2×
wins at this contest
2 of 3 tracked editions
iBQ'n@TheBBQSuperStore.com has won this contest 2 times across its 3 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
The Masters in May 2014
May 2–3, 2014 · Fremont, WI
iBQ'n won Grand Champion at The Masters in May on May 2, 2014 in Fremont, WI, scoring 673.1544 in a field of 62 teams. BUBBA-Q'S took Reserve Grand Champion with 669.1088. Category winners: Chicken — iBQ'n (177.2000); Pork Ribs — BREW-B-Q (175.4400); Pork — THE REAL SMOKIN ACES (174.3200); Brisket — BUBBA-Q'S (175.4400). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW; 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.
468.53
median 633.94
673.15 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.20
- Pork Ribs 175.44
- Pork 174.32
- Brisket 175.44
20
177.20
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2015 — this edition picked out.
Entries
62
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
673.1544
Winning margin
4.0456
GC over RC
Field average
633.00
468.53673.15
median 633.94 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
661.6456
468.53673.15
10th place overall
Field spread
204.6284
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 95%
beats 5% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
65%
31 of 48 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.51 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,532
avg power rating going in · stronger than 23% of contests
Storylines (7 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.
A dynasty in the making
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 4–5: 2 BONES BBQ and TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW tied on 173.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 9–10: BADGER BBQ edged BURNITA BAR-B-QUE by 0.0116. Pork places 5–6: ACES HIGH BBQ edged RIB TIP TUESDAY by 0.0228.
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork 9–10 · 0.0116
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0228
- Brisket 1–2 · 0.0228
How the title was won
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
iBQ'n took the title on 2 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 41st.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 16th
- Pork 41st
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork
174.3200
best pork ever cooked here
THE REAL SMOKIN ACES turned in 174.3200 in pork — past the 172.5714 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 172.5714
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW (won 2013).
- TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW · 2013
One of the big ones
62
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 93% of the 5,469 contests in the data
62 teams — bigger than 93% of the 5,469 contests in the data.
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 | Fremont, WI | Fremont, WI | 48 | 681.1432 | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW | LUCKY'S Q |
| May 2, 2014 ← this one | Fremont, WI | Fremont, WI 54940 | 62 | 673.1544 | iBQ'n@TheBBQSuperStore.com | BUBBA-Q'S |
| May 1, 2015 | Appleton, WI | Appleton, WI 54913 | 57 | 685.6684 | iBQ'n@TheBBQSuperStore.com | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.2000 | 171.4400 | 167.4284 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 173.1428 | 168 |
| Pork | 174.3200 | 170.2856 | 168 |
| Brisket | 175.4400 | 172.5944 | 169.1428 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
62 entries · top 673.1544 · median 633.9374
Chicken
62 entries · top 177.2000 · median 160.5542
Pork Ribs
62 entries · top 175.4400 · median 159.9772
Pork
62 entries · top 174.3200 · median 157.9428
Brisket
62 entries · top 175.4400 · median 158.5314
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
17 entries · top 180 · median 171.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKE 2 PULL | |
| 2 | SMOKE INFUSION | |
| 3 | BUCKAROO BBQ | |
| 4 | T-MAC SMOKIN | |
| 5 | CHEFS GONE GRILLIN | |
| 6 | FREEMAN BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 7 | 2 SKINNY COOKS | |
| 8 | Wood Chicks BBQ | |
| 9 | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | |
| 10 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 11 | THE BARON & HIS PITMASTERS | |
| 12 | FIREWISE BBQ | |
| 13 | RACK 'N BUTT BBQ | |
| 14 | BADGER BBQ | |
| 15 | BORDER BBQ | |
| 16 | Z SMOKE | |
| 17 | FOUNDING FATHERS BBQ |