A new contest record
697.6912
highest overall ever cooked here
697.6912 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 692.5600 PORK PATROL BBQ set in 2014.
- old record 692.5600
- set 2014 by PORK PATROL BBQ
RiverFest Red White and Que 2016
Jul 15–16, 2016 · Bellevue, NE · 📍 Haworth Park
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE won Grand Champion at the RiverFest Red White and Que on July 15, 2016 in Bellevue, NE at Haworth Park, scoring 697.6912 in a field of 45 teams. TWISTED Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 692.6172. Category winners: Chicken — SLAPS BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — DIRT ROAD BBQ (178.2972); Pork — TATTOO BOB'S BAR-B-Q (176.0000); Brisket — TWISTED Q (180.0000). This is the 4th of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by PHAT JACKS BBQ NE.
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.
529.39
median 653.58
697.69 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 176
- Brisket 180 🔥
125.06
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2016 — this edition picked out.
Entries
45
4 judged meats
Top score
697.6912
Winning margin
5.0740
GC over RC
Field average
645.01
529.39697.69
median 653.58 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8916 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
671.3604
529.39697.69
10th place overall
Field spread
168.2972
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 42%
beats 58% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
58%
26 of 45 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.65 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,553
avg power rating going in · stronger than 40% 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
25-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 75 times in 100
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE came in rated below the field's top team, DIRT ROAD BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 25-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1676
- top seed 1868
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 4th. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 4th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 2–3: TWISTED Q and DEAD LAST BBQ tied on 177.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 9–10: PORKY BUTTS BBQ and OLD SMOKE WAGON tied on 169.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: PHAT JACKS BBQ NE edged Fergolicious BBQ by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Brisket 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0116
- Pork 3–4 · 0.0228
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
TWISTED Q turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: JAESTAR BBQ (won 2013), PHAT JACKS BBQ NE (won 2015).
- JAESTAR BBQ · 2013
- PHAT JACKS BBQ NE · 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.
- TWISTED Q · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 2013 | Bellevue, NE | Bellevue, NE | 32 | 679.9768 | JAESTAR BBQ | PHAT JACKS BBQ NE |
| Jul 18, 2014 | Bellevue, NE | Bellevue, NE 68005 | 35 | 692.5600 | PORK PATROL BBQ | PORKY BUTTS BBQ |
| Jul 17, 2015 | Bellevue, NE | Bellevue, NE 68005 | 45 | 691.9428 | PHAT JACKS BBQ NE | PORK PATROL BBQ |
| Jul 15, 2016 ← this one | Bellevue, NE | Haworth Park | 45 | 697.6912 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | TWISTED Q |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 173.1428 | 169.1316 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 175.4056 | 170.8572 |
| Pork | 176 | 172.5832 | 169.1200 |
| Brisket | 180 | 174.8572 | 169.1428 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
45 entries · top 697.6912 · median 653.5772
Chicken
45 entries · top 178.8572 · median 162.8456
Pork Ribs
45 entries · top 178.2972 · median 161.1316
Pork
45 entries · top 176 · median 164.0572
Brisket
45 entries · top 180 · median 162.2856 · 🔥 perfect 180