A new contest record
695.9656
highest overall ever cooked here
695.9656 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 678.8684 THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ set in 2013.
- old record 678.8684
- set 2013 by THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ
Wine Country Big Q 2014
Jul 11–12, 2014 · Rohnert Park, CA
CECIL'S SMOK'N BBQ won Grand Champion at the Wine Country Big Q on July 11, 2014 in Rohnert Park, CA, scoring 695.9656 in a field of 44 teams. BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 685.0744. Category winners: Chicken — CECIL'S SMOK'N BBQ (175.4172); Pork Ribs — HOUND DOG BARBECUE (177.1544); Pork — TOO ASHAMED TO NAME (174.2744); Brisket — BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ; the next was held in 2015.
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.
535.87
median 634.78
695.97 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.42
- Pork Ribs 177.15
- Pork 174.27
- Brisket 180 🔥
121.61
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2015 — this edition picked out.
Entries
44
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
695.9656
Winning margin
10.8912
GC over RC
Field average
631.49
535.87695.97
median 634.78 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2628 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.1088
535.87695.97
10th place overall
Field spread
160.0916
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 50%
beats 50% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
50%
22 of 44 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.64 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,525
avg power rating going in · stronger than 18% of contests
Storylines (9 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.
An upset on the books
29-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 71 times in 100
CECIL'S SMOK'N BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 29-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1548
- top seed 1700
A first Grand Championship
6
tracked contests to get there
This was CECIL'S SMOK'N BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 6th tracked contest.
A statement win
10.8912
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.8912 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 1–2: TOO ASHAMED TO NAME and Smokey and the Pirate tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: SMITTY'S SMOKE PATROL edged BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ by 0.0112. Brisket places 8–9: Tex Wasabi's All Stars edged BIG O & MO BBQ by 0.0116.
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · 0.0112
- Brisket 8–9 · 0.0116
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
CECIL'S SMOK'N BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 3rd.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 173.7372 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.7372
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ (won 2013).
- THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ · 2013
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.
- BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY 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)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2013 | Santa Rosa, CA | Santa Rosa, CA | 44 | 678.8684 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | I.A.B. 30 BBQ |
| Jul 11, 2014 ← this one | Rohnert Park, CA | Rohnert Park, CA 95406 | 44 | 695.9656 | CECIL'S SMOK'N BBQ | BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ |
| Jul 10, 2015 | Rohnert Park, CA | Rohnert Park, CA 95406 | 38 | 682.7428 | SMOKIN YANKEES | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4172 | 173.1544 | 170.8684 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 173.1316 | 168 |
| Pork | 174.2744 | 169.1200 | 166.2400 |
| Brisket | 180 | 170.8228 | 167.9656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
44 entries · top 695.9656 · median 634.7828
Chicken
44 entries · top 175.4172 · median 162.3086
Pork Ribs
44 entries · top 177.1544 · median 161.1314
Pork
44 entries · top 174.2744 · median 157.6686
Brisket
44 entries · top 180 · median 160.5372 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Master Series — American Lamb Board Boneless Leg Of Lamb
19 entries · top 180 · median 161.7144 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Marin Sun Farms Velvet Steak
19 entries · top 174.2628 · median 160.5372