Sep 8–9, 2017 · Grand Jct, CO · 📍 1340 Gunnison Ave
HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ won Grand Champion at the Colorado Pork & Hops Challenge on September 8, 2017 in Grand Jct, CO at 1340 Gunnison Ave, scoring 694.2516 in a field of 28 teams. BACKDRAFT BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 683.9544. Category winners: Chicken — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (174.8572); Pork Ribs — GRILLIN' BEAVERS (176.0000); Pork — BACKDRAFT BBQ (176.5716); Brisket — HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ (176.5716). This is the 5th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by BIG POPPA SMOKERS; the next was held in 2018.
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 68 times in 100
HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, BIG POPPA SMOKERS, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 32-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
Wider than 88% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.2972 points — a wider margin than 88% of championships in the data.
3 of 7 tracked editions
BIG POPPA SMOKERS has won this contest 3 times across its 7 tracked editions.
Chicken places 5–6: SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ and MONSOON BBQ tied on 172.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: PHARMER'S BBQ and HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ tied on 168.5372 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: BACKDRAFT BBQ edged HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ by 0.0116.
HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 9th.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: BIG POPPA SMOKERS (won 2013, 2014, 2016).
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 2013 | Grand Junction, CO | Grand Junction, CO | 42 | 702.8572 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES |
| Sep 12, 2014 | Grand Junction, CO | Grand Junction, CO 81501 | 47 | 692.5944 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ |
| Sep 11, 2015 | Grand Junction, CO | Grand Junction, CO 81521 | 32 | 698.8344 | LUCKY'S Q | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE |
| Sep 9, 2016 | Grand Junction, CO | 1340 Gunnison Ave | 49 | 694.8460 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | UTAH BBQ COMPANY |
| Sep 8, 2017 ← this one | Grand Jct, CO | 1340 Gunnison Ave | 28 | 694.2516 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | BACKDRAFT BBQ |
| Sep 7, 2018 | Grand Jct, CO | 925 Struthers AVe | 32 | 693.6572 | SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ |
| Sep 6, 2019 | Grand Jct, CO | 925 Struthers AVe | 28 | 691.3488 | CROOKED PIGS | B-S BBQ OUTLAWS |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8572 | 172 | 167.4056 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 170.3088 | 168 |
| Pork | 176.5716 | 172.5484 | 169.6800 |
| Brisket | 176.5716 | 168 | 164.5372 |
28 entries · top 694.2516 · median 646.4914
28 entries · top 174.8572 · median 162.8286
28 entries · top 176 · median 163.1086
28 entries · top 176.5716 · median 166
28 entries · top 176.5716 · median 159.9830