A new contest record
709.1200
highest overall ever cooked here
709.1200 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 694.2856 KC Q set in 2014.
- old record 694.2856
- set 2014 by KC Q
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 2015
Sep 25–26, 2015 · Shawnee, KS · State championship
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE won Grand Champion at the Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship on September 25, 2015 in Shawnee, KS, scoring 709.1200 in a field of 112 teams. FUNNY FARM BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 702.8116. Category winners: Chicken — DEAD LAST BBQ (179.4400); Pork Ribs — 913 BBQ (180.0000); Pork — PORK PULLERS (178.8800); Brisket — JAESTAR BBQ (177.1428). This is the 3rd of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by KC Q; 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.
469.67
median 646.99
709.12 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 178.88
- Brisket 177.14
122.06
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
112
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
709.1200
Winning margin
6.3084
GC over RC
Field average
642.88
469.67709.12
median 646.99 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
682.8000
469.67709.12
10th place overall
Field spread
239.4512
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 5%
beats 95% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
75%
84 of 112 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.59 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,508
avg power rating going in · stronger than 6% of contests
Storylines (9 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
30-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 70 times in 100
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE came in rated below the field's top team, JAESTAR BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 30-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1664
- top seed 1813
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 8th
- Brisket 2nd
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 7 tracked editions
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2015
- 2016
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: WOODSHED BBQ and SKUNK RIVER BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: QING AND BREWING and RUB'N WOOD tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: MIDNIGHT STOKERS and O'Danny Boy BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 3 GUYS WITH WOOD (won 2013), KC Q (won 2014).
- 3 GUYS WITH WOOD · 2013
- KC Q · 2014
One of the big ones
112
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 99% of the 5,462 contests in the data
112 teams — bigger than 99% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
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.
- 913 BBQ · Pork Ribs
They keep coming back
75%
of last edition’s field returned
84 of 112 teams from 2014-09-26 came back
84 of the 112 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
This contest's own records (1 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 27, 2013 | Shawnee, KS | Shawnee, KS | 114 | 685.6800 | 3 GUYS WITH WOOD | HOGGY STYLE |
| Sep 26, 2014 | Shawnee, KS | Shawnee, KS 66203 | 112 | 694.2856 | KC Q | MIDNIGHT STOKERS |
| Sep 25, 2015 ← this one | Shawnee, KS | Shawnee, KS 66216 | 112 | 709.1200 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | FUNNY FARM BBQ |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Shawnee, KS | Shawnee, KS | 111 | 686.2284 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | SKUNK RIVER BBQ |
| Sep 27, 2019 | Shawnee, KS | Shawnee Town 1929 | 102 | 714.8572 | Fat & Dumb BBQ | 913 BBQ |
| Sep 24, 2021 | Shawnee, KS | Shawnee Town | 86 | 709.1316 | Mad Mutt's BBQ | 913 BBQ |
| Sep 23, 2022 | Shawnee, KS | 11600 Johnson Drive | 87 | 709.7256 | 913 BBQ | KC SMOKE DAWGS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 177.7144 | 174.8456 |
| Pork | 178.8800 | 176.5600 | 173.1428 |
| Brisket | 177.1428 | 174.8456 | 174.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
112 entries · top 709.1200 · median 646.9882
Chicken
111 entries · top 179.4400 · median 162.2628
Pork Ribs
112 entries · top 180 · median 163.1028 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
112 entries · top 178.8800 · median 161.6684
Brisket
112 entries · top 177.1428 · median 158.2514
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 — Sausage
71 entries · top 180 · median 166.8112 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Side Dish
36 entries · top 180 · median 167.4286 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawg Heaven | |
| 2 | PIG NEWTON | |
| 3 | BLOWIN' SMOKE | |
| 4 | Lucky Pig Barbecue | |
| 5 | KC Q | |
| 6 | PORK PULLERS | |
| 7 | SMF | |
| 8 | OVERLAND PORK BBQ | |
| 9 | Meat-A-Swing'n | |
| 10 | SQUEAL OF APPROVAL | |
| 11 | Pot Bellies Barbecue | |
| 12 | .Smokin J's | |
| 13 | BIG D & THE BRIQUETTES | |
| 14 | WHEN PIGS FLY | |
| 15 | Red Mistress BBQ Co. | |
| 16 | SMOKIN IN THE BUSHES | |
| 17 | YARDHOGS BBQ | |
| 18 | MOST WANTED BBQ | |
| 19 | Lazy G | |
| 20 | Why Not Smoke | |
| 21 | Joint Effort | |
| 22 | HOGS ON THE RUN | |
| 23 | LAST YEAR'S LEFTOVERS | |
| 24 | Smokin' Bulls | |
| 25 | Whiskey Friday BBQ | |
| 26 | Pork Belly Brothers | |
| 27 | True-B-Que | |
| 28 | Right Time BBQ | |
| 29 | SKUNK RIVER BBQ | |
| 30 | Beverly Grillbilies | |
| 31 | F.O.M.S.B. | |
| 32 | RUB ME TENDER IN KANSAS | |
| 33 | GRILL CRAZY | |
| 34 | Overland Pig Committee | |
| 35 | Shorthorn BBQ | |
| 36 | Beer Bones BBQ |