A stacked field
1653
average power rating going in
Stronger than 96% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1653 power rating going in — stronger than 96% of every contest tracked.
- top seed IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (1937)
- 18 rated teams
BBQ Battle Royale at Taste of Dallas
Jun 13–14, 2015 · Dallas, TX
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the BBQ Battle Royale at Taste of Dallas on June 13, 2015 in Dallas, TX, scoring 697.1084 in a field of 18 teams. CLARK CREW BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.8228. Category winners: Chicken — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — RHYTHM 'N QUE (175.4056); Pork — RHYTHM 'N QUE (175.4056); Brisket — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (174.8572).
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.
612.42
median 667.10
697.11 🏆
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 175.41
- Pork 175.41
- Brisket 174.86
141.07
180
Entries
18
4 judged meats
Top score
697.1084
Winning margin
2.2856
GC over RC
Field average
666.47
612.42697.11
median 667.10 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8112 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
663.8744
612.42697.11
10th place overall
Field spread
84.6848
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 45%
beats 55% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.72 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,653
avg power rating going in · stronger than 96% 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 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 2–3: CLARK CREW BBQ and BIG POPPA SMOKERS tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: Hawg Feathers edged BLAZEN BBQ by 0.0112. Chicken places 7–8: BIG POPPA SMOKERS edged Hawg Feathers by 0.0116.
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0112
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
- Brisket 1–2 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 7th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 1st
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.
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 172.5600 | 169.6916 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4056 | 172.5944 | 167.9772 |
| Pork | 175.4056 | 170.2856 | 167.3828 |
| Brisket | 174.8572 | 168.5600 | 164.5372 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
18 entries · top 697.1084 · median 667.1028
Chicken
18 entries · top 180 · median 170.8344 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 175.4056 · median 167.9886
Pork
18 entries · top 175.4056 · median 167.6914
Brisket
18 entries · top 174.8572 · median 164.5544