A razor-thin finish
1.1544
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 79% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1544 points — closer than 79% of every championship in the data.
- 913 BBQ
- SUBLIME BBQ
Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 2017
Jun 23–24, 2017 · Lenexa, KS · 📍 87th & Lackman · State championship
913 BBQ won Grand Champion at the Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship on June 23, 2017 in Lenexa, KS at 87th & Lackman, scoring 687.3828 in a field of 184 teams. SUBLIME BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 686.2284. Category winners: Chicken — 913 BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — HIGH i QUE (177.1428); Pork — SUBLIME BBQ (177.7028); Brisket — HAROLD'S HOT MEAT SMOKERS (177.7372). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE.
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.
278.67
median 634.78
687.38 🏆
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 177.14
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 177.74
20
180
Entries
184
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
687.3828
Winning margin
1.1544
GC over RC
Field average
627.15
278.67687.38
median 634.78 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
1.7028 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
667.3140
278.67687.38
10th place overall
Field spread
408.7084
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 77%
beats 23% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
81%
149 of 183 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.51 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,509
avg power rating going in · stronger than 6% of contests
Storylines (8 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 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: BIG WIGS BBQ and FOUR MEN AND A PIG tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: SOCIAL SMOKERS BBQ SQUAD and ALBURNT EINSWINE tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: Meaty Bone BBQ and SUBLIME BBQ tied on 174.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
How the title was won
1 of 4
meats called to the stage
913 BBQ took the title on 1 call from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 26th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 23rd
- Pork 26th
- Brisket 17th
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
913 BBQ turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE (won 2016).
- BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE · 2016
One of the big ones
184
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 99% of the 5,462 contests in the data
184 teams — bigger than 99% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
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.
- 913 BBQ · Chicken
They keep coming back
81%
of last edition’s field returned
149 of 183 teams from 2016-06-24 came back
149 of the 183 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 24, 2016 | Lenexa, KS | Lenexa, KS | 183 | 697.1084 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | HIGH i QUE |
| Jun 23, 2017 ← this one | Lenexa, KS | 87th & Lackman | 184 | 687.3828 | 913 BBQ | SUBLIME BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 174.8572 | 172 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1428 | 174.8572 | 172.5944 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 176 | 173.1428 |
| Brisket | 177.7372 | 173.7028 | 171.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
184 entries · top 687.3828 · median 634.7772
Chicken
183 entries · top 180 · median 158.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
184 entries · top 177.1428 · median 159.9886
Pork
181 entries · top 177.7028 · median 159.9884
Brisket
183 entries · top 177.7372 · median 157.0972
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 — Baked Beans
91 entries · top 178.8800 · median 164.0116
Master Series — Beefsteak
89 entries · top 180 · median 162.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Miscellaneous
116 entries · top 180 · median 162.2342 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Sausage
141 entries · top 177.7144 · median 160.5488