A first Grand Championship
2
tracked contests to get there
This was SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 2nd tracked contest.
Downtown BBQ Showdown 2014
Oct 3–4, 2014 · Hattiesburg, MS
SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES won Grand Champion at the Downtown BBQ Showdown on October 3, 2014 in Hattiesburg, MS, scoring 698.2744 in a field of 27 teams. LIBERTY BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.3484. Category winners: Chicken — LIBERTY BBQ (175.4056); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES (177.7372); Pork — KOKOMO Q (178.8572); Brisket — SMOKIN' SOBER...SOMETIMES (177.7372). This is the 1st of 5 editions of this contest on record; 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.
597.05
median 658.17
698.27 🏆
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 178.86
- Brisket 177.74
130.80
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
27
4 judged meats
Top score
698.2744
Winning margin
2.9260
GC over RC
Field average
655.73
597.05698.27
median 658.17 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8456 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
675.8856
597.05698.27
10th place overall
Field spread
101.2232
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 40%
beats 60% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.27 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,504
avg power rating going in · stronger than 4% of contests
Storylines (3 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 6 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: Sweet Dreams BBQ and PINE BELT PORKERS tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: SMOKIN' SOBER...SOMETIMES and RED EYED SMOKERS tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 5–6: RED EYED SMOKERS and SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0112
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 6th.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 6th
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3, 2014 ← this one | Hattiesburg, MS | Hattiesburg, MS 39401 | 27 | 698.2744 | SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES | LIBERTY BBQ |
| Oct 9, 2015 | Hattiesburg, MS | Hattiesburg, MS | 26 | 694.8116 | KILLER HOGS | C4-QUE |
| Oct 20, 2017 | Hattiesburg, MS | 600 Walnut | 19 | 691.9200 | THE GRILL DOCTORS | THE BLUE BLOODS |
| Aug 17, 2018 | Hattiesburg, MS | Townsquare Park, 100 Main St | 30 | 688.4912 | WINK'S BARBEQUE | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID |
| Jul 19, 2019 | Hattiesburg, MS | 600 Rebecca Ave | 28 | 699.9656 | The Specialists | SHIG NINJA BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4056 | 172.5600 | 169.7372 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 171.9656 | 169.1428 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 173.7028 | 168.5484 |
| Brisket | 177.7372 | 171.9656 | 169.1084 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
27 entries · top 698.2744 · median 658.1712
Chicken
27 entries · top 175.4056 · median 167.9884
Pork Ribs
27 entries · top 177.7372 · median 165.0856
Pork
27 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.8684
Brisket
27 entries · top 177.7372 · median 165.6800