A first Grand Championship
11
tracked contests to get there
This was SMOKER BANDITS's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 11th tracked contest.
UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitors Invitational Series) 2017
May 5–6, 2017 · Kansas City, MO · 📍 1701 American Royal Ct
SMOKER BANDITS won Grand Champion at the UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitors Invitational Series) on May 5, 2017 in Kansas City, MO at 1701 American Royal Ct, scoring 666.8116 in a field of 17 teams. PARK AVENUE PORK took Reserve Grand Champion with 658.7312. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKER BANDITS (174.2744); Pork Ribs — Milwaukee Brew 'Que (166.2628); Pork — PARK AVENUE PORK (167.9656); Brisket — SMOKER BANDITS (172.5600). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by KC SMOKIN' SPORTS; 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.
441.52
median 624
666.81 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.27
- Pork Ribs 166.26
- Pork 167.97
- Brisket 172.56
130.07
174.27
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
17
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
666.8116
Winning margin
8.0804
GC over RC
Field average
609.45
441.52666.81
median 624 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
3.9884 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
618.2284
441.52666.81
10th place overall
Field spread
225.2920
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 98%
beats 2% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
38%
9 of 24 teams from the previous edition returned
Storylines (4 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.
Photo finishes
0.0112
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 7–8: GRILLBILLIES edged Meat Me in St. Louie by 0.0112. Pork places 7–8: Rackstreet Boys edged SMOKER BANDITS by 0.0112. Brisket places 7–8: We Rub Shoulders edged Tailgate Warriors by 0.0228.
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · 0.0112
- Pork 7–8 · 0.0112
- Brisket 7–8 · 0.0228
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0344
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
SMOKER BANDITS won Chicken, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKER BANDITS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 8th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 8th
- Brisket 1st
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
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2015 | Kansas City, MO | Kansas City, MO 64102 | 23 | 682.8572 | Bone Daddy's Mystic BBQ Crewe | ParBQue |
| May 6, 2016 | Kansas City, MO | American Royal Complex | 24 | 669.6116 | KC SMOKIN' SPORTS | SMOKER BANDITS |
| May 5, 2017 ← this one | Kansas City, MO | 1701 American Royal Ct | 17 | 666.8116 | SMOKER BANDITS | PARK AVENUE PORK |
| May 4, 2018 | Kansas City, MO | 1701 American Royal Ct | 14 | 685.1084 | DRUM DADDY BBQ | PARK AVENUE PORK |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.2744 | 167.3940 | 154.2744 |
| Pork Ribs | 166.2628 | 160.5600 | 157.0972 |
| Pork | 167.9656 | 163.9772 | 157.1312 |
| Brisket | 172.5600 | 158.3312 | 154.8000 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
17 entries · top 666.8116 · median 624
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKER BANDITS | |
| 2 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 3 | Rackstreet Boys | |
| 4 | Meat Rushmore | |
| 5 | FATTYSHACK BBQ | |
| 6 | Men of Erin | |
| 7 | Meat Me in St. Louie | |
| 8 | Milwaukee Brew 'Que | |
| 9 | We Rub Shoulders | |
| 10 | Smoke-A-Holics | |
| 11 | GRILLBILLIES | |
| 12 | Tailgate Warriors | |
| 13 | Still BBQ'N | |
| 14 | MAD SMOKERS | |
| 15 | Fat Cat BBQ: The Great Catsby | |
| 16 | RED EYE Bar-B-Que | |
| 17 | Grillaz in the Pits |
Chicken
15 entries · top 174.2744 · median 157.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKER BANDITS | |
| 2 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 3 | Rackstreet Boys | |
| 4 | Meat Rushmore | |
| 5 | FATTYSHACK BBQ | |
| 6 | Milwaukee Brew 'Que | |
| 7 | Meat Me in St. Louie | |
| 8 | GRILLBILLIES | |
| 9 | Men of Erin | |
| 10 | Smoke-A-Holics | |
| 11 | We Rub Shoulders | |
| 12 | Still BBQ'N | |
| 13 | Tailgate Warriors | |
| 14 | Fat Cat BBQ: The Great Catsby | |
| 15 | MAD SMOKERS |
Pork Ribs
17 entries · top 166.2628 · median 159.3600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee Brew 'Que | |
| 2 | RED EYE Bar-B-Que | |
| 3 | FATTYSHACK BBQ | |
| 4 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 5 | SMOKER BANDITS | |
| 6 | Meat Rushmore | |
| 7 | GRILLBILLIES | |
| 8 | Meat Me in St. Louie | |
| 9 | Rackstreet Boys | |
| 10 | Tailgate Warriors | |
| 11 | Smoke-A-Holics | |
| 12 | MAD SMOKERS | |
| 13 | Men of Erin | |
| 14 | Fat Cat BBQ: The Great Catsby | |
| 15 | We Rub Shoulders | |
| 16 | Still BBQ'N | |
| 17 | Grillaz in the Pits |
Pork
17 entries · top 167.9656 · median 158.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 2 | FATTYSHACK BBQ | |
| 3 | We Rub Shoulders | |
| 4 | Smoke-A-Holics | |
| 5 | Men of Erin | |
| 6 | Meat Me in St. Louie | |
| 7 | Rackstreet Boys | |
| 8 | SMOKER BANDITS | |
| 9 | Meat Rushmore | |
| 10 | MAD SMOKERS | |
| 11 | Fat Cat BBQ: The Great Catsby | |
| 12 | Still BBQ'N | |
| 13 | Tailgate Warriors | |
| 14 | Milwaukee Brew 'Que | |
| 15 | Grillaz in the Pits | |
| 16 | GRILLBILLIES | |
| 17 | RED EYE Bar-B-Que |
Brisket
17 entries · top 172.5600 · median 154.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKER BANDITS | |
| 2 | Men of Erin | |
| 3 | Rackstreet Boys | |
| 4 | Meat Rushmore | |
| 5 | Grillaz in the Pits | |
| 6 | PARK AVENUE PORK | |
| 7 | We Rub Shoulders | |
| 8 | Tailgate Warriors | |
| 9 | Milwaukee Brew 'Que | |
| 10 | Meat Me in St. Louie | |
| 11 | Still BBQ'N | |
| 12 | MAD SMOKERS | |
| 13 | GRILLBILLIES | |
| 14 | FATTYSHACK BBQ | |
| 15 | RED EYE Bar-B-Que | |
| 16 | Smoke-A-Holics | |
| 17 | Fat Cat BBQ: The Great Catsby |
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 — Side Dish
9 entries · top 179.4400 · median 166.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tailgate Warriors | |
| 2 | Fat Cat BBQ: The Great Catsby | |
| 3 | Meat Rushmore | |
| 4 | Still BBQ'N | |
| 5 | Milwaukee Brew 'Que | |
| 6 | SMOKER BANDITS | |
| 7 | Men of Erin | |
| 8 | MAD SMOKERS | |
| 9 | PARK AVENUE PORK |