A razor-thin finish
1.6800
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 75% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.6800 points — closer than 75% of every championship in the data.
- COOL SMOKE
- PIGSKIN BBQ
Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) 2016
Oct 21–22, 2016 · Lynchburg, TN · 📍 Wiseman Park
COOL SMOKE won Grand Champion at the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) on October 21, 2016 in Lynchburg, TN at Wiseman Park, scoring 701.1084 in a field of 96 teams. PIGSKIN BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 699.4284. Category winners: Chicken — COOL SMOKE (180.0000); Pork Ribs — PIGSKIN BBQ (179.4400); Pork — Steel Booty BBQ (177.1772); Brisket — SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (180.0000). This is the 3rd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by COOL SMOKE; 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.
527.37
median 671.63
701.11 🏆
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 179.44
- Pork 177.18
- Brisket 180 🔥
147.95
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
96
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
701.1084
Winning margin
1.6800
GC over RC
Field average
668.19
527.37701.11
median 671.63 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
1.1772 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
691.4056
527.37701.11
10th place overall
Field spread
173.7372
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 29%
beats 71% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
27%
25 of 93 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.56 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,663
avg power rating going in · stronger than 97% of contests
Storylines (13 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 new contest record
701.1084
highest overall ever cooked here
701.1084 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.2516 COOL SMOKE set in 2015.
- old record 698.2516
- set 2015 by COOL SMOKE
An upset on the books
11-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 89 times in 100
Cool Smoke came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 11-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1658
- top seed 2016
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
COOL SMOKE won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2015
- 2016
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ · Brisket
- COOL SMOKE · Chicken
- SPITFIRE · Chicken
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 5 tracked editions
COOL SMOKE has won this contest 2 times across its 5 tracked editions.
- 2015
- 2016
A stacked field
1663
average power rating going in
Stronger than 97% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1663 power rating going in — stronger than 97% of every contest tracked.
- top seed IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2016)
- 96 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 20 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: COOL SMOKE and SPITFIRE tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: SHIGGIN & GRINNIN and Rio Valley Meat tied on 176.5944 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ and CLARK CREW BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
How the title was won
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
COOL SMOKE took the title on 2 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 31st.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 31st
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 31st
A contest record in pork ribs
179.4400
best pork ribs ever cooked here
PIGSKIN BBQ turned in 179.4400 in pork ribs — past the 177.7372 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7372
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (won 2014), COOL SMOKE (won 2015).
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ · 2014
- COOL SMOKE · 2015
One of the big ones
96
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 98% of the 5,482 contests in the data
96 teams — bigger than 98% of the 5,482 contests in the data.
The biggest field yet
96
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 93 teams
96 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 93.
This contest's own records (1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2014 | Lynchburg, TN | Lynchburg, TN 37352 | 92 | 694.7884 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ |
| Oct 23, 2015 | Lynchburg, TN | Lynchburg, TN 37352 | 93 | 698.2516 | COOL SMOKE | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS |
| Oct 21, 2016 ← this one | Lynchburg, TN | Wiseman Park | 96 | 701.1084 | COOL SMOKE | PIGSKIN BBQ |
| Oct 27, 2017 | Lynchburg, TN | Wiseman Park | 95 | 708.0684 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | TheAmericanDreamBBQTeam |
| Oct 26, 2018 | Lynchburg, TN | Wiseman Park | 102 | 700.5372 | BUTCHER BBQ | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 177.1544 | 176 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 176.5944 | 176 |
| Pork | 177.1772 | 176 | 174.8456 |
| Brisket | 180 | 177.7028 | 175.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
96 entries · top 701.1084 · median 671.6282
Chicken
95 entries · top 180 · median 169.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
96 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.6856
Pork
96 entries · top 177.1772 · median 167.7028
Brisket
96 entries · top 180 · median 168.2684 · 🔥 perfect 180
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
41 entries · top 180 · median 171.4288 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Dessert
54 entries · top 180 · median 174.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Sauce
81 entries · top 180 · median 167.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180