A razor-thin finish
1.1660
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 79% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1660 points — closer than 79% of every championship in the data.
- PB&J'S BBQ TEAM
- iBQ'n
Ribstock
Aug 26–27, 2016 · Marne, MI · 📍 2060 Berlin Fair Dr.
PB&J'S BBQ TEAM won Grand Champion at the Ribstock on August 26, 2016 in Marne, MI at 2060 Berlin Fair Dr., scoring 671.3028 in a field of 32 teams. iBQ'n took Reserve Grand Champion with 670.1368. Category winners: Chicken — BIG BROTHERS BBQ (178.2972); Pork Ribs — RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ (176.0116); Pork — BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ (176.5944); Brisket — Mutts & Butts (173.7372).
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.
472.59
median 643.94
671.30 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.30
- Pork Ribs 176.01
- Pork 176.59
- Brisket 173.74
124.54
178.30
Entries
32
4 judged meats
Top score
671.3028
Winning margin
1.1660
GC over RC
Field average
632.02
472.59671.30
median 643.94 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
4.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
658.7316
472.59671.30
10th place overall
Field spread
198.7084
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 96%
beats 4% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.6 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,564
avg power rating going in · stronger than 50% of contests
Storylines (4 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
23-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 77 times in 100
PB&J'S BBQ TEAM came in rated below the field's top team, iBQ'n, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 23-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1607
- top seed 1819
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
PB&J'S BBQ TEAM won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 13th
- Pork Ribs 7th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 9th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 3–4: Mutts & Butts and THUNDER HOG BBQ tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: SMOKIN HOOSIERS and RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ tied on 168.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 7–8: iBQ'n and BAD WOLF BBQ tied on 166.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
- Brisket 3–4 · tie
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 | 178.2972 | 169.7144 | 166.8572 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.0116 | 166.8344 | 162.8344 |
| Pork | 176.5944 | 168.5600 | 165.6684 |
| Brisket | 173.7372 | 169.1428 | 166.2972 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
32 entries · top 671.3028 · median 643.9372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 2 | iBQ'n | |
| 3 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 4 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 6 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 7 | Mutts & Butts | |
| 8 | AWW HELL | |
| 9 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 10 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 11 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 12 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 13 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 14 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 15 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 16 | AMERICAN SMOKE BBQ - MI | |
| 17 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 18 | S & G BBQ | |
| 19 | PorkFat Slim's | |
| 20 | THESLABS.COM | |
| 21 | BREW 'N' QUE | |
| 22 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 23 | Smokin Barbacoa | |
| 24 | SQUIRRELS 2 BBQ | |
| 25 | Fat Calf BBQ | |
| 26 | THE MEAT RUBBERS BBQ | |
| 27 | Hog 'N' Sauce BBQ | |
| 28 | LET'S GET SAUCED | |
| 29 | Barbecue Displays | |
| 30 | NMI SMOKE | |
| 31 | Ruben's Chuckwagon BBQ | |
| 32 | HenriQ |
Chicken
32 entries · top 178.2972 · median 164.2514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 2 | iBQ'n | |
| 3 | Mutts & Butts | |
| 4 | BREW 'N' QUE | |
| 5 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 6 | AWW HELL | |
| 7 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 8 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 9 | THESLABS.COM | |
| 10 | PorkFat Slim's | |
| 11 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 12 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 13 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 14 | Fat Calf BBQ | |
| 15 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 16 | THE MEAT RUBBERS BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 18 | Hog 'N' Sauce BBQ | |
| 19 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 20 | AMERICAN SMOKE BBQ - MI | |
| 21 | HenriQ | |
| 22 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 23 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 24 | LET'S GET SAUCED | |
| 25 | S & G BBQ | |
| 26 | SQUIRRELS 2 BBQ | |
| 27 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 28 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 29 | Ruben's Chuckwagon BBQ | |
| 30 | Smokin Barbacoa | |
| 31 | Barbecue Displays | |
| 32 | NMI SMOKE |
Pork Ribs
31 entries · top 176.0116 · median 158.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 3 | Mutts & Butts | |
| 4 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 5 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 6 | Fat Calf BBQ | |
| 7 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 8 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 9 | S & G BBQ | |
| 10 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 11 | iBQ'n | |
| 12 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 13 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 14 | AWW HELL | |
| 15 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 16 | SQUIRRELS 2 BBQ | |
| 17 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 18 | AMERICAN SMOKE BBQ - MI | |
| 19 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 20 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 21 | Smokin Barbacoa | |
| 22 | THESLABS.COM | |
| 23 | THE MEAT RUBBERS BBQ | |
| 24 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 25 | NMI SMOKE | |
| 26 | PorkFat Slim's | |
| 27 | BREW 'N' QUE | |
| 28 | LET'S GET SAUCED | |
| 29 | Hog 'N' Sauce BBQ | |
| 30 | Barbecue Displays | |
| 31 | Ruben's Chuckwagon BBQ |
Pork
32 entries · top 176.5944 · median 158.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 3 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 4 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 5 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 6 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 7 | iBQ'n | |
| 8 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 9 | Smokin Barbacoa | |
| 10 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 11 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 12 | AWW HELL | |
| 13 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 14 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 15 | Hog 'N' Sauce BBQ | |
| 16 | AMERICAN SMOKE BBQ - MI | |
| 17 | BREW 'N' QUE | |
| 18 | HenriQ | |
| 19 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 20 | NMI SMOKE | |
| 21 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 22 | Fat Calf BBQ | |
| 23 | SQUIRRELS 2 BBQ | |
| 24 | S & G BBQ | |
| 25 | THE MEAT RUBBERS BBQ | |
| 26 | Ruben's Chuckwagon BBQ | |
| 27 | Mutts & Butts | |
| 28 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 29 | PorkFat Slim's | |
| 30 | LET'S GET SAUCED | |
| 31 | Barbecue Displays | |
| 32 | THESLABS.COM |
Brisket
32 entries · top 173.7372 · median 159.6456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mutts & Butts | |
| 2 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 3 | AWW HELL | |
| 4 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 5 | AMERICAN SMOKE BBQ - MI | |
| 6 | iBQ'n | |
| 7 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 8 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 9 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 10 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 11 | PorkFat Slim's | |
| 12 | THESLABS.COM | |
| 13 | S & G BBQ | |
| 14 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 15 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 16 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 17 | SQUIRRELS 2 BBQ | |
| 18 | HenriQ | |
| 19 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 20 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 21 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 22 | Smokin Barbacoa | |
| 23 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 24 | BREW 'N' QUE | |
| 25 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 26 | THE MEAT RUBBERS BBQ | |
| 27 | Hog 'N' Sauce BBQ | |
| 28 | Fat Calf BBQ | |
| 29 | Barbecue Displays | |
| 30 | LET'S GET SAUCED | |
| 31 | NMI SMOKE | |
| 32 | Ruben's Chuckwagon BBQ |