A new contest record
699.4056
highest overall ever cooked here
699.4056 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 697.7148 TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW set in 2013.
- old record 697.7148
- set 2013 by TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW
Smokin in Steele 2014
May 30–31, 2014 · Owatonna, MN
LUCKY'S Q won Grand Champion at the Smokin in Steele on May 30, 2014 in Owatonna, MN, scoring 699.4056 in a field of 67 teams. PIGSKIN BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9544. Category winners: Chicken — BIG T'Z Q CRU (177.1544); Pork Ribs — THE SMOKING HILLS (180.0000); Pork — BIGBRAD'S BBQ (178.8800); Brisket — PIGSKIN BBQ (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 10 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW; the next was held in 2016.
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.
137.10
median 662.91
699.41 🏆
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 180 🔥
- Pork 178.88
- Brisket 180 🔥
131.39
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
67
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
699.4056
Winning margin
3.4512
GC over RC
Field average
651.48
137.10699.41
median 662.91 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7488 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.3140
137.10699.41
10th place overall
Field spread
562.3084
winner to last place
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 35%
beats 65% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
62%
31 of 50 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,544
avg power rating going in · stronger than 33% of contests
Storylines (8 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.
An upset on the books
33-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 67 times in 100
LUCKY'S Q came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 33-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1693
- top seed 1816
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
LUCKY'S Q won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 10th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: SONS OF BUTCHERS and FNG BBQ tied on 173.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: Fergolicious BBQ and LUCKY'S Q tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: LUCKY'S Q and TRUE SMOKE BBQ tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Pork 9–10 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
THE SMOKING HILLS turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 175.4288 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4288
- 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
67
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 94% of the 5,462 contests in the data
67 teams — bigger than 94% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
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.
- PIGSKIN BBQ · Brisket
- THE SMOKING HILLS · Pork Ribs
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 31, 2013 | Owatonna, MN | Owatonna, MN | 51 | 697.7148 | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW | JAESTAR BBQ |
| May 30, 2014 ← this one | Owatonna, MN | Owatonna, MN 55060 | 67 | 699.4056 | LUCKY'S Q | PIGSKIN BBQ |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Owatonna, MN | Owatonna, MN 55060 | 53 | 689.6684 | WOODWARD BARBEQUE | BIG T'Z Q CRU |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Owatonna, MN | 1525 South Cedar st, Steele County Fairgrounds | 46 | 691.3140 | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA | LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Owatonna, MN | 1525 South Cedar st, Steele County Fairgrounds | 45 | 697.6688 | HOGLINE | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA |
| May 31, 2019 | Owatonna, MN | 1525 South Cedar Ave | 43 | 697.6916 | Lucky 19 Sauce Co | HOGLINE |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Owatonna, MN | 1525 S Cedar Ave | 33 | 689.6684 | Ash Kickin' BBQ | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| Jun 2, 2023 | Owatonna, MN | 1525 S Cedar Ave | 29 | 692.5600 | Wags Backwoods BBQ | HOT DADDY'S BBQ |
| May 31, 2024 | Owatonna, MN | 1525 S Cedar Ave | 32 | 699.9656 | T-Rex bbq | MACHETE BOYS BBQ |
| May 30, 2025 | Owatonna, MN | 18th St SE & Elm Ave | 28 | 697.0856 | Dry 2 Da Bone | HOT DADDY'S BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1544 | 175.4056 | 173.1428 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 173.7028 | 172.5484 |
| Pork | 178.8800 | 174.2628 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 180 | 175.4516 | 173.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
67 entries · top 699.4056 · median 662.9148
Chicken
66 entries · top 177.1544 · median 167.1716
Pork Ribs
67 entries · top 180 · median 166.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
66 entries · top 178.8800 · median 165.6972
Brisket
66 entries · top 180 · median 163.6800 · 🔥 perfect 180
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 — Anything Butt
13 entries · top 178.8572 · median 173.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA | |
| 2 | Big Time BBQ Buddies | |
| 3 | HOGLINE | |
| 4 | LERMON BBQ | |
| 5 | C R BUTTS SMOKE | |
| 6 | BIG AL'S GHETTO HOGS | |
| 7 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 8 | THE Q CREW | |
| 9 | We Be Porken | |
| 10 | Piggy Blues BBQ | |
| 11 | LUCKY 7'S BBQ | |
| 12 | CASE OF RIBS | |
| 13 | Smokin Fat Racks |