A new contest record
671.9312
highest overall ever cooked here
671.9312 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 657.6796 HOUSE OF Q set in 2013.
- old record 657.6796
- set 2013 by HOUSE OF Q
BBQ on the Bow 2015
Sep 5–6, 2015 · Calgary, AB · CANADA
Bordertown Bar-B-Que won Grand Champion at the BBQ on the Bow on September 5, 2015 in Calgary, AB, scoring 671.9312 in a field of 35 teams. SMELLAQUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 664.5484. Category winners: Chicken — Toad 'n Turtle (174.9372); Pork Ribs — SMELLAQUE (170.2972); Pork — Bordertown Bar-B-Que (176.5600); Brisket — SMELLAQUE (169.1428). This is the 2nd of 8 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by HOUSE OF Q; 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.
565.68
median 631.98
671.93 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.94
- Pork Ribs 170.30
- Pork 176.56
- Brisket 169.14
117.63
176.56
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
35
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
671.9312
Winning margin
7.3828
GC over RC
Field average
625.22
565.68671.93
median 631.98 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
641.0172
565.68671.93
10th place overall
Field spread
106.2512
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 95%
beats 5% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
40%
10 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.32 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,506
avg power rating going in · stronger than 5% of contests
Storylines (10 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
28-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
BORDERTOWN BAR B QUE came in rated below the field's top team, HOUSE OF Q, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1498
- top seed 1660
A first Grand Championship
2
tracked contests to get there
This was Bordertown Bar-B-Que's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 2nd tracked contest.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 8 tracked editions
SMELLAQUE has won this contest 2 times across its 8 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2019
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 2–3: Bordertown Bar-B-Que and SMITTY'S SMOKE PATROL tied on 167.9884 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: The Big LebowsQ edged HOUSE OF Q by 0.0112. Brisket places 7–8: Cowtown Smoke and Grillers edged GETTIN' SAUCED BBQ CANADA by 0.0112.
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · 0.0112
- Brisket 7–8 · 0.0112
- Pork 6–7 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
SMELLAQUE won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
Bordertown Bar-B-Que took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 17th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 17th
A contest record in pork
176.5600
best pork ever cooked here
Bordertown Bar-B-Que turned in 176.5600 in pork — past the 173.7256 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.7256
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: HOUSE OF Q (won 2013).
- HOUSE OF Q · 2013
The contest returns
2 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 2 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2013-08-31.
- previous edition 2013-08-31
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 31, 2013 | Calgary, Alberta, CA | Calgary, Alberta, Ca | 26 | 657.6796 | HOUSE OF Q | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS |
| Sep 5, 2015 ← this one | Calgary, AB | Calgary, Alberta, T2W3J6 | 35 | 671.9312 | Bordertown Bar-B-Que | SMELLAQUE |
| Sep 3, 2016 | Calgary, Alberta, CA | Montgomery Community | 35 | 681.7144 | SMELLAQUE | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ |
| Sep 2, 2017 | Calgary | Montgomery Community Association | 42 | 666.2400 | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | SMELLAQUE |
| Sep 1, 2018 | Calgary | Montgomery Community Association | 43 | 677.7140 | HOME COOKIN' BBQ | BIGG SMOAK BBQ |
| Aug 31, 2019 | Calgary | 5003 16 Ave NW | 37 | 670.2972 | SmellaQue | RUSTY'S BBQ |
| Sep 26, 2020 | Didsbury, AB | Didsbury, Alberta, | 21 | 662.7656 | Prairie Smoke & Spice | SMELLAQUE |
| Sep 4, 2021 | Didsbury, AB | Rosebud Valley Campground | 29 | 677.7712 | Meat Sweats | THE DEVIL MADE ME Q IT |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.9372 | 170.8456 | 169.1316 |
| Pork Ribs | 170.2972 | 166.2972 | 160.0572 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 169.1428 | 164.5256 |
| Brisket | 169.1428 | 164.5944 | 162.2744 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
35 entries · top 671.9312 · median 631.9772
Chicken
35 entries · top 174.9372 · median 161.7028
Pork Ribs
35 entries · top 170.2972 · median 154.8684
Pork
35 entries · top 176.5600 · median 158.2856
Brisket
35 entries · top 169.1428 · median 155.3828
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 — Chef'S Choice
16 entries · top 172.5600 · median 163.3886