A new contest record
696.5600
highest overall ever cooked here
696.5600 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 687.4516 CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 687.4516
- set 2013 by CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ
Smoke on the Water 2015
Oct 9–10, 2015 · Topeka, KS
JO-BAWB'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Water on October 9, 2015 in Topeka, KS, scoring 696.5600 in a field of 33 teams. BOXER Q BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 675.9544. Category winners: Chicken — JO-BAWB'S BBQ (173.7372); Pork Ribs — JO-BAWB'S BBQ (179.4400); Pork — SOMETHING BORROWED SOMETHING BLUE BBQ (175.4516); Brisket — BOXER Q BBQ (176.0116). This is the 2nd of 14 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ; the next was held in 2017.
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.
309.71
median 643.27
696.56 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 173.74
- Pork Ribs 179.44
- Pork 175.45
- Brisket 176.01
122.07
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
33
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
696.5600
Winning margin
20.6056
GC over RC
Field average
630.83
309.71696.56
median 643.27 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4288 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
658.7656
309.71696.56
10th place overall
Field spread
386.8456
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 47%
beats 53% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
31%
13 of 42 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.31 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,506
avg power rating going in · stronger than 5% 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
20.6056
points clear of the field
Wider than 99% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 20.6056 points — a wider margin than 99% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 13 tracked editions
Thunder Hog BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 13 tracked editions.
- 2019
- 2022
Photo finishes
0.0112
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 4–5: INDIGO PIG edged SMOKIN WILLE'S BARBECUE by 0.0112. Pork places 8–9: ROCK N BLUES BBQ edged BEER GUT BAR-B-QUE by 0.0112. Pork places 3–4: BOXER Q BBQ edged R U Rdy 4 BBQ by 0.0228.
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0112
- Pork 8–9 · 0.0112
- Pork 3–4 · 0.0228
- Brisket 5–6 · 0.0228
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
JO-BAWB'S BBQ 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
JO-BAWB'S BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 8th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 8th
A contest record in pork ribs
179.4400
best pork ribs ever cooked here
JO-BAWB'S BBQ turned in 179.4400 in pork ribs — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8572
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2013 | Topeka, KS | Topeka, KS | 43 | 687.4516 | CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ | BLACK EYE BBQ |
| Oct 9, 2015 ← this one | Topeka, KS | Topeka, KS 66605 | 33 | 696.5600 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | BOXER Q BBQ |
| May 6, 2017 | Liberty, IN | 3801 West Old Dunlapsville RD | 26 | 695.9084 | VICTORY SMOKERS | GREY STREET BBQ |
| May 5, 2018 | Liberty, IN | 3801 West Old Dunlapsville RD | 28 | 693.6684 | GREY STREET BBQ | BANKIN BABY BBQ |
| May 4, 2019 | Liberty, IN | 381 W Old Dunlapsville | 26 | 696.5140 | Thunder Hog BBQ | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ |
| May 1, 2021 | Liberty, IN | 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd | 27 | 706.2400 | The BBQ Bus | GETTIN PIGGY WITH IT BACKYARD BBQ |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 25 | 699.3600 | Mad Mutt's BBQ | SMOKE RINGERS |
| Apr 29, 2022 | Liberty, IN | 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd | 25 | 707.9888 | Thunder Hog BBQ | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 28 | 701.6688 | Cow Creek BBQ | MAN MEAT BBQ |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 39 | 707.4176 | Slaps BBQ | WOOD HOOK BBQ |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Pine Bluff, AR | 1 Regional Park Dr | 42 | 698.2628 | Kith n Kin | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 31 | 700.5372 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | Bocephus BBQ |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 30 | 703.3828 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ | Damn Fine Beef & Swine |
| Oct 9, 2026 | Topeka, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 173.7372 | 170.3084 | 166.8800 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 168.5716 | 163.9772 |
| Pork | 175.4516 | 171.9656 | 166.2400 |
| Brisket | 176.0116 | 169.1428 | 167.3828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
33 entries · top 696.5600 · median 643.2684
Chicken
33 entries · top 173.7372 · median 162.2628
Pork Ribs
33 entries · top 179.4400 · median 161.1316
Pork
32 entries · top 175.4516 · median 162.8286
Brisket
32 entries · top 176.0116 · median 159.4114
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 — Cook'S Choice
15 entries · top 180 · median 174.2744 · 🔥 perfect 180