They will not let it go
3 in a row
editions of this contest
ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ won here last time out too — 3 straight editions of this contest.
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
Porkapalooza BBQ Festival 2017
Jun 10–11, 2017 · Edmonton, Canada · CANADA · 📍 Edmonton, Alberta Canada
ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ won Grand Champion at the Porkapalooza BBQ Festival on June 10, 2017 in Edmonton, T6E 5K1 at Edmonton, Alberta Canada, scoring 666.2056 in a field of 39 teams. SMELLAQUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 662.2400. Category winners: Chicken — SMELLAQUE (175.4400); Pork Ribs — SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA (174.8572); Pork — PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ (174.8572); Brisket — The Devil Made Me Q It (171.4056). This is the 4th of 8 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by ARROWHEAD NORTH 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.
550.66
median 618.37
666.21 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.44
- Pork Ribs 174.86
- Pork 174.86
- Brisket 171.41
129.65
175.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
39
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
666.2056
Winning margin
3.9656
GC over RC
Field average
618.98
550.66666.21
median 618.37 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
6.2284 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
642.2516
550.66666.21
10th place overall
Field spread
115.5432
winner to last place
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 98%
beats 2% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
52%
22 of 42 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.52 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,511
avg power rating going in · stronger than 8% 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.
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 11th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 7th
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 8 tracked editions
ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ has won this contest 3 times across its 8 tracked editions.
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 4 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 1–2: PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ edged ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ by 0.0116. Chicken places 6–7: FROZEN TOQUE BBQ edged ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ by 0.0344. Brisket places 5–6: SMELLAQUE edged BBQ TEAM NAIT by 0.0456.
- Pork 1–2 · 0.0116
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0344
- Brisket 5–6 · 0.0456
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0688
A contest record in pork ribs
174.8572
best pork ribs ever cooked here
SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA turned in 174.8572 in pork ribs — past the 172.6288 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 172.6288
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ (won 2015, 2016).
- ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ · 2015, 2016
This contest's own records (1 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 14, 2014 | Edmonton Alberta Canada | Edmonton Alberta Canada, T6J 0S4 | 29 | 655.3484 | Prairie Smoke & Spice | HOUSE OF Q |
| Jun 19, 2015 | Edmonton Alberta | Edmonton Alberta, T6E 5K1 | 30 | 669.6456 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | SMELLAQUE |
| Jun 18, 2016 | Edmonton, CA | Edmonton, Alberta Canada | 42 | 668.5372 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | SMELLAQUE |
| Jun 10, 2017 ← this one | Edmonton | Edmonton, Alberta Canada | 39 | 666.2056 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | SMELLAQUE |
| Jun 16, 2018 | Edmonton | Edmonton, Alberta Canada | 51 | 672.5716 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | SMELLAQUE |
| Jun 15, 2019 | Edmonton | Edmonton, Alberta Canada | 44 | 690.9256 | SmellaQue | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ |
| May 30, 2020 | Edmonton Alberta | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 14, 2021 | Sherwood Park, AB | HALFMOON LAKE RESORT | 25 | 692.6056 | SmellaQue | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS |
| May 28, 2022 | Sherwood Park, AB | Half Moon Lake Resort | 39 | 695.4284 | Arrowhead North | 333BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4400 | 169.2116 | 164.5944 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.8572 | 168.5484 | 161.7144 |
| Pork | 174.8572 | 166.2628 | 159.4056 |
| Brisket | 171.4056 | 161.1428 | 157.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
39 entries · top 666.2056 · median 618.3656
Chicken
39 entries · top 175.4400 · median 157.1200
Pork Ribs
39 entries · top 174.8572 · median 154.8228
Pork
39 entries · top 174.8572 · median 155.9772
Brisket
39 entries · top 171.4056 · median 151.9428
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 — Chef'S Challenge
25 entries · top 174.8800 · median 161.1428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NATURAL BORN GRILLER'S ALBERTA | |
| 2 | YOU NEED A BBQ | |
| 3 | FROZEN TOQUE BBQ | |
| 4 | B,B,-BBQ | |
| 5 | CANADIAN SMOKE | |
| 6 | GRILLBILLIES SMOKEHOUSE BBQ | |
| 7 | BBQ TEAM NAIT | |
| 8 | Northlands Pitmasters | |
| 9 | SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA | |
| 10 | Chef B's Catering | |
| 11 | Q-UP | |
| 12 | Wonk 'n' Roll BBQ | |
| 13 | MEAT SWEATS BBQ AB | |
| 14 | We BB Smokin | |
| 15 | Barked Stock | |
| 16 | FLAMING SEAHORSES BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN ACES | |
| 18 | Barrel Chicken Company | |
| 19 | HOG HEADS | |
| 20 | SMOKE'M IF YOU GOT'M | |
| 21 | SMOKIN' SOWBELLIES | |
| 22 | BKBBQ | |
| 23 | SMOKAPALOOZA | |
| 24 | FIREWEED BARBECUE | |
| 25 | Vegan Tears |
Master Series — Chef'S Choice
29 entries · top 178.8572 · median 162.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALBERTA BONES BBQ | |
| 2 | Northlands Pitmasters | |
| 3 | FIREWEED BARBECUE | |
| 4 | BKBBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKIN ACES | |
| 6 | SMOKAPALOOZA | |
| 7 | CANADIAN SMOKE | |
| 8 | Q-UP | |
| 9 | We BB Smokin | |
| 10 | GRILLBILLIES SMOKEHOUSE BBQ | |
| 11 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 12 | Vegan Tears | |
| 13 | FLAMING SEAHORSES BBQ | |
| 14 | Camrose Kinsmen PorKIN BBQ | |
| 15 | Barked Stock | |
| 16 | B,B,-BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKE'M IF YOU GOT'M | |
| 18 | YOU NEED A BBQ | |
| 19 | BBQ TEAM NAIT | |
| 20 | Chef B's Catering | |
| 21 | HOG HEADS | |
| 22 | Wonk 'n' Roll BBQ | |
| 23 | SMOKIN' SOWBELLIES | |
| 24 | MEAT SWEATS BBQ AB | |
| 25 | SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA | |
| 26 | D'Arcy Meat Market | |
| 27 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 28 | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 29 | Barrel Chicken Company |