A new contest record
685.1084
highest overall ever cooked here
685.1084 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 647.4284 LOWLAND SMOKERS set in 2013.
- old record 647.4284
- set 2013 by LOWLAND SMOKERS
Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition 2014
Jun 7–8, 2014 · Hoofddorp, NE
The Smokey Bandits won Grand Champion at the Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition on June 7, 2014 in Hoofddorp, NE, scoring 685.1084 in a field of 43 teams. Smokey Goodness (NL) took Reserve Grand Champion with 681.7256. Category winners: Chicken — De Filous (BE) (177.7144); Pork Ribs — Smokey Goodness (NL) (174.2744); Pork — Royaal BBQ (NL) (177.7600); Brisket — Smokey Goodness (NL) (178.8800). This is the 2nd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by LOWLAND SMOKERS; 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.
546.20
median 630.91
685.11 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.71
- Pork Ribs 174.27
- Pork 177.76
- Brisket 178.88
122.06
178.88
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
43
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
685.1084
Winning margin
3.3828
GC over RC
Field average
629.48
546.20685.11
median 630.91 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
5.7144 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
649.7600
546.20685.11
10th place overall
Field spread
138.9132
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 82%
beats 18% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
13%
4 of 32 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.46 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,510
avg power rating going in · stronger than 7% 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
26-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 74 times in 100
The Smokey Bandits came in rated below the field's top team, South Pork, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 26-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1509
- top seed 1692
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
The Smokey Bandits 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 9th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 2nd
A first Grand Championship
2
tracked contests to get there
This was The Smokey Bandits's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 2nd tracked contest.
A rookie on the podium
2nd
at their first tracked contest
Smokey Goodness (NL) finished 2nd overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 4–5: MISS PIGGY'S U.K. and IQ - NETHERLANDS tied on 172.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 5–6: SEA SIDE SMOKERS edged Royaal BBQ (NL) by 0.0112. Chicken places 6–7: Backyard BBQ Team Holland (NL) edged The Smokey Bandits by 0.0116.
- Pork 4–5 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · 0.0112
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0116
- Pork 1–2 · 0.0228
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Smokey Goodness (NL) won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
178.8800
best brisket ever cooked here
Smokey Goodness (NL) turned in 178.8800 in brisket — past the 168.0002 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 168.0002
- across 1 past editions
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 18, 2013 | Hoofddorp, Netherlands | Hoofddorp, Netherlands, | 32 | 647.4284 | LOWLAND SMOKERS | BUNCH OF SWINES |
| Jun 7, 2014 ← this one | Hoofddorp, NE | Hoofddorp, Ne | 43 | 685.1084 | The Smokey Bandits | Smokey Goodness (NL) |
| May 23, 2015 | Hoofddorp Netherlands | Hoofddorp Netherlands, | 68 | 688.0460 | BUNCH OF SWINES | iQ |
| May 14, 2016 | Hoofddorp Netherlands, NL | Hoofddorp Netherlands, NL | 65 | 686.2056 | FLAMING PIG BBQ (SE) | Rubmaster BBQ team |
| Jun 3, 2017 | Hoofddorp Netherlands | Hoofddorp Netherlands, 2314CG | 56 | 683.3940 | UNCLE TONY'S COCKNEY Q | LETZQ |
| May 19, 2018 | Hoofddorp | Hoofddorp , 2314CG | 60 | 681.1084 | BBQ+ | Westwoodfield BBQ (DK) |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 168 | 166.2972 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 168.5600 | 162.8800 |
| Pork | 177.7600 | 172 | 166.2628 |
| Brisket | 178.8800 | 168.5712 | 165.0856 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
43 entries · top 685.1084 · median 630.9144
Chicken
43 entries · top 177.7144 · median 158.9028
Pork Ribs
43 entries · top 174.2744 · median 157.1772
Pork
43 entries · top 177.7600 · median 158.2744
Brisket
43 entries · top 178.8800 · median 158.3428
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 — Chef'S Choice
27 entries · top 176.5600 · median 160.5144
Master Series — Dessert
26 entries · top 180 · median 163.1144 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Sauce
32 entries · top 172 · median 162.0056