A new contest record
692.0004
highest overall ever cooked here
692.0004 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 689.7488 NICKLE BOYS BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 689.7488
- set 2013 by NICKLE BOYS BBQ
Holy Smoke BBQ Contest 2014
Aug 22–23, 2014 · Liberty, MO
DIRT ROAD BBQ won Grand Champion at the Holy Smoke BBQ Contest on August 22, 2014 in Liberty, MO, scoring 692.0004 in a field of 29 teams. SWEET BEAVER BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 677.6116. Category winners: Chicken — CHOP QUEY (177.1544); Pork Ribs — THUMP & STRUM BBQ (177.7144); Pork — SWEET BEAVER BBQ (175.4172); Brisket — PARK AVENUE PORK (172.0000). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by NICKLE BOYS BBQ; 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.
531.74
median 647.42
692.00 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.15
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 172
103.91
177.71
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2015 — this edition picked out.
Entries
29
4 judged meats
Top score
692.0004
Winning margin
14.3888
GC over RC
Field average
634.17
531.74692.00
median 647.42 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
5.1772 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
663.9888
531.74692.00
10th place overall
Field spread
160.2632
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 64%
beats 36% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
35%
11 of 31 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,531
avg power rating going in · stronger than 22% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
DIRT ROAD BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 3rd
A statement win
14.3888
points clear of the field
Wider than 96% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 14.3888 points — a wider margin than 96% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 4–5: BLUE COLLAR SMOKERS OF KCMO and 50 SHADES OF QUE tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: SHUT THE FRONT DOOR BBQ and HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE tied on 167.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 8–9: THE SMOKIN BUDS and The Few That Que tied on 163.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Brisket 8–9 · tie
- Brisket 9–10 · 0.0112
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7144
best pork ribs ever cooked here
THUMP & STRUM BBQ turned in 177.7144 in pork ribs — past the 173.7144 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.7144
- across 1 past editions
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 23, 2013 | Liberty, MO | Liberty, MO | 31 | 689.7488 | NICKLE BOYS BBQ | MASTERQUE |
| Aug 22, 2014 ← this one | Liberty, MO | Liberty, MO 64068 | 29 | 692.0004 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | SWEET BEAVER BBQ |
| Aug 21, 2015 | Liberty, MO | Liberty, MO 64068 | 28 | 699.9772 | PHAT JACKS BBQ NE | THUMP & STRUM BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1544 | 170.8684 | 168.5372 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 169.6800 | 165.1428 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 169.7028 | 163.9772 |
| Brisket | 172 | 166.8228 | 163.3944 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 692.0004 · median 647.4168
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | |
| 2 | SWEET BEAVER BBQ | |
| 3 | THUMP & STRUM BBQ | |
| 4 | 50 SHADES OF QUE | |
| 5 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 6 | CHOP QUEY | |
| 7 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 8 | BIG O'S BBQ | |
| 9 | MASTERQUE | |
| 10 | SHUT THE FRONT DOOR BBQ | |
| 11 | BAPTIZED IN SMOKE | |
| 12 | HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 13 | BLUE COLLAR SMOKERS OF KCMO | |
| 14 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 | |
| 15 | SOS BBQ Team | |
| 16 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 17 | The Few That Que | |
| 18 | SMOKIN IN THE BOARDROOM | |
| 19 | THE SMOKIN BUDS | |
| 20 | WINGED SWINE | |
| 21 | SMOKIN JO | |
| 22 | Smoked Out | |
| 23 | SMOKIN VAN NORMAN | |
| 24 | THE B TEAM | |
| 25 | Blow Smoke til it Burns! | |
| 26 | HOOK 'EM & COOK 'EM | |
| 27 | Bieber-Q | |
| 28 | SOMEWHERE IN THYME | |
