A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 7 tracked editions
LUCKY'S Q has won this contest 3 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!
2014-07-18 – 2014-07-19 · Waterloo, IA · 📍 Waterloo, IA 50703
Grand Champion: PIGSKIN BBQ (690.2168) · 37 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG
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.
147.45
median 634.79
690.22 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.41
- Pork Ribs 179.44
- Pork 176.57
- Brisket 177.70
20.00
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
37
4 judged meats
Top score
690.2168
Winning margin
2.2968
GC over RC
Field average
570.08
147.45690.22
median 634.79 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
671.3372
147.45690.22
10th place overall
Field spread
542.7652
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 70%
beats 30% of 4707 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
53%
18 of 34 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.85 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1548
avg power rating going in · stronger than 37% of contests
Storylines (6 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
Brisket places 2–3: MOE CASON BBQ and SWEET THING BARBECUE tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 3–4: SWEET THING BARBECUE and DRY 2 DA BONE tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. edged DRY 2 DA BONE by 0.0116.
- Brisket 2–3 · tie
- Brisket 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0116
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0228
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
PIGSKIN BBQ won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
PIGSKIN BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 15th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 15th
A contest record in pork ribs
179.4400
best pork ribs ever cooked here
PIGSKIN BBQ turned in 179.4400 in pork ribs — past the 176.0000 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 176.0000
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (won 2013).
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ · 2013
This contest's own records (1 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-07-19 | Waterloo, IA | Waterloo, IA | 35 | 690.2284 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW |
| 2014-07-18 ← this one | Waterloo, IA | Waterloo, IA 50703 | 37 | 690.2168 | PIGSKIN BBQ | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG |
| 2015-07-17 | Waterloo, IA | Waterloo, IA 50702 | 39 | 693.6572 | LUCKY'S Q | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| 2016-07-15 | Waterloo, IA | 400 E Park Ave | 32 | 686.2056 | LUCKY'S Q | IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ |
| 2017-07-14 | Waterloo, IA | 400 E Park Ave | 33 | 694.8572 | LUCKY'S Q | KEV'S CHEW CHEW BBQ |
| 2018-07-20 | Waterloo, IA | 400 E Park Ave | 42 | 704.6288 | WHEN PIGS DIE | SLAPS BBQ |
| 2019-07-19 | Waterloo, IA | 400 E Park | 33 | 696.5600 | Iowa Smokey D's BBQ | LUCKY'S Q |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4056 | 170.2972 | 168.0116 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 173.7028 | 169.1316 |
| Pork | 176.5716 | 173.1200 | 166.8228 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 175.4056 | 167.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
37 entries · top 690.2168 · median 634.7888
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 2 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 3 | DRY 2 DA BONE | |
| 4 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 5 | WOODWARD BARBEQUE | |
| 6 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 7 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 8 | OLY SMOKES | |
| 9 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 10 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 11 | THE WICKED PIG | |
| 12 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | |
| 13 | MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. | |
| 14 | MARK'S SMOKIN QUE | |
| 15 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 16 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 17 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 18 | SWEET THING BARBECUE | |
| 19 | FRICKIN' CHICKIN BBQ | |
| 20 | JO JO'S BBQ | |
| 21 | Vinny's BBQ | |
| 22 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 23 | Lefties BBQ | |
| 24 | L T S BBQ | |
| 25 | SMOKIN BIG DAWGS | |
| 26 | TACKETT'S RACKETT | |
| 27 | Bullie's BBQ | |
| 28 | GBQ | |
| 29 | Lu's Brothers | |
| 30 | Rub My Butts BBQ | |
| 31 | Smokey the Bandit BBQ | |
| 32 | JAGERS BBQ | |
| 33 | Jim's Smokin The Wheels On the Grill" BBQ | |
| 34 | DOUBLE BARREL BBQ | |
| 35 | Houligan's Pit | |
| 36 | Rib Heaven B-B-Q | |
| 37 | Miller's Top Fuel BBQ |
Chicken
