A razor-thin finish
1.1428
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 81% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1428 points — closer than 81% of every championship in the data.
- LUCKY'S Q
- JAESTAR BBQ
Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief 2016
Apr 1–2, 2016 · Pleasant Hill, MO · 📍 Cass County Fairgrounds
LUCKY'S Q won Grand Champion at the Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief on April 1, 2016 in Pleasant Hill, MO at Cass County Fairgrounds, scoring 695.3484 in a field of 72 teams. JAESTAR BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.2056. Category winners: Chicken — LOVE 2 Q (178.2972); Pork Ribs — 50 SHADES OF QUE (176.0000); Pork — PIGSKIN BBQ (178.2972); Brisket — JOUSTING PIGS BBQ (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by PIGSKIN 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.
552.93
median 656.17
695.35 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.30
- Pork Ribs 176
- Pork 178.30
- Brisket 180 🔥
128.50
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2017 — this edition picked out.
Entries
72
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
695.3484
Winning margin
1.1428
GC over RC
Field average
651.94
552.93695.35
median 656.17 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
0.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
675.3376
552.93695.35
10th place overall
Field spread
142.4228
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 53%
beats 47% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
49%
35 of 71 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.8 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,599
avg power rating going in · stronger than 77% 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.
Won without a category win
1 of 4
meats called to the stage
LUCKY'S Q won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 1 call from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 11th
- Pork Ribs 11th
- Pork 12th
- Brisket 2nd
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 19 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: DIRT ROAD BBQ and IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ and SMOKE THIS BBQ MO tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 1–2: 50 SHADES OF QUE and PORKY BUTTS BBQ tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
JOUSTING PIGS BBQ turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 177.1544 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1544
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: PIGSKIN BBQ (won 2015).
- PIGSKIN BBQ · 2015
One of the big ones
72
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 96% of the 5,469 contests in the data
72 teams — bigger than 96% of the 5,469 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.
- JOUSTING PIGS BBQ · Brisket
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2015 | Pleasant Hill, MO | Pleasant Hill, MO 64080 | 71 | 699.9772 | PIGSKIN BBQ | TIPPYCANOE BBQ CREW |
| Apr 1, 2016 ← this one | Pleasant Hill, MO | Cass County Fairgrounds | 72 | 695.3484 | LUCKY'S Q | JAESTAR BBQ |
| Mar 31, 2017 | Pleasant Hill, MO | Cass County Fairgrounds | 59 | 693.0512 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | MAN MEAT BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.2972 | 177.7028 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 172.0116 | 171.4172 |
| Pork | 178.2972 | 175.4400 | 174.8456 |
| Brisket | 180 | 173.1200 | 169.1428 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
72 entries · top 695.3484 · median 656.1656
Chicken
72 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.8112
Pork Ribs
72 entries · top 176 · median 162.5256
Pork
72 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.2628
Brisket
72 entries · top 180 · median 161.3886 · 🔥 perfect 180
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 — Kids Q 10 And Under
14 entries · top 177.7028 · median 171.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby Loth | |
| 2 | Thomas Elder | |
| 3 | Lillie Whistance | |
| 4 | Bogan Weikel | |
| 5 | Emma Ulledahl | |
| 6 | Hunter Hoisington | |
| 7 | Lexi Hicks | |
| 8 | Sydnie Felty | |
| 9 | Cole Backerman | |
| 10 | Maddison Whistance | |
| 11 | Arwen Tuttle | |
| 12 | Macy Hicks | |
| 13 | Noah Tuttle | |
| 14 | Jaxon Felty |
Master Series — Kids Q 11 And Up
8 entries · top 177.7144 · median 174.2742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tristan Hoisington | |
| 2 | JORDAN BRESSETTE | |
| 3 | Macie Elder | |
| 4 | Brett Backerman | |
| 5 | Braden Bass | |
| 6 | MADYSEN BRESSETTE | |
| 7 | Adison Tuttle | |
| 8 | William Smith Vandergriff |