A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 7 tracked editions
SMOKEY HOG ISLAND LUV has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2016
Smoke on the River 2015
Sep 18–19, 2015 · Sacramento, CA
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the River on September 18, 2015 in Sacramento, CA, scoring 678.2856 in a field of 49 teams. MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND took Reserve Grand Champion with 674.1828. Category winners: Chicken — G & Pops (178.2972); Pork Ribs — 2 ROLLING BONES (176.6172); Pork — RUBLOVERS (174.8456); Brisket — SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ (176.0000). This is the 4th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by SMOKEY HOG ISLAND LUV; 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.
432.32
median 639.35
678.29 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.30
- Pork Ribs 176.62
- Pork 174.85
- Brisket 176
20
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
49
4 judged meats
Top score
678.2856
Winning margin
4.1028
GC over RC
Field average
619.10
432.32678.29
median 639.35 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
4 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
654.7316
432.32678.29
10th place overall
Field spread
245.9660
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 91%
beats 9% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
50%
13 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.36 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,526
avg power rating going in · stronger than 18% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: STARVIN MARVINS BAY AREA BBQ and PORK DYNASTY tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: Smokey and the Pirate and RBQ tied on 167.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: BAR-B-Q'S-2GO and DOUBLE TROUBLE BACK YARD BBQ tied on 168.5716 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Pork 8–9 · 0.0116
How the title was won
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ took the title on 2 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 16th.
- Chicken 11th
- Pork Ribs 16th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in chicken
178.2972
best chicken ever cooked here
G & Pops turned in 178.2972 in chicken — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 3 past editions
The biggest field yet
49
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 25 teams
49 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 25.
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 6, 2013 | Quincy, IL | Quincy, IL | 28 | 684.5368 | GILLY'S BBQ | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Sep 5, 2014 | Quincy, IL | Quincy, IL 62301 | 21 | 685.7260 | ONE2BBQ | SMOKIN' BUTTS |
| Sep 5, 2014 | Sacramento, CA | Sacramento, CA 95818 | 26 | 687.3484 | SMOKEY HOG ISLAND LUV | MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND |
| Sep 18, 2015 ← this one | Sacramento, CA | Sacramento, CA 95816 | 49 | 678.2856 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | MY SMOKIN GRILLFRIEND |
| Oct 14, 2016 | Sacramento, CA | Miller Park, 2710 Ramp Wa | 38 | 702.2972 | SMOKEY HOG ISLAND LUV | TOO ASHAMED TO NAME |
| Sep 1, 2023 | Burlington, KS | 625 S. 3rd St. | 20 | 699.9544 | GETTIN' BASTED | JANKY LEG BBQ |
| Aug 31, 2024 | Burlington, KS | 625 S. 3rd St. | 28 | 707.3944 | Slaps BBQ | Can Country Outlaw BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.2972 | 169.6800 | 167.4400 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.6172 | 170.8572 | 166.2856 |
| Pork | 174.8456 | 170.8456 | 164.5256 |
| Brisket | 176 | 168.5600 | 163.9656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
49 entries · top 678.2856 · median 639.3488
Chicken
47 entries · top 178.2972 · median 159.4172
Pork Ribs
49 entries · top 176.6172 · median 158.8228
Pork
49 entries · top 174.8456 · median 157.7600
Brisket
49 entries · top 176 · median 155.9772