A new contest record
685.7260
highest overall ever cooked here
685.7260 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 684.5368 GILLY'S BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 684.5368
- set 2013 by GILLY'S BBQ
Smoke on the River 2014
Sep 5–6, 2014 · Quincy, IL
ONE2BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the River on September 5, 2014 in Quincy, IL, scoring 685.7260 in a field of 21 teams. SMOKIN' BUTTS took Reserve Grand Champion with 683.4284. Category winners: Chicken — MONSTER-QUE (176.5600); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN' BUTTS (176.0000); Pork — GOOD GRIEF BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — MONSTER-QUE (176.5600). This is the 2nd of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by GILLY'S BBQ; the next was held in 2014.
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.
498.23
median 661.06
685.73 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.56
- Pork Ribs 176
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176.56
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
21
4 judged meats
Top score
685.7260
Winning margin
2.2976
GC over RC
Field average
648.80
498.23685.73
median 661.06 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
5.1200 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
662.2860
498.23685.73
10th place overall
Field spread
187.4972
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 80%
beats 20% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
43%
12 of 28 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.65 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,542
avg power rating going in · stronger than 31% of contests
Storylines (7 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
ONE2BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 3rd
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 7 tracked editions
SMOKEY HOG ISLAND LUV has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2016
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 4–5: SMOKIN' BUTTS and LION 'BOUT THE Q tied on 173.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: ONE2BBQ edged OUTSIDERS BBQ by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 4–5: LION 'BOUT THE Q edged GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS by 0.0116.
- Pork 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
MONSTER-QUE won Chicken, Brisket — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
176.5600
best brisket ever cooked here
MONSTER-QUE turned in 176.5600 in brisket — past the 173.1428 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.1428
- across 1 past editions
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- GOOD GRIEF BBQ · Pork
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2013 | Quincy, IL | Quincy, IL | 28 | 684.5368 | GILLY'S BBQ | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Sep 5, 2014 ← this one | Quincy, IL | Quincy, IL 62301 | 21 | 685.7260 | ONE2BBQ | SMOKIN' BUTTS |
| Sep 5, 2014 | Sacramento, CA | Sacramento, CA 95818 | 26 | 687.3484 | SMOKEY HOG ISLAND LUV | MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND |
| Sep 18, 2015 | Sacramento, CA | Sacramento, CA 95816 | 49 | 678.2856 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND |
| Oct 14, 2016 | Sacramento, CA | Miller Park, 2710 Ramp Wa | 38 | 702.2972 | SMOKEY HOG ISLAND LUV | TOO ASHAMED TO NAME |
| Sep 1, 2023 | Burlington, KS | 625 S. 3rd St. | 20 | 699.9544 | GETTIN' BASTED | JANKY LEG BBQ |
| Aug 31, 2024 | Burlington, KS | 625 S. 3rd St. | 28 | 707.3944 | Slaps BBQ | Can Country Outlaw BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5600 | 169.7144 | 166.3200 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 167.9656 | 165.1428 |
| Pork | 180 | 173.1428 | 166.8112 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 171.4400 | 166.2972 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
21 entries · top 685.7260 · median 661.0628
Chicken
21 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.2744
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 176 · median 165.1428
Pork
21 entries · top 180 · median 166.2856 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
21 entries · top 176.5600 · median 164.5600