A statement win
15.9660
points clear of the field
Wider than 97% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 15.9660 points — a wider margin than 97% of championships in the data.
These Were the Days BBQ Showdown
Aug 8–9, 2015 · North Battleford, SK · CANADA
ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ won Grand Champion at the These Were the Days BBQ Showdown on August 8, 2015 in North Battleford, SK, scoring 702.2972 in a field of 15 teams. SMELLAQUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 686.3312. Category winners: Chicken — ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ (177.7028); Pork Ribs — BEAR B QUE (177.7028); Pork — GETTIN' SAUCED BBQ CANADA (180.0000); Brisket — BIG NORTH BBQ (174.2972).
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.
632.53
median 670.90
702.30 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 177.70
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 174.30
150.31
180
Entries
15
4 judged meats
Top score
702.2972
Winning margin
15.9660
GC over RC
Field average
669.50
632.53702.30
median 670.90 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
666.3200
632.53702.30
10th place overall
Field spread
69.7716
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 23%
beats 77% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.6 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,504
avg power rating going in · stronger than 4% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: SMOKIN' SOWBELLIES and THROUGH THE MUD BBQ tied on 174.8456 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: BIG NORTH BBQ edged ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ by 0.0112. Pork places 8–9: BIG NORTH BBQ edged BEAR B QUE by 0.0116.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0112
- Pork 8–9 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 5th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 5th
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- GETTIN' SAUCED BBQ CANADA · Pork
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 | 177.7028 | 174.8456 | 166.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 171.9772 | 167.9656 |
| Pork | 180 | 170.2512 | 161.7028 |
| Brisket | 174.2972 | 170.8456 | 162.8344 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
15 entries · top 702.2972 · median 670.9028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 2 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 3 | GETTIN' SAUCED BBQ CANADA | |
| 4 | BIG NORTH BBQ | |
| 5 | CORNERSTONE BBQ | |
| 6 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 7 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 8 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 9 | Smoky Butt BBQ | |
| 10 | THROUGH THE MUD BBQ | |
| 11 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' SOWBELLIES | |
| 13 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 14 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 15 | Drifter's BBQ |
Chicken
15 entries · top 177.7028 · median 171.4400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 2 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 3 | Smoky Butt BBQ | |
| 4 | CORNERSTONE BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' SOWBELLIES | |
| 6 | THROUGH THE MUD BBQ | |
| 7 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 8 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 9 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 10 | BIG NORTH BBQ | |
| 11 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 12 | Drifter's BBQ | |
| 13 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 14 | GETTIN' SAUCED BBQ CANADA | |
| 15 | Kreiser Barbecue |
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.1544
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 2 | BIG NORTH BBQ | |
| 3 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 4 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 5 | GETTIN' SAUCED BBQ CANADA | |
| 6 | CORNERSTONE BBQ | |
| 7 | THROUGH THE MUD BBQ | |
| 8 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 9 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 10 | Smoky Butt BBQ | |
| 11 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 12 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 13 | Drifter's BBQ | |
| 14 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 15 | SMOKIN' SOWBELLIES |
Pork
15 entries · top 180 · median 167.4400 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GETTIN' SAUCED BBQ CANADA | |
| 2 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 3 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 4 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 5 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 6 | CORNERSTONE BBQ | |
| 7 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 8 | BIG NORTH BBQ | |
| 9 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 10 | THROUGH THE MUD BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' SOWBELLIES | |
| 12 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 13 | Smoky Butt BBQ | |
| 14 | Drifter's BBQ | |
| 15 | Kreiser Barbecue |
Brisket
15 entries · top 174.2972 · median 163.4172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG NORTH BBQ | |
| 2 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 3 | GETTIN' SAUCED BBQ CANADA | |
| 4 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 5 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 6 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' SOWBELLIES | |
| 8 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 9 | Smoky Butt BBQ | |
| 10 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 11 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 12 | THROUGH THE MUD BBQ | |
| 13 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 14 | CORNERSTONE BBQ | |
| 15 | Drifter's BBQ |