A first Grand Championship
13
tracked contests to get there
This was RURAL ROUTE BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 13th tracked contest.
City of Earlington OctoberFest 2014
Oct 3–4, 2014 · Earlington, KY
RURAL ROUTE BBQ won Grand Champion at the City of Earlington OctoberFest on October 3, 2014 in Earlington, KY, scoring 689.6916 in a field of 9 teams. PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 685.0284. Category winners: Chicken — LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW (175.4172); Pork Ribs — PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ (172.5600); Pork — RURAL ROUTE BBQ (177.1428); Brisket — LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW (174.8916). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by HIGH ON THE HAWG.
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.
660.50
median 670.24
689.69 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.42
- Pork Ribs 172.56
- Pork 177.14
- Brisket 174.89
156.50
177.14
Entries
9
4 judged meats
Top score
689.6916
Winning margin
4.6632
GC over RC
Field average
673.19
660.50689.69
median 670.24 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
5.1544 pts across the top 5
Field spread
29.1884
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 72%
beats 28% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
13%
2 of 16 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.04 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,528
avg power rating going in
Storylines (5 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
0.0344
decided the closest call
Brisket places 6–7: OLE MAN LARRY'S BBQ edged CANETUCK'S BBQ TEAM by 0.0344.
- Brisket 6–7 · 0.0344
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW won Chicken, Brisket — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
RURAL ROUTE BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 6th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork
177.1428
best pork ever cooked here
RURAL ROUTE BBQ turned in 177.1428 in pork — past the 176.5828 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5828
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 2013 | Earlington, KY | Earlington, KY | 16 | 698.8000 | HIGH ON THE HAWG | PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ |
| Oct 3, 2014 ← this one | Earlington, KY | Earlington, KY 42410 | 9 | 689.6916 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ |
| Oct 2, 2015 | Earlington, KY | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4172 | 170.2628 | — |
| Pork Ribs | 172.5600 | 166.8456 | — |
| Pork | 177.1428 | 170.8112 | — |
| Brisket | 174.8916 | 167.9656 | — |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
9 entries · top 689.6916 · median 670.2404
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 2 | PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ | |
| 3 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 5 | OLE MAN LARRY'S BBQ | |
| 6 | LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW | |
| 7 | PAP'S BAR B QUE | |
| 8 | CANETUCK'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 9 | SON SEEKERS BBQ |
Chicken
9 entries · top 175.4172 · median 170.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW | |
| 2 | SON SEEKERS BBQ | |
| 3 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 4 | PAP'S BAR B QUE | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 6 | PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ | |
| 7 | OLE MAN LARRY'S BBQ | |
| 8 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 9 | CANETUCK'S BBQ TEAM |
Pork Ribs
9 entries · top 172.5600 · median 166.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ | |
| 2 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 3 | PAP'S BAR B QUE | |
| 4 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 5 | CANETUCK'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 6 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 7 | SON SEEKERS BBQ | |
| 8 | OLE MAN LARRY'S BBQ | |
| 9 | LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW |
Pork
9 entries · top 177.1428 · median 170.8112
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 2 | PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ | |
| 3 | OLE MAN LARRY'S BBQ | |
| 4 | CANETUCK'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 7 | SON SEEKERS BBQ | |
| 8 | PAP'S BAR B QUE | |
| 9 | LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW |
Brisket
9 entries · top 174.8916 · median 167.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW | |
| 2 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 3 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 4 | PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' BUTTS | |
| 6 | OLE MAN LARRY'S BBQ | |
| 7 | CANETUCK'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 8 | PAP'S BAR B QUE | |
| 9 | SON SEEKERS BBQ |