A statement win
9.6568
points clear of the field
Wider than 86% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 9.6568 points — a wider margin than 86% of championships in the data.
Grills 'N' Grilles (presented by the United Way of Nevada Country)
Aug 26–27, 2016 · Penn Valley, CA · 📍 18560 Penn Valley Dr.
Smokey and the Pirate won Grand Champion at the Grills 'N' Grilles (presented by the United Way of Nevada Country) on August 26, 2016 in Penn Valley, CA at 18560 Penn Valley Dr., scoring 675.9312 in a field of 28 teams. THE B TEAM took Reserve Grand Champion with 666.2744. Category winners: Chicken — THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES (177.7372); Pork Ribs — PIRATES OF THE PIG (173.7144); Pork — TOO ASHAMED TO NAME (175.4172); Brisket — Smokey and the Pirate (174.2628).
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.
551.90
median 643.68
675.93 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.74
- Pork Ribs 173.71
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 174.26
127.39
177.74
Entries
28
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
675.9312
Winning margin
9.6568
GC over RC
Field average
637.12
551.90675.93
median 643.68 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4516 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
653.6576
551.90675.93
10th place overall
Field spread
124.0340
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 93%
beats 7% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.54 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,538
avg power rating going in · stronger than 28% of contests
Storylines (3 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 9–10: MR. APPLEJACKS BBQ and SON OF SMOKE tied on 165.1316 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 6–7: SON OF SMOKE edged THE B TEAM by 0.0112. Pork Ribs places 4–5: FLAME THROWER BBQ CO. edged THE B TEAM by 0.0228.
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Brisket 6–7 · 0.0112
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0228
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0344
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
Smokey and the Pirate took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 12th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 12th
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 1st
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7372 | 170.8572 | 166.3316 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.7144 | 170.2628 | 165.1316 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 169.7372 | 164 |
| Brisket | 174.2628 | 166.2972 | 159.3828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 675.9312 · median 643.6800
Chicken
28 entries · top 177.7372 · median 163.1370
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 173.7144 · median 159.7258
Pork
28 entries · top 175.4172 · median 160.2570
Brisket
28 entries · top 174.2628 · median 157.0742
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 — Backyard Ribs
7 entries · top 151.4972 · median 140.6404
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Cooking Dead | |
| 2 | The Rib Doctors | |
| 3 | LIL' PIG BBQ | |
| 4 | Buffalo Boys BBQ | |
| 5 | Charlie Dawgs BBQ | |
| 6 | Rub n Butts | |
| 7 | Interfaith Food Ministry |