A new contest record
697.1084
highest overall ever cooked here
697.1084 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 691.9084 GREY STREET BBQ set in 2016.
- old record 691.9084
- set 2016 by GREY STREET BBQ
Grillin and Chillin 2017
Jun 30 – Jul 1, 2017 · Chillicothe, MO · 📍 Simpson Park, 1500 Walnut
SMOKE THIS BBQ MO won Grand Champion at the Grillin and Chillin on June 30, 2017 in Chillicothe, MO at Simpson Park, 1500 Walnut, scoring 697.1084 in a field of 27 teams. THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.9428. Category winners: Chicken — SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (174.2856); Pork Ribs — TEMPLETON RYE WOODFELLAS (174.2744); Pork — THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ (178.2972); Brisket — SMOKE THIS BBQ MO (177.7028). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by GREY STREET BBQ; the next was held in 2020.
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.
619.94
median 663.29
697.11 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.29
- Pork Ribs 174.27
- Pork 178.30
- Brisket 177.70
141.06
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2020 — this edition picked out.
Entries
27
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
697.1084
Winning margin
5.1656
GC over RC
Field average
663.42
619.94697.11
median 663.29 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1772 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
670.7312
619.94697.11
10th place overall
Field spread
77.1652
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 45%
beats 55% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
3%
1 of 39 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.8 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,632
avg power rating going in · stronger than 91% of contests
Storylines (5 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.
An upset on the books
28-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
SMOKE THIS BBQ MO came in rated below the field's top team, SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1814
- top seed 1981
A stacked field
1632
average power rating going in
Stronger than 91% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1632 power rating going in — stronger than 91% of every contest tracked.
- top seed SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (1981)
- 27 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 and Fergolicious BBQ LLC tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: GRINDERS BBQ KANSAS CITY and SLAPS BBQ tied on 173.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW and THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork 8–9 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKE THIS BBQ MO took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 6th.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 1st
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2016 | Owensboro, KY | 7301 Hobbs RD | 39 | 691.9084 | GREY STREET BBQ | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N |
| Jun 30, 2017 ← this one | Chillicothe, MO | Simpson Park, 1500 Walnut | 27 | 697.1084 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ |
| Jun 29, 2018 | Chillicothe, MO | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2020 | Chillicothe, MO | Chillicothe, MO 64601 | 34 | 704.5484 | Gettin' Basted | UNCLE J'S |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.2856 | 173.1084 | 170.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 171.4400 | 168.5488 |
| Pork | 178.2972 | 172.6056 | 169.7028 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 171.4172 | 167.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
27 entries · top 697.1084 · median 663.2912
Chicken
27 entries · top 174.2856 · median 167.9772
Pork Ribs
27 entries · top 174.2744 · median 166.2744
Pork
27 entries · top 178.2972 · median 167.3828
Brisket
27 entries · top 177.7028 · median 164.5600
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 — Backyard Brisket
5 entries · top 162.2856 · median 147.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Double M | |
| 2 | Bama Man | |
| 3 | Double Sauced | |
| 4 | Mann's BBQ | |
| 5 | 2B Smokin MO |
Master Series — Backyard Pork
6 entries · top 163.4628 · median 143.7256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Double M | |
| 2 | Double Sauced | |
| 3 | Bama Man | |
| 4 | Smoke Jockey's BBQ | |
| 5 | 2B Smokin MO | |
| 6 | Mann's BBQ |
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
6 entries · top 155.4628 · median 145.9828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bama Man | |
| 2 | 2B Smokin MO | |
| 3 | Double M | |
| 4 | Double Sauced | |
| 5 | Smoke Jockey's BBQ | |
| 6 | Mann's BBQ |