A new contest record
702.2972
highest overall ever cooked here
702.2972 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 700.6172 SLAPS BBQ set in 2016.
- old record 700.6172
- set 2016 by SLAPS BBQ
The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake 2017
Apr 7–8, 2017 · Smithville, MO
DIRT ROAD BBQ won Grand Champion at The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake on April 7, 2017 in Smithville, MO, scoring 702.2972 in a field of 54 teams. BURNT FINGER BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 698.8684. Category winners: Chicken — GETTIN' BASTED (180.0000); Pork Ribs — WALDO BBQ (176.6172); Pork — DIRT ROAD BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — 50 SHADES OF QUE (174.8456). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by SLAPS BBQ.
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.
501.68
median 659.91
702.30 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 176.62
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 174.85
20
180
Entries
54
4 judged meats
Top score
702.2972
Winning margin
3.4288
GC over RC
Field average
653.93
501.68702.30
median 659.91 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
0.5600 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.3712
501.68702.30
10th place overall
Field spread
200.6172
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 23%
beats 77% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
49%
26 of 53 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.79 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,581
avg power rating going in · stronger than 64% 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 day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- GETTIN' BASTED · Chicken
- DIRT ROAD BBQ · Chicken
- DIRT ROAD BBQ · Pork
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: GETTIN' BASTED and DIRT ROAD BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: OLLIE BABA Q and BURNT FINGER BBQ tied on 179.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: BURNT FINGER BBQ and HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB tied on 179.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
DIRT ROAD BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 20th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 20th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 4th
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
GETTIN' BASTED turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 175.4400 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4400
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SLAPS BBQ (won 2016).
- SLAPS BBQ · 2016
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 | Smithville, MO | Smithville, MO | 53 | 700.6172 | SLAPS BBQ | HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB |
| Apr 7, 2017 ← this one | Smithville, MO | Smithville Lake | 54 | 702.2972 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | BURNT FINGER BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 179.4400 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.6172 | 174.8572 | 172 |
| Pork | 180 | 176.5600 | 173.7256 |
| Brisket | 174.8456 | 172 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
54 entries · top 702.2972 · median 659.9090
Chicken
54 entries · top 180 · median 164.5486 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
54 entries · top 176.6172 · median 167.4116
Pork
54 entries · top 180 · median 167.6972 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
54 entries · top 174.8456 · median 160.5714