A new contest record
701.7600
highest overall ever cooked here
701.7600 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 694.7884 RURAL ROUTE BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 694.7884
- set 2015 by RURAL ROUTE BBQ
Smokin on the Water 2 2016
Apr 30 – May 1, 2016 · Liberty, IN
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM won Grand Champion at the Smokin on the Water 2 on April 30, 2016 in Liberty, IN, scoring 701.7600 in a field of 35 teams. UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 699.3600. Category winners: Chicken — HOOSIER FAVORITE BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ (180.0000); Pork — LIBERTY LIONS CLUB (177.7144); Brisket — UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ (178.8572). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by RURAL ROUTE BBQ.
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.
20
median 674.19
701.76 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 178.86
20
180
Entries
35
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
701.7600
Winning margin
2.4000
GC over RC
Field average
640.22
20701.76
median 674.19 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8344 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.8856
20701.76
10th place overall
Field spread
681.7600
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 25%
beats 75% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
43%
16 of 37 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.75 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,576
avg power rating going in · stronger than 60% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 3rd
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: HICKORY PRIME and BLUE CHIP BBQ tied on 174.8456 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: GREY STREET BBQ and WEQ4U tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: THUNDER HOG BBQ and IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 174.3200 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.3200
- across 1 past editions
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.
- UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ · Pork Ribs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2015 | Liberty, IN | Liberty, IN 47353 | 37 | 694.7884 | RURAL ROUTE BBQ | SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC |
| Apr 30, 2016 ← this one | Liberty, IN | Liberty, IN 47353 | 35 | 701.7600 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 176.0228 | 174.2744 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 175.4172 | 172.5600 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 171.9656 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 176 | 170.8228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
35 entries · top 701.7600 · median 674.1944
Chicken
34 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.7030
Pork Ribs
33 entries · top 180 · median 167.3944 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
33 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.3944
Brisket
34 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.2514
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 — Anything But
7 entries · top 180 · median 173.1772 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 2 | SMITTY'S REAL PIT BBQ | |
| 3 | FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE | |
| 4 | BUTTS-N-RACKS BBQ, LLC | |
| 5 | D'VINE SWINE | |
| 6 | SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE | |
| 7 | UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ |
Master Series — Sauce
18 entries · top 179.4400 · median 168.8170