A first Grand Championship
5
tracked contests to get there
This was THE SMOKING HILLS's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 5th tracked contest.
1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown
May 3–4, 2013 · Show Low, AZ
THE SMOKING HILLS won Grand Champion at the 1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown on May 3, 2013 in Show Low, AZ, scoring 686.8568 in a field of 24 teams. I.A.B. 30 BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 676.5712. Category winners: Chicken — Smell My Grill (176.0000); Pork Ribs — THE SMOKING HILLS (177.1430); Pork — KARNIVOROUS (174.2856); Brisket — THE SMOKING HILLS (176.5714).
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.
617.71
median 654.00
686.86 🏆
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 177.14
- Pork 174.29
- Brisket 176.57
137.14
177.14
Entries
24
4 judged meats
Top score
686.8568
Winning margin
10.2856
GC over RC
Field average
652.24
617.71686.86
median 654.00 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
3.4286 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
660.5710
617.71686.86
10th place overall
Field spread
69.1428
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 78%
beats 22% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.43 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,505
avg power rating going in · stronger than 4% 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 statement win
10.2856
points clear of the field
Wider than 88% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.2856 points — a wider margin than 88% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA and THE SMOKING HILLS tied on 170.2856 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ and Smell My Grill tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: DJS SMOKIN' BBQ and LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ tied on 171.4284 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
- Pork 8–9 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
THE SMOKING HILLS won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE SMOKING HILLS took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 17th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 17th
- Brisket 1st
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 | 176 | 168.5712 | 164.5716 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1430 | 173.1430 | 165.7142 |
| Pork | 174.2856 | 170.8570 | 166.2856 |
| Brisket | 176.5714 | 167.4284 | 162.8576 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
24 entries · top 686.8568 · median 653.9999
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 2 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 3 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 5 | Lip S-Macn BBQ | |
| 6 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 7 | Smell My Grill | |
| 8 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 9 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 10 | Rub A Dub Butts | |
| 11 | BURNIN BUTTS BBQ | |
| 12 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 13 | KEGGER'S | |
| 14 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 15 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 16 | Dang!! Datz Good BBQ | |
| 17 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 18 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 19 | ROCK N SMOKE | |
| 20 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 21 | 145 GRILL | |
| 22 | Smokin' Jack Wagons | |
| 23 | THE COWBOY WAY AZ | |
| 24 | ROCK-N-ROLL RIB RUBBERS |
Chicken
24 entries · top 176 · median 164.2857
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smell My Grill | |
| 2 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 3 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 4 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 5 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 6 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 7 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 8 | THE COWBOY WAY AZ | |
| 9 | Rub A Dub Butts | |
| 10 | Smokin' Jack Wagons | |
| 11 | ROCK N SMOKE | |
| 12 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 13 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 14 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 15 | BURNIN BUTTS BBQ | |
| 16 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 17 | KEGGER'S | |
| 18 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 19 | Lip S-Macn BBQ | |
| 20 | Dang!! Datz Good BBQ | |
| 21 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 22 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 23 | 145 GRILL | |
| 24 | ROCK-N-ROLL RIB RUBBERS |
Pork Ribs
24 entries · top 177.1430 · median 162.2857
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 2 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 3 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 4 | Smell My Grill | |
| 5 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 6 | Lip S-Macn BBQ | |
| 7 | BURNIN BUTTS BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 9 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 10 | 145 GRILL | |
| 11 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 12 | KEGGER'S | |
| 13 | Rub A Dub Butts | |
| 14 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 15 | Dang!! Datz Good BBQ | |
| 16 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 17 | Smokin' Jack Wagons | |
| 18 | ROCK-N-ROLL RIB RUBBERS | |
| 19 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 20 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 21 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 22 | THE COWBOY WAY AZ | |
| 23 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 24 | ROCK N SMOKE |
Pork
24 entries · top 174.2856 · median 165.4285
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 2 | Lip S-Macn BBQ | |
| 3 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 4 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 5 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 6 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 7 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 8 | Rub A Dub Butts | |
| 9 | KEGGER'S | |
| 10 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 11 | BURNIN BUTTS BBQ | |
| 12 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 13 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 14 | Dang!! Datz Good BBQ | |
| 15 | ROCK N SMOKE | |
| 16 | 145 GRILL | |
| 17 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 18 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 19 | THE COWBOY WAY AZ | |
| 20 | Smell My Grill | |
| 21 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 22 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 23 | Smokin' Jack Wagons | |
| 24 | ROCK-N-ROLL RIB RUBBERS |
Brisket
24 entries · top 176.5714 · median 161.1430
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 2 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 3 | ROCK N SMOKE | |
| 4 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 5 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 6 | Rub A Dub Butts | |
| 7 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 8 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 9 | Dang!! Datz Good BBQ | |
| 10 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 11 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 12 | Lip S-Macn BBQ | |
| 13 | ROCK-N-ROLL RIB RUBBERS | |
| 14 | KEGGER'S | |
| 15 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 16 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 17 | Smell My Grill | |
| 18 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 19 | BURNIN BUTTS BBQ | |
| 20 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 21 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 22 | Smokin' Jack Wagons | |
| 23 | THE COWBOY WAY AZ | |
| 24 | 145 GRILL |