Decided by a tiebreaker
Tie
identical totals at the top
The top two teams finished on identical totals — the Grand Championship came down to the KCBS tiebreaker rules.
King of the Smoker (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES ARE FULL)
2014-12-12 – 2014-12-13 · LaQuinta, CA · 📍 LaQuinta, CA 92253
Grand Champion: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (705.7032) · 24 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 BIG T'Z Q CRU
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.
660.43
median 686.22
705.70 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180.00 🔥
- Pork Ribs 179.44
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 177.76
151.92
180.00
Entries
24
4 judged meats
Top score
705.7032
Winning margin
Tie
identical totals — KCBS tiebreaker
Field average
686.65
660.43705.70
median 686.22 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
1.2000 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
688.5372
660.43705.70
10th place overall
Field spread
45.2692
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 11%
beats 89% of 4707 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.26 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1733
avg power rating going in · stronger than 100% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 4th. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 4th
A stacked field
1733
average power rating going in
Stronger than 100% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1733 power rating going in — stronger than 100% of every contest tracked.
- top seed IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (1900)
- 24 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: GILLY'S BBQ and PIGSKIN BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: BIG T'Z Q CRU and IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ tied on 176.5716 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ and PELLET ENVY tied on 176.5716 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS won Chicken, Brisket — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
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.
- WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS · Chicken
In the record book (1 in the KCBS record book)
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
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 | 180.0000 | 177.7028 | 173.7256 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 176.5716 | 175.4172 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 175.4172 | 173.7144 |
| Brisket | 177.7600 | 176.5600 | 171.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
24 entries · top 705.7032 · median 686.2228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 2 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 3 | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW | |
| 4 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 5 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 6 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | |
| 7 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | |
| 8 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 9 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 10 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 11 | JAMBO PITS | |
| 12 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 13 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 14 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 15 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 16 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 17 | SWAMP BOYS | |
| 18 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 19 | WINE COUNTRY Q | |
| 20 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 22 | Organizer Portal | |
| 23 | QUAU | |
| 24 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE |
Chicken
24 entries · top 180.0000 · median 173.1314 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | |
| 2 | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW | |
| 3 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 4 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 5 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 6 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 7 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 8 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 9 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 10 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 11 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 13 | Organizer Portal | |
| 14 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 15 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 16 | WINE COUNTRY Q | |
| 17 | JAMBO PITS | |
| 18 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 19 | SWAMP BOYS | |
| 20 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 21 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 22 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | |
| 23 | QUAU | |
| 24 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE |
Pork Ribs
24 entries · top 179.4400 · median 174.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 2 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 3 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 5 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 6 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 7 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 8 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 9 | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW | |
| 10 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 11 | QUAU | |
| 12 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | |
| 13 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 14 | SWAMP BOYS | |
| 15 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 16 | Organizer Portal | |
| 17 | JAMBO PITS | |
| 18 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | |
| 19 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 20 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE | |
| 21 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 22 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 23 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 24 | WINE COUNTRY Q |
Pork
24 entries · top 179.4400 · median 171.9944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 2 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 3 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | |
| 4 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 5 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 6 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 7 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 8 | JAMBO PITS | |
| 9 | WINE COUNTRY Q | |
| 10 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 11 | Organizer Portal | |
| 12 | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW | |
| 13 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 14 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 15 | SWAMP BOYS | |
| 16 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 17 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | |
| 18 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 19 | QUAU | |
| 20 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 21 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 22 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 23 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 24 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE |
Brisket
24 entries · top 177.7600 · median 170.5486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | |
| 2 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ | |
| 3 | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW | |
| 4 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 5 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | |
| 6 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 7 | BLAZEN BBQ | |
| 8 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | |
| 9 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 10 | JAMBO PITS | |
| 11 | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 12 | WINE COUNTRY Q | |
| 13 | TRUEBUD BBQ | |
| 14 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 15 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 16 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 17 | SWEET SWINE O'MINE | |
| 18 | PELLET ENVY | |
| 19 | QUAU | |
| 20 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS | |
| 21 | GILLY'S BBQ | |
| 22 | SWAMP BOYS | |
| 23 | Organizer Portal | |
| 24 | ONE2BBQ |