A first Grand Championship
11
tracked contests to get there
This was QUAU's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 11th tracked contest.
2013 Optimist Kick-Off Cook-Off
May 10–11, 2013 · Florissant, MO
QUAU won Grand Champion at the 2013 Optimist Kick-Off Cook-Off on May 10, 2013 in Florissant, MO, scoring 681.7140 in a field of 25 teams. GILLY'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 669.7140. Category winners: Chicken — QUAU (176.0000); Pork Ribs — CODE 3 BBQ (170.8574); Pork — QUAU (172.0000); Brisket — BLAZIN' BLUES BBQ (174.2858).
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.
537.14
median 641.14
681.71 🏆
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 170.86
- Pork 172
- Brisket 174.29
122.86
176
Entries
25
4 judged meats
Top score
681.7140
Winning margin
12
GC over RC
Field average
635.84
537.14681.71
median 641.14 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
2.2858 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
646.8570
537.14681.71
10th place overall
Field spread
144.5702
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 87%
beats 13% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.39 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,512
avg power rating going in · stronger than 8% 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
12.0000
points clear of the field
Wider than 92% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.0000 points — a wider margin than 92% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: SMOKIN T'S and SMOKIN' BUTTS tied on 165.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 4–5: GATEWAY DRUM SMOKERS.COM and PITMASTERIQ BBQ tied on 169.7142 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: SMOKIN T'S edged PITMASTERIQ BBQ by 0.0002.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0002
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0002
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
QUAU won Chicken, Pork — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
QUAU took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 7th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 7th
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 | 166.8574 | 165.7144 |
| Pork Ribs | 170.8574 | 165.1428 | 162.8570 |
| Pork | 172 | 169.7142 | 164 |
| Brisket | 174.2858 | 164.5714 | 162.2856 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 681.7140 · median 641.1430
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUAU | |
| 2 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 3 | BLAZIN' BLUES BBQ | |
| 4 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 5 | GATEWAY DRUM SMOKERS.COM | |
| 6 | SMOKIN T'S | |
| 7 | Bone-Head Competition BB | |
| 8 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 9 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 10 | I QUE & BREW | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 12 | TWO BUTTS AND A HAM | |
| 13 | CODE 3 BBQ | |
| 14 | BAJA PIT CREW | |
| 15 | ALL-STAR BBQ | |
| 16 | Smokin Bullets BBQ Team | |
| 17 | HELL'S GRILL | |
| 18 | SMOKEY JOEL/CUBBY BEAR | |
| 19 | SMOKIN JOE AND SON | |
| 20 | Bully's Smokehouse | |
| 21 | BIG CHIEF BBQ | |
| 22 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 23 | Rub It Smoke It Love It | |
| 24 | Q For Kids | |
| 25 | SRPD Men's Club |
Chicken
25 entries · top 176 · median 161.7142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUAU | |
| 2 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 3 | BLAZIN' BLUES BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKEY JOEL/CUBBY BEAR | |
| 5 | I QUE & BREW | |
| 6 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 7 | Bone-Head Competition BB | |
| 8 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKIN T'S | |
| 10 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 11 | BIG CHIEF BBQ | |
| 12 | ALL-STAR BBQ | |
| 13 | HELL'S GRILL | |
| 14 | GATEWAY DRUM SMOKERS.COM | |
| 15 | BAJA PIT CREW | |
| 16 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 17 | Rub It Smoke It Love It | |
| 18 | CODE 3 BBQ | |
| 19 | Bully's Smokehouse | |
| 20 | Smokin Bullets BBQ Team | |
| 21 | SMOKIN JOE AND SON | |
| 22 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 23 | TWO BUTTS AND A HAM | |
| 24 | SRPD Men's Club | |
| 25 | Q For Kids |
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 170.8574 · median 159.4284
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CODE 3 BBQ | |
| 2 | ALL-STAR BBQ | |
| 3 | QUAU | |
| 4 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 5 | GATEWAY DRUM SMOKERS.COM | |
| 6 | SMOKIN T'S | |
| 7 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKEY JOEL/CUBBY BEAR | |
| 9 | TWO BUTTS AND A HAM | |
| 10 | I QUE & BREW | |
| 11 | Bully's Smokehouse | |
| 12 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 13 | BLAZIN' BLUES BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKIN JOE AND SON | |
| 15 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 16 | BAJA PIT CREW | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 18 | Smokin Bullets BBQ Team | |
| 19 | Bone-Head Competition BB | |
| 20 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 21 | HELL'S GRILL | |
| 22 | BIG CHIEF BBQ | |
| 23 | Rub It Smoke It Love It | |
| 24 | Q For Kids | |
| 25 | SRPD Men's Club |
Pork
25 entries · top 172 · median 160.5714
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUAU | |
| 2 | SMOKIN T'S | |
| 3 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 4 | GATEWAY DRUM SMOKERS.COM | |
| 5 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 6 | Bone-Head Competition BB | |
| 7 | SMOKIN JOE AND SON | |
| 8 | Rub It Smoke It Love It | |
| 9 | TWO BUTTS AND A HAM | |
| 10 | Smokin Bullets BBQ Team | |
| 11 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 12 | CODE 3 BBQ | |
| 13 | BLAZIN' BLUES BBQ | |
| 14 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 15 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 16 | HELL'S GRILL | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 18 | Bully's Smokehouse | |
| 19 | BAJA PIT CREW | |
| 20 | I QUE & BREW | |
| 21 | BIG CHIEF BBQ | |
| 22 | SRPD Men's Club | |
| 23 | SMOKEY JOEL/CUBBY BEAR | |
| 24 | ALL-STAR BBQ | |
| 25 | Q For Kids |
Brisket
25 entries · top 174.2858 · median 161.7140
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLAZIN' BLUES BBQ | |
| 2 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 3 | BAJA PIT CREW | |
| 4 | HELL'S GRILL | |
| 5 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 6 | I QUE & BREW | |
| 7 | QUAU | |
| 8 | TWO BUTTS AND A HAM | |
| 9 | Bone-Head Competition BB | |
| 10 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 11 | Smokin Bullets BBQ Team | |
| 12 | GATEWAY DRUM SMOKERS.COM | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 14 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 15 | ALL-STAR BBQ | |
| 16 | BIG CHIEF BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN T'S | |
| 18 | Bully's Smokehouse | |
| 19 | SMOKEY JOEL/CUBBY BEAR | |
| 20 | SMOKIN JOE AND SON | |
| 21 | CODE 3 BBQ | |
| 22 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 23 | Q For Kids | |
| 24 | Rub It Smoke It Love It | |
| 25 | SRPD Men's Club |