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.
- CLARK CREW BBQ · Brisket
- SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ · Brisket
- SMOKIN WILLE'S BARBECUE · Brisket
Smoke On the Trails 2017
Sep 29–30, 2017 · Gardner, KS · 📍 Celebration Park 32501 W 159th St
CLARK CREW BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke On the Trails on September 29, 2017 in Gardner, KS at Celebration Park 32501 W 159th St, scoring 706.2856 in a field of 64 teams. PELLET ENVY took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.1200. Category winners: Chicken — PELLET ENVY (177.7144); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN WILLE'S BARBECUE (178.2972); Pork — BIG WIGS BBQ (177.7028); Brisket — CLARK CREW BBQ (180.0000). This is the 1st of 5 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2018.
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.
440.98
median 660.78
706.29 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.71
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 180 🔥
131.94
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
64
4 judged meats
Top score
706.2856
Winning margin
5.1656
GC over RC
Field average
650.64
440.98706.29
median 660.78 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1316 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
685.6340
440.98706.29
10th place overall
Field spread
265.3024
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 10%
beats 90% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.81 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,575
avg power rating going in · stronger than 59% 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 dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 5 tracked editions
SLAPS BBQ has won this contest 3 times across its 5 tracked editions.
- 2018
- 2020
- 2021
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: PELLET ENVY and PORKY BUTTS BBQ tied on 177.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: Smoke n Brew BBQ and BURNT AT BOTH ENDZ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: SMOKE THIS BBQ-MO and KC MEAT SWEATS tied on 174.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
CLARK CREW BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 8th.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 1st
One of the big ones
64
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 93% of the 5,482 contests in the data
64 teams — bigger than 93% of the 5,482 contests in the data.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 2017 ← this one | Gardner, KS | Celebration Park 32501 W 159th St | 64 | 706.2856 | CLARK CREW BBQ | PELLET ENVY |
| Sep 28, 2018 | Gardner, KS | Celebration Park 32501 W 159th St | 68 | 705.7028 | SLAPS BBQ | PELLET ENVY |
| Sep 27, 2019 | Gardner, KS | Celebration Park 32501 W 159th St | 53 | 691.3484 | High I Que | MAN MEAT BBQ |
| Sep 11, 2020 | Gardner, KS | 32501 W 159th St. | 48 | 704.5372 | Slaps BBQ | Happy Grillmore - KS |
| Sep 10, 2021 | Gardner, KS | Gardner, KS 66030 | 53 | 711.4172 | Slaps BBQ | SMOKE RINGERS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 176.5828 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 174.8800 | 174.2628 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 173.7028 | 172 |
| Brisket | 180 | 177.1428 | 175.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
64 entries · top 706.2856 · median 660.7828
Chicken
63 entries · top 177.7144 · median 164.5372
Pork Ribs
64 entries · top 178.2972 · median 164.2572
Pork
64 entries · top 177.7028 · median 166.2628
Brisket
64 entries · top 180 · median 163.1084 · 🔥 perfect 180