A new contest record
705.1544
highest overall ever cooked here
705.1544 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 705.1430 TRUEBUD BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 705.1430
- set 2013 by TRUEBUD BBQ
Smokin' in the Junction 2014
May 24–25, 2014 · West Des Moines, IA
TRUEBUD BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smokin' in the Junction on May 24, 2014 in West Des Moines, IA, scoring 705.1544 in a field of 31 teams. TEMPLETON RYE WOODFELLAS took Reserve Grand Champion with 699.3944. Category winners: Chicken — GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA (179.4400); Pork Ribs — TRUEBUD BBQ (177.7372); Pork — TRUEBUD BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — DRY 2 DA BONE (178.2972). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by TRUEBUD BBQ; 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.
138.80
median 658.23
705.15 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 177.74
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 178.30
135.36
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2015 — this edition picked out.
Entries
31
4 judged meats
Top score
705.1544
Winning margin
5.7600
GC over RC
Field average
638.67
138.80705.15
median 658.23 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
5.1200 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
670.1600
138.80705.15
10th place overall
Field spread
566.3544
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 13%
beats 87% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
39%
14 of 36 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.61 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,534
avg power rating going in · stronger than 25% of contests
Storylines (9 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.
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
TRUEBUD BBQ won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2013
- 2014
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 3 tracked editions
TRUEBUD BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 3 tracked editions.
- 2013
- 2014
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: SMOKIN CHICKEN BBQ and TEMPLETON RYE WOODFELLAS tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: TRUEBUD BBQ and TEMPLETON RYE WOODFELLAS tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: DIRT ROAD BBQ edged TRUEBUD BBQ by 0.0112.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · 0.0112
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
TRUEBUD BBQ won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
TRUEBUD BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 5th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 5th
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7372
best pork ribs ever cooked here
TRUEBUD BBQ turned in 177.7372 in pork ribs — past the 176.0002 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 176.0002
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: TRUEBUD BBQ (won 2013).
- TRUEBUD BBQ · 2013
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- TRUEBUD BBQ · Pork
- TEMPLETON RYE WOODFELLAS · 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)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2013 | West Des Moines, IA | West Des Moines, IA | 36 | 705.1430 | TRUEBUD BBQ | MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. |
| May 24, 2014 ← this one | West Des Moines, IA | West Des Moines, IA 50265 | 31 | 705.1544 | TRUEBUD BBQ | TEMPLETON RYE WOODFELLAS |
| May 23, 2015 | West Des Moines, IA | West Des Moines, IA 50265 | 37 | 688.5256 | SMOKERS PURGATORY | TRUEBUD BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 173.7028 | 169.1656 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 172.5600 | 168.5488 |
| Pork | 180 | 174.8800 | 169.1428 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 173.1428 | 168.5372 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
31 entries · top 705.1544 · median 658.2288
Chicken
30 entries · top 179.4400 · median 167.1200
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 177.7372 · median 162.5658
Pork
30 entries · top 180 · median 165.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
31 entries · top 178.2972 · median 163.4400