33 entries · top 175.4056 · median 166.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 2 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 3 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 4 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 5 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 6 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 7 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 8 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 9 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 10 | JO JO'S BBQ | |
| 11 | WOODWARD BARBEQUE | |
| 12 | MARK'S SMOKIN QUE | |
| 13 | Smokey the Bandit BBQ | |
| 14 | Vinny's BBQ | |
| 15 | DRY 2 DA BONE | |
| 16 | FRICKIN' CHICKIN BBQ | |
| 17 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | |
| 18 | THE WICKED PIG | |
| 19 | SWEET THING BARBECUE | |
| 20 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 21 | Lefties BBQ | |
| 22 | MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. | |
| 23 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 24 | Rib Heaven B-B-Q | |
| 25 | OLY SMOKES | |
| 26 | Rub My Butts BBQ | |
| 27 | SMOKIN BIG DAWGS | |
| 28 | Jim's Smokin The Wheels On the Grill" BBQ | |
| 29 | L T S BBQ | |
| 30 | TACKETT'S RACKETT | |
| 31 | Lu's Brothers | |
| 32 | GBQ | |
| 33 | Bullie's BBQ |
Pork Ribs
36 entries · top 179.4400 · median 160.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 2 | MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. | |
| 3 | DRY 2 DA BONE | |
| 4 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 5 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 6 | OLY SMOKES | |
| 7 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 8 | THE WICKED PIG | |
| 9 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 10 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 11 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 12 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 13 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 14 | WOODWARD BARBEQUE | |
| 15 | TACKETT'S RACKETT | |
| 16 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | |
| 17 | Lefties BBQ | |
| 18 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 19 | MARK'S SMOKIN QUE | |
| 20 | JO JO'S BBQ | |
| 21 | FRICKIN' CHICKIN BBQ | |
| 22 | SWEET THING BARBECUE | |
| 23 | L T S BBQ | |
| 24 | Bullie's BBQ | |
| 25 | Vinny's BBQ | |
| 26 | Jim's Smokin The Wheels On the Grill" BBQ | |
| 27 | JAGERS BBQ | |
| 28 | SMOKIN BIG DAWGS | |
| 29 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 30 | Miller's Top Fuel BBQ | |
| 31 | Houligan's Pit | |
| 32 | DOUBLE BARREL BBQ | |
| 33 | GBQ | |
| 34 | Lu's Brothers | |
| 35 | Rub My Butts BBQ | |
| 36 | Rib Heaven B-B-Q |
Pork
33 entries · top 176.5716 · median 160.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 2 | OLY SMOKES | |
| 3 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 4 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 5 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 6 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 7 | MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. | |
| 8 | WOODWARD BARBEQUE | |
| 9 | FRICKIN' CHICKIN BBQ | |
| 10 | DRY 2 DA BONE | |
| 11 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 12 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 13 | JAGERS BBQ | |
| 14 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 15 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | |
| 16 | THE WICKED PIG | |
| 17 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 18 | MARK'S SMOKIN QUE | |
| 19 | JO JO'S BBQ | |
| 20 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 21 | Rub My Butts BBQ | |
| 22 | L T S BBQ | |
| 23 | Smokey the Bandit BBQ | |
| 24 | Vinny's BBQ | |
| 25 | SMOKIN BIG DAWGS | |
| 26 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 27 | Bullie's BBQ | |
| 28 | SWEET THING BARBECUE | |
| 29 | Lefties BBQ | |
| 30 | GBQ | |
| 31 | DOUBLE BARREL BBQ | |
| 32 | TACKETT'S RACKETT | |
| 33 | Lu's Brothers |
Brisket
31 entries · top 177.7028 · median 157.7372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WOODWARD BARBEQUE | |
| 2 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 3 | SWEET THING BARBECUE | |
| 4 | DRY 2 DA BONE | |
| 5 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | |
| 6 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 7 | MARK'S SMOKIN QUE | |
| 8 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 9 | THE WICKED PIG | |
| 10 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 11 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 12 | OLY SMOKES | |
| 13 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 14 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 15 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 16 | Vinny's BBQ | |
| 17 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 18 | MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. | |
| 19 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 20 | Bullie's BBQ | |
| 21 | GBQ | |
| 22 | Rub My Butts BBQ | |
| 23 | Lefties BBQ | |
| 24 | JO JO'S BBQ | |
| 25 | L T S BBQ | |
| 26 | SMOKIN BIG DAWGS | |
| 27 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 28 | FRICKIN' CHICKIN BBQ | |
| 29 | TACKETT'S RACKETT | |
| 30 | Houligan's Pit | |
| 31 | Lu's Brothers |