A new contest record
697.1316
highest overall ever cooked here
697.1316 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 686.2516 LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS set in 2013.
- old record 686.2516
- set 2013 by LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS
Smokin' on the Prairie 2014
Aug 8–9, 2014 · Gillette, WY
JO-BAWB'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smokin' on the Prairie on August 8, 2014 in Gillette, WY, scoring 697.1316 in a field of 25 teams. LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS took Reserve Grand Champion with 689.6800. Category winners: Chicken — MIKE (179.4400); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ (174.8572); Pork — JO-BAWB'S BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS (175.4172). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS; 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.
550.15
median 649.54
697.13 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 174.86
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 175.42
119.39
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2015 — this edition picked out.
Entries
25
4 judged meats
Top score
697.1316
Winning margin
7.4516
GC over RC
Field average
645.62
550.15697.13
median 649.54 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
655.4400
550.15697.13
10th place overall
Field spread
146.9828
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 44%
beats 56% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
44%
11 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.54 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,522
avg power rating going in · stronger than 15% of contests
Storylines (5 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 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: SCORCH AND RESQUE and MOE CASON BBQ tied on 170.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: JO-BAWB'S BBQ and RUB Q LONG TIME tied on 173.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: HIGH PLAINS SMOKERS and LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS tied on 167.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Brisket 2–3 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
JO-BAWB'S BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 3rd.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in chicken
179.4400
best chicken ever cooked here
MIKE turned in 179.4400 in chicken — past the 173.1200 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.1200
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS (won 2013).
- LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS · 2013
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2013 | Gillette, WY | Gillette, WY | 25 | 686.2516 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | MOE CASON BBQ |
| Aug 8, 2014 ← this one | Gillette, WY | Gillette, WY 82717 | 25 | 697.1316 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Gillette, WY | Gillette, WY 82717 | 26 | 704.6060 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | BACKDRAFT BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 171.4056 | 169.7256 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.8572 | 172 | 166.8344 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 167.4400 |
| Brisket | 175.4172 | 171.4400 | 162.8228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 697.1316 · median 649.5428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 2 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 3 | MIKE | |
| 4 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 5 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 6 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 7 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 8 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 9 | HIGH PLAINS SMOKERS | |
| 10 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 11 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 12 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 13 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 14 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 15 | COW AN' A PIG | |
| 16 | ROLLING HOGS | |
| 17 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 18 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 19 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 20 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 21 | Smoke'N Kaboose | |
| 22 | SMOKIN' MAGNUM BBQ | |
| 23 | OVER THE COALS | |
| 24 | Scotty G-Que | |
| 25 | A-1 SMOKERS |
Chicken
25 entries · top 179.4400 · median 163.4288
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIKE | |
| 2 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 3 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 4 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 5 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 6 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 7 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 8 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 9 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 10 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 11 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 13 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 14 | OVER THE COALS | |
| 15 | HIGH PLAINS SMOKERS | |
| 16 | COW AN' A PIG | |
| 17 | ROLLING HOGS | |
| 18 | A-1 SMOKERS | |
| 19 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 20 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 21 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 22 | SMOKIN' MAGNUM BBQ | |
| 23 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 24 | Smoke'N Kaboose | |
| 25 | Scotty G-Que |
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 174.8572 · median 164.5944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 2 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 3 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 4 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 5 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 6 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 7 | HIGH PLAINS SMOKERS | |
| 8 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 9 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 10 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 11 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 12 | COW AN' A PIG | |
| 13 | Smoke'N Kaboose | |
| 14 | SMOKIN' MAGNUM BBQ | |
| 15 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 16 | ROLLING HOGS | |
| 17 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 18 | MIKE | |
| 19 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 20 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 21 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 22 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 23 | A-1 SMOKERS | |
| 24 | Scotty G-Que | |
| 25 | OVER THE COALS |
Pork
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 163.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 2 | MIKE | |
| 3 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 4 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 5 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 6 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 7 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 8 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 9 | Smoke'N Kaboose | |
| 10 | COW AN' A PIG | |
| 11 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 12 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 13 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 14 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 15 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 16 | Scotty G-Que | |
| 17 | ROLLING HOGS | |
| 18 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 19 | HIGH PLAINS SMOKERS | |
| 20 | SMOKIN' MAGNUM BBQ | |
| 21 | OVER THE COALS | |
| 22 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 23 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 24 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 25 | A-1 SMOKERS |
Brisket
25 entries · top 175.4172 · median 160.5028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 2 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 3 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 4 | HIGH PLAINS SMOKERS | |
| 5 | MIKE | |
| 6 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 8 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 9 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 10 | ROLLING HOGS | |
| 11 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 12 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 13 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 14 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 15 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 16 | OVER THE COALS | |
| 17 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 18 | SMOKIN' MAGNUM BBQ | |
| 19 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 20 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 21 | COW AN' A PIG | |
| 22 | Smoke'N Kaboose | |
| 23 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 24 | Scotty G-Que | |
| 25 | A-1 SMOKERS |