A new contest record
703.4056
highest overall ever cooked here
703.4056 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 689.0512 CLARK CREW BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 689.0512
- set 2015 by CLARK CREW BBQ
Independence Fire & Ice BBQ 2016
Sep 9–10, 2016 · Independence, MO · 📍 1900 E Valley View
PORKY BUTTS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Independence Fire & Ice BBQ on September 9, 2016 in Independence, MO at 1900 E Valley View, scoring 703.4056 in a field of 76 teams. THE SMOKING HILLS took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9772. Category winners: Chicken — Plowboys (177.7600); Pork Ribs — PORKY BUTTS BBQ (178.8800); Pork — SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — THESLABS.COM (177.7028). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by CLARK CREW 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.
567.90
median 660.47
703.41 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.76
- Pork Ribs 178.88
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 177.70
130.19
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
76
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
703.4056
Winning margin
7.4284
GC over RC
Field average
656.34
567.90703.41
median 660.47 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.9144 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
682.1944
567.90703.41
10th place overall
Field spread
135.5084
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 20%
beats 80% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
39%
30 of 76 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,577
avg power rating going in · stronger than 61% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: R BUTTS R SMOKIN and THE SMOKING HILLS tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: THE SMOKING HILLS and VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: BAPTIZED IN SMOKE and SKUNK RIVER BBQ tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
PORKY BUTTS BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 13th.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 13th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8800
best pork ribs ever cooked here
PORKY BUTTS BBQ turned in 178.8800 in pork ribs — past the 177.7372 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7372
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: CLARK CREW BBQ (won 2015).
- CLARK CREW BBQ · 2015
One of the big ones
76
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 96% of the 5,462 contests in the data
76 teams — bigger than 96% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
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.
- SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ · 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)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2015 | Independence, MO | Independence, MO 64055 | 76 | 689.0512 | CLARK CREW BBQ | R BUTTS R SMOKIN |
| Sep 9, 2016 ← this one | Independence, MO | 1900 E Valley View | 76 | 703.4056 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Oct 6, 2017 | Independence, MO | 19100 E valley view parkway | 76 | 700.5488 | THE TWISTED TAIL | THUMP & STRUM BBQ |
| Oct 5, 2018 | Independence, MO | 19100 East Valley View Parkway | 56 | 699.9312 | SMOOTH SMOKE | THE SMOKING HILLS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7600 | 174.8456 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8800 | 174.8572 | 173.7028 |
| Pork | 180 | 175.4056 | 173.1428 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 174.2628 | 172.0116 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
76 entries · top 703.4056 · median 660.4744
Chicken
76 entries · top 177.7600 · median 165.1314
Pork Ribs
76 entries · top 178.8800 · median 164.8286
Pork
76 entries · top 180 · median 167.9942 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
76 entries · top 177.7028 · median 163.6914
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
23 entries · top 180 · median 176 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Kids 11-16
5 entries · top 177.7028 · median 175.4172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan | |
| 2 | Mallory | |
| 3 | Jakob | |
| 4 | Emilee | |
| 5 | Madison |
Master Series — Kids 5-10
12 entries · top 177.1428 · median 171.4456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gwen | |
| 2 | Gavin | |
| 3 | Mary Kate | |
| 4 | Lauren | |
| 5 | Weston | |
| 6 | Gensen | |
| 7 | Myla | |
| 8 | Crew | |
| 9 | Kyrie | |
| 10 | Gracie | |
| 11 | Carter | |
| 12 | Christopher |
Master Series — Sausage
35 entries · top 180 · median 169.6912 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 2 | Plowboys | |
| 3 | Ultimate Tailgate | |
| 4 | THESLABS.COM | |
| 5 | K.C. CAN CREW | |
| 6 | FAT CAT'S BBQ OF LSMO | |
| 7 | OLLIE BABA Q | |
| 8 | VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY | |
| 9 | SKUNK RIVER BBQ | |
| 10 | James Brothers BBQ | |
| 11 | BEER & BUTTS QUE | |
| 12 | Q FIRE & SMOKE | |
| 13 | SWAG BBQ | |
| 14 | WHISKEY SMOKERS | |
| 15 | B & C SMOKERS | |
| 16 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 17 | SWEET BEAVER BBQ | |
| 18 | GEN QUE | |
| 19 | SQUEAL OF APPROVAL | |
| 20 | RUBBED THE RIGHT WAY | |
| 21 | Coach's Decision | |
| 22 | THREE LEGGED PIG BBQ | |
| 23 | Knights of the Holy Smoker | |
| 24 | FLOWER OF THE FLAMES | |
| 25 | Summa Dat Que | |
| 26 | HOUSTON'S BUTT BONE BBQ | |
| 27 | HICKORY HILLS BBQ COMPANY | |
| 28 | Around the Smoker | |
| 29 | Hi-Tech Smokers | |
| 30 | A Slew of Sows and a Smoker | |
| 31 | The BBQ Guys | |
| 32 | BURNT FINGER BBQ | |
| 33 | DKS BBQ | |
| 34 | Rib Busters | |
| 35 | 8-BIT BBQ |