A new contest record
699.3944
highest overall ever cooked here
699.3944 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 685.1312 JAESTAR BBQ set in 2014.
- old record 685.1312
- set 2014 by JAESTAR BBQ
Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge 2016
Sep 3–4, 2016 · Omaha, NE · 📍 455 N10 st Lot D
DIRT ROAD BBQ won Grand Champion at the Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge on September 3, 2016 in Omaha, NE at 455 N10 st Lot D, scoring 699.3944 in a field of 45 teams. JAESTAR BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 685.1544. Category winners: Chicken — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (177.7028); Pork Ribs — PORK PATROL BBQ (173.1544); Pork — DIRT ROAD BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — BRICKHEAD BBQ (178.2972). This is the 3rd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by TRUE SMOKE BBQ; the next was held in 2017.
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.
517.62
median 656.50
699.39 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 173.15
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 178.30
20
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
45
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
699.3944
Winning margin
14.2400
GC over RC
Field average
654.28
517.62699.39
median 656.50 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.6344
517.62699.39
10th place overall
Field spread
181.7716
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 36%
beats 64% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
61%
19 of 31 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.66 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,625
avg power rating going in · stronger than 89% 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
32-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 68 times in 100
DIRT ROAD BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 32-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1875
- top seed 2006
A statement win
14.2400
points clear of the field
Wider than 95% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 14.2400 points — a wider margin than 95% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ and SMOKEY BEAR'S BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: JAESTAR BBQ and SUBTLE SMOKE tied on 172.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ edged JAESTAR BBQ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0116
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0228
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
DIRT ROAD BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 7th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 7th
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: JAESTAR BBQ (won 2014).
- JAESTAR BBQ · 2014
The biggest field yet
45
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 30 teams
45 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 30.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2014 | Omaha, NE | Omaha, NE 68106 | 29 | 685.1312 | JAESTAR BBQ | FOUR MEN AND A PIG |
| Sep 5, 2015 | Omaha, NE | Omaha, NE 68106 | 31 | 684.0340 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | PORK PATROL BBQ |
| Sep 3, 2016 ← this one | Omaha, NE | 455 N10 st Lot D | 45 | 699.3944 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | JAESTAR BBQ |
| Sep 2, 2017 | Omaha, NE | Century Link Lot D 455 N 10 st | 29 | 692.5600 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | THUMP & STRUM BBQ |
| Sep 1, 2018 | Omaha, NE | Century Link Lot D 455 N 10 st | 34 | 688.5256 | GETTIN' SAUCED | KEV'S CHEW CHEW BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 173.1544 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.1544 | 172 | 168 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 172.5828 | 169.1428 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 176.0344 | 170.8572 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
45 entries · top 699.3944 · median 656.5028
Chicken
45 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.6684
Pork Ribs
45 entries · top 173.1544 · median 162.2400
Pork
45 entries · top 177.7144 · median 165.1316
Brisket
45 entries · top 178.2972 · median 165.6800
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 — Dessert
14 entries · top 180 · median 175.4172 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Kids 5-10
6 entries · top 176.5716 · median 172.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter Hoisington | |
| 2 | Thomas Elder | |
| 3 | Duane Thompson | |
| 4 | Brayden Christensen | |
| 5 | Blaire Christensen | |
| 6 | Brad Hecker |
Master Series — Teens 11-15
3 entries · top 177.1544 · median 170.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tristen Hoisington | |
| 2 | Shelby Loth | |
| 3 | Brax Hecker |