A first Grand Championship
6
tracked contests to get there
This was LUCKY 13 BARBEQUE's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 6th tracked contest.
Memorial Day Salute to Service
May 24–25, 2013 · Mesa, AZ
LUCKY 13 BARBEQUE won Grand Champion at the Memorial Day Salute to Service on May 24, 2013 in Mesa, AZ, scoring 681.7142 in a field of 29 teams. SLAP YO' DADDY BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 678.8568. Category winners: Chicken — SWIMMIN IN SMOKE (177.7142); Pork Ribs — Dom's Barbecue (173.7144); Pork — LUCKY 13 BARBEQUE (178.8572); Brisket — I.A.B. 30 BBQ (180.0000).
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.
604.57
median 650.86
681.71 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.71
- Pork Ribs 173.71
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 180 🔥
117.71
180
Entries
28
4 judged meats
Top score
681.7142
Winning margin
2.8574
GC over RC
Field average
650.63
604.57681.71
median 650.86 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.0002 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
658.8572
604.57681.71
10th place overall
Field spread
77.1428
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 87%
beats 13% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.49 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,509
avg power rating going in · stronger than 6% of contests
Storylines (4 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: OLD SCHOOL BBQ and THE SMOKING HILLS tied on 169.7142 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: RANCH 13 BBQ and BBQ MAGIC tied on 169.7142 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: RUB-A-DUB BUTTS and SLAP YO' DADDY BBQ tied on 169.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
- Pork 9–10 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
LUCKY 13 BARBEQUE took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 8th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 7th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 8th
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.
- I.A.B. 30 BBQ · Brisket
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 | 177.7142 | 170.8570 | 168 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.7144 | 169.7142 | 165.1430 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 169.1428 | 166.8570 |
| Brisket | 180 | 168 | 163.4284 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 681.7142 · median 650.8567
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUCKY 13 BARBEQUE | |
| 2 | SLAP YO' DADDY BBQ | |
| 3 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 4 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 5 | AFRO SMOKE BBQ | |
| 6 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 7 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 8 | RUB-A-DUB BUTTS | |
| 9 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 10 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 11 | KEGGER'S | |
| 12 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 13 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ | |
| 14 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 15 | BBQ MAGIC | |
| 16 | PORKETEERS | |
| 17 | FIRE AND DESIRE | |
| 18 | WHISKEY BUSINESS BBQ | |
| 19 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 20 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 21 | Glazed & Confused in Gil | |
| 22 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 23 | Smell My Grill | |
| 24 | BLUE CLOUD BBQ | |
| 25 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 27 | HONEYBABY'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 28 | Dom's Barbecue | |
| 29 | B.B.Q_U |
Chicken
28 entries · top 177.7142 · median 165.1426
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 2 | SLAP YO' DADDY BBQ | |
| 3 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 4 | LUCKY 13 BARBEQUE | |
| 5 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 6 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 7 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 8 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ | |
| 9 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 10 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 11 | KEGGER'S | |
| 12 | PORKETEERS | |
| 13 | Glazed & Confused in Gil | |
| 14 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 15 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 16 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 17 | RUB-A-DUB BUTTS | |
| 18 | AFRO SMOKE BBQ | |
| 19 | Smell My Grill | |
| 20 | FIRE AND DESIRE | |
| 21 | Dom's Barbecue | |
| 22 | WHISKEY BUSINESS BBQ | |
| 23 | B.B.Q_U | |
| 24 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 26 | BLUE CLOUD BBQ | |
| 27 | BBQ MAGIC | |
| 28 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 29 | HONEYBABY'S SMOKEHOUSE |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 173.7144 · median 161.4285
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dom's Barbecue | |
| 2 | AFRO SMOKE BBQ | |
| 3 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 4 | Smell My Grill | |
| 5 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 6 | BBQ MAGIC | |
| 7 | LUCKY 13 BARBEQUE | |
| 8 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 9 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 10 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 11 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 12 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 13 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 14 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 15 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 16 | Glazed & Confused in Gil | |
| 17 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 18 | FIRE AND DESIRE | |
| 19 | KEGGER'S | |
| 20 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ | |
| 21 | WHISKEY BUSINESS BBQ | |
| 22 | SLAP YO' DADDY BBQ | |
| 23 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 24 | BLUE CLOUD BBQ | |
| 25 | RUB-A-DUB BUTTS | |
| 26 | PORKETEERS | |
| 27 | B.B.Q_U | |
| 29 | HONEYBABY'S SMOKEHOUSE |
Pork
28 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.1427
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUCKY 13 BARBEQUE | |
| 2 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ | |
| 3 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 4 | WHISKEY BUSINESS BBQ | |
| 5 | RUB-A-DUB BUTTS | |
| 6 | SLAP YO' DADDY BBQ | |
| 7 | BBQ MAGIC | |
| 8 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 9 | FIRE AND DESIRE | |
| 10 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 11 | AFRO SMOKE BBQ | |
| 12 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 13 | PORKETEERS | |
| 14 | BLUE CLOUD BBQ | |
| 15 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 16 | HONEYBABY'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 17 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 18 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 19 | KEGGER'S | |
| 20 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 22 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 23 | Glazed & Confused in Gil | |
| 24 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 26 | Dom's Barbecue | |
| 27 | Smell My Grill | |
| 28 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 29 | B.B.Q_U |
Brisket
28 entries · top 180 · median 160.8571 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 2 | SLAP YO' DADDY BBQ | |
| 3 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 4 | RUB-A-DUB BUTTS | |
| 5 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 6 | KEGGER'S | |
| 7 | PORKETEERS | |
| 8 | LUCKY 13 BARBEQUE | |
| 9 | AFRO SMOKE BBQ | |
| 10 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 12 | FIRE AND DESIRE | |
| 13 | BLUE CLOUD BBQ | |
| 14 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 15 | WHISKEY BUSINESS BBQ | |
| 16 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 17 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 18 | Glazed & Confused in Gil | |
| 19 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 20 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 21 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 22 | SMOKED TO THE BONE | |
| 23 | BBQ MAGIC | |
| 24 | Smell My Grill | |
| 25 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ | |
| 26 | HONEYBABY'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 27 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 28 | B.B.Q_U | |
| 29 | Dom's Barbecue |