A new contest record
702.8688
highest overall ever cooked here
702.8688 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 697.0972 SMOKE N HOGS BBQ KS set in 2015.
- old record 697.0972
- set 2015 by SMOKE N HOGS BBQ KS
Firelake BBQ Cook Off 2016
Mar 25–26, 2016 · Shawnee, OK
OKIEQ won Grand Champion at the Firelake BBQ Cook Off on March 25, 2016 in Shawnee, OK, scoring 702.8688 in a field of 66 teams. SMOKEAHOLICS took Reserve Grand Champion with 700.4912. Category winners: Chicken — SLAPS BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — TNK BBQ (177.1544); Pork — SMOKEAHOLICS (180.0000); Brisket — BUFFALO'S BBQ (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by SMOKE N HOGS BBQ KS.
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.
579.86
median 668.16
702.87 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 177.15
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 180 🔥
129.63
180
Entries
66
4 judged meats
Top score
702.8688
Winning margin
2.3776
GC over RC
Field average
664.13
579.86702.87
median 668.16 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
690.2400
579.86702.87
10th place overall
Field spread
123.0064
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 21%
beats 79% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
49%
25 of 51 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.75 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,582
avg power rating going in · stronger than 65% of contests
Storylines (8 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
22-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 78 times in 100
OKIEQ came in rated below the field's top team, CLARK CREW BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 22-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1648
- top seed 1872
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
OKIEQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 22nd
- Brisket 2nd
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- BUFFALO'S BBQ · Brisket
- SLAPS BBQ · Chicken
- SMOKEAHOLICS · Pork
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: 913 BBQ and RISE N SWINE tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: BUTCHER BBQ and Skinny's BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: GRILLIN' BEAVERS and DR. ALAN'S BBQ tied on 175.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
SLAPS BBQ turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 176.5828 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5828
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SMOKE N HOGS BBQ KS (won 2015).
- SMOKE N HOGS BBQ KS · 2015
One of the big ones
66
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 94% of the 5,469 contests in the data
66 teams — bigger than 94% of the 5,469 contests in the data.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2015 | Shawnee, OK | Shawnee, OK 74801 | 52 | 697.0972 | SMOKE N HOGS BBQ KS | INDIAN TERRITORY SMOKE |
| Mar 25, 2016 ← this one | Shawnee, OK | Shawnee, OK 74801 | 66 | 702.8688 | OKIEQ | SMOKEAHOLICS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176 | 174.3088 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 176.0116 | 175.4172 |
| Pork | 180 | 176 | 174.2972 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176.0228 | 173.1428 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
66 entries · top 702.8688 · median 668.1600
Chicken
66 entries · top 180 · median 167.6858 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
66 entries · top 177.1544 · median 167.4058
Pork
66 entries · top 180 · median 167.9772 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
66 entries · top 180 · median 167.6856 · 🔥 perfect 180