A new contest record
698.7768
highest overall ever cooked here
698.7768 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 697.0744 SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ set in 2016.
- old record 697.0744
- set 2016 by SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ
Anchor City Cook Off 2017
Oct 13–14, 2017 · Centralia, MO · 📍 101 W Singleton
OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Anchor City Cook Off on October 13, 2017 in Centralia, MO at 101 W Singleton, scoring 698.7768 in a field of 27 teams. SMOKIN O BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.3828. Category winners: Chicken — OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ (175.4056); Pork Ribs — MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ (180.0000); Pork — THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE (178.8572); Brisket — SMOKIN O BBQ (179.4400). This is the 5th of 10 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ; 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.
601.01
median 667.92
698.78 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.41
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 179.44
118.08
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2023 — this edition picked out.
Entries
27
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
698.7768
Winning margin
3.3940
GC over RC
Field average
658.44
601.01698.78
median 667.92 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8456 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
676.4684
601.01698.78
10th place overall
Field spread
97.7708
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 39%
beats 61% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
38%
13 of 34 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,570
avg power rating going in · stronger than 55% of contests
Storylines (6 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 10 tracked editions
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE has won this contest 3 times across its 10 tracked editions.
- 2018
- 2021
- 2023
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: BELLY BROTHERS BBQ TEAM and THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: TOWNSHIP LINE BBQ and SONS OF A BRISKET tied on 172.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: SONS OF A BRISKET and Jay Hogs tied on 172.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 11th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 11th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in brisket
179.4400
best brisket ever cooked here
SMOKIN O BBQ turned in 179.4400 in brisket — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8572
- across 4 past editions
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ · Pork Ribs
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 11, 2013 | Centralia, MO | Centralia, MO | 29 | 688.5372 | NATURAL BORN GRILLERS | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| Oct 10, 2014 | Centralia, MO | Centralia, MO 65240 | 27 | 694.2400 | GETTIN' BASTED | NATURAL BORN GRILLERS |
| Oct 9, 2015 | Centralia, MO | Centralia, MO 65240 | 20 | 693.6688 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO |
| Oct 14, 2016 | Centralia, MO | City Sq | 34 | 697.0744 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | SMOKIN O BBQ |
| Oct 13, 2017 ← this one | Centralia, MO | 101 W Singleton | 27 | 698.7768 | OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ | SMOKIN O BBQ |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Centralia, MO | 101 W Singleton | 33 | 700.5484 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | POLITICAL PORK |
| Oct 11, 2019 | Centralia, MO | City Square | 25 | 699.9428 | Gettin Basted | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ |
| Oct 8, 2021 | Centralia, MO | Centralia, MO 65240 | 19 | 699.9544 | There's No Place Like Smoke | WOOD HOOK BBQ |
| Oct 7, 2022 | Centralia, MO | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Centralia, MO | 114 S. Rollins St. | 13 | 703.3712 | There's No Place Like Smoke | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4056 | 172.5600 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 172.5600 | 170.2628 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 173.1428 | 168.5828 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 172 | 165.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
27 entries · top 698.7768 · median 667.9196
Chicken
27 entries · top 175.4056 · median 170.2628
Pork Ribs
27 entries · top 180 · median 168.5372 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
27 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2856
Brisket
27 entries · top 179.4400 · median 160.5488
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 — Teens 11-15
3 entries · top 177.7372 · median 174.2856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trintan Hendrix | |
| 2 | Kelby Stevens | |
| 3 | Braeden Russell |