A new contest record
699.4400
highest overall ever cooked here
699.4400 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 689.6916 A BOY & HIS BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 689.6916
- set 2013 by A BOY & HIS BBQ
Up In Smoke On The Square 2014
Aug 22–23, 2014 · Lincoln, IL
MONSTER-QUE won Grand Champion at the Up In Smoke On The Square on August 22, 2014 in Lincoln, IL, scoring 699.4400 in a field of 50 teams. IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE took Reserve Grand Champion with 688.5484. Category winners: Chicken — CLUCK , OINK & MOO BARBECUE (178.8572); Pork Ribs — A BOY & HIS BBQ (177.1772); Pork — SMOKIN FYRPIT (175.4172); Brisket — MONSTER-QUE (177.1428). This is the 2nd of 12 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by A BOY & HIS 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.
558.78
median 651.42
699.44 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 177.18
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 177.14
126.80
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
50
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
699.4400
Winning margin
10.8916
GC over RC
Field average
645.51
558.78699.44
median 651.42 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8344 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
672.5028
558.78699.44
10th place overall
Field spread
140.6628
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 34%
beats 66% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
54%
25 of 46 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,554
avg power rating going in · stronger than 41% of contests
Storylines (8 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.
An upset on the books
21-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 79 times in 100
MONSTER-QUE came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 21-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1622
- top seed 1857
A first Grand Championship
15
tracked contests to get there
This was MONSTER-QUE's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 15th tracked contest.
A statement win
10.8916
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.8916 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: MONSTER-QUE and HISTORIC BBQ tied on 178.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 4–5: Double Nickle 7 edged ALL IN QUE by 0.0116. Brisket places 9–10: IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE edged ONE2BBQ by 0.0228.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · 0.0116
- Brisket 9–10 · 0.0228
- Pork 8–9 · 0.0344
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
MONSTER-QUE took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 6th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in chicken
178.8572
best chicken ever cooked here
CLUCK , OINK & MOO BARBECUE turned in 178.8572 in chicken — past the 177.1428 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1428
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: A BOY & HIS BBQ (won 2013).
- A BOY & HIS BBQ · 2013
This contest's own records (1 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL | 46 | 689.6916 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | Twyford's BBQ & Catering |
| Aug 22, 2014 ← this one | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 50 | 699.4400 | MONSTER-QUE | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE |
| Jun 5, 2015 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 40 | 689.0740 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln , IL 62656 | 52 | 685.6800 | OUTSIDERS BBQ | TRUCKY'S TRUE BLU BBQ'UE |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Lincoln, IL | Kilkapool/Plilaski | 32 | 695.8968 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | PORK PARADISE |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Lincoln, IL | Kilkapool/Plilaski | 40 | 687.3600 | SMOKIN ACES@THEBBQSUPERSTORE.COM | iBQ'n |
| May 31, 2019 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 36 | 682.8576 | The BBQ Bus | iBQ'n |
| Jun 4, 2021 | Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 26 | 346.8344 | 309 BBQ | — |
| Aug 23, 2024 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 28 | 350.8688 | Up From The Pits BBQ | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 31 | 357.7144 | Electro-Que-ted | — |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 16 | 349.6916 | Smokin E's BBQ | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 176.0228 | 169.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1772 | 172.5484 | 169.1544 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 172.5600 | 170.2972 |
| Brisket | 177.1428 | 173.7028 | 170.8228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
50 entries · top 699.4400 · median 651.4170
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 2 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | |
| 3 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 4 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKIN FYRPIT | |
| 6 | DANDY BBQ | |
| 7 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 8 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 9 | JUGS BBQ | |
| 10 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 11 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 12 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 13 | CLUCK , OINK & MOO BARBECUE | |
| 14 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 15 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 16 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 17 | QUAU | |
