A new contest record
702.3088
highest overall ever cooked here
702.3088 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 690.2972 LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS set in 2014.
- old record 690.2972
- set 2014 by LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS
Montana State BBQ Championship at Montana Fair 2015
Aug 11–12, 2015 · Billings, MT
GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE won Grand Champion at the Montana State BBQ Championship at Montana Fair on August 11, 2015 in Billings, MT, scoring 702.3088 in a field of 25 teams. QUAU took Reserve Grand Champion with 698.8800. Category winners: Chicken — GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE (178.8572); Pork Ribs — LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS (178.2972); Pork — LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS (176.5600); Brisket — QUAU (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS.
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.
592.98
median 654.19
702.31 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 176.56
- Brisket 180 🔥
123.37
180
Entries
25
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
702.3088
Winning margin
3.4288
GC over RC
Field average
649.88
592.98702.31
median 654.19 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
661.0860
592.98702.31
10th place overall
Field spread
109.3260
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 23%
beats 77% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
58%
15 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.79 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,549
avg power rating going in · stronger than 37% of contests
Storylines (8 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
27-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 73 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 27-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1621
- top seed 1790
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 4 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 1–2: LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS and BACKDRAFT BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: BACKDRAFT BBQ and GRATE EXPECTATIONS tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 7–8: MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ edged ROOFTOP BBQ by 0.0116.
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · 0.0232
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 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 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 6th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
QUAU turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 174.8572 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.8572
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS (won 2014).
- LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS · 2014
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.
- QUAU · Brisket
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 12, 2014 | Billings, MT | Billings, MT 59101 | 26 | 690.2972 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | QUAU |
| Aug 11, 2015 ← this one | Billings, MT | Billings, MT 59103 | 25 | 702.3088 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | QUAU |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 172.5600 | 166.2744 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 173.1544 | 166.2512 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 174.2628 | 168.5600 |
| Brisket | 180 | 170.8572 | 164.5600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 702.3088 · median 654.1944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 2 | QUAU | |
| 3 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 4 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 5 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 6 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 7 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 8 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 9 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 10 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 11 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 12 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 13 | CHARQUETERIE | |
| 14 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 15 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 16 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 17 | RIBS FOR HER PLEASURE | |
| 18 | Smokin Firestone | |
| 19 | 12 BAR BLUES CUE | |
| 20 | BIG BONE BBQ-MT | |
| 21 | Dirty Pickle Pit Masters | |
| 22 | Checkered Flag BBQ | |
| 23 | SMOKIN JERKS | |
| 24 | Cowboy Tuff BBQ | |
| 25 | Cowboys BBQ |
Chicken
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.7372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 2 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 3 | QUAU | |
| 4 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 5 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 6 | Smokin Firestone | |
| 7 | CHARQUETERIE | |
| 8 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 9 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 10 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 11 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 12 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 13 | RIBS FOR HER PLEASURE | |
| 14 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 15 | Dirty Pickle Pit Masters | |
| 16 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 17 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 18 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 19 | 12 BAR BLUES CUE | |
| 20 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 21 | BIG BONE BBQ-MT | |
| 22 | Cowboys BBQ | |
| 23 | SMOKIN JERKS | |
| 24 | Cowboy Tuff BBQ | |
| 25 | Checkered Flag BBQ |
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 178.2972 · median 163.9884
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 2 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 3 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 4 | QUAU | |
| 5 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 6 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 7 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 8 | Cowboys BBQ | |
| 9 | BIG BONE BBQ-MT | |
| 10 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 11 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 12 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 13 | Smokin Firestone | |
| 14 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 15 | Checkered Flag BBQ | |
| 16 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 17 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 18 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 19 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 20 | CHARQUETERIE | |
| 21 | 12 BAR BLUES CUE | |
| 22 | SMOKIN JERKS | |
| 23 | RIBS FOR HER PLEASURE | |
| 24 | Cowboy Tuff BBQ | |
| 25 | Dirty Pickle Pit Masters |
Pork
25 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 2 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 3 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 4 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 5 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 6 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 7 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 8 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 9 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 10 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 11 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 12 | QUAU | |
| 13 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 14 | Checkered Flag BBQ | |
| 15 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 16 | Cowboy Tuff BBQ | |
| 17 | Dirty Pickle Pit Masters | |
| 18 | CHARQUETERIE | |
| 19 | RIBS FOR HER PLEASURE | |
| 20 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 21 | BIG BONE BBQ-MT | |
| 22 | 12 BAR BLUES CUE | |
| 23 | Smokin Firestone | |
| 24 | SMOKIN JERKS | |
| 25 | Cowboys BBQ |
Brisket
25 entries · top 180 · median 161.7372 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUAU | |
| 2 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 3 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 4 | CAMP HOUSE BBQ | |
| 5 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 6 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | |
| 7 | CHARQUETERIE | |
| 8 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | |
| 9 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 10 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 11 | UP IN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 12 | SCORCH AND RESQUE | |
| 13 | SMOKIN JERKS | |
| 14 | Dirty Pickle Pit Masters | |
| 15 | 12 BAR BLUES CUE | |
| 16 | G AND L BBQ | |
| 17 | RIBS FOR HER PLEASURE | |
| 18 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 19 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | |
| 20 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 21 | Cowboys BBQ | |
| 22 | Cowboy Tuff BBQ | |
| 23 | Smokin Firestone | |
| 24 | BIG BONE BBQ-MT | |
| 25 | Checkered Flag 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 — Kid'S Q
15 entries · top 175.4400 · median 167.4632
Master Series — Sauce
12 entries · top 175.4400 · median 163.9484
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DJS SMOKIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | 12 BAR BLUES CUE | |
| 3 | BIG PIG BBQ | |
| 4 | Checkered Flag BBQ | |
| 5 | Cowboys BBQ 2 | |
| 6 | Dirty Pickle Pit Masters | |
| 7 | Dirty Pickle Pit Masters 2 | |
| 8 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | |
| 9 | SMOKIN JERKS | |
| 10 | Cowboys BBQ 3 | |
| 11 | 12 Bar Blues Cue 2 | |
| 12 | Cowboys BBQ |