A new contest record
692.0004
highest overall ever cooked here
692.0004 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 679.9432 YELLOW RIVER BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 679.9432
- set 2015 by YELLOW RIVER BBQ
Poor Que 2016
Jun 3–4, 2016 · Montello, WI · 📍 Wilderness Campground
BRINGIN' THE HEAT won Grand Champion at the Poor Que on June 3, 2016 in Montello, WI at Wilderness Campground, scoring 692.0004 in a field of 30 teams. TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI took Reserve Grand Champion with 681.6916. Category winners: Chicken — TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI (174.8916); Pork Ribs — Porkalicious (173.1316); Pork — TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI (174.8572); Brisket — BRINGIN' THE HEAT (180.0000). This is the 4th of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by YELLOW RIVER 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.
451.98
median 629.59
692.00 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.89
- Pork Ribs 173.13
- Pork 174.86
- Brisket 180 🔥
136.54
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2016 — this edition picked out.
Entries
30
4 judged meats
Top score
692.0004
Winning margin
10.3088
GC over RC
Field average
631.35
451.98692.00
median 629.59 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4744 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
645.0968
451.98692.00
10th place overall
Field spread
240.0228
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 64%
beats 36% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
32%
12 of 38 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.31 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,510
avg power rating going in · stronger than 7% of contests
Storylines (9 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
33-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 67 times in 100
BRINGIN' THE HEAT came in rated below the field's top team, TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 33-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1655
- top seed 1777
A statement win
10.3088
points clear of the field
Wider than 88% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.3088 points — a wider margin than 88% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
QUAU has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2013
- 2014
Photo finishes
0.0112
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 5–6: GRILLHEADS edged PLASTERED PORK BBQ by 0.0112. Pork Ribs places 8–9: WOBBLY HOGS BBQ edged CRASH TEST SMOKERS by 0.0116. Pork places 8–9: Blue Blazin BBQ edged BIG GEEK BBQ by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0112
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0116
- Pork 8–9 · 0.0116
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0344
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI won Chicken, Pork — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BRINGIN' THE HEAT took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 6th.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
BRINGIN' THE HEAT turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 177.1428 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1428
- across 3 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.
- BRINGIN' THE HEAT · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 2013 | Montello, WI | Montello, WI | 39 | 678.2858 | QUAU | BRINGIN' THE HEAT |
| Jun 6, 2014 | Montello, WI | Montello, WI 54968 | 38 | 670.8456 | QUAU | SMOKIN CROATIANS |
| Jun 5, 2015 | Montello, WI | Montello, WI 54968 | 38 | 679.9432 | YELLOW RIVER BBQ | A FINE SWINE |
| Jun 3, 2016 ← this one | Montello, WI | Wilderness Campground | 30 | 692.0004 | BRINGIN' THE HEAT | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8916 | 171.4172 | 166.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.1316 | 167.4400 | 161.1428 |
| Pork | 174.8572 | 168.5600 | 166.2400 |
| Brisket | 180 | 166.2744 | 161.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 692.0004 · median 629.5888
Chicken
30 entries · top 174.8916 · median 161.1198
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 173.1316 · median 158.2856
Pork
30 entries · top 174.8572 · median 162.5428
Brisket
30 entries · top 180 · median 156.8286 · 🔥 perfect 180