A new contest record
694.7884
highest overall ever cooked here
694.7884 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 689.0972 270 SMOKERS set in 2015.
- old record 689.0972
- set 2015 by 270 SMOKERS
The Ironman 2016
Apr 1–2, 2016 · Greencastle, PA · 📍 1542 Buchanan Trail East
3 EYZ BBQ won Grand Champion at The Ironman on April 1, 2016 in Greencastle, PA at 1542 Buchanan Trail East, scoring 694.7884 in a field of 54 teams. BROWN LIQUOR BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 681.6916. Category winners: Chicken — BROWN LIQUOR BBQ (174.8572); Pork Ribs — 3 EYZ BBQ (176.0116); Pork — 270 SMOKERS (173.1656); Brisket — BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD (176.5600). This is the 2nd of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by 270 SMOKERS; 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.
444.48
median 639.39
694.79 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.86
- Pork Ribs 176.01
- Pork 173.17
- Brisket 176.56
20
176.56
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
54
4 judged meats
Top score
694.7884
Winning margin
13.0968
GC over RC
Field average
633.49
444.48694.79
median 639.39 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
668.4684
444.48694.79
10th place overall
Field spread
250.3080
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 56%
beats 44% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
56%
27 of 48 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.75 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,547
avg power rating going in · stronger than 36% of contests
Storylines (6 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.
A statement win
13.0968
points clear of the field
Wider than 93% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.0968 points — a wider margin than 93% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 9–10: TEAM CANADA BBQ and BROWN LIQUOR BBQ tied on 166.8344 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: RED BROTHERS BBQ edged 270 SMOKERS by 0.0228. Brisket places 3–4: BONE TO BARK BBQ edged LO' -N- SLO' BBQ by 0.0228.
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · 0.0228
- Brisket 3–4 · 0.0228
- Brisket 8–9 · 0.0228
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
3 EYZ BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 8th.
- Chicken 8th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
176.0116
best pork ribs ever cooked here
3 EYZ BBQ turned in 176.0116 in pork ribs — past the 172.5600 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 172.5600
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 270 SMOKERS (won 2015).
- 270 SMOKERS · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2015 | Shady Grove, PA | Shady Grove, PA 17256 | 48 | 689.0972 | 270 SMOKERS | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Apr 1, 2016 ← this one | Greencastle, PA | 1542 Buchanan Trail East | 54 | 694.7884 | 3 EYZ BBQ | BROWN LIQUOR BBQ |
| Mar 31, 2017 | Greencastle, PA | 1546 Buchanan Trail East | 59 | 683.9544 | DRILLING & GRILLING | THE BBQ GURU |
| Apr 6, 2018 | Greencastle, PA | 1546 Buchanan Trail East | 60 | 700.0116 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Apr 5, 2019 | Greencastle, PA | 1542 Buchanan Trail East | 42 | 686.2056 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | PIGGIN' WHISKEY |
| Apr 9, 2021 | Greencastle, PA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Greencastle, PA | 1546 Buchanan Trail East | 30 | 702.8460 | Off The Rack BBQ | CHUNKY BBQ |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Seven Valleys, PA | 35 Main St. | 21 | 693.0856 | Chunky BBQ | OFF THE RACK BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8572 | 172.5600 | 170.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.0116 | 169.6800 | 166.8344 |
| Pork | 173.1656 | 170.3316 | 166.8800 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 170.3428 | 168.5256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
54 entries · top 694.7884 · median 639.3946
Chicken
54 entries · top 174.8572 · median 161.1086
Pork Ribs
54 entries · top 176.0116 · median 161.3830
Pork
54 entries · top 173.1656 · median 160.5542
Brisket
54 entries · top 176.5600 · median 158.5200