A new contest record
704.6060
highest overall ever cooked here
704.6060 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 697.1316 JO-BAWB'S BBQ set in 2014.
- old record 697.1316
- set 2014 by JO-BAWB'S BBQ
Smokin' on the Prairie 2015
Aug 7–8, 2015 · Gillette, WY
GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE won Grand Champion at the Smokin' on the Prairie on August 7, 2015 in Gillette, WY, scoring 704.6060 in a field of 26 teams. BACKDRAFT BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.4172. Category winners: Chicken — LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS (179.4400); Pork Ribs — GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE (178.8572); Pork — QUAU (179.4400); Brisket — GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE (176.5944). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by JO-BAWB'S 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.
482.29
median 666.51
704.61 🏆
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 178.86
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 176.59
20
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2015 — this edition picked out.
Entries
26
4 judged meats
Top score
704.6060
Winning margin
13.1888
GC over RC
Field average
650.86
482.29704.61
median 666.51 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
670.2400
482.29704.61
10th place overall
Field spread
222.3200
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 15%
beats 85% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
44%
11 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.79 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,567
avg power rating going in · stronger than 52% 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
26-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 74 times in 100
GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE came in rated below the field's top team, QUAU, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 26-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1607
- top seed 1788
A statement win
13.1888
points clear of the field
Wider than 94% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.1888 points — a wider margin than 94% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 9–10: SMOKIN FLYERS and GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE tied on 170.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 5–6: R BUTTS R SMOKIN and JO-BAWB'S BBQ tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: SCORCH AND RESQUE edged LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS by 0.0116.
- Pork 9–10 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0116
- Chicken 9–10 · 0.0228
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 10th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 10th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8572
best pork ribs ever cooked here
GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE turned in 178.8572 in pork ribs — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS (won 2013), JO-BAWB'S BBQ (won 2014).
- LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS · 2013
- JO-BAWB'S BBQ · 2014
The biggest field yet
26
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 25 teams
26 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 25.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2013 | Gillette, WY | Gillette, WY | 25 | 686.2516 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | MOE CASON BBQ |
| Aug 8, 2014 | Gillette, WY | Gillette, WY 82717 | 25 | 697.1316 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS |
| Aug 7, 2015 ← this one | Gillette, WY | Gillette, WY 82717 | 26 | 704.6060 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | BACKDRAFT BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 172.5484 | 168.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 174.8572 | 169.1428 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 175.4172 | 170.8572 |
| Brisket | 176.5944 | 169.6800 | 164.5828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 704.6060 · median 666.5140
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 2 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 3 | R BUTTS R SMOKIN | |
| 4 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 5 | QUAU | |
| 6 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 7 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 9 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 10 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 11 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 12 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 13 | SMOKIN FLYERS | |
| 14 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 15 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 16 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 17 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 18 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 19 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 20 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 21 | OREGON TRAIL | |
| 22 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 23 | Observer This BBQ | |
| 24 | Sweet Williams | |
| 25 | Chili Pepper BBQ | |
| 26 | SMOKIN JERKS |
Chicken
26 entries · top 179.4400 · median 164.2800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 2 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 3 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 4 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 5 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 6 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 7 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 8 | R BUTTS R SMOKIN | |
| 9 | QUAU | |
| 10 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 11 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 12 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 13 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 14 | Sweet Williams | |
| 15 | SMOKIN FLYERS | |
| 16 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 17 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 18 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 19 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 20 | OREGON TRAIL | |
| 21 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 22 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 23 | Observer This BBQ | |
| 24 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 25 | Chili Pepper BBQ | |
| 26 | SMOKIN JERKS |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.6856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 2 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 3 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 4 | R BUTTS R SMOKIN | |
| 5 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 6 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 7 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 8 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 9 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 10 | SMOKIN FLYERS | |
| 11 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN JERKS | |
| 13 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 14 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 15 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 16 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 17 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 18 | QUAU | |
| 19 | OREGON TRAIL | |
| 20 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 21 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 22 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 23 | Chili Pepper BBQ | |
| 24 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 25 | Sweet Williams | |
| 26 | Observer This BBQ |
Pork
26 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.9542
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUAU | |
| 2 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 3 | R BUTTS R SMOKIN | |
| 4 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 5 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 6 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 7 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 8 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 9 | SMOKIN FLYERS | |
| 10 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 11 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 12 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 13 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 14 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 15 | Observer This BBQ | |
| 16 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 17 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 18 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 19 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 20 | OREGON TRAIL | |
| 21 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 22 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 23 | SMOKIN JERKS | |
| 24 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 25 | Sweet Williams | |
| 26 | Chili Pepper BBQ |
Brisket
26 entries · top 176.5944 · median 161.1542
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 2 | QUAU | |
| 3 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 5 | R BUTTS R SMOKIN | |
| 6 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 7 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 8 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 9 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 10 | SMOKIN FLYERS | |
| 11 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 12 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 13 | Observer This BBQ | |
| 14 | BAR D SLASH BBQ | |
| 15 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 16 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 17 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 18 | WYOMING BS BBQ | |
| 19 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 20 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 21 | RED'S SMOKE'N BBQ OF WY | |
| 22 | POWDER RIVER PHAT BOYS | |
| 23 | Sweet Williams | |
| 24 | OREGON TRAIL | |
| 25 | SMOKIN JERKS | |
| 26 | Chili Pepper BBQ |