A new contest record
685.1432
highest overall ever cooked here
685.1432 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 680.5714 SPITFIRE set in 2013.
- old record 680.5714
- set 2013 by SPITFIRE
BBQ in the Bluffs 2014
May 9–10, 2014 · Council Bluffs, IA
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS won Grand Champion at the BBQ in the Bluffs on May 9, 2014 in Council Bluffs, IA, scoring 685.1432 in a field of 33 teams. BUBBA-Q'S took Reserve Grand Champion with 682.9148. Category winners: Chicken — BUBBA-Q'S (176.0344); Pork Ribs — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (175.4400); Pork — PARROTHEAD SMOKERS (178.2972); Brisket — Three Brothers Different Mothers (175.4400). This is the 2nd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by SPITFIRE; 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.
594.17
median 645.66
685.14 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.03
- Pork Ribs 175.44
- Pork 178.30
- Brisket 175.44
140.50
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
33
4 judged meats
Top score
685.1432
Winning margin
2.2284
GC over RC
Field average
649.58
594.17685.14
median 645.66 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
662.2060
594.17685.14
10th place overall
Field spread
90.9720
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 81%
beats 19% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
31%
10 of 32 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,549
avg power rating going in · stronger than 37% 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.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Brisket places 3–4: PORKY BUTTS BBQ and JAESTAR BBQ tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: COUNTRY ROADS NE edged Moxieque by 0.0004. Chicken places 8–9: ROGUE Q SMOKERS OF THE SERENGETI edged Smokin Up the House by 0.0112.
- Brisket 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0004
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0112
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0112
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 28th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 28th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
175.4400
best pork ribs ever cooked here
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ turned in 175.4400 in pork ribs — past the 173.1428 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.1428
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SPITFIRE (won 2013).
- SPITFIRE · 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 10, 2013 | Council Bluffs, IA | Council Bluffs, IA | 32 | 680.5714 | SPITFIRE | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| May 9, 2014 ← this one | Council Bluffs, IA | Council Bluffs, IA 51503 | 33 | 685.1432 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | BUBBA-Q'S |
| May 8, 2015 | Council Bluffs, IA | Council Bluffs, IA 51503 | 33 | 691.9772 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ |
| May 13, 2016 | Council Bluffs, IA | Rivers Edge Park | 33 | 688.5716 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| May 12, 2017 | Council Bluffs, IA | River Edge Park(Hanafan Park) | 39 | 706.2972 | GETTIN' BASTED | HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB |
| May 11, 2018 | Council Bluffs, IA | Hanafan Park,Rivers Edge | 39 | 690.2284 | HELPING U BBQ | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.0344 | 172 | 169.1656 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 170.2856 | 168.5716 |
| Pork | 178.2972 | 170.3200 | 164.5488 |
| Brisket | 175.4400 | 173.1428 | 165.1656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
33 entries · top 685.1432 · median 645.6572
Chicken
33 entries · top 176.0344 · median 165.1544
Pork Ribs
33 entries · top 175.4400 · median 165.1772
Pork
33 entries · top 178.2972 · median 161.6912
Brisket
33 entries · top 175.4400 · median 160