A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 10 tracked editions
SMOKE ME SILLY has won this contest 2 times across its 10 tracked editions.
- 2017
- 2018
The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier) 2016
Oct 7–8, 2016 · Lyons, GA
THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA won Grand Champion at The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier) on October 7, 2016 in Lyons, GA, scoring 697.6456 in a field of 26 teams. SAUCED! BBQ TEAM took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.3256. Category winners: Chicken — QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N (177.7028); Pork Ribs — THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA (178.8572); Pork — STOKED & SMOKED BARBECUE TEAM GA (177.7372); Brisket — QMEISTERS (180.0000). This is the 1st of 10 editions of this contest on record; 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.
609.58
median 673.61
697.65 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 177.74
- Brisket 180 🔥
142.82
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
26
4 judged meats
Top score
697.6456
Winning margin
6.3200
GC over RC
Field average
669.07
609.58697.65
median 673.61 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
679.8972
609.58697.65
10th place overall
Field spread
88.0688
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 44%
beats 56% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,586
avg power rating going in · stronger than 68% of contests
Storylines (4 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N and SAUCED! BBQ TEAM tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: HOLY SMOKES GA and SLOWLY BUTT SMOKIN tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: ANGRY JACK BBQ and TEMPLAR TEMPTATIONS tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 12th.
- Chicken 12th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 6th
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.
- QMEISTERS · Brisket
- STOKED & SMOKED BARBECUE TEAM GA · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2016 ← this one | Lyons, GA | Lyons, GA | 26 | 697.6456 | THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
| Oct 13, 2017 | Lyons, GA | 168 Miot St | 29 | 699.3600 | SMOKE ME SILLY | Uncle Kenny's Take-Away |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Lyons, GA | 168 Miot St | 26 | 703.9772 | SMOKE ME SILLY | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
| Oct 11, 2019 | Lyons, GA | 168 Miot St | 27 | 689.6456 | Que'n Stew'n & Brew'n | ANGRY JACK BBQ |
| Oct 9, 2020 | Lyons, GA | 168 Miot St | 37 | 703.9428 | Who Cares BBQ | HOT WACHULA'S |
| Oct 8, 2021 | Lyons, GA | 168 Miot St | 26 | 699.3484 | Uncle Kenny's BBQ | ROLLIN KOLBZ |
| Oct 7, 2022 | Lyons, GA | 168 Miot St | 30 | 706.2516 | Who Cares BBQ | Organizer Portal |
| Oct 6, 2023 | Lyons, GA | 168 Miot St | 29 | 708.5488 | YES, DEAR BBQ | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS |
| Oct 4, 2024 | Lyons, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 3, 2025 | Lyons, GA | 168 Miot St | 32 | 703.9428 | Hickory Barbeque Company | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 174.2628 | 169.6800 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 170.8344 |
| Pork | 177.7372 | 171.9772 | 166.2628 |
| Brisket | 180 | 178.8572 | 171.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 697.6456 · median 673.6058
Chicken
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 167.1028
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.1200
Pork
26 entries · top 177.7372 · median 164.5314
Brisket
26 entries · top 180 · median 168.8458 · 🔥 perfect 180