A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 11 tracked editions
TIMBONE BARBECUE has won this contest 2 times across its 11 tracked editions.
- 2018
- 2019
Tri-City BBQ Fest
2014-09-19 – 2014-09-20 · Denison, IA · 📍 Denison, IA 51442
Grand Champion: BIG T'Z Q CRU (691.3940) · 21 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 PIGSKIN BBQ
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.
601.61
median 669.09
691.39 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.58
- Pork Ribs 174.26
- Pork 176.57
- Brisket 178.30
142.23
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
21
4 judged meats
Top score
691.3940
Winning margin
1.7024
GC over RC
Field average
658.89
601.61691.39
median 669.09 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.5484 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
671.3828
601.61691.39
10th place overall
Field spread
89.7824
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 66%
beats 34% of 4707 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.81 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1567
avg power rating going in · stronger than 52% of contests
Storylines (4 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 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: Slim D's BBQ Team and SMOKERS PURGATORY tied on 167.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 1–2: PIGSKIN BBQ and BIG T'Z Q CRU tied on 178.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 7–8: WOODWARD BARBEQUE edged SMOKERS PURGATORY by 0.0112.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Brisket 1–2 · tie
- Brisket 7–8 · 0.0112
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
PIGSKIN BBQ won Pork, Brisket — a double.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BIG T'Z Q CRU took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 10th.
- Chicken 10th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 2nd
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-09-19 ← this one | Denison, IA | Denison, IA 51442 | 21 | 691.3940 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | PIGSKIN BBQ |
| 2015-09-18 | Denison, IA | Denison, IA 51442 | 18 | 690.7884 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | BIG T'Z Q CRU |
| 2016-09-16 | Denison, IA | Broodway & Main | 34 | 701.6800 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA |
| 2017-09-22 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 37 | 702.3204 | SPITFIRE | LUCKY'S Q |
| 2018-09-21 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 27 | 687.9888 | TIMBONE BARBECUE | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| 2019-09-20 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 34 | 690.7540 | Timbone Barbecue | SPITFIRE |
| 2021-09-17 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 20 | 697.6572 | Hot Daddys BBQ | SPITFIRE |
| 2022-09-16 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 25 | 693.1316 | Parrothead Smokers SD | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| 2023-09-15 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 32 | 703.3712 | Last Call Heros BBQ | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
| 2024-09-20 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 30 | 700.4912 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| 2025-09-19 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 26 | 703.4060 | Shiggin & Grinnin | Good Grefe! |
| 2026-09-18 | Denison, IA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5828 | 172.0000 | 166.8684 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2628 | 169.7144 | 166.2972 |
| Pork | 176.5716 | 171.9772 | 167.4056 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 172.6172 | 170.2512 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
21 entries · top 691.3940 · median 669.0856
Chicken
21 entries · top 176.5828 · median 166.2628
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 174.2628 · median 166.2512
Pork
21 entries · top 176.5716 · median 165.7144
Brisket
21 entries · top 178.2972 · median 169.7372