A razor-thin finish
0.5712
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 91% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5712 points — closer than 91% of every championship in the data.
- 4:20 Q
- THE BBQ GURU
Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival
Apr 19–20, 2013 · Salisbury, MD
4:20 Q won Grand Champion at the Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival on April 19, 2013 in Salisbury, MD, scoring 676.5712 in a field of 106 teams. THE BBQ GURU took Reserve Grand Champion with 676.0000. Category winners: Chicken — CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ (175.4286); Pork Ribs — LITTLE CREEK BAR B CUE COMPANY (173.7144); Pork — Drilling&GrillingBBQ Tea (177.1430); Brisket — SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (173.7142).
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.
507.43
median 618.86
676.57 🏆
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 173.71
- Pork 177.14
- Brisket 173.71
20
177.14
Entries
106
4 judged meats
Top score
676.5712
Winning margin
0.5712
GC over RC
Field average
613.90
507.43676.57
median 618.86 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.0002 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
646.2852
507.43676.57
10th place overall
Field spread
169.1428
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 93%
beats 7% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.26 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,500
avg power rating going in · stronger than 1% 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.
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
4:20 Q won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 21st
- Brisket 2nd
A first Grand Championship
3
tracked contests to get there
This was 4:20 Q's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 3rd tracked contest.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: THE BBQ GURU and Smokan Dudes BBQ tied on 173.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: ALQUEMY - VA and Baby Got Butt (MD) tied on 168.5714 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: APORKALYPSE NOW and STUBBORN BULL BBQ tied on 168.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
One of the big ones
106
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 98% of the 5,469 contests in the data
106 teams — bigger than 98% 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 | 169.7142 | 168 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.7144 | 169.7142 | 164.5716 |
| Pork | 177.1430 | 169.1430 | 168 |
| Brisket | 173.7142 | 168.5716 | 165.1428 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
106 entries · top 676.5712 · median 618.8567
Chicken
106 entries · top 175.4286 · median 157.7142
Pork Ribs
106 entries · top 173.7144 · median 152.5715
Pork
106 entries · top 177.1430 · median 155.9998
Brisket
106 entries · top 173.7142 · median 154.2857