A new contest record
683.4284
highest overall ever cooked here
683.4284 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 677.2460 FOUR SMOKING GUYS set in 2016.
- old record 677.2460
- set 2016 by FOUR SMOKING GUYS
New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton 2017
Aug 12–13, 2017 · New London, CT · 📍 New Waterfront Park
PADDY MCQ'S won Grand Champion at the New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton on August 12, 2017 in New London, CT at New Waterfront Park, scoring 683.4284 in a field of 14 teams. JOHN'S TWISTED Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 673.0972. Category winners: Chicken — PADDY MCQ'S (175.4056); Pork Ribs — ACK-QUE (175.4400); Pork — FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY (176.5828); Brisket — FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY (175.4400). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by FOUR SMOKING GUYS.
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.
563.92
median 655.43
683.43 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.41
- Pork Ribs 175.44
- Pork 176.58
- Brisket 175.44
126.83
176.58
Entries
14
4 judged meats
Top score
683.4284
Winning margin
10.3312
GC over RC
Field average
642.70
563.92683.43
median 655.43 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
6.8228 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
634.8116
563.92683.43
10th place overall
Field spread
119.5088
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 85%
beats 15% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
36%
9 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.63 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,552
avg power rating going in · stronger than 39% of contests
Storylines (9 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
22-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 78 times in 100
PADDY MCQ'S came in rated below the field's top team, Rogue Hog BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 22-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1571
- top seed 1792
A first Grand Championship
23
tracked contests to get there
This was PADDY MCQ'S's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 23rd tracked contest.
A statement win
10.3312
points clear of the field
Wider than 89% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.3312 points — a wider margin than 89% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 3 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY edged FOUR SMOKING GUYS by 0.0116. Pork places 3–4: PADDY MCQ'S edged BIG ROCK BBQ by 0.0116. Chicken places 5–6: TWO LITTLE PIGS BBQ EAST edged BIG ROCK BBQ by 0.0572.
- Chicken 9–10 · 0.0116
- Pork 3–4 · 0.0116
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0572
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY won Pork, Brisket — a double.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
PADDY MCQ'S took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 5th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 4th
A contest record in pork
176.5828
best pork ever cooked here
FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY turned in 176.5828 in pork — past the 172.0228 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 172.0228
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: FOUR SMOKING GUYS (won 2016).
- FOUR SMOKING GUYS · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2016 | New London, CT | New London Waterfront Park | 25 | 677.2460 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | Rogue Hog BBQ |
| Aug 12, 2017 ← this one | New London, CT | New Waterfront Park | 14 | 683.4284 | PADDY MCQ'S | JOHN'S TWISTED Q |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4056 | 167.4400 | 160.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 168.6172 | 157.7144 |
| Pork | 176.5828 | 165.1544 | 159.3944 |
| Brisket | 175.4400 | 165.1312 | 152.5600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
14 entries · top 683.4284 · median 655.4290
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 2 | JOHN'S TWISTED Q | |
| 3 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | |
| 4 | BIG ROCK BBQ | |
| 5 | ACK-QUE | |
| 6 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 7 | BACKDRAFT BAR-B-Q CT | |
| 8 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 9 | BEVERAGE BROTHERS | |
| 10 | TWO LITTLE PIGS BBQ EAST | |
| 11 | Black Dog BBQ | |
| 12 | Hoof Hearted | |
| 13 | BACKYARD SMOKERS | |
| 14 | Smokin Skulls BBQ |
Chicken
14 entries · top 175.4056 · median 165.4230
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 2 | JOHN'S TWISTED Q | |
| 3 | Black Dog BBQ | |
| 4 | ACK-QUE | |
| 5 | TWO LITTLE PIGS BBQ EAST | |
| 6 | BIG ROCK BBQ | |
| 7 | BEVERAGE BROTHERS | |
| 8 | BACKDRAFT BAR-B-Q CT | |
| 9 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | |
| 10 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 11 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 12 | BACKYARD SMOKERS | |
| 13 | Hoof Hearted | |
| 14 | Smokin Skulls BBQ |
Pork Ribs
14 entries · top 175.4400 · median 162.5544
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ACK-QUE | |
| 2 | JOHN'S TWISTED Q | |
| 3 | BACKDRAFT BAR-B-Q CT | |
| 4 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 5 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 6 | Hoof Hearted | |
| 7 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 8 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | |
| 9 | BIG ROCK BBQ | |
| 10 | TWO LITTLE PIGS BBQ EAST | |
| 11 | Black Dog BBQ | |
| 12 | BACKYARD SMOKERS | |
| 13 | BEVERAGE BROTHERS | |
| 14 | Smokin Skulls BBQ |
Pork
14 entries · top 176.5828 · median 161.4230
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | |
| 2 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 3 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 4 | BIG ROCK BBQ | |
| 5 | BACKDRAFT BAR-B-Q CT | |
| 6 | TWO LITTLE PIGS BBQ EAST | |
| 7 | BEVERAGE BROTHERS | |
| 8 | Black Dog BBQ | |
| 9 | ACK-QUE | |
| 10 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 11 | JOHN'S TWISTED Q | |
| 12 | BACKYARD SMOKERS | |
| 13 | Smokin Skulls BBQ | |
| 14 | Hoof Hearted |
Brisket
14 entries · top 175.4400 · median 161.4000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | |
| 2 | BIG ROCK BBQ | |
| 3 | JOHN'S TWISTED Q | |
| 4 | PADDY MCQ'S | |
| 5 | ACK-QUE | |
| 6 | FOUR SMOKING GUYS | |
| 7 | Rogue Hog BBQ | |
| 8 | BACKDRAFT BAR-B-Q CT | |
| 9 | BEVERAGE BROTHERS | |
| 10 | Hoof Hearted | |
| 11 | TWO LITTLE PIGS BBQ EAST | |
| 12 | Smokin Skulls BBQ | |
| 13 | Black Dog BBQ | |
| 14 | BACKYARD SMOKERS |