| 29 | Storm Troopers |
Chicken
29 entries · top 177.1544 · median 163.4400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHOP QUEY | |
| 2 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | |
| 3 | BIG O'S BBQ | |
| 4 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 5 | 50 SHADES OF QUE | |
| 6 | THUMP & STRUM BBQ | |
| 7 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 8 | HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 9 | SOS BBQ Team | |
| 10 | SWEET BEAVER BBQ | |
| 11 | MASTERQUE | |
| 12 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 | |
| 13 | SHUT THE FRONT DOOR BBQ | |
| 14 | BAPTIZED IN SMOKE | |
| 15 | BLUE COLLAR SMOKERS OF KCMO | |
| 16 | WINGED SWINE | |
| 17 | Blow Smoke til it Burns! | |
| 18 | SOMEWHERE IN THYME | |
| 19 | SMOKIN JO | |
| 20 | SMOKIN VAN NORMAN | |
| 21 | THE SMOKIN BUDS | |
| 22 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 23 | SMOKIN IN THE BOARDROOM | |
| 24 | Bieber-Q | |
| 25 | The Few That Que | |
| 26 | THE B TEAM | |
| 27 | Smoked Out | |
| 28 | Storm Troopers | |
| 29 | HOOK 'EM & COOK 'EM |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 177.7144 · median 162.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THUMP & STRUM BBQ | |
| 2 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | |
| 3 | SWEET BEAVER BBQ | |
| 4 | BLUE COLLAR SMOKERS OF KCMO | |
| 5 | 50 SHADES OF QUE | |
| 6 | SHUT THE FRONT DOOR BBQ | |
| 7 | HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 8 | SMOKIN JO | |
| 9 | BAPTIZED IN SMOKE | |
| 10 | CHOP QUEY | |
| 11 | MASTERQUE | |
| 12 | The Few That Que | |
| 13 | BIG O'S BBQ | |
| 14 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 15 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 | |
| 16 | Smoked Out | |
| 17 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 18 | SOS BBQ Team | |
| 19 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 20 | WINGED SWINE | |
| 21 | SMOKIN VAN NORMAN | |
| 22 | SMOKIN IN THE BOARDROOM | |
| 23 | Bieber-Q | |
| 24 | Storm Troopers | |
| 25 | SOMEWHERE IN THYME | |
| 26 | THE B TEAM | |
| 27 | THE SMOKIN BUDS | |
| 28 | HOOK 'EM & COOK 'EM | |
| 29 | Blow Smoke til it Burns! |
Pork
29 entries · top 175.4172 · median 157.0628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWEET BEAVER BBQ | |
| 2 | BIG O'S BBQ | |
| 3 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 4 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | |
| 5 | MASTERQUE | |
| 6 | CHOP QUEY | |
| 7 | SHUT THE FRONT DOOR BBQ | |
| 8 | THE SMOKIN BUDS | |
| 9 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 10 | THUMP & STRUM BBQ | |
| 11 | 50 SHADES OF QUE | |
| 12 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 | |
| 13 | HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 14 | Smoked Out | |
| 15 | BAPTIZED IN SMOKE | |
| 16 | SMOKIN VAN NORMAN | |
| 17 | WINGED SWINE | |
| 18 | The Few That Que | |
| 19 | SOS BBQ Team | |
| 20 | SMOKIN IN THE BOARDROOM | |
| 21 | BLUE COLLAR SMOKERS OF KCMO | |
| 22 | SMOKIN JO | |
| 23 | THE B TEAM | |
| 24 | Bieber-Q | |
| 25 | HOOK 'EM & COOK 'EM | |
| 26 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 27 | Storm Troopers | |
| 28 | Blow Smoke til it Burns! | |
| 29 | SOMEWHERE IN THYME |
Brisket
29 entries · top 172 · median 159.9312
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 2 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 3 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | |
| 4 | 50 SHADES OF QUE | |
| 5 | BAPTIZED IN SMOKE | |
| 6 | SMOKIN IN THE BOARDROOM | |
| 7 | THUMP & STRUM BBQ | |
| 8 | THE SMOKIN BUDS | |
| 9 | The Few That Que | |
| 10 | SWEET BEAVER BBQ | |
| 11 | SHUT THE FRONT DOOR BBQ | |
| 12 | SOS BBQ Team | |
| 13 | MASTERQUE | |
| 14 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 15 | HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 16 | BLUE COLLAR SMOKERS OF KCMO | |
| 17 | CHOP QUEY | |
| 18 | THE B TEAM | |
| 19 | BIG O'S BBQ | |
| 20 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 | |
| 21 | Blow Smoke til it Burns! | |
| 22 | Smoked Out | |
| 23 | HOOK 'EM & COOK 'EM | |
| 24 | WINGED SWINE | |
| 25 | SMOKIN JO | |
| 26 | SMOKIN VAN NORMAN | |
| 27 | SOMEWHERE IN THYME | |
| 28 | Bieber-Q | |
| 29 | Storm Troopers |