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.
- APORKALYPSE NOW · Brisket
- SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA · Chicken
- ACK-QUE · Pork
Sun BBQ Fest 2017
Jun 3–4, 2017 · Uncasville, CT · 📍 Mohegan Sun Casino
APORKALYPSE NOW won Grand Champion at the Sun BBQ Fest on June 3, 2017 in Uncasville, CT at Mohegan Sun Casino, scoring 698.2856 in a field of 73 teams. SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA took Reserve Grand Champion with 690.2056. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (180.0000); Pork Ribs — JOHN'S TWISTED Q (176.0344); Pork — ACK-QUE (180.0000); Brisket — APORKALYPSE NOW (180.0000). This is the 4th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by SHAKE 'N BAKE 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.
240.83
median 643.91
698.29 🏆
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 176.03
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 180 🔥
102.26
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
73
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
698.2856
Winning margin
8.0800
GC over RC
Field average
633.89
240.83698.29
median 643.91 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4516 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
677.6340
240.83698.29
10th place overall
Field spread
457.4512
winner to last place
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 39%
beats 61% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
62%
43 of 69 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,552
avg power rating going in · stronger than 39% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: BOO BOO QUED and CHICKEN CHOKERS tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: SMOKIN ACES and FOUR SMOKING GUYS tied on 172.5828 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: FIRE DOWN BELOW and THE BASIC BBQ TEAM tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Brisket 8–9 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
APORKALYPSE NOW took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 22nd.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 22nd
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork
180.0000
best pork ever cooked here
ACK-QUE turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 177.1428 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1428
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (won 2015).
- SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA · 2015
One of the big ones
73
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 96% of the 5,469 contests in the data
73 teams — bigger than 96% of the 5,469 contests in the data.
The biggest field yet
73
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 51 teams
73 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 51.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2014 | Uncasville, CT | Uncasville, CT 06382 | 32 | 670.9028 | CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| Jun 13, 2015 | Uncasville, CT | Uncasville, CT | 52 | 691.4056 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | STUBBORN BULL BBQ |
| Jun 11, 2016 | Uncasville, CT | Uncasville, CT | 69 | 698.2860 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | MEAT @ SLIMS |
| Jun 3, 2017 ← this one | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun Casino | 73 | 698.2856 | APORKALYPSE NOW | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| Jun 2, 2018 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun Casino | 59 | 689.1656 | PADDY MCQ'S | FIRE DOWN BELOW |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4400 | 172.0228 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.0344 | 172.5828 | 171.9772 |
| Pork | 180 | 174.8800 | 173.1772 |
| Brisket | 180 | 175.4400 | 172.5484 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
73 entries · top 698.2856 · median 643.9084
Chicken
72 entries · top 180 · median 162.5542 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
72 entries · top 176.0344 · median 163.9600
Pork
73 entries · top 180 · median 163.9544 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
72 entries · top 180 · median 161.6970 · 🔥 perfect 180
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 — Dessert
13 entries · top 177.1428 · median 171.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RED PLANET BARBEQUE | |
| 2 | R2-BQ | |
| 3 | Q SHANTY | |
| 4 | THE BASIC BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | STAR SPANGLED BBQ | |
| 6 | A MAZIE Q | |
| 7 | GREENWITCH QUE CO. | |
| 8 | THE OUTLAW BBQ NY | |
| 9 | BOAR-N-Q | |
| 10 | BACKDRAFT BAR-B-Q CT | |
| 11 | SAUCED AND RUBBED | |
| 12 | COBB'S SOUTHERN BBQ | |
| 13 | MEAT MERCENARIES |