A new contest record
700.5944
highest overall ever cooked here
700.5944 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 695.4516 SONS OF BUTCHERS set in 2013.
- old record 695.4516
- set 2013 by SONS OF BUTCHERS
KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off 2015
Sep 18–19, 2015 · Worthington, MN
MUSTANG SALLY BBQ won Grand Champion at the KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off on September 18, 2015 in Worthington, MN, scoring 700.5944 in a field of 26 teams. TOTALLY SAUCED took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.3712. Category winners: Chicken — TOTALLY SAUCED (179.4400); Pork Ribs — TOTALLY SAUCED (177.1544); Pork — THE SMOKING PIGS (176.0000); Brisket — Whitewater BBQ (178.8800). This is the 2nd of 13 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by SONS OF BUTCHERS; 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.
506.26
median 666.49
700.59 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 177.15
- Pork 176
- Brisket 178.88
140.53
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
26
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
700.5944
Winning margin
5.2232
GC over RC
Field average
657.25
506.26700.59
median 666.49 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4.0344 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
677.6340
506.26700.59
10th place overall
Field spread
194.3316
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 30%
beats 70% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
23%
9 of 39 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.7 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,531
avg power rating going in · stronger than 23% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
MUSTANG SALLY BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 2nd
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 13 tracked editions
Hot Daddy's BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 13 tracked editions.
- 2024
- 2024
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 5–6: Whitewater BBQ and LUCKY 7'S BBQ tied on 170.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE and EGGSPERT BBQ tied on 170.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 9–10: SONS OF BUTCHERS and SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Brisket 9–10 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
TOTALLY SAUCED won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
A contest record in brisket
178.8800
best brisket ever cooked here
Whitewater BBQ turned in 178.8800 in brisket — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SONS OF BUTCHERS (won 2013).
- SONS OF BUTCHERS · 2013
The contest returns
2 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 2 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2013-09-13.
- previous edition 2013-09-13
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 13, 2013 | Worthington, MN | Worthington, MN | 39 | 695.4516 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | BIG T'Z Q CRU |
| Sep 18, 2015 ← this one | Worthington, MN | Worthington, MN 56187 | 26 | 700.5944 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | TOTALLY SAUCED |
| Sep 16, 2016 | Worthington, MN | Nobles County Fairgrounds | 29 | 700 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | SPITFIRE |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Worthington, MN | Downtown Worthington | 27 | 690.2628 | LUCKY'S Q | YOU QUE'D ME ALL NIGHT LONG |
| Sep 14, 2018 | Worthington, MN | Downtown Worthington | 25 | 693.6800 | ACES HIGH BBQ | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ |
| Sep 13, 2019 | Worthington, MN | Downtown Worthington | 26 | 686.1944 | WHO DAT BBQ | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ |
| Sep 18, 2020 | Worthington, MN | Downtown Worthington | 35 | 696.6516 | Wags Backwoods BBQ | MACHETE BOYS BBQ |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Worthington, MN | Nobles County Fairgrounds | 33 | 693.2004 | Richie Z | HOGLINE |
| Jul 15, 2022 | Worthington, MN | Nobles County Fairgrounds | 40 | 695.3940 | Shiggin & Grinnin | Ash Kickin' BBQ |
| Jul 15, 2022 | Worthington, MN | Nobles County Fairgrounds | 17 | 176 | Smokin' Big | — |
| Jul 14, 2023 | Worthington, MN | Nobles County Fairgrounds | 39 | 694.8456 | Pittie Q | PORKY BUTTS BBQ |
| Jul 12, 2024 | Worthington, MN | 700 2nd Avenue | 34 | 695.9084 | Hot Daddy's BBQ | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ |
| Jul 12, 2024 | Worthington, MN | 700 2nd Avenue | 13 | 178.8572 | Hot Daddy's BBQ | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 175.4056 | 169.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 170.8572 | 169.6916 |
| Pork | 176 | 170.8800 | 168.5600 |
| Brisket | 178.8800 | 171.9656 | 169.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 700.5944 · median 666.4856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 2 | TOTALLY SAUCED | |
