A statement win
21.1540
points clear of the field
Wider than 99% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 21.1540 points — a wider margin than 99% of championships in the data.
9th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q
Oct 17–18, 2014 · Libertyville, IL
YELLOW RIVER BBQ won Grand Champion at the 9th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q on October 17, 2014 in Libertyville, IL, scoring 700.5140 in a field of 42 teams. HATFIELD AND MCCOY BARBECUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 679.3600. Category winners: Chicken — JH OLD SCHOOL (178.2972); Pork Ribs — HATFIELD AND MCCOY BARBECUE (176.0000); Pork — YELLOW RIVER BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — BOOFHEAD BBQ (176.0000).
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.
489.07
median 651.91
700.51 🏆
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 176
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176
20
180
Entries
42
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
700.5140
Winning margin
21.1540
GC over RC
Field average
639.93
489.07700.51
median 651.91 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
4.0344 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
663.9776
489.07700.51
10th place overall
Field spread
211.4396
winner to last place
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 32%
beats 68% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.58 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,518
avg power rating going in · stronger than 12% 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 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 8–9: A BOY NAMED QUE and AXE-MEN BBQ tied on 168.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 6–7: Risky Brisket edged HATFIELD AND MCCOY BARBECUE by 0.0228. Chicken places 8–9: Low Dough" B-Que edged KEN'S BURNT ENDS by 0.0344.
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Brisket 6–7 · 0.0228
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0344
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0344
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
YELLOW RIVER BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 5th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- YELLOW RIVER BBQ · Pork
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.2972 | 172.5484 | 169.1428 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 170.8228 | 167.9772 |
| Pork | 180 | 171.4056 | 167.4172 |
| Brisket | 176 | 171.9656 | 165.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
42 entries · top 700.5140 · median 651.9084
Chicken
42 entries · top 178.2972 · median 164.5428
Pork Ribs
42 entries · top 176 · median 162.8630
Pork
42 entries · top 180 · median 162.8514 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
42 entries · top 176 · median 161.1028
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 — Dessert
11 entries · top 177.1772 · median 168.6400