A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 9 tracked editions
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS has won this contest 3 times across its 9 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2017
- 2019
Montana BBQ Cook-Off
2017-06-24 – 2017-06-25 · ABSAROKEE, MT · 📍 Hwy 78
Grand Champion: PARROTHEAD SMOKERS (701.1200) · 35 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 YOU QUE'D ME ALL NIGHT LONG
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.
137.63
median 664.43
701.12 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.14
- Pork Ribs 178.88
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 178.88
137.63
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
35
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
701.1200
Winning margin
4.0000
GC over RC
Field average
624.16
137.63701.12
median 664.43 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4.0228 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
685.0740
137.63701.12
10th place overall
Field spread
563.4856
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 28%
beats 72% of 4707 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
59%
17 of 29 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.6 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1548
avg power rating going in · stronger than 36% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: UTAH BBQ COMPANY and G AND L BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 2–3: MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ and Mountain Smoke tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: PARROTHEAD SMOKERS edged GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE by 0.0116.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Brisket 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · 0.0116
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 7th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 7th
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8800
best pork ribs ever cooked here
LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS turned in 178.8800 in pork ribs — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 4 past editions
Back to defend
3
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS (won 2013, 2015), PARROTHEAD SMOKERS (won 2014), MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ (won 2016).
- LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS · 2013, 2015
- PARROTHEAD SMOKERS · 2014
- MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ · 2016
The biggest field yet
35
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 26 teams
35 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 26.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-07-06 | Absarokee, MT | Absarokee, MT | 22 | 650.2858 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS |
| 2014-07-05 | Absarokee, MT | Absarokee, MT 59001 | 25 | 694.3316 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | SUNRISE BBQ |
| 2015-07-03 | Absarokee, MT | Absarokee, MT 59001 | 29 | 696.5828 | LONESTAR SMOKE RANGERS | JO-BAWB'S BBQ |
| 2016-06-25 | Absarokee, MT | Downtown Absarokee | 29 | 701.7144 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | JO-BAWB'S BBQ |
| 2017-06-24 ← this one | ABSAROKEE, MT | Hwy 78 | 35 | 701.1200 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | YOU QUE'D ME ALL NIGHT LONG |
| 2018-06-23 | Absarokee, MT | Hwy 78 | 26 | 695.9660 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS |
| 2019-06-22 | Absarokee, MT | Hwy 78 | 29 | 699.9196 | Parrothead Smokers | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ |
| 2021-06-11 | Absarokee, MT | Woodard Ave | 27 | 708.5600 | Texas Smoke Whisperer | Bushmaster BBQ |
| 2022-06-10 | Absarokee, MT | Woodard Ave | 27 | 693.6112 | Stoake-D-Fire.com | OWENS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1428 | 173.1200 | 170.8572 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8800 | 173.1428 | 170.8800 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 173.7256 | 172.0456 |
| Brisket | 178.8800 | 174.3088 | 172.6056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
35 entries · top 701.1200 · median 664.4340
Chicken
33 entries · top 177.1428 · median 161.6572
Pork Ribs
33 entries · top 178.8800 · median 166.2628
Pork
34 entries · top 179.4400 · median 164.8170
Brisket
34 entries · top 178.8800 · median 164.2628
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 — Open
28 entries · top 180.0000 · median 171.7086 · 🔥 perfect 180