A new contest record
700.5144
highest overall ever cooked here
700.5144 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.2516 IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 698.2516
- set 2015 by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ
Smoke in the Spring 2016
Apr 8–9, 2016 · Osage City, KS
CLARK CREW BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Spring on April 8, 2016 in Osage City, KS, scoring 700.5144 in a field of 109 teams. LUCKY'S Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6340. Category winners: Chicken — PELLET ENVY (180.0000); Pork Ribs — CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ (177.7028); Pork — CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — LAZY BUTT BBQ (175.4172). This is the 4th of 14 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S 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.
459.43
median 653.61
700.51 🏆
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 177.70
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 175.42
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
109
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
700.5144
Winning margin
6.8804
GC over RC
Field average
644.01
459.43700.51
median 653.61 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
682.1596
459.43700.51
10th place overall
Field spread
241.0856
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 31%
beats 69% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
70%
68 of 97 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,565
avg power rating going in · stronger than 51% of contests
Storylines (11 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
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
CLARK CREW BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 2 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 11th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 15th
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 14 tracked editions
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 14 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 18 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: BLACK EYE BBQ and LIL' FIDDLER'S tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: LIL' FIDDLER'S and SLIM D'S BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: MANNY'S BBQ and FOUR MEN AND A PIG tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
PELLET ENVY turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 176.5828 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5828
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: GRILLIN' BEAVERS (won 2013), IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (won 2014, 2015).
- GRILLIN' BEAVERS · 2013
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ · 2014, 2015
One of the big ones
109
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 99% of the 5,462 contests in the data
109 teams — bigger than 99% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
The biggest field yet
109
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 80 teams
109 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 80.
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- PELLET ENVY · Chicken
- CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ · Pork
They keep coming back
70%
of last edition’s field returned
68 of 97 teams from 2015-04-10 came back
68 of the 97 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
This contest's own records (3 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 12, 2013 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS | 71 | 685.7142 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | PELLET ENVY |
| Apr 11, 2014 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS 66523 | 73 | 689.6916 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ |
| Apr 10, 2015 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS 66523 | 97 | 698.2516 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | SMOKE N BABES BBQ |
| Apr 8, 2016 ← this one | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS | 109 | 700.5144 | CLARK CREW BBQ | LUCKY'S Q |
| Apr 7, 2017 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st St (Jones Park) | 100 | 700.0116 | CLARK CREW BBQ | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Apr 6, 2018 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st St (Jones Park) | 103 | 699.3712 | HOGLINE | 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
| Oct 30, 2020 | Osage City, KS | Jones Park (in Osage City) | 93 | 706.2744 | Tebo Creek BBQ | TRIPLE H BBQ |
| Apr 9, 2021 | Osage City, KS | Jones Park (in Osage City) | 105 | 703.4400 | Piggin Whiskey O.G. | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 94 | 700.0228 | Last Call Heroes BBQ | HIGH i QUE |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 103 | 707.9772 | Janky Leg BBQ | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 97 | 706.2628 | Burnt Trees | Damn Fine Beef & Swine |
| Apr 11, 2025 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 92 | 708.6060 | Parts 'R' Smokin | Cow Creek BBQ |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 101 | 709.7028 | Blind Fox BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.5600 | 175.4056 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 176.5600 | 173.7144 |
| Pork | 180 | 175.4056 | 173.1316 |
| Brisket | 175.4172 | 174.2628 | 171.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
109 entries · top 700.5144 · median 653.6112
Chicken
109 entries · top 180 · median 165.1084 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
109 entries · top 177.7028 · median 161.7372
Pork
109 entries · top 180 · median 165.6800 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
109 entries · top 175.4172 · median 160.5372
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 — Cook'S Choice
39 entries · top 179.4400 · median 168.0116
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | |
| 2 | FRONT DOOR GANG | |
| 3 | FULLWOOD BROS' BBQ | |
| 4 | HOG BUSTERS | |
| 5 | OLD STYLE BBQ | |
| 6 | FUNNY FARM BBQ | |
| 7 | DAWGHOUSE BBQ | |
| 8 | LAZY BUTT BBQ | |
| 9 | B & C SMOKERS | |
| 10 | Old Old 50 BBQ | |
| 11 | Reckin-Crue Bar B Que | |
| 12 | Shorty's Smokehouse | |
| 13 | FLOWER OF THE FLAMES | |
| 14 | HAROLD'S HOT MEAT SMOKERS | |
| 15 | Showtime | |
| 16 | Troublesome Creek Brew-N-Que | |
| 17 | BAD OL' BERNS BBQ | |
| 18 | SMOKERS WILD | |
| 19 | Fat and Greasy BBQ | |
| 20 | DARKSIDE BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKIN WILLE'S BARBECUE | |
| 22 | BALDIN' SMOKIN' BANDITOS | |
| 23 | BLUE BUCKET BBQ | |
| 24 | OVERLAND PORK BBQ | |
| 25 | OUT OF BOUNDS BBQ | |
| 26 | R U Rdy 4 BBQ | |
| 27 | BIG DADDY DAN'S BBQ | |
| 28 | TIPSY PIGS | |
| 29 | Babe's BBQ | |
| 30 | RIBS N BIBS | |
| 31 | BEER GUT BAR-B-QUE | |
| 32 | BIG AL'S GHETTO HOGS | |
| 33 | Hillbilly Smoke Club | |
| 34 | Smok'in Ur A$$ BBQ | |
| 35 | DUSTY ROADS BBQ | |
| 36 | Bitter Sweet BBQ | |
| 37 | SILVER FOX BBQ | |
| 38 | BLUE COLLAR BBQ | |
| 39 | PIT CREW BBQ |
Master Series — Dessert
31 entries · top 180 · median 176.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLUE BUCKET BBQ | |
| 2 | RIBS N BIBS | |
| 3 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 4 | PIT CREW BBQ | |
| 5 | PORK ME PURPLE | |
| 6 | TIPSY PIGS | |
| 7 | OUT OF BOUNDS BBQ | |
| 8 | INDIGO PIG | |
| 9 | SMOKIN WILLE'S BARBECUE | |
| 10 | Showtime | |
| 11 | SILVER FOX BBQ | |
| 12 | BALDIN' SMOKIN' BANDITOS | |
| 13 | B & C SMOKERS | |
| 14 | UNCLE BO'S BBQ | |
| 15 | BAD OL' BERNS BBQ | |
| 16 | ROCK N BLUES BBQ | |
| 17 | OVERLAND PORK BBQ | |
| 18 | BULL CREEK BBQ | |
| 19 | NAUGHTY NURSES BBQ | |
| 20 | FOUR MEN AND A PIG | |
| 21 | Bitter Sweet BBQ | |
| 22 | LAZY BUTT BBQ | |
| 23 | 3 PIGS SMOKIN | |
| 24 | BEER GUT BAR-B-QUE | |
| 25 | 6 In The Box | |
| 26 | Reckin-Crue Bar B Que | |
| 27 | R U Rdy 4 BBQ | |
| 28 | HOG BUSTERS | |
| 29 | Babe's BBQ | |
| 30 | FLOWER OF THE FLAMES | |
| 31 | Troublesome Creek Brew-N-Que |