A statement win
9.7828
points clear of the field
Wider than 87% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 9.7828 points — a wider margin than 87% of championships in the data.
Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full) 2016
Nov 11–12, 2016 · Indio, CA
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full) on November 11, 2016 in Indio, CA, scoring 712.5828 in a field of 38 teams. BIG POPPA SMOKERS took Reserve Grand Champion with 702.8000. Category winners: Chicken — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SMOKED SEDUCTION (178.8572); Pork — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (177.7372); Brisket — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (177.7028). This is the 1st of 5 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.
590.16
median 677.09
712.58 🏆
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 178.86
- Pork 177.74
- Brisket 177.70
140.53
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
38
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
712.5828
Winning margin
9.7828
GC over RC
Field average
664.82
590.16712.58
median 677.09 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
686.2400
590.16712.58
10th place overall
Field spread
122.4228
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 1%
beats 99% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.82 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,606
avg power rating going in · stronger than 81% of contests
Storylines (5 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 hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Chicken, Pork, Brisket — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ and HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: ZZYZX BAR.B.Q and Meat Candy Q tied on 175.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 1–2: SMOKED SEDUCTION and BIG POPPA SMOKERS tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 5th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
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.
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ · Chicken
- HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ · Chicken
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2016 ← this one | Indio, CA | Indio, CA 92276 | 38 | 712.5828 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| Nov 3, 2017 | Indio, CA | 83040 Ave 42 | 35 | 698.2516 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ |
| Nov 1, 2019 | Indio, CA | 83040 Ave 42 | 37 | 694.2400 | DG Firehouse BBQ Inc | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| Nov 5, 2021 | Indio, CA | 83040 Ave 42 | 33 | 697.1544 | Girls Can Grill | PORTERHOUSE BBQ |
| Nov 4, 2022 | Indio, CA | The Lights Golf Course | 35 | 694.2516 | 7 Sins BBQ | West Coast BBQ Shop |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.5716 | 174.8800 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 177.1428 | 173.1428 |
| Pork | 177.7372 | 175.4056 | 172.5600 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
38 entries · top 712.5828 · median 677.0914
Chicken
38 entries · top 180 · median 168.2686 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
38 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.7028
Pork
38 entries · top 177.7372 · median 168.2914
Brisket
38 entries · top 177.7028 · 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 — Amateur Ribs
5 entries · top 149.7944 · median 144.5944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | zzzMission Catering | |
| 2 | zzzPorn BQ | |
| 3 | zzzTanner Jacks | |
| 4 | zzzHank's Wheelie Good BBQ | |
| 5 | zzzHavens Bros BBQ |
Master Series — Dessert
13 entries · top 180 · median 169.7028 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PORKETEERS | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' MONEY | |
| 3 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 4 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 5 | SILVER SPUR BBQ | |
| 6 | BOB'S MORNING WOOD BARBEQUE | |
| 7 | Ember BBQ | |
| 8 | Fo Sizzle | |
| 9 | Ol' Blue BBQ | |
| 10 | SMOKIN' HART'S | |
| 11 | ALL ABOUT THE Q | |
| 12 | MAD DAWGZ BBQ | |
| 13 | Earth Oven |