A razor-thin finish
0.5600
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 92% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5600 points — closer than 92% of every championship in the data.
- GQUE
- CLARK CREW BBQ
Colorado Rockies Invitational BBQ Championship (Competitor's Series)
Jul 25–26, 2014 · Denver, CO
GQUE won Grand Champion at the Colorado Rockies Invitational BBQ Championship (Competitor's Series) on July 25, 2014 in Denver, CO, scoring 703.4060 in a field of 20 teams. CLARK CREW BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 702.8460. Category winners: Chicken — CLARK CREW BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (180.0000); Pork — GQUE (179.4400); Brisket — SWINESTONE COWBOYS (177.7028).
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.
664.99
median 693.09
703.41 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 177.70
154.22
180
Entries
20
4 judged meats
Top score
703.4060
Winning margin
0.5600
GC over RC
Field average
690.85
664.99703.41
median 693.09 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
693.1088
664.99703.41
10th place overall
Field spread
38.4116
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 20%
beats 80% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
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 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: GQUE and BIG POPPA SMOKERS tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: BLAZEN BBQ and FLYBOY BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: BIG POPPA SMOKERS and WILD HOGS BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
GQUE took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 14th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 14th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 9th
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- CLARK CREW BBQ · Chicken
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ · Pork Ribs
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
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 177.1544 | 172.5944 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 175.4288 | 174.2628 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 177.7028 | 173.1544 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 176.5600 | 173.1316 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
20 entries · top 703.4060 · median 693.0916
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GQUE | |
| 2 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 3 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 4 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 5 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 6 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 7 | FLYBOY BBQ | |
| 8 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 9 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 10 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 11 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 12 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 13 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 14 | MIKE | |
| 15 | SWINESTONE COWBOYS | |
| 16 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 17 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 18 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 19 | WHISKEY PIT BBQ COMPANY | |
| 20 | WILD HOGS BBQ |
Chicken
20 entries · top 180 · median 172.5772 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 2 | GQUE | |
| 3 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 4 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 5 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 6 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 7 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 8 | FLYBOY BBQ | |
| 9 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 10 | MIKE | |
| 11 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 12 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 13 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 14 | SWINESTONE COWBOYS | |
| 15 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 16 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 17 | WHISKEY PIT BBQ COMPANY | |
| 18 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 19 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 20 | WILD HOGS BBQ |
Pork Ribs
20 entries · top 180 · median 173.6972 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 2 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 3 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 4 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 5 | WHISKEY PIT BBQ COMPANY | |
| 6 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 7 | WILD HOGS BBQ | |
| 8 | FLYBOY BBQ | |
| 9 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 10 | MIKE | |
| 11 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 12 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 13 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 14 | GQUE | |
| 15 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 16 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 17 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 18 | SWINESTONE COWBOYS | |
| 19 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 20 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ |
Pork
20 entries · top 179.4400 · median 173.1372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GQUE | |
| 2 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 3 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 4 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 5 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 6 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 7 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 8 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 9 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 10 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 11 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 12 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 13 | SWINESTONE COWBOYS | |
| 14 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 15 | WHISKEY PIT BBQ COMPANY | |
| 16 | WILD HOGS BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 18 | FLYBOY BBQ | |
| 19 | MIKE | |
| 20 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS |
Brisket
20 entries · top 177.7028 · median 173.1258
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWINESTONE COWBOYS | |
| 2 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ | |
| 3 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 4 | FLYBOY BBQ | |
| 5 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 6 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 7 | I.A.B. 30 BBQ | |
| 8 | MIKE | |
| 9 | GQUE | |
| 10 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 11 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 12 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 13 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 14 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 15 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 16 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 17 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 18 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 19 | WHISKEY PIT BBQ COMPANY | |
| 20 | WILD HOGS BBQ |