A razor-thin finish
0.0116
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 98% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0116 points — closer than 98% of every championship in the data.
- THUNDER HOG BBQ
- iBQ'n
Rockin BBQ 2017
May 12–13, 2017 · Warsaw, IN · 📍 1400 East Smith St
THUNDER HOG BBQ won Grand Champion at the Rockin BBQ on May 12, 2017 in Warsaw, IN at 1400 East Smith St, scoring 683.9084 in a field of 27 teams. iBQ'n took Reserve Grand Champion with 683.8968. Category winners: Chicken — WOW THAT'S SMOKIN (173.7144); Pork Ribs — iBQ'n (172.5600); Pork — AWW HELL (174.2628); Brisket — Risky Brisket (176.5600). This is the 2nd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by THUNDER HOG 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.
584.93
median 662.74
683.91 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 173.71
- Pork Ribs 172.56
- Pork 174.26
- Brisket 176.56
119.33
176.56
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2020 — this edition picked out.
Entries
27
4 judged meats
Top score
683.9084
Winning margin
0.0116
GC over RC
Field average
657.03
584.93683.91
median 662.74 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7488 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.5880
584.93683.91
10th place overall
Field spread
98.9824
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 84%
beats 16% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
46%
13 of 28 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.69 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,601
avg power rating going in · stronger than 78% of contests
Storylines (7 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.
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
THUNDER HOG BBQ won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2016
- 2017
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
THUNDER HOG BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 10th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 7th
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 5 tracked editions
THUNDER HOG BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 5 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2017
A knife fight at the top
2.8456
points across the top five
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 2.8456 points — 2 teams sat within a single point of the lead.
- 1st THUNDER HOG BBQ
- 2nd iBQ'n
- 3rd Risky Brisket
- 4th GREY STREET BBQ
- 5th BIG "E" BBQ
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC and BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC and THE SMOKE HUNTERS tied on 167.3828 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 4–5: BIG "E" BBQ and GREY STREET BBQ tied on 172.5484 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Brisket 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0112
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: THUNDER HOG BBQ (won 2016).
- THUNDER HOG 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2016 | Warsaw, IN | Warsaw, IN | 28 | 689.7144 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES |
| May 12, 2017 ← this one | Warsaw, IN | 1400 East Smith St | 27 | 683.9084 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | iBQ'n |
| May 11, 2018 | Warsaw, IN | 1400 East Smith St | 37 | 684.4684 | GREY STREET BBQ | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS |
| May 10, 2019 | Warsaw, IN | 1400 East Smith St | 42 | 699.3828 | The BBQ Bus | GREY STREET BBQ |
| May 29, 2020 | Warsaw, IN | 1400 E Smith Street | 66 | 698.3088 | Shiggin' Aint Easy | TIRE SMOKE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 173.7144 | 171.9656 | 170.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 172.5600 | 169.1084 | 167.3828 |
| Pork | 174.2628 | 171.9656 | 168.5372 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 172.5484 | 167.3828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
27 entries · top 683.9084 · median 662.7428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 2 | iBQ'n | |
| 3 | Risky Brisket | |
| 4 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 5 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 6 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 7 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 8 | AWW HELL | |
| 9 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 10 | THE SMOKE HUNTERS | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC | |
| 12 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 13 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKE-N-PEPPERS | |
| 15 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 16 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 17 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 18 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 19 | WOW THAT'S SMOKIN | |
| 20 | FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE | |
| 21 | DUB TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 22 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 23 | BANDITS BBQ | |
| 24 | SMOKIN' FROM SHOOTIN | |
| 25 | OUTLAW BARBECUE SMOKERS | |
| 26 | SMOKIN HOT MEAT | |
| 27 | Brew-n-Que-n |
Chicken
27 entries · top 173.7144 · median 167.3944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WOW THAT'S SMOKIN | |
| 2 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 3 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC | |
| 5 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 6 | FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE | |
| 7 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 8 | Risky Brisket | |
| 9 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 10 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 11 | THE SMOKE HUNTERS | |
| 12 | SMOKE-N-PEPPERS | |
| 13 | DUB TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 14 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 15 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 16 | iBQ'n | |
| 17 | AWW HELL | |
| 18 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 19 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 20 | BANDITS BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 22 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 23 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 24 | OUTLAW BARBECUE SMOKERS | |
| 25 | SMOKIN' FROM SHOOTIN | |
| 26 | Brew-n-Que-n | |
| 27 | SMOKIN HOT MEAT |
Pork Ribs
27 entries · top 172.5600 · median 164.5488
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | iBQ'n | |
| 2 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 4 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 5 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 6 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 7 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 8 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC | |
| 10 | THE SMOKE HUNTERS | |
| 11 | AWW HELL | |
| 12 | DUB TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 13 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKE-N-PEPPERS | |
| 15 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 16 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 17 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 18 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 19 | Risky Brisket | |
| 20 | FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE | |
| 21 | OUTLAW BARBECUE SMOKERS | |
| 22 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 23 | BANDITS BBQ | |
| 24 | WOW THAT'S SMOKIN | |
| 25 | SMOKIN' FROM SHOOTIN | |
| 26 | Brew-n-Que-n | |
| 27 | SMOKIN HOT MEAT |
Pork
27 entries · top 174.2628 · median 166.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AWW HELL | |
| 2 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 3 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 4 | Risky Brisket | |
| 5 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 6 | SMOKE-N-PEPPERS | |
| 7 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 8 | iBQ'n | |
| 9 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 10 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 11 | THE SMOKE HUNTERS | |
| 12 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 13 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 15 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 16 | SMOKIN HOT MEAT | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC | |
| 18 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 19 | DUB TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 20 | Brew-n-Que-n | |
| 21 | WOW THAT'S SMOKIN | |
| 22 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 23 | BANDITS BBQ | |
| 24 | SMOKIN' FROM SHOOTIN | |
| 25 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 26 | FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE | |
| 27 | OUTLAW BARBECUE SMOKERS |
Brisket
27 entries · top 176.5600 · median 165.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Risky Brisket | |
| 2 | iBQ'n | |
| 3 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 5 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 7 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 8 | ALL IN QUE | |
| 9 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 10 | WOW THAT'S SMOKIN | |
| 11 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' FROM SHOOTIN | |
| 13 | THE SMOKE HUNTERS | |
| 14 | AWW HELL | |
| 15 | BONEHEAD BBQ | |
| 16 | FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC | |
| 18 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 19 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 20 | SMOKE-N-PEPPERS | |
| 21 | BANDITS BBQ | |
| 22 | SMOKIN GOOD TIME BBQ | |
| 23 | SMOKIN HOT MEAT | |
| 24 | HOLY SMOKERS MI | |
| 25 | OUTLAW BARBECUE SMOKERS | |
| 26 | DUB TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 27 | Brew-n-Que-n |