A statement win
11.4056
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 11.4056 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
Homecoming 2015 BBQ Cookoff
Sep 4–5, 2015 · Vernon, IN
THUNDER HOG BBQ won Grand Champion at the Homecoming 2015 BBQ Cookoff on September 4, 2015 in Vernon, IN, scoring 706.2856 in a field of 18 teams. BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.8800. Category winners: Chicken — RURAL ROUTE BBQ (174.8572); Pork Ribs — THUNDER HOG BBQ (178.8572); Pork — THUNDER HOG BBQ (179.4400); Brisket — THUNDER HOG BBQ (177.7028).
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.
622.75
median 670.19
706.29 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.86
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 177.70
144.54
179.44
Entries
18
4 judged meats
Top score
706.2856
Winning margin
11.4056
GC over RC
Field average
666.47
622.75706.29
median 670.19 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.6228
622.75706.29
10th place overall
Field spread
83.5312
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 10%
beats 90% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.7 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,558
avg power rating going in · stronger than 44% 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.
A hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
THUNDER HOG BBQ won Pork Ribs, Pork, Brisket — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 6–7: 2 PITTS BBQ and BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ tied on 170.8800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: THUNDER HOG BBQ edged ACME BBQ by 0.0228. Chicken places 8–9: 2 PITTS BBQ edged 82'S BBQ CREW by 0.0228.
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · 0.0228
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0228
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0228
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
THUNDER HOG BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 4th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
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 | 174.8572 | 170.2628 | 167.3944 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 171.4284 | 168.5600 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 173.7144 | 165.7372 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 172.5716 | 163.9656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
18 entries · top 706.2856 · median 670.1944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 2 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 3 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 4 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 5 | Butts-N-Racks BBQ | |
| 6 | ACME BBQ | |
| 7 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 8 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 9 | 82'S BBQ CREW | |
| 10 | ZZ-QUE | |
| 11 | CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q | |
| 12 | LITTLE BOB'S BBQ | |
| 13 | Bad Boys BBQ | |
| 14 | NORRMANN BBQ LLC | |
| 15 | CAMS Q | |
| 16 | HOUSE OF SWINE | |
| 17 | BANKIN BABY BBQ | |
| 18 | WHISKEY WHISKERS BBQ COMPANY |
Chicken
18 entries · top 174.8572 · median 167.6858
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 2 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 3 | Butts-N-Racks BBQ | |
| 4 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 5 | ACME BBQ | |
| 6 | LITTLE BOB'S BBQ | |
| 7 | WHISKEY WHISKERS BBQ COMPANY | |
| 8 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 9 | 82'S BBQ CREW | |
| 10 | Bad Boys BBQ | |
| 11 | HOUSE OF SWINE | |
| 12 | CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q | |
| 13 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 14 | NORRMANN BBQ LLC | |
| 15 | ZZ-QUE | |
| 16 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 17 | CAMS Q | |
| 18 | BANKIN BABY BBQ |
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.6972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 2 | Butts-N-Racks BBQ | |
| 3 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 4 | 82'S BBQ CREW | |
| 5 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 6 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 7 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 8 | ACME BBQ | |
| 9 | ZZ-QUE | |
| 10 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 11 | CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q | |
| 12 | CAMS Q | |
| 13 | NORRMANN BBQ LLC | |
| 14 | LITTLE BOB'S BBQ | |
| 15 | HOUSE OF SWINE | |
| 16 | BANKIN BABY BBQ | |
| 17 | Bad Boys BBQ | |
| 18 | WHISKEY WHISKERS BBQ COMPANY |
Pork
18 entries · top 179.4400 · median 166
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 2 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 3 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 4 | ACME BBQ | |
| 5 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 6 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 7 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 8 | Bad Boys BBQ | |
| 9 | Butts-N-Racks BBQ | |
| 10 | NORRMANN BBQ LLC | |
| 11 | CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q | |
| 12 | ZZ-QUE | |
| 13 | CAMS Q | |
| 14 | HOUSE OF SWINE | |
| 15 | BANKIN BABY BBQ | |
| 16 | 82'S BBQ CREW | |
| 17 | LITTLE BOB'S BBQ | |
| 18 | WHISKEY WHISKERS BBQ COMPANY |
Brisket
18 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.1142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 2 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | |
| 3 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | |
| 4 | LITTLE BOB'S BBQ | |
| 5 | ZZ-QUE | |
| 6 | 82'S BBQ CREW | |
| 7 | 2 PITTS BBQ | |
| 8 | HISTORIC BBQ | |
| 9 | CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q | |
| 10 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 11 | Butts-N-Racks BBQ | |
| 12 | BANKIN BABY BBQ | |
| 13 | ACME BBQ | |
| 14 | NORRMANN BBQ LLC | |
| 15 | CAMS Q | |
| 16 | Bad Boys BBQ | |
| 17 | HOUSE OF SWINE | |
| 18 | WHISKEY WHISKERS BBQ COMPANY |