| 18 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | |
| 19 | PORK PARADISE | |
| 20 | BACK PORCH Q | |
| 21 | RIB TIP TUESDAY | |
| 22 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 23 | CAP Q BBQ | |
| 24 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 25 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 26 | SMOKY LINCS | |
| 27 | Silver Bullet Smokers | |
| 28 | THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS | |
| 29 | FIDDLIN' FATBACK | |
| 30 | Nuthin Butt Pork | |
| 31 | ANYONE SEEN THE PIG | |
| 32 | Skidro's Smokehaus | |
| 33 | KCBEER's Smoke Shack | |
| 34 | NUTHATCH HILL BBQ CO. | |
| 35 | Randy's Crew BBQ | |
| 36 | OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ | |
| 37 | Pig Masters | |
| 38 | MacDaddy BBQ | |
| 39 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 40 | Uncle Matt's Half Sauced | |
| 41 | SIDEBURN BBQ CREW | |
| 42 | Pats BBQ | |
| 43 | Royal Oak 3 Smokin Stooges | |
| 44 | All Pork'd Up | |
| 45 | BEAR DOWN SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 46 | Double Nickle 7 | |
| 47 | SPECIAL ED'S BBQ | |
| 48 | Valet Porking | |
| 49 | BIG DON'S CUSTOM QUE | |
| 50 | FAT BOYS BBQ |
Chicken
50 entries · top 178.8572 · median 163.1256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLUCK , OINK & MOO BARBECUE | |
| 2 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 3 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 5 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 6 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | |
| 7 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 8 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 10 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 11 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 12 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 13 | RIB TIP TUESDAY | |
| 14 | JUGS BBQ | |
| 15 | NUTHATCH HILL BBQ CO. | |
| 16 | SMOKY LINCS | |
| 17 | CAP Q BBQ | |
| 18 | Skidro's Smokehaus | |
| 19 | BACK PORCH Q | |
| 20 | MacDaddy BBQ | |
| 21 | ANYONE SEEN THE PIG | |
| 22 | DANDY BBQ | |
| 23 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 24 | SPECIAL ED'S BBQ | |
| 25 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | |
| 26 | QUAU | |
| 27 | PORK PARADISE | |
| 28 | Uncle Matt's Half Sauced | |
| 29 | THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS | |
| 30 | SMOKIN FYRPIT | |
| 31 | Valet Porking | |
| 32 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | |
| 33 | BEAR DOWN SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 34 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 35 | Double Nickle 7 | |
| 36 | SIDEBURN BBQ CREW | |
| 37 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 38 | Randy's Crew BBQ | |
| 39 | OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ | |
| 40 | KCBEER's Smoke Shack | |
| 41 | Pats BBQ | |
| 42 | Royal Oak 3 Smokin Stooges | |
| 43 | Nuthin Butt Pork | |
| 44 | Pig Masters | |
| 45 | FIDDLIN' FATBACK | |
| 46 | BIG DON'S CUSTOM QUE | |
| 47 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 48 | Silver Bullet Smokers | |
| 49 | All Pork'd Up | |
| 50 | FAT BOYS BBQ |
Pork Ribs
50 entries · top 177.1772 · median 163.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | |
| 2 | JUGS BBQ | |
| 3 | CAP Q BBQ | |
| 4 | CLUCK , OINK & MOO BARBECUE | |
| 5 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | |
| 6 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 7 | SMOKY LINCS | |
| 8 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 9 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 10 | BACK PORCH Q | |
| 11 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN FYRPIT | |
| 13 | Nuthin Butt Pork | |
| 14 | DANDY BBQ | |
| 15 | ANYONE SEEN THE PIG | |
| 16 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 18 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 19 | Silver Bullet Smokers | |
| 20 | PORK PARADISE | |
| 21 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | |
| 22 | FIDDLIN' FATBACK | |
| 23 | THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS | |
| 24 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 25 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 26 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 27 | Randy's Crew BBQ | |
| 28 | KCBEER's Smoke Shack | |
| 29 | QUAU | |
| 30 | RIB TIP TUESDAY | |
| 31 | Uncle Matt's Half Sauced | |
| 32 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 33 | Skidro's Smokehaus | |
| 34 | SIDEBURN BBQ CREW | |
| 35 | Pats BBQ | |
| 36 | OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ | |
| 37 | MacDaddy BBQ | |
| 38 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 39 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 40 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 41 | NUTHATCH HILL BBQ CO. | |
| 42 | All Pork'd Up | |
| 43 | Double Nickle 7 | |
| 44 | Pig Masters | |
| 45 | BEAR DOWN SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 46 | Royal Oak 3 Smokin Stooges | |
| 47 | SPECIAL ED'S BBQ | |
| 48 | Valet Porking | |
| 49 | BIG DON'S CUSTOM QUE | |
| 50 | FAT BOYS BBQ |
Pork
50 entries · top 175.4172 · median 162.2514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN FYRPIT | |
| 2 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | |
| 3 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 4 | Double Nickle 7 | |
