A new contest record
699.9428
highest overall ever cooked here
699.9428 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 697.1544 BAD BOYZ BBQ set in 2014.
- old record 697.1544
- set 2014 by BAD BOYZ BBQ
Holbrook 2015
Jul 10–11, 2015 · Holbrook, AZ
PORTERHOUSE BBQ won Grand Champion at the Holbrook on July 10, 2015 in Holbrook, AZ, scoring 699.9428 in a field of 29 teams. SHIG NINJA BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.8568. Category winners: Chicken — MONSOON BBQ (179.4400); Pork Ribs — PORTERHOUSE BBQ (175.4056); Pork — SHIG NINJA BBQ (179.4400); Brisket — TOYS 4 BBQ'N (179.4400). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by BAD BOYZ BBQ.
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.
592.93
median 666.21
699.94 🏆
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 175.41
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 179.44
136.51
179.44
Entries
29
4 judged meats
Top score
699.9428
Winning margin
5.0860
GC over RC
Field average
663.96
592.93699.94
median 666.21 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.3940 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
677.6572
592.93699.94
10th place overall
Field spread
107.0172
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 34%
beats 66% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
63%
12 of 19 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.61 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,544
avg power rating going in · stronger than 33% of contests
Storylines (5 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: YOUR BEHIND BBQ and AZ BEER BELLY BBQ tied on 176.5828 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: COW TIPPIN BBQ and LEFT COAST Q tied on 172.0116 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: BAD BOYZ BBQ and STEEL CITY BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
PORTERHOUSE BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 8th.
- Chicken 8th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 4th
A contest record in pork
179.4400
best pork ever cooked here
SHIG NINJA BBQ turned in 179.4400 in pork — past the 176.0228 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 176.0228
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: BAD BOYZ BBQ (won 2014).
- BAD BOYZ BBQ · 2014
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2014 | Holbrook, AZ | Holbrook, AZ 85296 | 19 | 697.1544 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ |
| Jul 10, 2015 ← this one | Holbrook, AZ | Holbrook, AZ | 29 | 699.9428 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | SHIG NINJA BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 175.4056 | 172.5944 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4056 | 172.0116 | 168.5600 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 173.7256 | 171.9888 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 172.5600 | 167.4400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 699.9428 · median 666.2056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 2 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 3 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 4 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 5 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 6 | TOYS 4 BBQ'N | |
| 7 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 8 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 9 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 10 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 11 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 12 | MONSOON BBQ | |
| 13 | AZ BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 14 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 15 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 16 | Smoke N Phoenicians | |
| 17 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 18 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 19 | THUNDERDOME BBQ | |
| 20 | AFRO SMOKE | |
| 21 | BUTTHEAD BBQ | |
| 22 | BURNIN BELLIES | |
| 23 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 24 | Sho Dawg BBQ | |
| 25 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 26 | OL' FELLA'S BAR-B-Q | |
| 27 | DIFFERENT SMOKES BBQ | |
| 28 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 29 | WTC |
Chicken
29 entries · top 179.4400 · median 168.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MONSOON BBQ | |
| 2 | TOYS 4 BBQ'N | |
| 3 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 4 | AZ BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 5 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 6 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 7 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 8 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 9 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 10 | BUTTHEAD BBQ | |
| 11 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 12 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 13 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 14 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 15 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 16 | Smoke N Phoenicians | |
| 17 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 18 | DIFFERENT SMOKES BBQ | |
| 19 | AFRO SMOKE | |
| 20 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 21 | BURNIN BELLIES | |
| 22 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 23 | OL' FELLA'S BAR-B-Q | |
| 24 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 25 | THUNDERDOME BBQ | |
| 26 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 27 | Sho Dawg BBQ | |
| 28 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 29 | WTC |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 175.4056 · median 165.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 2 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 3 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 4 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 5 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 6 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 7 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 8 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 9 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 10 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 11 | Smoke N Phoenicians | |
| 12 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 13 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 14 | Sho Dawg BBQ | |
| 15 | AZ BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 16 | TOYS 4 BBQ'N | |
| 17 | THUNDERDOME BBQ | |
| 18 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 19 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 20 | MONSOON BBQ | |
| 21 | AFRO SMOKE | |
| 22 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 23 | BUTTHEAD BBQ | |
| 24 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 25 | DIFFERENT SMOKES BBQ | |
| 26 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 27 | BURNIN BELLIES | |
| 28 | OL' FELLA'S BAR-B-Q | |
| 29 | WTC |
Pork
29 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.6684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 2 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 3 | MONSOON BBQ | |
| 4 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 5 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 6 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 7 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 8 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 9 | BURNIN BELLIES | |
| 10 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 11 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 12 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 13 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 14 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 15 | BUTTHEAD BBQ | |
| 16 | Sho Dawg BBQ | |
| 17 | AFRO SMOKE | |
| 18 | THUNDERDOME BBQ | |
| 19 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE | |
| 20 | AZ BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 21 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 22 | TOYS 4 BBQ'N | |
| 23 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 24 | OL' FELLA'S BAR-B-Q | |
| 25 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 26 | WTC | |
| 27 | DIFFERENT SMOKES BBQ | |
| 28 | Smoke N Phoenicians | |
| 29 | PHIL THE GRILL |
Brisket
29 entries · top 179.4400 · median 164.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TOYS 4 BBQ'N | |
| 2 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 3 | STEEL CITY BBQ | |
| 4 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 5 | BAD BOYZ BBQ | |
| 6 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 7 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 8 | COW TIPPIN BBQ | |
| 9 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 10 | Smoke N Phoenicians | |
| 11 | GEMINI BBQ | |
| 12 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 13 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 14 | AZ BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 15 | OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA | |
| 16 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 17 | THUNDERDOME BBQ | |
| 18 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | |
| 19 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 20 | BURNIN BELLIES | |
| 21 | OL' FELLA'S BAR-B-Q | |
| 22 | Sho Dawg BBQ | |
| 23 | AFRO SMOKE | |
| 24 | MONSOON BBQ | |
| 25 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 26 | BUTTHEAD BBQ | |
| 27 | WTC | |
| 28 | DIFFERENT SMOKES BBQ | |
| 29 | SWIMMIN IN SMOKE |