A KCBS record was set here
180
one meat, out of 180
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS holds the KCBS record for highest brisket score — 180 one meat, out of 180, won the category with it, set right here. Nobody has beaten it since.
- Highest brisket score
Minnesota in May 2013
May 17–18, 2013 · Faribault, MN
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN won Grand Champion at the Minnesota in May on May 17, 2013 in Faribault, MN, scoring 689.1424 in a field of 49 teams. MONKEYS' UNCLES BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 687.9996. Category winners: Chicken — T-MAC SMOKIN (178.8572); Pork Ribs — BLACK DOG BBQ IA (176.5714); Pork — MYASSIS SMOKIN (175.4284); Brisket — PARROTHEAD SMOKERS (180.0000). This is the 1st of 12 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.
506.86
median 656.57
689.14 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 176.57
- Pork 175.43
- Brisket 180 🔥
0
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
49
4 judged meats
Top score
689.1424
Winning margin
1.1428
GC over RC
Field average
651.42
506.86689.14
median 656.57 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
1.7142 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
674.8568
506.86689.14
10th place overall
Field spread
182.2854
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 73%
beats 27% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.43 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,508
avg power rating going in · stronger than 6% of contests
Storylines (7 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 razor-thin finish
1.1428
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 81% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1428 points — closer than 81% of every championship in the data.
- SHIGGIN & GRINNIN
- MONKEYS' UNCLES BBQ
An upset on the books
35-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 65 times in 100
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN came in rated below the field's top team, PARROTHEAD SMOKERS, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 35-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1516
- top seed 1625
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 19th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 6th
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 12 tracked editions
Hot Daddys BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 12 tracked editions.
- 2023
- 2024
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: QU SMOKIN KREWE and LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS tied on 174.2856 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: Rolling Smoke BBQ and MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. tied on 173.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: Root River Bottom Smoker and MONKEYS' UNCLES BBQ tied on 172.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
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.
- PARROTHEAD SMOKERS · Brisket
Records set here — 1 still standing (1 in the KCBS record book)
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2013 ← this one | Faribault, MN | Faribault, MN | 49 | 689.1424 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | MONKEYS' UNCLES BBQ |
| May 16, 2014 | Falcon Heights, MN | Falcon Heights, MN 55448 | 58 | 696.0228 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | SPITFIRE |
| May 15, 2015 | St. Paul, MN | St. Paul, MN 55346 | 60 | 692.5600 | SPITFIRE | QUETOPIA |
| May 13, 2016 | Falcon Heights, MN | Falcon Heights, MN | 71 | 690.2056 | QUETOPIA | HOGLINE |
| May 12, 2017 | Falcon Heights, MN | Falcon Heights, MN 55346 | 71 | 695.3484 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | RUB MY RACK |
| May 11, 2018 | Falcon Heights, MN | Falcon Heights, MN 55346 | 70 | 694.8344 | EGGSPERT BBQ MINNESOTA | ACES HIGH BBQ |
| May 10, 2019 | 3101 HWY 95 NE | 57 | 698.8000 | Totally Sauced | HOGLINE | |
| May 7, 2021 | Cambridge, MN | 301 MN-95 | 60 | 697.1544 | Hogline | SIN CIRCLE BBQ |
| May 12, 2023 | St. Peter, MN | 400 Union St. | 59 | 698.2284 | Hot Daddys BBQ | Hogline BBQ |
| May 10, 2024 | St. Peter, MN | 400 Union St. | 58 | 699.9772 | Hot Daddy's BBQ | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| May 9, 2025 | St. Peter, MN | 400 Union St. | 58 | 701.6688 | Ash Kickin' BBQ | Phoenix BBQ |
| May 8, 2026 | St. Peter, MN | Nicolett County Fair Grounds | 77 | 700.0004 | Burnt Trees BBQ | Smokin Suckers |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.2856 | 170.2856 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5714 | 173.1428 | 169.7142 |
| Pork | 175.4284 | 173.7142 | 170.8572 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176 | 172.5714 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
49 entries · top 689.1424 · median 656.5712
Chicken
49 entries · top 178.8572 · median 164
Pork Ribs
49 entries · top 176.5714 · median 162.8570
Pork
49 entries · top 175.4284 · median 165.7144
Brisket
49 entries · top 180 · median 163.4284 · 🔥 perfect 180