| 5 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 6 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 7 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 8 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | |
| 9 | QUAU | |
| 10 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | |
| 11 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 12 | All Pork'd Up | |
| 13 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 14 | DANDY BBQ | |
| 15 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 16 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 17 | Pig Masters | |
| 18 | JUGS BBQ | |
| 19 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 20 | RIB TIP TUESDAY | |
| 21 | Nuthin Butt Pork | |
| 22 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 23 | PORK PARADISE | |
| 24 | OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ | |
| 25 | CLUCK , OINK & MOO BARBECUE | |
| 26 | Silver Bullet Smokers | |
| 27 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 28 | SMOKY LINCS | |
| 29 | MacDaddy BBQ | |
| 30 | THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS | |
| 31 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 32 | BIG DON'S CUSTOM QUE | |
| 33 | BACK PORCH Q | |
| 34 | Pats BBQ | |
| 35 | KCBEER's Smoke Shack | |
| 36 | FIDDLIN' FATBACK | |
| 37 | CAP Q BBQ | |
| 38 | Randy's Crew BBQ | |
| 39 | Royal Oak 3 Smokin Stooges | |
| 40 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 41 | NUTHATCH HILL BBQ CO. | |
| 42 | ANYONE SEEN THE PIG | |
| 43 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 44 | FAT BOYS BBQ | |
| 45 | Skidro's Smokehaus | |
| 46 | BEAR DOWN SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 47 | Valet Porking | |
| 48 | SPECIAL ED'S BBQ | |
| 49 | SIDEBURN BBQ CREW | |
| 50 | Uncle Matt's Half Sauced |
Brisket
50 entries · top 177.1428 · median 160.8630
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MONSTER-QUE | |
| 2 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 3 | Silver Bullet Smokers | |
| 4 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 5 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | |
| 6 | FIDDLIN' FATBACK | |
| 7 | DANDY BBQ | |
| 8 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 9 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | |
| 10 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 12 | SMOKIN FYRPIT | |
| 13 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 14 | PORK PARADISE | |
| 15 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 16 | QUAU | |
| 17 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | |
| 18 | JUGS BBQ | |
| 19 | BACK PORCH Q | |
| 20 | Pig Masters | |
| 21 | THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS | |
| 22 | KCBEER's Smoke Shack | |
| 23 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | |
| 24 | Skidro's Smokehaus | |
| 25 | Nuthin Butt Pork | |
| 26 | Randy's Crew BBQ | |
| 27 | RIB TIP TUESDAY | |
| 28 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | |
| 29 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 30 | ANYONE SEEN THE PIG | |
| 31 | NUTHATCH HILL BBQ CO. | |
| 32 | OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ | |
| 33 | CLUCK , OINK & MOO BARBECUE | |
| 34 | CAP Q BBQ | |
| 35 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS | |
| 36 | Royal Oak 3 Smokin Stooges | |
| 37 | SMOKY LINCS | |
| 38 | SMOKEY'S Q | |
| 39 | BEAR DOWN SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 40 | SIDEBURN BBQ CREW | |
| 41 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 42 | BIG DON'S CUSTOM QUE | |
| 43 | Uncle Matt's Half Sauced | |
| 44 | SPECIAL ED'S BBQ | |
| 45 | Valet Porking | |
| 46 | All Pork'd Up | |
| 47 | Pats BBQ | |
| 48 | MacDaddy BBQ | |
| 49 | FAT BOYS BBQ | |
| 50 | Double Nickle 7 |
Ancillary categories
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.
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
26 entries · top 175.4056 · median 156.0058
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Double D's Rack Shack | |
| 2 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 3 | Tbone's BBQ Emporium | |
| 4 | Backdraft BBQ Crew | |
| 5 | 9-11 Q | |
| 6 | FireHouse, BBQ | |
| 7 | Sugar Creek BBQ | |
| 8 | Pork Brisket & Ronnie | |
| 9 | Johnny Ray's BBQ | |
| 10 | C J Smokehouse | |
| 11 | Get Sauced BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKE WAGON BBQ | |
| 13 | Doc's Rib Shack | |
| 14 | Brewin And Quen | |
| 15 | BLUE BEAR'S BBQ | |
| 16 | GGEM BBQ | |
| 17 | Woo Rib Suey | |
| 18 | Bell4 Rep | |
| 19 | Smokin Tunes | |
| 20 | Burnt Knuckles BBQ | |
| 21 | Whiskey Pig BBQ | |
| 22 | Dog House Smokers | |
| 23 | Cleeton Caterers | |
| 24 | Cave Man's BBQ | |
| 25 | Round 1 | |
| 26 | Tbones |
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
26 entries · top 173.1200 · median 156.8344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 2 | Burnt Knuckles BBQ | |
| 3 | BLUE BEAR'S BBQ | |
| 4 | Get Sauced BBQ | |
| 5 | Doc's Rib Shack | |
| 6 | Backdraft BBQ Crew | |
| 7 | Bell4 Rep | |
| 8 | Whiskey Pig BBQ | |
| 9 | FireHouse, BBQ | |
| 10 | GGEM BBQ | |
| 11 | Tbone's BBQ Emporium | |
| 12 | Double D's Rack Shack | |
| 13 | SMOKE WAGON BBQ | |
| 14 | Smokin Tunes | |
| 15 | Brewin And Quen | |
| 16 | Cleeton Caterers | |
| 17 | Tbones | |
| 18 | Johnny Ray's BBQ | |
| 19 | C J Smokehouse | |
| 20 | Pork Brisket & Ronnie | |
| 21 | Dog House Smokers | |
| 22 | 9-11 Q | |
| 23 | Round 1 | |
| 24 | Sugar Creek BBQ | |
| 25 | Woo Rib Suey | |
| 26 | Cave Man's BBQ |