A new contest record
699.4288
highest overall ever cooked here
699.4288 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 695.3944 HISTORIC BBQ set in 2014.
- old record 695.3944
- set 2014 by HISTORIC BBQ
Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness 2016
Jun 24–25, 2016 · Franklin, IN · 📍 70 E Monroe st.
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness on June 24, 2016 in Franklin, IN at 70 E Monroe st., scoring 699.4288 in a field of 31 teams. SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 696.5944. Category winners: Chicken — UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ (177.7028); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ (176.5944); Pork — SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ (179.4400); Brisket — HUG HOGS (176.5828). This is the 4th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by ONE2BBQ; 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.
502.13
median 667.89
699.43 🏆
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 176.59
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 176.58
20
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2017 — this edition picked out.
Entries
31
4 judged meats
Top score
699.4288
Winning margin
2.8344
GC over RC
Field average
657.04
502.13699.43
median 667.89 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
684.4916
502.13699.43
10th place overall
Field spread
197.3032
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 35%
beats 65% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
44%
15 of 34 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.72 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,560
avg power rating going in · stronger than 46% of contests
Storylines (8 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 5th
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 5 tracked editions
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 5 tracked editions.
- 2013
- 2016
A knife fight at the top
4.6060
points across the top five
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.6060 points.
- 1st BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ
- 2nd SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ
- 3rd GREY STREET BBQ
- 4th UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ
- 5th HUG HOGS
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE and HUG HOGS tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: SMOKIN HOOSIERS and SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ and UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
A contest record in pork
179.4400
best pork ever cooked here
SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ turned in 179.4400 in pork — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8572
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ (won 2013).
- BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ · 2013
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 28, 2013 | Franklin, IN | Franklin, IN | 32 | 684 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | ONE2BBQ |
| Jun 27, 2014 | Franklin, IN | Franklin, IN 46131 | 34 | 695.3944 | HISTORIC BBQ | HUG HOGS |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Franklin, IN | Franklin, IN 46131 | 34 | 694.7884 | ONE2BBQ | ABLE ACRES BBQ |
| Jun 24, 2016 ← this one | Franklin, IN | 70 E Monroe st. | 31 | 699.4288 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ |
| Jun 16, 2017 | Franklin, IN | 70 E Monroe st. | 25 | 703.9888 | ABLE ACRES BBQ | GREY STREET BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 175.4172 | 172 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5944 | 173.7256 | 173.1200 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 173.7028 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 176.5828 | 173.7144 | 171.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
31 entries · top 699.4288 · median 667.8856
Chicken
31 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168.5600
Pork Ribs
31 entries · top 176.5944 · median 167.3944
Pork
31 entries · top 179.4400 · median 166.8228
Brisket
31 entries · top 176.5828 · median 165.1200