A new contest record
696.5604
highest overall ever cooked here
696.5604 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 679.3828 PORTERHOUSE BBQ set in 2014.
- old record 679.3828
- set 2014 by PORTERHOUSE BBQ
Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship 2015
May 15–16, 2015 · Bakersfield, CA
KNOCK UR SOX OFF BBQ won Grand Champion at the Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship on May 15, 2015 in Bakersfield, CA, scoring 696.5604 in a field of 53 teams. PORTERHOUSE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 689.0744. Category winners: Chicken — MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — KNOCK UR SOX OFF BBQ (176.5716); Pork — THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ (176.5600); Brisket — BAR-B-Q'S-2GO (176.5944). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by PORTERHOUSE BBQ.
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.
292.71
median 649.62
696.56 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 176.57
- Pork 176.56
- Brisket 176.59
133.11
180
Entries
53
4 judged meats
Top score
696.5604
Winning margin
7.4860
GC over RC
Field average
637.32
292.71696.56
median 649.62 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
2.8456 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
670.2740
292.71696.56
10th place overall
Field spread
403.8516
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 47%
beats 53% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
48%
27 of 56 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.51 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,530
avg power rating going in · stronger than 22% of contests
Storylines (6 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
Pork Ribs places 5–6: STEEL N SMOKE and MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ edged SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ by 0.0112. Pork places 9–10: KARNIVOROUS edged BLAZED N' GLAZED by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · 0.0112
- Pork 9–10 · 0.0116
- Brisket 9–10 · 0.0116
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
KNOCK UR SOX OFF BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 16th.
- Chicken 16th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
176.5716
best pork ribs ever cooked here
KNOCK UR SOX OFF BBQ turned in 176.5716 in pork ribs — past the 174.2744 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.2744
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: PORTERHOUSE BBQ (won 2014).
- PORTERHOUSE BBQ · 2014
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ · Chicken
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2014 | Bakersfield, CA | Bakersfield, CA 93311 | 56 | 679.3828 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ |
| May 15, 2015 ← this one | Bakersfield, CA | Bakersfield, CA 93307 | 53 | 696.5604 | KNOCK UR SOX OFF BBQ | PORTERHOUSE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 174.2856 | 172 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 171.4172 | 169.7144 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 173.7144 | 171.4056 |
| Brisket | 176.5944 | 173.1428 | 168.5256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
53 entries · top 696.5604 · median 649.6228
Chicken
53 entries · top 180 · median 164 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
53 entries · top 176.5716 · median 162.8344
Pork
52 entries · top 176.5600 · median 163.9886
Brisket
52 entries · top 176.5944 · median 159.9942