A new contest record
687.3484
highest overall ever cooked here
687.3484 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 · Sacramento, CA
Smokey and the Pirate won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the River on September 5, 2014 in Sacramento, CA, scoring 687.3484 in a field of 26 teams. MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND took Reserve Grand Champion with 674.2628. Category winners: Chicken — PIRATES OF THE PIG (175.4056); Pork Ribs — Smokey and the Pirate (177.7372); Pork — GET SOME SALTWORKS BBQ (176.5716); Brisket — GET SOME SALTWORKS BBQ (173.1200). This is the 3rd of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by ONE2BBQ; 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.
459.37
median 641.31
687.35 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.41
- Pork Ribs 177.74
- Pork 176.57
- Brisket 173.12
20
177.74
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
26
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
687.3484
Winning margin
13.0856
GC over RC
Field average
626.64
459.37687.35
median 641.31 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
4.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
648.5600
459.37687.35
10th place overall
Field spread
227.9768
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 78%
beats 22% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
0%
0 of 28 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,536
avg power rating going in · stronger than 27% 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.
A statement win
13.0856
points clear of the field
Wider than 93% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.0856 points — a wider margin than 93% of championships in the data.
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
0.0116
closest of 6 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 5–6: PIPIN' HOT SMOKERS BBQ edged PIRATES OF THE PIG by 0.0116. Brisket places 6–7: PIRATES OF THE PIG edged SON OF SMOKE by 0.0116. Chicken places 4–5: Rolling Bones Traveling BBQ Circus edged MAC BBQ by 0.0228.
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0116
- Brisket 6–7 · 0.0116
- Chicken 4–5 · 0.0228
- Pork 4–5 · 0.0456
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
GET SOME SALTWORKS BBQ won Pork, Brisket — a double.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Smokey and the Pirate took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 7th.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 5th
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7372
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Smokey and the Pirate turned in 177.7372 in pork ribs — past the 174.2628 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.2628
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2013 | Quincy, IL | Quincy, IL | 28 | 684.5368 | GILLY'S BBQ | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Sep 5, 2014 | Quincy, IL | Quincy, IL 62301 | 21 | 685.7260 | ONE2BBQ | SMOKIN' BUTTS |
| Sep 5, 2014 ← this one | 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 | 175.4056 | 170.2628 | 165.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 169.7144 | 162.8572 |
| Pork | 176.5716 | 171.9772 | 165.6800 |
| Brisket | 173.1200 | 165.0856 | 161.1432 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 687.3484 · median 641.3146
Chicken
26 entries · top 175.4056 · median 162.8228
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 177.7372 · median 158.2458
Pork
26 entries · top 176.5716 · median 162.0058
Brisket
26 entries · top 173.1200 · median 154.5258
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
5 entries · top 149.7144 · median 148.0228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 2 | Rob's Smokin' Rub BBQ Crew | |
| 3 | Big Boy BBQ | |
| 4 | HARDBALL SMOKERS | |
| 5 | JP B QUE |
Master Series — Backyard Division
6 entries · top 312 · median 287.7314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 2 | HARDBALL SMOKERS | |
| 3 | JP B QUE | |
| 4 | Big Boy BBQ | |
| 5 | Rob's Smokin' Rub BBQ Crew | |
| 6 | Ethan's Evil BBQ... |
Master Series — Backyard Rib
6 entries · top 162.2856 · median 141.4112
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 2 | JP B QUE | |
| 3 | HARDBALL SMOKERS | |
| 4 | Big Boy BBQ | |
| 5 | Rob's Smokin' Rub BBQ Crew | |
| 6 | Ethan's Evil BBQ... |