A new contest record
693.6572
highest overall ever cooked here
693.6572 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 690.2284 IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 690.2284
- set 2013 by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ
BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! 2015
Jul 17–18, 2015 · Waterloo, IA
LUCKY'S Q won Grand Champion at the BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! on July 17, 2015 in Waterloo, IA, scoring 693.6572 in a field of 39 teams. IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.9540. Category winners: Chicken — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (177.1428); Pork Ribs — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (174.8572); Pork — BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG (175.4172); Brisket — IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ (178.2972). This is the 3rd of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by PIGSKIN BBQ; 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.
157.74
median 656.49
693.66 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.14
- Pork Ribs 174.86
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 178.30
34.90
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
39
4 judged meats
Top score
693.6572
Winning margin
1.7032
GC over RC
Field average
566.52
157.74693.66
median 656.49 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2628 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
666.8688
157.74693.66
10th place overall
Field spread
535.9200
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 59%
beats 41% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
57%
21 of 37 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.75 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,568
avg power rating going in · stronger than 53% 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.
An upset on the books
21-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 79 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 21-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1717
- top seed 1950
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 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 4th
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 7 tracked editions
LUCKY'S Q has won this contest 3 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: TRUE SMOKE BBQ and MYASSIS SMOKIN tied on 174.8800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: BIG T'Z Q CRU and CROW RIVER BBQ tied on 170.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 9–10: SLIM D'S BBQ and IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 9–10 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
A contest record in chicken
177.1428
best chicken ever cooked here
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ turned in 177.1428 in chicken — past the 175.4056 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4056
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (won 2013), PIGSKIN BBQ (won 2014).
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ · 2013
- PIGSKIN BBQ · 2014
The biggest field yet
39
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 36 teams
39 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 36.
This contest's own records (1 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 19, 2013 | Waterloo, IA | Waterloo, IA | 35 | 690.2284 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW |
| Jul 18, 2014 | Waterloo, IA | Waterloo, IA 50703 | 37 | 690.2168 | PIGSKIN BBQ | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG |
| Jul 17, 2015 ← this one | Waterloo, IA | Waterloo, IA 50702 | 39 | 693.6572 | LUCKY'S Q | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| Jul 15, 2016 | Waterloo, IA | 400 E Park Ave | 32 | 686.2056 | LUCKY'S Q | IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ |
| Jul 14, 2017 | Waterloo, IA | 400 E Park Ave | 33 | 694.8572 | LUCKY'S Q | KEV'S CHEW CHEW BBQ |
| Jul 20, 2018 | Waterloo, IA | 400 E Park Ave | 42 | 704.6288 | WHEN PIGS DIE | SLAPS BBQ |
| Jul 19, 2019 | Waterloo, IA | 400 E Park | 33 | 696.5600 | Iowa Smokey D's BBQ | LUCKY'S Q |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1428 | 174.8800 | 171.4400 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.8572 | 170.2744 | 167.4172 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 170.2744 | 169.6800 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 173.7372 | 169.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
39 entries · top 693.6572 · median 656.4916
Chicken
36 entries · top 177.1428 · median 167.6914
Pork Ribs
37 entries · top 174.8572 · median 161.1200
Pork
31 entries · top 175.4172 · median 164.5944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 2 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 3 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 4 | Uhlenhopp Sweet n Heat | |
| 5 | OLY SMOKES | |
| 6 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN BONZ BBQ COMPANY | |
| 8 | QUETOPIA | |
| 9 | SLIM D'S BBQ | |
| 10 | IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ | |
| 11 | MIDWEST JUNCTION BBQ | |
| 12 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 13 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 14 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 15 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | |
| 16 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 17 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 18 | Half Ton BBQ | |
| 19 | DRY 2 DA BONE | |
| 20 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 21 | ALL AROUND PIGTAILS PORK | |
| 22 | TACKETT'S RACKETT | |
| 23 | SMOKIN BIG DAWGS | |
| 24 | CROW RIVER BBQ | |
| 25 | 3 THIRDS BBQ | |
| 26 | WOODWARD BARBEQUE | |
| 27 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 28 | MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. | |
| 29 | MARK'S SMOKIN QUE | |
| 30 | TREEFROG BBQ | |
| 31 | LTS BBQ |
Brisket
33 entries · top 178.2972 · median 164
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ | |
| 2 | PIGSKIN BBQ | |
| 3 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 4 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 5 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | |
| 6 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 7 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 8 | MOE CASON BBQ | |
| 9 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | |
| 10 | WOODWARD BARBEQUE | |
| 11 | MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. | |
| 12 | MARK'S SMOKIN QUE | |
| 13 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 14 | Uhlenhopp Sweet n Heat | |
| 15 | QUETOPIA | |
| 16 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 17 | DRY 2 DA BONE | |
| 18 | SMOKIN BONZ BBQ COMPANY | |
| 19 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 20 | CROW RIVER BBQ | |
| 21 | SLIM D'S BBQ | |
| 22 | TACKETT'S RACKETT | |
| 23 | OLY SMOKES | |
| 24 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 25 | MIDWEST JUNCTION BBQ | |
| 26 | TREEFROG BBQ | |
| 27 | SMOKIN BIG DAWGS | |
| 28 | 3 THIRDS BBQ | |
| 29 | Houligan's Pit | |
| 30 | Smokey Tizzle BBQ | |
| 31 | ALL AROUND PIGTAILS PORK | |
| 32 | LTS BBQ | |
| 33 | Ronnie O Bryan Smoked Meat |