A new contest record
691.4056
highest overall ever cooked here
691.4056 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 670.9028 CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ set in 2014.
- old record 670.9028
- set 2014 by CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ
Sun BBQ Fest 2015
Jun 13–14, 2015 · Uncasville, CT
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA won Grand Champion at the Sun BBQ Fest on June 13, 2015 in Uncasville, CT, scoring 691.4056 in a field of 52 teams. STUBBORN BULL BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 684.4800. Category winners: Chicken — CAN U SMELL MY PITS BBQ (177.1544); Pork Ribs — APORKALYPSE NOW (177.1772); Pork — SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (176.0000); Brisket — IQUE (177.2000). This is the 2nd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ; 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.
573.54
median 650.85
691.41 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.15
- Pork Ribs 177.18
- Pork 176
- Brisket 177.20
125.61
177.20
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
52
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
691.4056
Winning margin
6.9256
GC over RC
Field average
645.86
573.54691.41
median 650.85 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.6340
573.54691.41
10th place overall
Field spread
117.8632
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 66%
beats 34% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
66%
21 of 32 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,564
avg power rating going in · stronger than 49% of contests
Storylines (4 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 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: FINN'S FINEST BBQ and APORKALYPSE NOW tied on 171.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: APORKALYPSE NOW and SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA tied on 171.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA and Q HAVEN BBQ tied on 171.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 13th.
- Chicken 9th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 13th
A contest record in brisket
177.2000
best brisket ever cooked here
IQUE turned in 177.2000 in brisket — past the 170.2628 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 170.2628
- across 1 past editions
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2014 | Uncasville, CT | Uncasville, CT 06382 | 32 | 670.9028 | CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| Jun 13, 2015 ← this one | Uncasville, CT | Uncasville, CT | 52 | 691.4056 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | STUBBORN BULL BBQ |
| Jun 11, 2016 | Uncasville, CT | Uncasville, CT | 69 | 698.2860 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | MEAT @ SLIMS |
| Jun 3, 2017 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun Casino | 73 | 698.2856 | APORKALYPSE NOW | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| Jun 2, 2018 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun Casino | 59 | 689.1656 | PADDY MCQ'S | FIRE DOWN BELOW |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1544 | 172.5600 | 171.4400 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1772 | 170.2744 | 169.6916 |
| Pork | 176 | 170.8572 | 168.5600 |
| Brisket | 177.2000 | 172.5600 | 169.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
52 entries · top 691.4056 · median 650.8456
Chicken
52 entries · top 177.1544 · median 165.1086
Pork Ribs
52 entries · top 177.1772 · median 163.6972
Pork
52 entries · top 176 · median 162.5198
Brisket
52 entries · top 177.2000 · median 158.5542
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 — Dessert
16 entries · top 176.5600 · median 169.1200