Jun 16–17, 2017 · Holdrege, NE · 📍 4th Street and West Avenue
HELPING U BBQ won Grand Champion at the Central Plains Ribfest on June 16, 2017 in Holdrege, NE at 4th Street and West Avenue, scoring 689.7028 in a field of 27 teams. DIRT ROAD BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 689.6456. Category winners: Chicken — SWINESTONE COWBOYS (175.4172); Pork Ribs — WHEN PIGS DIE (173.1544); Pork — SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — DIRT ROAD BBQ (177.7028). This is the 1st of 5 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2018.
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Closer than 96% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0572 points — closer than 96% of every championship in the data.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 84 times in 100
HELPING U BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, DIRT ROAD BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 16-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
HELPING U BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
Pork Ribs places 2–3: WE'RE BURNIN DAYLIGHT BBQ and SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY tied on 173.1316 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: SMOKIN K edged BLIND SQUIRREL BBQ by 0.0112. Pork Ribs places 3–4: SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY edged RUBBING ME WRONG by 0.0116.
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 2017 ← this one | Holdrege, NE | 4th Street and West Avenue | 27 | 689.7028 | HELPING U BBQ | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Holdrege, NE | 5th Ave & West st | 35 | 695.3716 | SMOKIN K - NE | BUTCHER BBQ |
| Jun 14, 2019 | Holdrege, NE | 5th Ave & Grant st | 30 | 693.6572 | CLARK CREW BBQ | 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Holdrege, NE | 5th Ave & Grant St | 29 | 702.2516 | 4 Legs Up BBQ | WHEN PIGS DIE |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Holdrege, NE | — | — | — | — | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4172 | 172.5716 | 167.3828 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.1544 | 172.5600 | 164.5600 |
| Pork | 180 | 171.9772 | 167.4172 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 168.5484 | 161.1200 |
27 entries · top 689.7028 · median 638.0916
27 entries · top 175.4172 · median 165.1200
27 entries · top 173.1544 · median 162.2400
27 entries · top 180 · median 163.9428 · 🔥 perfect 180
27 entries · top 177.7028 · median 157.6456