Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2013
- 2014
Colorado Pork & Hops Challenge 2014
Sep 12–13, 2014 · Grand Junction, CO
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won Grand Champion at the Colorado Pork & Hops Challenge on September 12, 2014 in Grand Junction, CO, scoring 692.5944 in a field of 47 teams. SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 687.9660. Category winners: Chicken — SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (173.1772); Pork — MIKE (178.8800); Brisket — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (176.5600). This is the 2nd of 8 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by BIG POPPA SMOKERS; 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.
545.85
median 659.38
692.59 🏆
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 173.18
- Pork 178.88
- Brisket 176.56
124.59
178.88
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
47
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
692.5944
Winning margin
4.6284
GC over RC
Field average
649.81
545.85692.59
median 659.38 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.7600 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
674.1828
545.85692.59
10th place overall
Field spread
146.7428
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 62%
beats 38% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
55%
23 of 42 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,563
avg power rating going in · stronger than 48% 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 dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 8 tracked editions
BIG POPPA SMOKERS has won this contest 3 times across its 8 tracked editions.
- 2013
- 2014
- 2016
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: 3 LIL' MACS BBQ and CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH tied on 172.5944 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: ROOFTOP BBQ and Rocket Boys Pyro BBQ tied on 170.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ edged GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE by 0.0116.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · 0.0116
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
BIG POPPA SMOKERS took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 17th.
- Chicken 17th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in chicken
178.8572
best chicken ever cooked here
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ 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: BIG POPPA SMOKERS (won 2013).
- BIG POPPA SMOKERS · 2013
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 13, 2013 | Grand Junction, CO | Grand Junction, CO | 42 | 702.8572 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES |
| Sep 12, 2014 ← this one | Grand Junction, CO | Grand Junction, CO 81501 | 47 | 692.5944 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ |
| Sep 11, 2015 | Grand Junction, CO | Grand Junction, CO 81521 | 32 | 698.8344 | LUCKY'S Q | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE |
| Sep 9, 2016 | Grand Junction, CO | 1340 Gunnison Ave | 49 | 694.8460 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | UTAH BBQ COMPANY |
| Sep 8, 2017 | Grand Jct, CO | 1340 Gunnison Ave | 28 | 694.2516 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | BACKDRAFT BBQ |
| Sep 7, 2018 | Grand Jct, CO | 925 Struthers AVe | 32 | 693.6572 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ |
| Sep 6, 2019 | Grand Jct, CO | 925 Struthers AVe | 28 | 691.3488 | CROOKED PIGS | B-S BBQ OUTLAWS |
| Sep 11, 2020 | Grand Jct, CO | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 172.5944 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.1772 | 171.4172 | 169.6800 |
| Pork | 178.8800 | 173.7144 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 171.4172 | 168.5484 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
47 entries · top 692.5944 · median 659.3832
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 3 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 4 | MIKE | |
| 5 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 6 | CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH | |
| 7 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 8 | GQUE | |
| 9 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 10 | HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ | |
| 11 | THE CELTIC PIG | |
| 12 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 14 | MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND | |
| 15 | RUB YOUR MEAT BBQ | |
| 16 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 17 | SWEET PEPPERS | |
