A new contest record
696.5372
highest overall ever cooked here
696.5372 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 695.3828 HICKORY PRIME set in 2014.
- old record 695.3828
- set 2014 by HICKORY PRIME
Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cookoff 2015
May 15–16, 2015 · Hartselle, AL
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN won Grand Champion at the Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cookoff on May 15, 2015 in Hartselle, AL, scoring 696.5372 in a field of 27 teams. SWINE AND SHINE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.9656. Category winners: Chicken — 2 LIVE CUE (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SWINE AND SHINE BBQ (176.0000); Pork — JIGGY PIGGY (179.4400); Brisket — The Specialists (179.4400). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by HICKORY PRIME.
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.
615.76
median 669.57
696.54 🏆
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
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 179.44
146.22
180
Entries
27
4 judged meats · 6 ancillary
Top score
696.5372
Winning margin
4.5716
GC over RC
Field average
669.31
615.76696.54
median 669.57 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
678.2172
615.76696.54
10th place overall
Field spread
80.7772
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 48%
beats 52% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
58%
15 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.78 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,582
avg power rating going in · stronger than 65% 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.
An upset on the books
25-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 75 times in 100
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN came in rated below the field's top team, QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 25-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1651
- top seed 1840
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 11th
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 4th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: 2 LIVE CUE and Organizer Portal tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: FAT, DRUNK & STUPID and THE UNIVERSITY OF QUE tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: THE UNIVERSITY OF QUE and SWINE AND SHINE BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
176.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
SWINE AND SHINE BBQ turned in 176.0000 in pork ribs — past the 175.4172 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4172
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: HICKORY PRIME (won 2014).
- HICKORY PRIME · 2014
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- 2 LIVE CUE · Chicken
- Organizer Portal · 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 | Hartselle, AL | Hartselle, AL 35640 | 26 | 695.3828 | HICKORY PRIME | Organizer Portal |
| May 15, 2015 ← this one | Hartselle, AL | Hartselle, AL 35640 | 27 | 696.5372 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | SWINE AND SHINE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 171.9772 | 168.5372 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 173.7372 | 167.9772 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 174.2628 | 170.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
27 entries · top 696.5372 · median 669.5656
Chicken
27 entries · top 180 · median 171.4284 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
27 entries · top 176 · median 164.5372
Pork
27 entries · top 179.4400 · median 166.2628
Brisket
27 entries · top 179.4400 · median 167.9772
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 — Backyard Championship
22 entries · top 347.3828 · median 330.4914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PIT ROW BBQ | |
| 2 | 4th Little Pig | |
| 3 | THE FAT GUYZ | |
| 4 | Puck Daddy's Killer Q | |
| 5 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 6 | Bull & Bones | |
| 7 | A VIEW TO A GRILL | |
| 8 | ALL SMOKED UP | |
| 9 | Jack of all Que | |
| 10 | YEAH BUDDY BBQ | |
| 11 | THIN BLUE SWINE BBQ | |
| 12 | Bonnie Blue | |
| 13 | Mac Attack | |
| 14 | BEER PRESSURE | |
| 15 | SOUTH RYLAND | |
| 16 | Chillin-Butt-Grillin | |
| 17 | THAT JUST AINT RIGHT BBQ TEAM | |
