A new contest record
694.8000
highest overall ever cooked here
694.8000 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 682.8572 SHOOTIN SMOKE set in 2013.
- old record 682.8572
- set 2013 by SHOOTIN SMOKE
Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest 2014
May 2–3, 2014 · Columbia, MO
GILLY'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest on May 2, 2014 in Columbia, MO, scoring 694.8000 in a field of 35 teams. SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 688.5372. Category winners: Chicken — GILLY'S BBQ (177.1544); Pork Ribs — ALL-STAR BBQ (179.4400); Pork — UNCLE BUB'S BBQ, LLC (177.1428); Brisket — SHOOTIN SMOKE (178.2972). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by SHOOTIN SMOKE; 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.
615.38
median 662.70
694.80 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.15
- Pork Ribs 179.44
- Pork 177.14
- Brisket 178.30
141.11
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2016 — this edition picked out.
Entries
35
4 judged meats
Top score
694.8000
Winning margin
6.2628
GC over RC
Field average
660.19
615.38694.80
median 662.70 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4516 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
671.8972
615.38694.80
10th place overall
Field spread
79.4176
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 55%
beats 45% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
44%
11 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.66 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,544
avg power rating going in · stronger than 33% of contests
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
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: NATURAL BORN GRILLERS and ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ and Q LOGIC tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: SHOOTIN SMOKE and GILLY'S BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
- Pork 9–10 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
GILLY'S BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 10th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in pork
177.1428
best pork ever cooked here
UNCLE BUB'S BBQ, LLC turned in 177.1428 in pork — past the 170.8570 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 170.8570
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SHOOTIN SMOKE (won 2013).
- SHOOTIN SMOKE · 2013
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2013 | Columbia, MO | Columbia, MO | 25 | 682.8572 | SHOOTIN SMOKE | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| May 2, 2014 ← this one | Columbia, MO | Columbia, MO 65202 | 35 | 694.8000 | GILLY'S BBQ | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| May 1, 2015 | Columbia, MO | Columbia, MO 65202 | 37 | 698.8684 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ |
| May 6, 2016 | Columbia, MO | Elks Park Dr. | 32 | 690.8228 | BACKFIRIN' BBQ | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1544 | 173.7028 | 168.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 172.5600 | 169.1200 |
| Pork | 177.1428 | 173.1200 | 169.6684 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 173.7028 | 168.5828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
35 entries · top 694.8000 · median 662.6972
Chicken
35 entries · top 177.1544 · median 166.8228
Pork Ribs
35 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.6916
Pork
35 entries · top 177.1428 · median 166.2516
Brisket
35 entries · top 178.2972 · median 165.0856