A new contest record
680.5144
highest overall ever cooked here
680.5144 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 666.2856 GOOD SMOKE BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 666.2856
- set 2015 by GOOD SMOKE BBQ
Finger Lakes Fire & Smoke 2016
Sep 3–4, 2016 · Geneva, NY
GOOD SMOKE BBQ won Grand Champion at the Finger Lakes Fire & Smoke on September 3, 2016 in Geneva, NY, scoring 680.5144 in a field of 35 teams. SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 677.6684. Category winners: Chicken — MORT'S MEAT MAFIA (178.8800); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN' AIN'T EASY (176.0000); Pork — Priorville (174.2972); Brisket — GOOD SMOKE BBQ (176.5600). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by GOOD SMOKE BBQ.
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.
593.55
median 641.02
680.51 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.88
- Pork Ribs 176
- Pork 174.30
- Brisket 176.56
130.75
178.88
Entries
35
4 judged meats · 6 ancillary
Top score
680.5144
Winning margin
2.8460
GC over RC
Field average
637.14
593.55680.51
median 641.02 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
0.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
649.1768
593.55680.51
10th place overall
Field spread
86.9600
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 89%
beats 11% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
52%
13 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.69 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,546
avg power rating going in · stronger than 35% 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.
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
GOOD SMOKE BBQ won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2015
- 2016
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 2 tracked editions
GOOD SMOKE BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 2 tracked editions.
- 2015
- 2016
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 7–8: SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS edged SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ by 0.0116. Pork places 2–3: THE BASIC BBQ TEAM edged SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ by 0.0116. Pork places 4–5: TEAM EATAPEDIA edged MILLER'S BACKYARD BBQ by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · 0.0116
- Pork 2–3 · 0.0116
- Pork 4–5 · 0.0116
- Brisket 5–6 · 0.0116
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
GOOD SMOKE BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 16th.
- Chicken 16th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in chicken
178.8800
best chicken ever cooked here
MORT'S MEAT MAFIA turned in 178.8800 in chicken — past the 170.2628 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 170.2628
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: GOOD SMOKE BBQ (won 2015).
- GOOD SMOKE BBQ · 2015
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4, 2015 | Geneva, NY | Geneva, NY 14548 | 25 | 666.2856 | GOOD SMOKE BBQ | GALLOWAY'S HELLFIRE BBQ |
| Sep 3, 2016 ← this one | Geneva, NY | Geneva, NY | 35 | 680.5144 | GOOD SMOKE BBQ | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ |
| Sep 2, 2017 | Geneva, NY | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8800 | 172.0344 | 167.3828 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 167.4288 | 163.4172 |
| Pork | 174.2972 | 173.7028 | 165.7144 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 168.5372 | 166.2744 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
35 entries · top 680.5144 · median 641.0172
Chicken
35 entries · top 178.8800 · median 163.4056
Pork Ribs
35 entries · top 176 · median 159.3600
Pork
35 entries · top 174.2972 · median 160.5372
Brisket
35 entries · top 176.5600 · median 158.8572
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 — Appetizer
13 entries · top 178.8800 · median 166.8228
Master Series — Charity Rib Off
19 entries · top 168.5600 · median 150.8572
Master Series — Dessert
14 entries · top 180 · median 170.8400 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Fish
13 entries · top 180 · median 160.5484 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Nebs Grilling Champion
14 entries · top 694.3084 · median 659.9714
Master Series — Wrapped In Bacon
13 entries · top 180 · median 163.4628 · 🔥 perfect 180