Jul 25–26, 2014 · Morton, IL
THUNDER HOG BBQ won Grand Champion at the Morton BBQ Throwdown on July 25, 2014 in Morton, IL, scoring 680.5484 in a field of 48 teams. TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI took Reserve Grand Champion with 677.6456. Category winners: Chicken — THE SMOKE HUNTERS (176.5716); Pork Ribs — FIDDLIN' FATBACK (178.8572); Pork — KCBEER's Smoke Shack (173.1200); Brisket — QUAU (173.1428). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by QUAU.
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 75 times in 100
THUNDER HOG BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, QUAU, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 25-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
THUNDER HOG BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
This was THUNDER HOG BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 17th tracked contest.
Chicken places 7–8: THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ and ONE2BBQ tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: QUAU and CLUCK , OINK & MOO BARBECUE tied on 169.6916 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI and GILLY'S BBQ tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
FIDDLIN' FATBACK turned in 178.8572 in pork ribs — past the 177.1772 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: QUAU (won 2013).
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 2013 | Morton, IL | Morton, IL | 45 | 704.6172 | QUAU | ONE2BBQ |
| Jul 25, 2014 ← this one | Morton, IL | Morton, IL 61550 | 48 | 680.5484 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5716 | 171.9884 | 169.1544 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 170.2744 | 169.1200 |
| Pork | 173.1200 | 169.7144 | 167.3828 |
| Brisket | 173.1428 | 167.4056 | 165.1428 |
48 entries · top 680.5484 · median 645.6000
48 entries · top 176.5716 · median 163.1486
48 entries · top 178.8572 · median 161.9830
48 entries · top 173.1200 · median 161.7142
48 entries · top 173.1428 · median 157.3714
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.
9 entries · top 169.1544 · median 157.7600