A new contest record
695.9772
highest overall ever cooked here
695.9772 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 679.3828 DRILLING & GRILLING set in 2016.
- old record 679.3828
- set 2016 by DRILLING & GRILLING
Boo-B-Que 2017
Oct 20–21, 2017 · Rehobeth Beach, DE · 📍 39415 Inlet RD
DRILLING & GRILLING won Grand Champion at the Boo-B-Que on October 20, 2017 in Rehobeth Beach, DE at 39415 Inlet RD, scoring 695.9772 in a field of 69 teams. OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE took Reserve Grand Champion with 688.4916. Category winners: Chicken — OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE (178.8572); Pork Ribs — ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ (177.7144); Pork — SMOKETASTIC BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — DANTE'S INFERNO (174.2628). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by DRILLING & GRILLING; 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.
138.23
median 650.11
695.98 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 174.26
81.92
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
69
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
695.9772
Winning margin
7.4856
GC over RC
Field average
637.48
138.23695.98
median 650.11 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
3.4056 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
676.4916
138.23695.98
10th place overall
Field spread
557.7488
winner to last place
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 49%
beats 51% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
48%
32 of 67 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,565
avg power rating going in · stronger than 50% of contests
Storylines (9 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.
An upset on the books
33-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 67 times in 100
DRILLING & GRILLING came in rated below the field's top team, OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 33-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1753
- top seed 1880
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
DRILLING & GRILLING won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2016
- 2017
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
DRILLING & GRILLING won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 13th
- Brisket 4th
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
DRILLING & GRILLING has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2017
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: FIRE PIGS BBQ and PIGHEADED BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ and CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: SMOKEY DOG BBQ and SMOKETASTIC BBQ tied on 173.1544 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7144
best pork ribs ever cooked here
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ turned in 177.7144 in pork ribs — past the 175.4056 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4056
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: DRILLING & GRILLING (won 2016).
- DRILLING & GRILLING · 2016
One of the big ones
69
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 95% of the 5,462 contests in the data
69 teams — bigger than 95% of the 5,462 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 2016 | Rehobeth Beach, DE | 39415 Inlet RD | 67 | 679.3828 | DRILLING & GRILLING | BBQ & BEYOND |
| Oct 20, 2017 ← this one | Rehobeth Beach, DE | 39415 Inlet RD | 69 | 695.9772 | DRILLING & GRILLING | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE |
| Oct 19, 2018 | Rehoboth Beach, DE | 39415 Inlet RD | 73 | 690.1828 | 3 EYZ BBQ | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| Oct 18, 2019 | Rehoboth Beach, DE | Indian River Inlet State Park | 63 | 679.9312 | Aporkalypse Now | PIGGIN' WHISKEY |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.2744 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 172.5600 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 171.4056 |
| Brisket | 174.2628 | 170.8572 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
69 entries · top 695.9772 · median 650.1140
Chicken
68 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2628
Pork Ribs
68 entries · top 177.7144 · median 162.2572
Pork
68 entries · top 177.7144 · median 160.5372
Brisket
69 entries · top 174.2628 · median 162.8572
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 Chicken
9 entries · top 169.6800 · median 161.0972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Smokers WV | |
| 2 | PORKOHOLICS ANONYMOUS BBQ | |
| 3 | M & M BARBEQUE | |
| 4 | MANHATTAN JACK'S BBQ | |
| 5 | Bi State Smokers | |
| 6 | Butchies Backyard bbq | |
| 7 | BUBBA'S BARBECUE | |
| 8 | MRC Q'ING | |
| 9 | YOLU |
Master Series — Amateur Ribs
8 entries · top 168 · median 159.1144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | M & M BARBEQUE | |
| 2 | Bi State Smokers | |
| 3 | Butchies Backyard bbq | |
| 4 | River Smokers WV | |
| 5 | MANHATTAN JACK'S BBQ | |
| 6 | PORKOHOLICS ANONYMOUS BBQ | |
| 7 | MRC Q'ING | |
| 8 | BUBBA'S BARBECUE |
Master Series — Backyard
9 entries · top 333.1200 · median 319.3716
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | M & M BARBEQUE | |
| 2 | River Smokers WV | |
| 3 | Bi State Smokers | |
| 4 | PORKOHOLICS ANONYMOUS BBQ | |
| 5 | MANHATTAN JACK'S BBQ | |
| 6 | Butchies Backyard bbq | |
| 7 | MRC Q'ING | |
| 8 | BUBBA'S BARBECUE | |
| 9 | YOLU |