A razor-thin finish
Closer than 76% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.5768 points — closer than 76% of every championship in the data.
- HERDING SMOKE
- PIGHEADED BBQ
Aug 15–16, 2014 · Harrisburg, PA
HERDING SMOKE won Grand Champion at the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour on August 15, 2014 in Harrisburg, PA, scoring 670.7312 in a field of 28 teams. PIGHEADED BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 669.1544. Category winners: Chicken — TASTY LICKS BBQ SUPPLY (176.0344); Pork Ribs — FREE RANGE BBQ (173.7716); Pork — 3 EYZ BBQ (173.1200); Brisket — HERDING SMOKE (174.8572). This is the 48th of 125 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by STUBBORN BULL BBQ; the next was held in 2014.
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.
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2017 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Closer than 76% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.5768 points — closer than 76% of every championship in the data.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 79 times in 100
HERDING SMOKE came in rated below the field's top team, 3 EYZ BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 21-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
This was HERDING SMOKE's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 11th tracked contest.
4 of 125 tracked editions
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ has won this contest 4 times across its 125 tracked editions.
Pork places 3–4: SMOKEN DUDES BBQ and HERDING SMOKE tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER edged SMOKEN DUDES BBQ by 0.0112. Pork Ribs places 5–6: 4:20 Q edged THE BBQ GURU by 0.0228.
HERDING SMOKE took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 14th.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: THE BBQ GURU (won 2013).
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.0344 | 172.5716 | 166.8800 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.7716 | 165.7600 | 163.9540 |
| Pork | 173.1200 | 168.5600 | 163.9772 |
| Brisket | 174.8572 | 168 | 165.1200 |
28 entries · top 670.7312 · median 641.8112
28 entries · top 176.0344 · median 162.2686
28 entries · top 173.7716 · median 158.8514
28 entries · top 173.1200 · median 160.2570
28 entries · top 174.8572 · median 159.9828