOKE N BABES BBQ |
| Apr 8, 2016 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS | 109 | 700.5144 | CLARK CREW BBQ | LUCKY'S Q |
| Apr 7, 2017 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st St (Jones Park) | 100 | 700.0116 | CLARK CREW BBQ | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Apr 6, 2018 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st St (Jones Park) | 103 | 699.3712 | HOGLINE | 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
| Oct 30, 2020 | Osage City, KS | Jones Park (in Osage City) | 93 | 706.2744 | Tebo Creek BBQ | TRIPLE H BBQ |
| Apr 9, 2021 | Osage City, KS | Jones Park (in Osage City) | 105 | 703.4400 | Piggin Whiskey O.G. | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 94 | 700.0228 | Last Call Heroes BBQ | HIGH i QUE |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 103 | 707.9772 | Janky Leg BBQ | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 97 | 706.2628 | Burnt Trees | Damn Fine Beef & Swine |
| Apr 11, 2025 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 92 | 708.6060 | Parts 'R' Smokin | Cow Creek BBQ |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 101 | 709.7028 | Blind Fox BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176 | 173.1428 | 170.2856 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4286 | 172.5716 | 169.7146 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 174.2856 | 170.8570 |
| Brisket | 178.2858 | 172.5714 | 169.7142 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
71 entries · top 685.7142 · median 651.4284
Chicken
71 entries · top 176 · median 162.2854
Pork Ribs
71 entries · top 175.4286 · median 162.2860
Pork
71 entries · top 177.7144 · median 163.9998
Brisket
71 entries · top 178.2858 · median 162.2858