A new contest record
697.6800
highest overall ever cooked here
697.6800 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 695.3716 JO-BAWB'S BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 695.3716
- set 2015 by JO-BAWB'S BBQ
National Western BBQ Throwdown 2016
Jan 8–9, 2016 · Denver, CO
JO-BAWB'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the National Western BBQ Throwdown on January 8, 2016 in Denver, CO, scoring 697.6800 in a field of 36 teams. BUTCHER BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 684.4796. Category winners: Chicken — WE'RE BURNIN DAYLIGHT BBQ (175.4400); Pork Ribs — BUTCHER BBQ (177.7028); Pork — 4 LEGS UP BBQ (176.5600); Brisket — BUFFALO'S BBQ (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by JO-BAWB'S 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.
576.49
median 650.74
697.68 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.44
- Pork Ribs 177.70
- Pork 176.56
- Brisket 180 🔥
131.91
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
36
4 judged meats
Top score
697.6800
Winning margin
13.2004
GC over RC
Field average
646.22
576.49697.68
median 650.74 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7256 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
665.1084
576.49697.68
10th place overall
Field spread
121.1884
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 43%
beats 57% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
45%
18 of 40 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,568
avg power rating going in · stronger than 53% 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.
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
JO-BAWB'S BBQ won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2015
- 2016
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
JO-BAWB'S BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 4th
A statement win
13.2004
points clear of the field
Wider than 94% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.2004 points — a wider margin than 94% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 5 tracked editions
JO-BAWB'S BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 5 tracked editions.
- 2015
- 2016
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: JO-BAWB'S BBQ and BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: WILD HOGS BBQ edged BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ by 0.0112. Brisket places 8–9: WILD HOGS BBQ edged CRAZY COYOTE by 0.0116.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0112
- Brisket 8–9 · 0.0116
- Pork 7–8 · 0.0228
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7028
best pork ribs ever cooked here
BUTCHER BBQ turned in 177.7028 in pork ribs — past the 173.7144 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.7144
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: JO-BAWB'S BBQ (won 2015).
- JO-BAWB'S BBQ · 2015
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.
- BUFFALO'S BBQ · Brisket
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2015 | Denver, CO | Denver, CO 80216 | 40 | 695.3716 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | BACKDRAFT BBQ |
| Jan 8, 2016 ← this one | Denver, CO | Denver, CO 80216 | 36 | 697.6800 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | BUTCHER BBQ |
| Jan 6, 2017 | Denver, CO | 1515 E 47th Av | 38 | 700.5600 | CLARK CREW BBQ | YOU QUE'D ME ALL NIGHT LONG |
| Jan 5, 2018 | Denver, CO | 1515 E 47th Ave | 39 | 691.3712 | GETTIN' BASTED | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| Jan 11, 2019 | Denver, CO | 1515 E 47th Av | 38 | 691.9084 | Gettin' Basted | SMELL OUR BUTTS BAR-B-Q |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4400 | 173.7144 | 170.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 170.3200 | 166.8228 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 168.5484 | 165.7372 |
| Brisket | 180 | 170.8572 | 167.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
36 entries · top 697.6800 · median 650.7428
Chicken
36 entries · top 175.4400 · median 164.5772
Pork Ribs
36 entries · top 177.7028 · median 161.3886
Pork
36 entries · top 176.5600 · median 161.6744
Brisket
36 entries · top 180 · median 163.1028 · 🔥 perfect 180