A first Grand Championship
43
tracked contests to get there
This was PORKY BUTTS BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 43rd tracked contest.
Tri-City BBQ Fest 2015
Sep 18–19, 2015 · Denison, IA
PORKY BUTTS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Tri-City BBQ Fest on September 18, 2015 in Denison, IA, scoring 690.7884 in a field of 18 teams. BIG T'Z Q CRU took Reserve Grand Champion with 681.0744. Category winners: Chicken — TRUE SMOKE BBQ (174.8456); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY (177.1544); Pork — YOU GONNA LIKE IT (177.1544); Brisket — PORKY BUTTS BBQ (177.1428). This is the 2nd of 12 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by BIG T'Z Q CRU; 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.
602.77
median 659.62
690.79 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.85
- Pork Ribs 177.15
- Pork 177.15
- Brisket 177.14
135.97
177.15
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
18
4 judged meats
Top score
690.7884
Winning margin
9.7140
GC over RC
Field average
654.37
602.77690.79
median 659.62 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
4 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
659.3028
602.77690.79
10th place overall
Field spread
88.0228
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 69%
beats 31% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
48%
10 of 21 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.57 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,558
avg power rating going in · stronger than 45% of contests
Storylines (7 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 statement win
9.7140
points clear of the field
Wider than 86% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 9.7140 points — a wider margin than 86% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 12 tracked editions
TIMBONE BARBECUE has won this contest 2 times across its 12 tracked editions.
- 2018
- 2019
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: YOU GONNA LIKE IT and SMOKIN BONZ BBQ COMPANY tied on 168.5372 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ and GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS tied on 167.3828 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ and PORKY BUTTS BBQ tied on 166.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
PORKY BUTTS BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 6th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork ribs
177.1544
best pork ribs ever cooked here
SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY turned in 177.1544 in pork ribs — past the 174.2628 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.2628
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: BIG T'Z Q CRU (won 2014).
- BIG T'Z Q CRU · 2014
This contest's own records (1 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2014 | Denison, IA | Denison, IA 51442 | 21 | 691.3940 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | PIGSKIN BBQ |
| Sep 18, 2015 ← this one | Denison, IA | Denison, IA 51442 | 18 | 690.7884 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | BIG T'Z Q CRU |
| Sep 16, 2016 | Denison, IA | Broodway & Main | 34 | 701.6800 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 37 | 702.3204 | SPITFIRE | LUCKY'S Q |
| Sep 21, 2018 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 27 | 687.9888 | TIMBONE BARBECUE | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| Sep 20, 2019 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 34 | 690.7540 | Timbone Barbecue | SPITFIRE |
| Sep 17, 2021 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 20 | 697.6572 | Hot Daddys BBQ | SPITFIRE |
| Sep 16, 2022 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 25 | 693.1316 | Parrothead Smokers SD | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| Sep 15, 2023 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 32 | 703.3712 | Last Call Heros BBQ | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 30 | 700.4912 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 26 | 703.4060 | Shiggin & Grinnin | Good Grefe! |
| Sep 18, 2026 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 26 | 702.2400 | Grillin' Grindes | Home Farm BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8456 | 169.7028 | 165.1544 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 166.8228 | 163.3828 |
| Pork | 177.1544 | 170.8228 | 165.7028 |
| Brisket | 177.1428 | 173.1428 | 159.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
18 entries · top 690.7884 · median 659.6230
Chicken
18 entries · top 174.8456 · median 166.2686
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 177.1544 · median 164.2514
Pork
18 entries · top 177.1544 · median 166.5542
Brisket
18 entries · top 177.1428 · median 160.5486