A statement win
11.4288
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 11.4288 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
Winnipeg Barbeque and Blues Festival 2015
Aug 21–22, 2015 · Winnipeg, MB · CANADA
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ won Grand Champion at the Winnipeg Barbeque and Blues Festival on August 21, 2015 in Winnipeg, MB, scoring 667.9544 in a field of 22 teams. BIGG SMOAK BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 656.5256. Category winners: Chicken — Blue Haze BBQ (174.2856); Pork Ribs — PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ (168.5600); Pork — ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ (173.7028); Brisket — Bad Azz BBQ (172.0572). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by Smokin Hawg 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.
579.82
median 634.86
667.95 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.29
- Pork Ribs 168.56
- Pork 173.70
- Brisket 172.06
127.93
174.29
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2016 — this edition picked out.
Entries
22
4 judged meats
Top score
667.9544
Winning margin
11.4288
GC over RC
Field average
632.26
579.82667.95
median 634.86 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
5.1200 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
638.1944
579.82667.95
10th place overall
Field spread
88.1372
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 97%
beats 3% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
38%
10 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.41 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,507
avg power rating going in · stronger than 5% 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.
A rookie on the podium
3rd
at their first tracked contest
Blue Haze BBQ finished 3rd overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 7–8: Dusty Rusty's BBQ and CAPERSQ tied on 164.0228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ edged Big O BBQ by 0.0112. Pork places 5–6: Big O BBQ edged Tailgators BBQ Pit by 0.0116.
- Pork 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · 0.0112
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0116
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE 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 2nd
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Smokin Hawg BBQ (won 2014).
- Smokin Hawg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2013 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA | Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA | 26 | 671.9428 | BURNSIDE BBQ | SMOKIN JIM'S BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2014 | Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Winnipeg Manitoba Canada, | 26 | 684.0232 | Smokin Hawg BBQ | Bad Azz BBQ |
| Aug 21, 2015 ← this one | Winnipeg, MB | Winnipeg, MB | 22 | 667.9544 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | BIGG SMOAK BBQ |
| Aug 19, 2016 | Winnipeg | Burton Cummings Theater, 364 Smith st | 25 | 676.4916 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | PIGTAMER BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.2856 | 163.9772 | 159.9544 |
| Pork Ribs | 168.5600 | 163.4400 | 159.4516 |
| Pork | 173.7028 | 165.1316 | 161.7372 |
| Brisket | 172.0572 | 163.9772 | 157.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
22 entries · top 667.9544 · median 634.8630
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 2 | BIGG SMOAK BBQ | |
| 3 | Blue Haze BBQ | |
| 4 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 5 | Tailgators BBQ Pit | |
| 6 | Belly Of The Beast | |
| 7 | Smokin Hawg BBQ | |
| 8 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 9 | Bad Azz BBQ | |
| 10 | Smokin Squealers | |
| 11 | CAPERSQ | |
| 12 | Butt Buddies | |
| 13 | Baby J's | |
| 14 | Big O BBQ | |
| 15 | DW's Smokin' Porko BBQ | |
| 16 | Secret Wood | |
| 17 | HAWGWASH BBQ | |
| 18 | Dusty Rusty's BBQ | |
| 19 | GO PIG....OR GO HOME | |
| 20 | Butts Man Crew | |
| 21 | Makin Enns Meat | |
| 22 | Winnip-EGGS |
Chicken
22 entries · top 174.2856 · median 158.5828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Haze BBQ | |
| 2 | Smokin Hawg BBQ | |
| 3 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 4 | CAPERSQ | |
| 5 | Smokin Squealers | |
| 6 | Butts Man Crew | |
| 7 | Tailgators BBQ Pit | |
| 8 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 9 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 10 | Big O BBQ | |
| 11 | Belly Of The Beast | |
| 12 | HAWGWASH BBQ | |
| 13 | Butt Buddies | |
| 14 | BIGG SMOAK BBQ | |
| 15 | Baby J's | |
| 16 | Dusty Rusty's BBQ | |
| 17 | GO PIG....OR GO HOME | |
| 18 | Makin Enns Meat | |
| 19 | DW's Smokin' Porko BBQ | |
| 20 | Secret Wood | |
| 21 | Bad Azz BBQ | |
| 22 | Winnip-EGGS |
Pork Ribs
22 entries · top 168.5600 · median 156.8914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 2 | Blue Haze BBQ | |
| 3 | BIGG SMOAK BBQ | |
| 4 | Tailgators BBQ Pit | |
| 5 | Belly Of The Beast | |
| 6 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 7 | Winnip-EGGS | |
| 8 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 9 | Baby J's | |
| 10 | GO PIG....OR GO HOME | |
| 11 | Secret Wood | |
| 12 | Smokin Squealers | |
| 13 | CAPERSQ | |
| 14 | Smokin Hawg BBQ | |
| 15 | HAWGWASH BBQ | |
| 16 | Butt Buddies | |
| 17 | Dusty Rusty's BBQ | |
| 18 | Bad Azz BBQ | |
| 19 | Butts Man Crew | |
| 20 | DW's Smokin' Porko BBQ | |
| 21 | Big O BBQ | |
| 22 | Makin Enns Meat |
Pork
22 entries · top 173.7028 · median 160.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 2 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 3 | Bad Azz BBQ | |
| 4 | BIGG SMOAK BBQ | |
| 5 | Big O BBQ | |
| 6 | Tailgators BBQ Pit | |
| 7 | Dusty Rusty's BBQ | |
| 8 | CAPERSQ | |
| 9 | DW's Smokin' Porko BBQ | |
| 10 | Smokin Hawg BBQ | |
| 11 | Blue Haze BBQ | |
| 12 | Smokin Squealers | |
| 13 | Baby J's | |
| 14 | Belly Of The Beast | |
| 15 | Butts Man Crew | |
| 16 | Butt Buddies | |
| 17 | Secret Wood | |
| 18 | Makin Enns Meat | |
| 19 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 20 | GO PIG....OR GO HOME | |
| 21 | Winnip-EGGS | |
| 22 | HAWGWASH BBQ |
Brisket
22 entries · top 172.0572 · median 157.3770
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bad Azz BBQ | |
| 2 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 3 | BIGG SMOAK BBQ | |
| 4 | DW's Smokin' Porko BBQ | |
| 5 | Butt Buddies | |
| 6 | Belly Of The Beast | |
| 7 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 8 | Tailgators BBQ Pit | |
| 9 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 10 | Secret Wood | |
| 11 | Smokin Hawg BBQ | |
| 12 | Smokin Squealers | |
| 13 | Big O BBQ | |
| 14 | Blue Haze BBQ | |
| 15 | HAWGWASH BBQ | |
| 16 | Baby J's | |
| 17 | CAPERSQ | |
| 18 | Dusty Rusty's BBQ | |
| 19 | GO PIG....OR GO HOME | |
| 20 | Makin Enns Meat | |
| 21 | Butts Man Crew | |
| 22 | Winnip-EGGS |