A new contest record
695.3712
highest overall ever cooked here
695.3712 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 684.5484 DIRT ROAD BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 684.5484
- set 2015 by DIRT ROAD BBQ
Smoke out in the Valley 2016
Jun 18–19, 2016 · Buckner, MO · 📍 Hudson St
SUBLIME BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke out in the Valley on June 18, 2016 in Buckner, MO at Hudson St, scoring 695.3712 in a field of 30 teams. DIRT ROAD BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 688.5600. Category winners: Chicken — HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB (177.7028); Pork Ribs — SMOKE THIS BBQ MO (178.8800); Pork — AMERICAN FIRE BBQ (174.2972); Brisket — 913 BBQ (173.7028). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by DIRT ROAD 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.
569.49
median 670.81
695.37 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 178.88
- Pork 174.30
- Brisket 173.70
124.46
178.88
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2017 — this edition picked out.
Entries
30
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
695.3712
Winning margin
6.8112
GC over RC
Field average
656.34
569.49695.37
median 670.81 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
675.3600
569.49695.37
10th place overall
Field spread
125.8856
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 53%
beats 47% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
48%
14 of 29 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.79 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,619
avg power rating going in · stronger than 87% 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.
An upset on the books
24-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 76 times in 100
Sublime BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, DIRT ROAD BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1654
- top seed 1856
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SUBLIME BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 9th
A first Grand Championship
26
tracked contests to get there
This was SUBLIME BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 26th tracked contest.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB and R BUTTS R SMOKIN tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: SMOKE ON THE WATER and 913 BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: SUBLIME BBQ and JAESTAR BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
A contest record in chicken
177.7028
best chicken ever cooked here
HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB turned in 177.7028 in chicken — past the 177.1772 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1772
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: DIRT ROAD BBQ (won 2015).
- DIRT ROAD BBQ · 2015
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, 2015 | Buckner, MO | Buckner, MO 64016 | 29 | 684.5484 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | SUBLIME BBQ |
| Jun 18, 2016 ← this one | Buckner, MO | Hudson St | 30 | 695.3712 | SUBLIME BBQ | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| Jun 17, 2017 | Buckner, MO | 317 S Hudson st | 21 | 703.3712 | Fergolicious BBQ | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE |
| Jun 9, 2018 | Buckner, MO | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 175.4172 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8800 | 174.2856 | 171.9772 |
| Pork | 174.2972 | 170.8228 | 169.6800 |
| Brisket | 173.7028 | 170.8572 | 168.5372 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 695.3712 · median 670.8114
Chicken
30 entries · top 177.7028 · median 166.8570
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 178.8800 · median 167.4000
Pork
30 entries · top 174.2972 · median 166.2686
Brisket
30 entries · top 173.7028 · median 164.5486
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
4 entries · top 180 · median 172.2800 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY | |
| 2 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | |
| 3 | HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | |
| 4 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO |
Master Series — Kids 5-10
2 entries · top 177.7144 · median 172.5486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emma Ulledahl | |
| 2 | Hayden Roger |
Master Series — Sliders
4 entries · top 176.5600 · median 173.4344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN BAD HABIT | |
| 2 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 3 | HANG 'EM' HIGH | |
| 4 | CHOP QUEY |
Master Series — Teens 11-15
3 entries · top 178.2972 · median 171.4056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gavin Ross | |
| 2 | Zane Kirubakaran | |
| 3 | Zarren Kirubakaran |