A statement win
10.9028
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.9028 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
9th Annual Big Island BBQ
Aug 26–27, 2016 · Albert Lea, MN
GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA won Grand Champion at the 9th Annual Big Island BBQ on August 26, 2016 in Albert Lea, MN, scoring 704.5372 in a field of 48 teams. THE SMOKING HILLS took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6344. Category winners: Chicken — THE SMOKING HILLS (176.5600); Pork Ribs — GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA (176.5716); Pork — GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA (180.0000); Brisket — SHIGGIN & GRINNIN (179.4400).
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.
315.36
median 661.55
704.54 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.56
- Pork Ribs 176.57
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 179.44
124.34
180
Entries
48
4 judged meats · 6 ancillary
Top score
704.5372
Winning margin
10.9028
GC over RC
Field average
633.16
315.36704.54
median 661.55 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
678.7544
315.36704.54
10th place overall
Field spread
389.1772
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 16%
beats 84% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.67 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,562
avg power rating going in · stronger than 47% of contests
Storylines (5 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 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: BARK 'N BONES BBQ and Zach's Bachelor Party Without Zach tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Zach's Bachelor Party Without Zach and Croix Valley Sauces tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: DRY 2 DA BONE and WHITEWATER BBQ COMPANY tied on 173.1544 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 15th.
- Chicken 15th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
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.
- GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA · Pork
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 | 176.5600 | 173.7028 | 172 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 172.5600 | 170.8688 |
| Pork | 180 | 174.2628 | 171.9656 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 174.8572 | 170.2972 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
48 entries · top 704.5372 · median 661.5540
Chicken
48 entries · top 176.5600 · median 168.5428
Pork Ribs
47 entries · top 176.5716 · median 164.5256
Pork
45 entries · top 180 · median 166.8344 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
45 entries · top 179.4400 · median 163.9428
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 — Chili
15 entries · top 177.7372 · median 163.4288
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 2 | Smokin Sons | |
| 3 | 3 THIRDS BBQ | |
| 4 | SQUEAL TEAM SIX | |
| 5 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 6 | Rocky's Rookies | |
| 7 | Downunder BBQ | |
| 8 | Shug's BBQ | |
| 9 | CASE OF RIBS | |
| 10 | DRAWN TO SMOKE | |
| 11 | Lost Creek | |
| 12 | Grease Monkey Grilling | |
| 13 | Beauty and the Beast | |
| 14 | Do It Best Porkers | |
| 15 | Starfire/Club 57 |
Master Series — Dessert
14 entries · top 180 · median 176.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA | |
| 2 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 3 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 4 | Croix Valley Sauces | |
| 5 | TATTOOED Q OF IOWA | |
| 6 | SUBTLE SMOKE | |
| 7 | Herkys Hot Box BBQ | |
| 8 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 9 | BACKYARD BOB-B-Q | |
| 10 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin Beavers | |
| 12 | Too Sauced 2 Que | |
| 13 | Shug's BBQ | |
| 14 | PAPA BEAR BAR-B-QUE |
Master Series — Kid'S Que -11-15 Y/O
3 entries · top 163.4288 · median 161.6916
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elizabeth Frey | |
| 2 | Nicholas Bisping | |
| 3 | Draker Holter |
Master Series — Kid'S Que -7-10 Y/O
10 entries · top 174.8456 · median 165.7314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sophia Syed | |
| 2 | Reece Brown | |
| 3 | Jamison Wildman | |
| 4 | Edan Thoe | |
| 5 | Easton Lunning | |
| 6 | Kyle Fagerlind | |
| 7 | Elyse Brown | |
| 8 | Colton Franklin | |
| 9 | Jackson Cook | |
| 10 | Zoya Syed |
Master Series — Sauce
16 entries · top 179.4400 · median 166.2972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DRAWN TO SMOKE | |
| 2 | Drawn to Smoke 2 | |
| 3 | FIRE FIGHTIN' COOKIN' CREW | |
| 4 | FULL BOAR BBQ | |
| 5 | QUETOPIA | |
| 6 | Downunder BBQ | |
| 7 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 8 | Full Boar BBQ 2 | |
| 9 | Too Sauced 2 Que | |
| 10 | PIT 9 BBQ | |
| 11 | CASE OF RIBS | |
| 12 | Down Under BBQ 2 | |
| 13 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 14 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 15 | Do It Best Porkers | |
| 16 | Smokin Beavers |
Master Series — Sausage
11 entries · top 177.7372 · median 165.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 2 | Smokin Beavers | |
| 3 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 4 | Too Sauced 2 Que | |
| 5 | SQUEAL TEAM SIX | |
| 6 | FULL BOAR BBQ | |
| 7 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 8 | MARBURG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 9 | PT Ribs | |
| 10 | RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE | |
| 11 | Grease Monkey Grilling |