A razor-thin finish
1.6572
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 76% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.6572 points — closer than 76% of every championship in the data.
- R2-BQ
- Rogue Hog BBQ
1st Annual Greenport Harbor Beer, BBQ & Blues
Jun 27–28, 2015 · Peconic, NY
R2-BQ won Grand Champion at the 1st Annual Greenport Harbor Beer, BBQ & Blues on June 27, 2015 in Peconic, NY, scoring 665.6684 in a field of 21 teams. Rogue Hog BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 664.0112. Category winners: Chicken — GRIM REAPER SMOKERS (173.1544); Pork Ribs — Pop Bang Cue (170.8344); Pork — BBQ BRETHREN (177.1428); Brisket — R2-BQ (169.7028).
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.
440.47
median 623.84
665.67 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 173.15
- Pork Ribs 170.83
- Pork 177.14
- Brisket 169.70
94.16
177.14
Entries
21
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
665.6684
Winning margin
1.6572
GC over RC
Field average
610.33
440.47665.67
median 623.84 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.0116 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
623.8968
440.47665.67
10th place overall
Field spread
225.2000
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 98%
beats 2% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,535
avg power rating going in · stronger than 26% of contests
Storylines (4 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
24-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 76 times in 100
R2-BQ came in rated below the field's top team, Rogue Hog BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1561
- top seed 1762
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: STUBBORN BULL BBQ edged MOON RIVER BARBEQUE by 0.0116. Chicken places 5–6: Rogue Hog BBQ edged BABYLON GRILLBILLIES by 0.0344. Brisket places 9–10: GOTHAM CITY GRILLERS edged Willie B's BBQ by 0.0456.
- Chicken 2–3 · 0.0116
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0344
- Brisket 9–10 · 0.0456
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0572
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
R2-BQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 9th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 9th
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 1st
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 173.1544 | 166.8800 | 162.8800 |
| Pork Ribs | 170.8344 | 166.8228 | 162.7884 |
| Pork | 177.1428 | 161.1084 | 151.9428 |
| Brisket | 169.7028 | 162.8800 | 151.3600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
21 entries · top 665.6684 · median 623.8400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R2-BQ | |
| 2 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 3 | BBQ BRETHREN | |
| 4 | STUBBORN BULL BBQ | |
| 5 | BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ | |
| 6 | GOTHAM CITY GRILLERS | |
| 7 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 8 | BABYLON GRILLBILLIES | |
| 9 | Pop Bang Cue | |
| 10 | MOON RIVER BARBEQUE | |
| 11 | EASTERN BEAST BBQ TEAM | |
| 12 | CHUBBY HUBBY BBQ | |
| 13 | GRIM REAPER SMOKERS | |
| 14 | SMOKIN IRISH | |
| 15 | Willie B's BBQ | |
| 16 | DAWG POUND SMOKIN' Q | |
| 17 | KISS MY ASH | |
| 18 | KISS MY BRISKET | |
| 19 | DivineSwine- LI | |
| 20 | ROLLING GRILL BBQ | |
| 21 | TEAM BIGBARRYQ |
Chicken
20 entries · top 173.1544 · median 159.7142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GRIM REAPER SMOKERS | |
| 2 | STUBBORN BULL BBQ | |
| 3 | MOON RIVER BARBEQUE | |
| 4 | R2-BQ | |
| 5 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 6 | BABYLON GRILLBILLIES | |
| 7 | BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ | |
| 8 | CHUBBY HUBBY BBQ | |
| 9 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 10 | Pop Bang Cue | |
| 11 | DivineSwine- LI | |
| 12 | BBQ BRETHREN | |
| 13 | GOTHAM CITY GRILLERS | |
| 14 | EASTERN BEAST BBQ TEAM | |
| 15 | DAWG POUND SMOKIN' Q | |
| 16 | ROLLING GRILL BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN IRISH | |
| 18 | KISS MY BRISKET | |
| 19 | Willie B's BBQ | |
| 20 | KISS MY ASH |
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 170.8344 · median 160.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pop Bang Cue | |
| 2 | DAWG POUND SMOKIN' Q | |
| 3 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 4 | STUBBORN BULL BBQ | |
| 5 | ROLLING GRILL BBQ | |
| 6 | GOTHAM CITY GRILLERS | |
| 7 | Willie B's BBQ | |
| 8 | TEAM BIGBARRYQ | |
| 9 | R2-BQ | |
| 10 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 11 | BBQ BRETHREN | |
| 12 | BABYLON GRILLBILLIES | |
| 13 | EASTERN BEAST BBQ TEAM | |
| 14 | MOON RIVER BARBEQUE | |
| 15 | SMOKIN IRISH | |
| 16 | KISS MY ASH | |
| 17 | GRIM REAPER SMOKERS | |
| 18 | KISS MY BRISKET | |
| 19 | CHUBBY HUBBY BBQ | |
| 20 | BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ | |
| 21 | DivineSwine- LI |
Pork
21 entries · top 177.1428 · median 150.2056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ BRETHREN | |
| 2 | GOTHAM CITY GRILLERS | |
| 3 | BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ | |
| 4 | R2-BQ | |
| 5 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 6 | CHUBBY HUBBY BBQ | |
| 7 | STUBBORN BULL BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKIN IRISH | |
| 9 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 10 | EASTERN BEAST BBQ TEAM | |
| 11 | BABYLON GRILLBILLIES | |
| 12 | Pop Bang Cue | |
| 13 | DivineSwine- LI | |
| 14 | GRIM REAPER SMOKERS | |
| 15 | MOON RIVER BARBEQUE | |
| 16 | ROLLING GRILL BBQ | |
| 17 | KISS MY ASH | |
| 18 | TEAM BIGBARRYQ | |
| 19 | Willie B's BBQ | |
| 20 | DAWG POUND SMOKIN' Q | |
| 21 | KISS MY BRISKET |
Brisket
21 entries · top 169.7028 · median 149.6912
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R2-BQ | |
| 2 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 3 | BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ | |
| 4 | BBQ BRETHREN | |
| 5 | EASTERN BEAST BBQ TEAM | |
| 6 | STUBBORN BULL BBQ | |
| 7 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 8 | BABYLON GRILLBILLIES | |
| 9 | GOTHAM CITY GRILLERS | |
| 10 | Willie B's BBQ | |
| 11 | MOON RIVER BARBEQUE | |
| 12 | SMOKIN IRISH | |
| 13 | GRIM REAPER SMOKERS | |
| 14 | KISS MY ASH | |
| 15 | Pop Bang Cue | |
| 16 | CHUBBY HUBBY BBQ | |
| 17 | TEAM BIGBARRYQ | |
| 18 | DAWG POUND SMOKIN' Q | |
| 19 | KISS MY BRISKET | |
| 20 | DivineSwine- LI | |
| 21 | ROLLING GRILL BBQ |
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
9 entries · top 168.0228 · median 159.4284
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BABYLON GRILLBILLIES | |
| 2 | CHUBBY HUBBY BBQ | |
| 3 | BBQ BRETHREN | |
| 4 | ROLLING GRILL BBQ | |
| 5 | KISS MY ASH | |
| 6 | DAWG POUND SMOKIN' Q | |
| 7 | BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ | |
| 8 | MOON RIVER BARBEQUE | |
| 9 | SMOKIN IRISH |