| 18 | Lenox and Son Bar-B-Q Co | |
| 19 | SHEATS SMOKED MEATS | |
| 20 | TASTY CRITTERS | |
| 21 | DOUBLE J BBQ/AL | |
| 22 | RIB TICKLERS |
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
22 entries · top 175.4056 · median 166.2342
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PIT ROW BBQ | |
| 2 | SOUTH RYLAND | |
| 3 | Mac Attack | |
| 4 | 4th Little Pig | |
| 5 | Bull & Bones | |
| 6 | THE FAT GUYZ | |
| 7 | ALL SMOKED UP | |
| 8 | Puck Daddy's Killer Q | |
| 9 | THIN BLUE SWINE BBQ | |
| 10 | A VIEW TO A GRILL | |
| 11 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 12 | Bonnie Blue | |
| 13 | Lenox and Son Bar-B-Q Co | |
| 14 | Jack of all Que | |
| 15 | THAT JUST AINT RIGHT BBQ TEAM | |
| 16 | Chillin-Butt-Grillin | |
| 17 | YEAH BUDDY BBQ | |
| 18 | BEER PRESSURE | |
| 19 | DOUBLE J BBQ/AL | |
| 20 | RIB TICKLERS | |
| 21 | TASTY CRITTERS | |
| 22 | SHEATS SMOKED MEATS |
Master Series — Backyard Pork
22 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.1086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lenox and Son Bar-B-Q Co | |
| 2 | Mac Attack | |
| 3 | SHEATS SMOKED MEATS | |
| 4 | DOUBLE J BBQ/AL | |
| 5 | Bull & Bones | |
| 6 | THIN BLUE SWINE BBQ | |
| 7 | BEER PRESSURE | |
| 8 | THE FAT GUYZ | |
| 9 | ALL SMOKED UP | |
| 10 | SOUTH RYLAND | |
| 11 | TASTY CRITTERS | |
| 12 | PIT ROW BBQ | |
| 13 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 14 | RIB TICKLERS | |
| 15 | Puck Daddy's Killer Q | |
| 16 | Bonnie Blue | |
| 17 | THAT JUST AINT RIGHT BBQ TEAM | |
| 18 | 4th Little Pig | |
| 19 | A VIEW TO A GRILL | |
| 20 | Chillin-Butt-Grillin | |
| 21 | YEAH BUDDY BBQ | |
| 22 | Jack of all Que |
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
22 entries · top 174.2628 · median 167.4114
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 2 | Puck Daddy's Killer Q | |
| 3 | BEER PRESSURE | |
| 4 | 4th Little Pig | |
| 5 | A VIEW TO A GRILL | |
| 6 | THE FAT GUYZ | |
| 7 | PIT ROW BBQ | |
| 8 | Jack of all Que | |
| 9 | YEAH BUDDY BBQ | |
| 10 | SHEATS SMOKED MEATS | |
| 11 | Bull & Bones | |
| 12 | ALL SMOKED UP | |
| 13 | TASTY CRITTERS | |
| 14 | Bonnie Blue | |
| 15 | THIN BLUE SWINE BBQ | |
| 16 | Chillin-Butt-Grillin | |
| 17 | THAT JUST AINT RIGHT BBQ TEAM | |
| 18 | RIB TICKLERS | |
| 19 | DOUBLE J BBQ/AL | |
| 20 | Mac Attack | |
| 21 | SOUTH RYLAND | |
| 22 | Lenox and Son Bar-B-Q Co |
Master Series — Dessert
20 entries · top 178.2972 · median 169.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHOKIN 'N' THA SMOKE | |
| 2 | THIN BLUE SWINE BBQ | |
| 3 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 4 | THAT JUST AINT RIGHT BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | SMOKIN CHUCKS WAGON | |
| 6 | ALL SMOKED UP | |
| 7 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 8 | Chillin-Butt-Grillin | |
| 9 | THE FAT GUYZ | |
| 10 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | |
| 11 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | |
| 12 | SOUTH RYLAND | |
| 13 | SMOKE-N-ASHES | |
| 14 | Bonnie Blue | |
| 15 | Bull & Bones | |
| 16 | RIB TICKLERS | |
| 17 | BIG G BBQ | |
| 18 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 19 | SOUTHERN QUE | |
| 20 | YEAH BUDDY BBQ |
Master Series — Sauce
30 entries · top 175.4056 · median 167.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEER PRESSURE | |
| 2 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | |
| 3 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 4 | SMOKIN CHUCKS WAGON | |
| 5 | 2 LIVE CUE | |
| 6 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS MJ | |
| 7 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 8 | SHEATS SMOKED MEATS | |
| 9 | Bonnie Blue | |
| 10 | SOUTHERN QUE | |
| 11 | ALL SMOKED UP | |
| 12 | THAT JUST AINT RIGHT BBQ TEAM | |
| 13 | THIN BLUE SWINE BBQ | |
| 14 | YEAH BUDDY BBQ | |
| 15 | A VIEW TO A GRILL | |
| 16 | THE FAT GUYZ | |
| 17 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 18 | Lenox and Son Bar-B-Q Co | |
| 19 | RIB TICKLERS | |
| 20 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | |
| 21 | JIGGY PIGGY | |
| 22 | MISFITS OF SMOKE | |
| 23 | SMOKE-N-ASHES | |
| 24 | Chillin-Butt-Grillin | |
| 25 | CHOKIN 'N' THA SMOKE | |
| 26 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 27 | BIG G BBQ | |
| 28 | Bull & Bones | |
| 29 | THE UNIVERSITY OF QUE | |
| 30 | SOUTH RYLAND |