A new contest record
714.8572
highest overall ever cooked here
714.8572 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 689.6228 HOLY MOHLER'S BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 689.6228
- set 2013 by HOLY MOHLER'S BBQ
Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown 2015
Sep 25–26, 2015 · Vidalia, LA
CAJUN BLAZE won Grand Champion at the Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown on September 25, 2015 in Vidalia, LA, scoring 714.8572 in a field of 45 teams. SWEET DREAMS BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9544. Category winners: Chicken — CAJUN BLAZE (180.0000); Pork Ribs — CAJUN BLAZE (177.7144); Pork — GIVE IT TO GOD (177.7028); Brisket — BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by HOLY MOHLER'S 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.
591.82
median 666.71
714.86 🏆
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 177.71
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 180 🔥
130.78
180
Entries
45
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
714.8572
Winning margin
18.9028
GC over RC
Field average
663.53
591.82714.86
median 666.71 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.3028
591.82714.86
10th place overall
Field spread
123.0400
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 0%
beats 100% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
21%
8 of 38 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.58 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,527
avg power rating going in · stronger than 19% 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.
A statement win
18.9028
points clear of the field
Wider than 99% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The champion won by 18.9028 points — a wider margin than 99% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: SWEET DREAMS BBQ and SOUTH PORK tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: SWEET DREAMS BBQ and BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: GIVE IT TO GOD and Grill Team Six tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
CAJUN BLAZE won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
CAJUN BLAZE took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 3rd.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 1 past editions
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.
- BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ · Brisket
- CAJUN BLAZE · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2013 | Vidalia, LA | Vidalia, LA | 38 | 689.6228 | HOLY MOHLER'S BBQ | THE BLUE BLOODS |
| Sep 25, 2015 ← this one | Vidalia, LA | Vidalia, LA 71373 | 45 | 714.8572 | CAJUN BLAZE | SWEET DREAMS BBQ |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Vidalia, LA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4056 | 170.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.1200 | 170.8228 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 176.5600 | 172 |
| Brisket | 180 | 175.4172 | 171.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
45 entries · top 714.8572 · median 666.7088
Chicken
45 entries · top 180 · median 167.3828 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
45 entries · top 177.7144 · median 166.8228
Pork
45 entries · top 177.7028 · median 167.9884
Brisket
45 entries · top 180 · median 167.4172 · 🔥 perfect 180
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 — Sauce
43 entries · top 180 · median 169.6684 · 🔥 perfect 180