| 18 | CRAZY COYOTE | |
| 19 | Rocket Boys Pyro BBQ | |
| 20 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 21 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 22 | WEBBER'S OLD WEST BBQ | |
| 23 | WOODY'S Q SHACK | |
| 24 | 3 LIL' MACS BBQ | |
| 25 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 26 | SMOKERS WILD | |
| 27 | BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ | |
| 28 | Q LIVE CREW | |
| 29 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 30 | OOPS | |
| 31 | COOTERS COUNTRY CATERING | |
| 32 | LOST WEEKEND GRILL | |
| 33 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 34 | SWINE DOCTORS | |
| 35 | SWEET MAISIE-ROSE BBQ | |
| 36 | DOUBLE DBQ | |
| 37 | FATZ BBQ | |
| 38 | HAMMERHEAD USA BBQ | |
| 39 | TEXAS RIB RANGERS | |
| 40 | HICKORY DICKORY HOG | |
| 41 | Smoke Ring BBQ | |
| 42 | Finger Suckin' Good | |
| 43 | Volleys | |
| 44 | Red Hot BBQ | |
| 45 | Fisher's Market BBQ | |
| 46 | Fishin Buddies | |
| 47 | Chef Charles Southern Style BBQ |
Chicken
47 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2284
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 2 | HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ | |
| 3 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 4 | SWEET PEPPERS | |
| 5 | RUB YOUR MEAT BBQ | |
| 6 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 7 | MIKE | |
| 8 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 9 | 3 LIL' MACS BBQ | |
| 10 | CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH | |
| 11 | Q LIVE CREW | |
| 12 | WOODY'S Q SHACK | |
| 13 | MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND | |
| 14 | HAMMERHEAD USA BBQ | |
| 15 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 16 | GQUE | |
| 17 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 18 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 19 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 20 | LOST WEEKEND GRILL | |
| 21 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 22 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 23 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 24 | THE CELTIC PIG | |
| 25 | OOPS | |
| 26 | Smoke Ring BBQ | |
| 27 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 28 | FATZ BBQ | |
| 29 | SWINE DOCTORS | |
| 30 | BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ | |
| 31 | CRAZY COYOTE | |
| 32 | Rocket Boys Pyro BBQ | |
| 33 | SWEET MAISIE-ROSE BBQ | |
| 34 | WEBBER'S OLD WEST BBQ | |
| 35 | COOTERS COUNTRY CATERING | |
| 36 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 37 | SMOKERS WILD | |
| 38 | Red Hot BBQ | |
| 39 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 40 | DOUBLE DBQ | |
| 41 | Fishin Buddies | |
| 42 | Fisher's Market BBQ | |
| 43 | HICKORY DICKORY HOG | |
| 44 | Chef Charles Southern Style BBQ | |
| 45 | TEXAS RIB RANGERS | |
| 46 | Volleys | |
| 47 | Finger Suckin' Good |
Pork Ribs
47 entries · top 173.1772 · median 162.2516
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 3 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 4 | MIKE | |
| 5 | GQUE | |
| 6 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 7 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 8 | Rocket Boys Pyro BBQ | |
| 9 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 10 | WEBBER'S OLD WEST BBQ | |
| 11 | THE CELTIC PIG | |
| 12 | CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH | |
| 13 | SMOKERS WILD | |
| 14 | CRAZY COYOTE | |
| 15 | Q LIVE CREW | |
| 16 | LOST WEEKEND GRILL | |
| 17 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 18 | WOODY'S Q SHACK | |
| 19 | RUB YOUR MEAT BBQ | |
| 20 | BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ | |
| 21 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 22 | SWEET MAISIE-ROSE BBQ | |
| 23 | COOTERS COUNTRY CATERING | |
| 24 | SWEET PEPPERS | |
| 25 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 26 | MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND | |
| 27 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 28 | DOUBLE DBQ | |
| 29 | Smoke Ring BBQ | |
| 30 | FATZ BBQ | |
| 31 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 32 | HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ | |
| 33 | 3 LIL' MACS BBQ | |
| 34 | Finger Suckin' Good | |
| 35 | Volleys | |
| 36 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 37 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 38 | Fisher's Market BBQ | |
| 39 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 40 | SWINE DOCTORS | |
| 41 | OOPS | |
| 42 | Red Hot BBQ | |
| 43 | HICKORY DICKORY HOG | |