| 3 | HOGLINE | |
| 4 | QUETOPIA | |
| 5 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 6 | THE SMOKING PIGS | |
| 7 | SHORT CREW BBQ | |
| 8 | Whitewater BBQ | |
| 9 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 10 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 11 | SPARK BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 13 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 14 | BURNTOUT BBQ CO | |
| 15 | LUCKY 7'S BBQ | |
| 16 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 17 | BORDER BBQ | |
| 18 | TEAM PIT | |
| 19 | FNG BBQ | |
| 20 | CROW RIVER BBQ | |
| 21 | RIB-IT | |
| 22 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | |
| 23 | New 2 BBQ | |
| 24 | Mama Watzz West TX | |
| 25 | BSQ'S | |
| 26 | Wing N Prayer |
Chicken
26 entries · top 179.4400 · median 167.4230
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TOTALLY SAUCED | |
| 2 | HOGLINE | |
| 3 | Wing N Prayer | |
| 4 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 5 | QUETOPIA | |
| 6 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 7 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 8 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 9 | TEAM PIT | |
| 10 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 11 | THE SMOKING PIGS | |
| 12 | LUCKY 7'S BBQ | |
| 13 | SHORT CREW BBQ | |
| 14 | Whitewater BBQ | |
| 15 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 16 | FNG BBQ | |
| 17 | CROW RIVER BBQ | |
| 18 | SPARK BBQ | |
| 19 | Mama Watzz West TX | |
| 20 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 21 | BORDER BBQ | |
| 22 | RIB-IT | |
| 23 | New 2 BBQ | |
| 24 | BURNTOUT BBQ CO | |
| 25 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | |
| 26 | BSQ'S |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 177.1544 · median 167.1372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TOTALLY SAUCED | |
| 2 | HOGLINE | |
| 3 | QUETOPIA | |
| 4 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 5 | Whitewater BBQ | |
| 6 | LUCKY 7'S BBQ | |
| 7 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | |
| 8 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 9 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 10 | SHORT CREW BBQ | |
| 11 | SPARK BBQ | |
| 12 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 13 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 14 | THE SMOKING PIGS | |
| 15 | BORDER BBQ | |
| 16 | FNG BBQ | |
| 17 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 18 | BURNTOUT BBQ CO | |
| 19 | Wing N Prayer | |
| 20 | RIB-IT | |
| 21 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 22 | CROW RIVER BBQ | |
| 23 | TEAM PIT | |
| 24 | BSQ'S | |
| 25 | Mama Watzz West TX | |
| 26 | New 2 BBQ |
Pork
25 entries · top 176 · median 167.3712
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SMOKING PIGS | |
| 2 | BURNTOUT BBQ CO | |
| 3 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 4 | SHORT CREW BBQ | |
| 5 | New 2 BBQ | |
| 6 | QUETOPIA | |
| 7 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 8 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 9 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 10 | SPARK BBQ | |
| 11 | HOGLINE | |
| 12 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 13 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 14 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 15 | TOTALLY SAUCED | |
| 16 | BORDER BBQ | |
| 17 | FNG BBQ | |
| 18 | BSQ'S | |
| 19 | CROW RIVER BBQ | |
| 20 | Whitewater BBQ | |
| 21 | LUCKY 7'S BBQ | |
| 22 | TEAM PIT | |
| 23 | RIB-IT | |
| 24 | Mama Watzz West TX | |
| 25 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE |
Brisket
26 entries · top 178.8800 · median 166.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitewater BBQ | |
| 2 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 3 | SPARK BBQ | |
| 4 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 5 | TOTALLY SAUCED | |
| 6 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 7 | SHORT CREW BBQ | |
| 8 | HOGLINE | |
| 9 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 10 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 11 | BURNTOUT BBQ CO | |
| 12 | THE SMOKING PIGS | |
| 13 | BORDER BBQ | |
| 14 | Wing N Prayer | |
| 15 | TEAM PIT | |
| 16 | BURDETTE BARBEQUE | |
| 17 | QUETOPIA | |
| 18 | GOOD OL BOYS BBQ | |
| 19 | LUCKY 7'S BBQ | |
| 20 | CROW RIVER BBQ | |
| 21 | FNG BBQ | |
| 22 | RIB-IT | |
| 23 | New 2 BBQ | |
| 24 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | |
| 25 | Mama Watzz West TX | |
| 26 | BSQ'S |
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 — Turkey
7 entries · top 176.0116 · median 163.4056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FNG BBQ | |
| 2 | SPARK BBQ | |
| 3 | Whitewater BBQ | |
| 4 | CROW RIVER BBQ | |
| 5 | BSQ'S | |
| 6 | BORDER BBQ | |
| 7 | RIB-IT |