A new contest record
686.2972
highest overall ever cooked here
686.2972 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 676.5600 THE BASIC BBQ TEAM set in 2016.
- old record 676.5600
- set 2016 by THE BASIC BBQ TEAM
Smokin at the Ballpark BBQ Fest 2017
Jul 15–16, 2017 · Old Orchard Beach, ME · 📍 7 Ballpark BBQ Festival
INSANE SWINE BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smokin at the Ballpark BBQ Fest on July 15, 2017 in Old Orchard Beach, ME at 7 Ballpark BBQ Festival, scoring 686.2972 in a field of 29 teams. ACK-QUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 682.2744. Category winners: Chicken — JOHN'S TWISTED Q (177.7028); Pork Ribs — ACK-QUE (176.0344); Pork — SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (176.5600); Brisket — FOUR SMOKING GUYS (177.7028). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by THE BASIC BBQ TEAM.
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.
567.35
median 665.68
686.30 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 176.03
- Pork 176.56
- Brisket 177.70
133.12
177.70
Entries
29
4 judged meats
Top score
686.2972
Winning margin
4.0228
GC over RC
Field average
652.19
567.35686.30
median 665.68 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.7372 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
673.6684
567.35686.30
10th place overall
Field spread
118.9484
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 79%
beats 21% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
54%
14 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.69 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,591
avg power rating going in · stronger than 72% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
INSANE SWINE BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 5th. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 9th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: MOON RIVER BARBEQUE and INSANE SWINE BBQ tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA and MOON RIVER BARBEQUE tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 3–4: HUMPHREY'S BBQ and FIRE DOWN BELOW tied on 175.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Brisket 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · 0.0116
A contest record in pork
176.5600
best pork ever cooked here
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA turned in 176.5600 in pork — past the 173.7144 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.7144
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: THE BASIC BBQ TEAM (won 2016).
- THE BASIC BBQ TEAM · 2016
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 2016 | Old Orchard Beach, ME | 7 BallparkWay | 26 | 676.5600 | THE BASIC BBQ TEAM | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| Jul 15, 2017 ← this one | Old Orchard Beach, ME | 7 Ballpark BBQ Festival | 29 | 686.2972 | INSANE SWINE BBQ | ACK-QUE |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 172.5600 | 167.9884 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.0344 | 174.2972 | 169.7028 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 173.7372 | 170.2512 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 174.8572 | 170.2744 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 686.2972 · median 665.6800
Chicken
29 entries · top 177.7028 · median 163.4400
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 176.0344 · median 165.7256
Pork
29 entries · top 176.5600 · median 164.5256
Brisket
29 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.1200