| 44 | TEXAS RIB RANGERS | |
| 45 | HAMMERHEAD USA BBQ | |
| 46 | Fishin Buddies | |
| 47 | Chef Charles Southern Style BBQ |
Pork
47 entries · top 178.8800 · median 165.0972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIKE | |
| 2 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 3 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 5 | BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ | |
| 6 | HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ | |
| 7 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 8 | Rocket Boys Pyro BBQ | |
| 9 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 10 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 11 | CRAZY COYOTE | |
| 12 | THE CELTIC PIG | |
| 13 | GQUE | |
| 14 | SWEET MAISIE-ROSE BBQ | |
| 15 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 16 | MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND | |
| 17 | TEXAS RIB RANGERS | |
| 18 | RUB YOUR MEAT BBQ | |
| 19 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 20 | OOPS | |
| 21 | Q LIVE CREW | |
| 22 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 23 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 24 | CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH | |
| 25 | WOODY'S Q SHACK | |
| 26 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 27 | SWEET PEPPERS | |
| 28 | COOTERS COUNTRY CATERING | |
| 29 | 3 LIL' MACS BBQ | |
| 30 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 31 | SWINE DOCTORS | |
| 32 | SMOKERS WILD | |
| 33 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 34 | HICKORY DICKORY HOG | |
| 35 | DOUBLE DBQ | |
| 36 | Finger Suckin' Good | |
| 37 | WEBBER'S OLD WEST BBQ | |
| 38 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 39 | FATZ BBQ | |
| 40 | Volleys | |
| 41 | HAMMERHEAD USA BBQ | |
| 42 | Fisher's Market BBQ | |
| 43 | LOST WEEKEND GRILL | |
| 44 | Chef Charles Southern Style BBQ | |
| 45 | Smoke Ring BBQ | |
| 46 | Red Hot BBQ | |
| 47 | Fishin Buddies |
Brisket
47 entries · top 176.5600 · median 162.2856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | WEBBER'S OLD WEST BBQ | |
| 3 | STARS AND STRIPES BBQ | |
| 4 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 5 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 6 | CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH | |
| 7 | SMOKERS WILD | |
| 8 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 9 | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | |
| 10 | MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND | |
| 11 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 12 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 13 | GQUE | |
| 14 | HICKORY DICKORY HOG | |
| 15 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 16 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 17 | THE CELTIC PIG | |
| 18 | 3 LIL' MACS BBQ | |
| 19 | CRAZY COYOTE | |
| 20 | HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ | |
| 21 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 22 | SWEET PEPPERS | |
| 23 | TEXAS RIB RANGERS | |
| 24 | LOST WEEKEND GRILL | |
| 25 | COOTERS COUNTRY CATERING | |
| 26 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 27 | RUB Q LONG TIME | |
| 28 | OOPS | |
| 29 | HAMMERHEAD USA BBQ | |
| 30 | WOODY'S Q SHACK | |
| 31 | RUB YOUR MEAT BBQ | |
| 32 | Rocket Boys Pyro BBQ | |
| 33 | MIKE | |
| 34 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 35 | BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ | |
| 36 | Finger Suckin' Good | |
| 37 | SWINE DOCTORS | |
| 38 | DOUBLE DBQ | |
| 39 | Fishin Buddies | |
| 40 | Q LIVE CREW | |
| 41 | Volleys | |
| 42 | Smoke Ring BBQ | |
| 43 | Red Hot BBQ | |
| 44 | FATZ BBQ | |
| 45 | Fisher's Market BBQ | |
| 46 | SWEET MAISIE-ROSE BBQ | |
| 47 | Chef Charles Southern Style BBQ |
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 — Anything Butt
10 entries · top 172.5600 · median 165.3942
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ | |
| 2 | FATZ BBQ | |
| 3 | Red Hot BBQ | |
| 4 | Volleys | |
| 5 | CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH | |
| 6 | SWEET MAISIE-ROSE BBQ | |
| 7 | DOUBLE DBQ | |
| 8 | Fishin Buddies | |
| 9 | Rocket Boys Pyro BBQ | |
| 10 | TEXAS RIB RANGERS |
Master Series — Dessert
9 entries · top 176.5716 · median 167.4056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOST WEEKEND GRILL | |
| 2 | HAMMERHEAD USA BBQ | |
| 3 | Red Hot BBQ | |
| 4 | HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ | |
| 5 | Fisher's Market BBQ | |
| 6 | SWINE DOCTORS | |
| 7 | TEXAS RIB RANGERS | |
| 8 | Finger Suckin' Good | |
| 9 | Fishin Buddies |