A statement win
14.2400
points clear of the field
Wider than 95% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 14.2400 points — a wider margin than 95% of championships in the data.
Ceres Bands Brews & BBQ Throwdown / Formerly Smoke on the River 2017
Aug 11–12, 2017 · Ceres, CA · 📍 3441 Golf Link Rd
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won Grand Champion at the Ceres Bands Brews & BBQ Throwdown / Formerly Smoke on the River on August 11, 2017 in Ceres, CA at 3441 Golf Link Rd, scoring 692.5372 in a field of 21 teams. CYNICAL BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 678.2972. Category winners: Chicken — DG FIREHOUSE BBQ (176.0000); Pork Ribs — SMOKED SEDUCTION (173.1428); Pork — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (180.0000); Brisket — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (174.2628).
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.
532.33
median 638.24
692.54 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176
- Pork Ribs 173.14
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 174.26
110.59
180
Entries
21
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
692.5372
Winning margin
14.2400
GC over RC
Field average
634.71
532.33692.54
median 638.24 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
6.8684 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
642.7884
532.33692.54
10th place overall
Field spread
160.2056
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 63%
beats 37% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.74 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,565
avg power rating going in · stronger than 50% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: RBQ and NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Los MexiQ"tioners BBQ and CYNICAL BBQ tied on 167.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: CYNICAL BBQ and Smokey and the Pirate tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Brisket 1–2 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won Pork, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BIG POPPA SMOKERS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 8th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
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.
- BIG POPPA SMOKERS · Pork
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2017 ← this one | Ceres, CA | 3441 Golf Link Rd | 21 | 692.5372 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | CYNICAL BBQ |
| Aug 10, 2018 | Ceres, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176 | 169.1316 | 166.2972 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.1428 | 164.5600 | 161.6916 |
| Pork | 180 | 169.7256 | 162.8228 |
| Brisket | 174.2628 | 165.1428 | 158.8456 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
21 entries · top 692.5372 · median 638.2400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 4 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 5 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 6 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | |
| 7 | SMOKED SEDUCTION | |
| 8 | RBQ | |
| 9 | .SHOWOFF BBQ | |
| 10 | FLAME THROWER BBQ CO. | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 12 | Off the Hook BBQ | |
| 13 | HELLO BBQ | |
| 14 | SPITZ BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 15 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 16 | CANYON RIDERS BBQ | |
| 17 | Los MexiQ"tioners BBQ | |
| 18 | SMOKIN' THE 916 | |
| 19 | MEAT LIQUADATORS | |
| 20 | Bill's Best BBQ | |
| 21 | Badda Bing BBQ |
Chicken
21 entries · top 176 · median 162.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 2 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 3 | RBQ | |
| 4 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | |
| 5 | HELLO BBQ | |
| 6 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 7 | Los MexiQ"tioners BBQ | |
| 8 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKED SEDUCTION | |
| 10 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 12 | CANYON RIDERS BBQ | |
| 13 | SPITZ BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 14 | .SHOWOFF BBQ | |
| 15 | Off the Hook BBQ | |
| 16 | MEAT LIQUADATORS | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' THE 916 | |
| 18 | FLAME THROWER BBQ CO. | |
| 19 | Bill's Best BBQ | |
| 20 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 21 | Badda Bing BBQ |
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 173.1428 · median 160.5256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKED SEDUCTION | |
| 2 | FLAME THROWER BBQ CO. | |
| 3 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 4 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 5 | SPITZ BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 6 | .SHOWOFF BBQ | |
| 7 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 8 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 10 | Los MexiQ"tioners BBQ | |
| 11 | CANYON RIDERS BBQ | |
| 12 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | |
| 13 | Off the Hook BBQ | |
| 14 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 15 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 16 | RBQ | |
| 17 | HELLO BBQ | |
| 18 | SMOKIN' THE 916 | |
| 19 | Badda Bing BBQ | |
| 20 | MEAT LIQUADATORS | |
| 21 | Bill's Best BBQ |
Pork
21 entries · top 180 · median 160.5716 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 4 | FLAME THROWER BBQ CO. | |
| 5 | SPITZ BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKED SEDUCTION | |
| 7 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 8 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 9 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 10 | RBQ | |
| 11 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | |
| 12 | Off the Hook BBQ | |
| 13 | .SHOWOFF BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKIN' THE 916 | |
| 15 | MEAT LIQUADATORS | |
| 16 | HELLO BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 18 | CANYON RIDERS BBQ | |
| 19 | Bill's Best BBQ | |
| 20 | Badda Bing BBQ | |
| 21 | Los MexiQ"tioners BBQ |
Brisket
21 entries · top 174.2628 · median 158.2516
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 3 | .SHOWOFF BBQ | |
| 4 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 5 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 6 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | |
| 7 | RBQ | |
| 8 | Off the Hook BBQ | |
| 9 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 10 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 11 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 12 | HELLO BBQ | |
| 13 | CANYON RIDERS BBQ | |
| 14 | Bill's Best BBQ | |
| 15 | SMOKED SEDUCTION | |
| 16 | FLAME THROWER BBQ CO. | |
| 17 | Los MexiQ"tioners BBQ | |
| 18 | MEAT LIQUADATORS | |
| 19 | SPITZ BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 20 | SMOKIN' THE 916 | |
| 21 | Badda Bing BBQ |
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
11 entries · top 328.0572 · median 303.8628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZZ BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKEY BOYS BBQ | |
| 3 | Smok'n T's BAR-B-QUE | |
| 4 | Full Barrel BBQ | |
| 5 | Rib Shots BBQ | |
| 6 | Sparrow Lane Classic Vinegar | |
| 7 | Xtreme BBQ | |
| 8 | Slap Ya Mamma BBQ | |
| 9 | J n J's Smoking BBQ | |
| 10 | Smokey River Boys | |
| 11 | Big 3 BBQ |
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
11 entries · top 170.8456 · median 154.3312
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKEY BOYS BBQ | |
| 2 | ZZ BBQ | |
| 3 | Rib Shots BBQ | |
| 4 | Full Barrel BBQ | |
| 5 | Sparrow Lane Classic Vinegar | |
| 6 | Smok'n T's BAR-B-QUE | |
| 7 | Slap Ya Mamma BBQ | |
| 8 | Xtreme BBQ | |
| 9 | Big 3 BBQ | |
| 10 | J n J's Smoking BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokey River Boys |
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
11 entries · top 164.5484 · median 154.2288
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokey River Boys | |
| 2 | ZZ BBQ | |
| 3 | J n J's Smoking BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKEY BOYS BBQ | |
| 5 | Smok'n T's BAR-B-QUE | |
| 6 | Xtreme BBQ | |
| 7 | Full Barrel BBQ | |
| 8 | Slap Ya Mamma BBQ | |
| 9 | Rib Shots BBQ | |
| 10 | Sparrow Lane Classic Vinegar | |
| 11 | Big 3 BBQ |
Master Series — Battle Of The Champions
2 entries · top 171.9884 · median 168.2626
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | .SHOWOFF BBQ | |
| 2 | Off the Hook BBQ |