A new contest record
684.5600
highest overall ever cooked here
684.5600 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 678.2400 SONS OF BUTCHERS set in 2015.
- old record 678.2400
- set 2015 by SONS OF BUTCHERS
Smoke on the Waterfall 2016
Jun 24–25, 2016 · Redwoodfalls, MN
SIN CIRCLE BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Waterfall on June 24, 2016 in Redwoodfalls, MN, scoring 684.5600 in a field of 26 teams. SHIGGIN & GRINNIN took Reserve Grand Champion with 681.6688. Category winners: Chicken — BORGY THE BBQ BUTCHER (177.7144); Pork Ribs — EGGSPERT BBQ (176.5600); Pork — HOGLINE (175.4172); Brisket — RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE (178.2972). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by SONS OF BUTCHERS.
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.
618.16
median 659.89
684.56 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.71
- Pork Ribs 176.56
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 178.30
142.85
178.30
Entries
26
4 judged meats
Top score
684.5600
Winning margin
2.8912
GC over RC
Field average
656.69
618.16684.56
median 659.89 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.5828 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.0512
618.16684.56
10th place overall
Field spread
66.3996
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 83%
beats 17% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
50%
8 of 16 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,558
avg power rating going in · stronger than 45% 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
18-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 82 times in 100
SIN CIRCLE BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, SPITFIRE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 18-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1563
- top seed 1823
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
SIN CIRCLE BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 15th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 2nd
A first Grand Championship
25
tracked contests to get there
This was SIN CIRCLE BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 25th tracked contest.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: SONS OF BUTCHERS and SHIGGIN & GRINNIN tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: TWISTED Q and MUSTANG SALLY BBQ tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: QUETOPIA and C R BUTTS SMOKE tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
A contest record in brisket
178.2972
best brisket ever cooked here
RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE turned in 178.2972 in brisket — past the 168.5600 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 168.5600
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SONS OF BUTCHERS (won 2015).
- SONS OF BUTCHERS · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2015 | Redwood Falls, MN | REDWOOD FALLS, MN | 16 | 678.2400 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | HOGLINE |
| Jun 24, 2016 ← this one | Redwoodfalls, MN | Redwoodfalls, MN 56283 | 26 | 684.5600 | SIN CIRCLE BBQ | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 173.1200 | 168.5372 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 171.9772 | 167.9772 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 169.6916 | 167.3828 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 172.5600 | 165.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 684.5600 · median 659.8856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SIN CIRCLE BBQ | |
| 2 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 3 | TWISTED Q | |
| 4 | HOGLINE | |
| 5 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 6 | SPITFIRE | |
| 7 | RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE | |
| 8 | QUETOPIA | |
| 9 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 10 | Pinch N Pull BBQ | |
| 11 | ROLLIN' SMOKE BBQ SD | |
| 12 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 13 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 14 | Croix Valley Sauces | |
| 15 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | |
| 16 | BORGY THE BBQ BUTCHER | |
| 17 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 18 | C R BUTTS SMOKE | |
| 19 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | |
| 20 | DIABLOS BARBEQUE | |
| 21 | WHISKEY RIVER BBQ | |
| 22 | GUARDIANS OF THE GRILLAXY | |
| 23 | SMOKIN MUMME'S | |
| 24 | TEAM PIT | |
| 25 | LIMP BRISKET | |
| 26 | PAPA BEAR BAR-B-QUE |
Chicken
26 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BORGY THE BBQ BUTCHER | |
| 2 | SPITFIRE | |
| 3 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 4 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 5 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 6 | TWISTED Q | |
| 7 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 8 | HOGLINE | |
| 9 | ROLLIN' SMOKE BBQ SD | |
| 10 | RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE | |
| 11 | Croix Valley Sauces | |
| 12 | QUETOPIA | |
| 13 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 14 | WHISKEY RIVER BBQ | |
| 15 | SIN CIRCLE BBQ | |
| 16 | C R BUTTS SMOKE | |
| 17 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | |
| 18 | SMOKIN MUMME'S | |
| 19 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 20 | Pinch N Pull BBQ | |
| 21 | LIMP BRISKET | |
| 22 | TEAM PIT | |
| 23 | DIABLOS BARBEQUE | |
| 24 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | |
| 25 | PAPA BEAR BAR-B-QUE | |
| 26 | GUARDIANS OF THE GRILLAXY |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 176.5600 · median 165.1314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 2 | Pinch N Pull BBQ | |
| 3 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 4 | SIN CIRCLE BBQ | |
| 5 | QUETOPIA | |
| 6 | C R BUTTS SMOKE | |
| 7 | ROLLIN' SMOKE BBQ SD | |
| 8 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 9 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 10 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 11 | Croix Valley Sauces | |
| 12 | SPITFIRE | |
| 13 | WHISKEY RIVER BBQ | |
| 14 | TWISTED Q | |
| 15 | RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE | |
| 16 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | |
| 17 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | |
| 18 | PAPA BEAR BAR-B-QUE | |
| 19 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 20 | DIABLOS BARBEQUE | |
| 21 | HOGLINE | |
| 22 | GUARDIANS OF THE GRILLAXY | |
| 23 | BORGY THE BBQ BUTCHER | |
| 24 | TEAM PIT | |
| 25 | LIMP BRISKET | |
| 26 | SMOKIN MUMME'S |
Pork
26 entries · top 175.4172 · median 163.1086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOGLINE | |
| 2 | GUARDIANS OF THE GRILLAXY | |
| 3 | SIN CIRCLE BBQ | |
| 4 | TWISTED Q | |
| 5 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 7 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 8 | C R BUTTS SMOKE | |
| 9 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | |
| 10 | Pinch N Pull BBQ | |
| 11 | QUETOPIA | |
| 12 | BORGY THE BBQ BUTCHER | |
| 13 | DIABLOS BARBEQUE | |
| 14 | SPITFIRE | |
| 15 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | |
| 16 | Croix Valley Sauces | |
| 17 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 18 | RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE | |
| 19 | ROLLIN' SMOKE BBQ SD | |
| 20 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKIN MUMME'S | |
| 22 | WHISKEY RIVER BBQ | |
| 23 | LIMP BRISKET | |
| 24 | PAPA BEAR BAR-B-QUE | |
| 25 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 26 | TEAM PIT |
Brisket
26 entries · top 178.2972 · median 161.7260
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE | |
| 2 | SIN CIRCLE BBQ | |
| 3 | HOGLINE | |
| 4 | TWISTED Q | |
| 5 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 6 | MUSTANG SALLY BBQ | |
| 7 | SPITFIRE | |
| 8 | SONS OF BUTCHERS | |
| 9 | QUETOPIA | |
| 10 | 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | |
| 11 | TEAM PIT | |
| 12 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | |
| 13 | EGGSPERT BBQ | |
| 14 | ROLLIN' SMOKE BBQ SD | |
| 15 | Pinch N Pull BBQ | |
| 16 | Croix Valley Sauces | |
| 17 | BORGY THE BBQ BUTCHER | |
| 18 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 19 | SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | |
| 20 | SMOKIN MUMME'S | |
| 21 | DIABLOS BARBEQUE | |
| 22 | GUARDIANS OF THE GRILLAXY | |
| 23 | LIMP BRISKET | |
| 24 | PAPA BEAR BAR-B-QUE | |
| 25 | WHISKEY RIVER BBQ | |
| 26 | C R BUTTS SMOKE |