A new contest record
672.6288
highest overall ever cooked here
672.6288 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 672.4800 MISS PIGGY'S U.K. set in 2016.
- old record 672.4800
- set 2016 by MISS PIGGY'S U.K.
NYC BBQ Cookoff 2017
Apr 7–8, 2017 · Staten Island, NY · 📍 441 Clarke Ave
THE BEARDED ONE BBQ won Grand Champion at the NYC BBQ Cookoff on April 7, 2017 in Staten Island, NY at 441 Clarke Ave, scoring 672.6288 in a field of 43 teams. PADDY MCQ'S took Reserve Grand Champion with 669.1772. Category winners: Chicken — Q HAVEN BBQ (173.7372); Pork Ribs — What (174.2744); Pork — 5-ALARM BBQ (175.4172); Brisket — THE BEARDED ONE BBQ (178.2972). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by MISS PIGGY'S U.K.; 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.
439.28
median 634.75
672.63 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 173.74
- Pork Ribs 174.27
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 178.30
20
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
43
4 judged meats
Top score
672.6288
Winning margin
3.4516
GC over RC
Field average
619.87
439.28672.63
median 634.75 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4744 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
651.3140
439.28672.63
10th place overall
Field spread
233.3488
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 95%
beats 5% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
57%
20 of 35 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.62 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,550
avg power rating going in · stronger than 38% 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.
An upset on the books
13-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 87 times in 100
THE BEARDED ONE BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 13-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1493
- top seed 1816
A first Grand Championship
10
tracked contests to get there
This was THE BEARDED ONE BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 10th tracked contest.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 3–4: THE BEARDED ONE BBQ and PADDY MCQ'S tied on 171.4628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ and THE BEARDED ONE BBQ tied on 169.1544 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 5–6: A-Que edged DIG'N N PIG'N by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · 0.0116
- Brisket 9–10 · 0.0116
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE BEARDED ONE BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 30th.
- Chicken 30th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
178.2972
best brisket ever cooked here
THE BEARDED ONE BBQ turned in 178.2972 in brisket — past the 171.4172 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 171.4172
- across 1 past editions
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 2016 | Staten Island, NY | Staten Island, NY | 35 | 672.4800 | MISS PIGGY'S U.K. | Q HAVEN BBQ |
| Apr 7, 2017 ← this one | Staten Island, NY | 441 Clarke Ave | 43 | 672.6288 | THE BEARDED ONE BBQ | PADDY MCQ'S |
| Apr 6, 2018 | Staten Island, NY | 441 Clark Ave | 36 | 670.1600 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | PAT BBQ |
| Apr 5, 2019 | Staten Island, NY | 441 Clark Ave | 26 | 687.9084 | Uncle Pigs BBQ Pit | TOP GUN BARBECUE |
| Apr 30, 2021 | Staten Island, NY | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 173.7372 | 170.2628 | 164.5828 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 170.2972 | 165.1200 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 169.1200 | 163.9884 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 165.7372 | 165.1084 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
43 entries · top 672.6288 · median 634.7544
Chicken
43 entries · top 173.7372 · median 160.5484
Pork Ribs
43 entries · top 174.2744 · median 158.2972
Pork
43 entries · top 175.4172 · median 155.3944
Brisket
42 entries · top 178.2972 · median 158.2342