A new contest record
706.2972
highest overall ever cooked here
706.2972 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 691.9772 PARROTHEAD SMOKERS set in 2015.
- old record 691.9772
- set 2015 by PARROTHEAD SMOKERS
BBQ in the Bluffs 2017
May 12–13, 2017 · Council Bluffs, IA · 📍 River Edge Park(Hanafan Park)
GETTIN' BASTED won Grand Champion at the BBQ in the Bluffs on May 12, 2017 in Council Bluffs, IA at River Edge Park(Hanafan Park), scoring 706.2972 in a field of 39 teams. HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6912. Category winners: Chicken — BUFFALO'S BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — LEEPS BBQ (178.2972); Pork — GETTIN' BASTED (179.4400); Brisket — BUFFALO'S BBQ (176.5600). This is the 5th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by PORKY BUTTS 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.
469.58
median 662.25
706.30 🏆
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 178.30
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 176.56
138.22
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
39
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
706.2972
Winning margin
12.6060
GC over RC
Field average
654.18
469.58706.30
median 662.25 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.0400
469.58706.30
10th place overall
Field spread
236.7200
winner to last place
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 10%
beats 90% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
30%
10 of 33 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.65 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,591
avg power rating going in · stronger than 72% 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.
A statement win
12.6060
points clear of the field
Wider than 93% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.6060 points — a wider margin than 93% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 3–4: BLAIR'S BIGFOOT BBQ and HELPING U BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: THE TWISTED TAIL and SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB edged CHARCOAL MONKEY by 0.0112.
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0112
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
BUFFALO'S BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
GETTIN' BASTED took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 6th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
BUFFALO'S BBQ turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 4 past editions
The biggest field yet
39
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 33 teams
39 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 33.
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- BUFFALO'S BBQ · Chicken
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 10, 2013 | Council Bluffs, IA | Council Bluffs, IA | 32 | 680.5714 | SPITFIRE | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| May 9, 2014 | Council Bluffs, IA | Council Bluffs, IA 51503 | 33 | 685.1432 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | BUBBA-Q'S |
| May 8, 2015 | Council Bluffs, IA | Council Bluffs, IA 51503 | 33 | 691.9772 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ |
| May 13, 2016 | Council Bluffs, IA | Rivers Edge Park | 33 | 688.5716 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| May 12, 2017 ← this one | Council Bluffs, IA | River Edge Park(Hanafan Park) | 39 | 706.2972 | GETTIN' BASTED | HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB |
| May 11, 2018 | Council Bluffs, IA | Hanafan Park,Rivers Edge | 39 | 690.2284 | HELPING U BBQ | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176 | 172.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 174.2744 | 169.7144 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 174.2744 | 171.4172 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 173.7028 | 170.8228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
39 entries · top 706.2972 · median 662.2516
Chicken
39 entries · top 180 · median 169.6684 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
39 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.2972
Pork
38 entries · top 179.4400 · median 168.2800
Brisket
39 entries · top 176.5600 · 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 — Anything But
20 entries · top 180 · median 170.8972 · 🔥 perfect 180