A new contest record
703.9888
highest overall ever cooked here
703.9888 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 699.9428 TRUEBUD BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 699.9428
- set 2013 by TRUEBUD BBQ
Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off 2014
Sep 18–20, 2014 · Murphysboro, IL
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off on September 18, 2014 in Murphysboro, IL, scoring 703.9888 in a field of 57 teams. ONE2BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 698.8344. Category winners: Chicken — BOSS HAWG BBQ (178.2972); Pork Ribs — ONE2BBQ (178.8572); Pork — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (178.8800); Brisket — ONE2BBQ (178.8800). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by TRUEBUD 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.
498.77
median 657.59
703.99 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.30
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 178.88
- Brisket 178.88
20
178.88
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2015 — this edition picked out.
Entries
57
4 judged meats
Top score
703.9888
Winning margin
5.1544
GC over RC
Field average
656.66
498.77703.99
median 657.59 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4284 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.1316
498.77703.99
10th place overall
Field spread
205.2232
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 17%
beats 83% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
45%
34 of 76 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,550
avg power rating going in · stronger than 38% of contests
Storylines (6 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ and 270 SMOKERS tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: 270 SMOKERS and IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: SMOKIN T'S and MONSTER-QUE tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
ONE2BBQ won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 9th.
- Chicken 9th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 5th
A contest record in pork
178.8800
best pork ever cooked here
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ turned in 178.8800 in pork — past the 177.7144 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7144
- across 1 past editions
One of the big ones
57
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 90% of the 5,482 contests in the data
57 teams — bigger than 90% of the 5,482 contests in the data.
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 19, 2013 | Murphysboro, IL | Murphysboro, IL | 76 | 699.9428 | TRUEBUD BBQ | KILLER HOGS |
| Sep 18, 2014 ← this one | Murphysboro, IL | Murphysboro, IL 62966 | 57 | 703.9888 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | ONE2BBQ |
| Sep 25, 2015 | Murphysboro, IL | Murphysboro, IL 62966 | 55 | 693.1204 | GILLY'S BBQ | Q-BONES BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.2972 | 173.7028 | 172.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 175.4288 | 172.5944 |
| Pork | 178.8800 | 173.7488 | 172.5600 |
| Brisket | 178.8800 | 175.4172 | 172.5600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
57 entries · top 703.9888 · median 657.5884
Chicken
57 entries · top 178.2972 · median 167.3828
Pork Ribs
57 entries · top 178.8572 · median 164.5716
Pork
57 entries · top 178.8800 · median 165.6684
Brisket
57 entries · top 178.8800 · median 165.6916