A new contest record
669.1656
highest overall ever cooked here
669.1656 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 666.9144 RED BOAR BBQ set in 2016.
- old record 666.9144
- set 2016 by RED BOAR BBQ
Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown 2017
Aug 12–13, 2017 · North Battleford, SK · CANADA · 📍 Jct. Highways 16&40
SMELLAQUE won Grand Champion at the Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown on August 12, 2017 in North Battleford, SK at Jct. Highways 16&40, scoring 669.1656 in a field of 18 teams. YOU NEED A BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 649.6684. Category winners: Chicken — SMELLAQUE (168.5828); Pork Ribs — BKBBQ (169.7372); Pork — BORDERTOWN BAR B QUE (177.1428); Brisket — ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS (174.2972). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by RED BOAR BBQ.
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.
595.43
median 631.88
669.17 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 168.58
- Pork Ribs 169.74
- Pork 177.14
- Brisket 174.30
134.27
177.14
Entries
18
4 judged meats
Top score
669.1656
Winning margin
19.4972
GC over RC
Field average
629.67
595.43669.17
median 631.88 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4284 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
631.8516
595.43669.17
10th place overall
Field spread
73.7368
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 97%
beats 3% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
76%
13 of 17 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.58 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,528
avg power rating going in · stronger than 20% 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.
A statement win
19.4972
points clear of the field
Wider than 99% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 19.4972 points — a wider margin than 99% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: J&J BBQ and MOTLEY QUE tied on 159.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: BEAR B QUE edged YOU NEED A BBQ by 0.0116. Chicken places 8–9: Rub Me Tender Crew edged J&J BBQ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · 0.0116
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0116
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMELLAQUE took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 6th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in brisket
174.2972
best brisket ever cooked here
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS turned in 174.2972 in brisket — past the 172.0228 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 172.0228
- across 1 past editions
They keep coming back
76%
of last edition’s field returned
13 of 17 teams from 2016-08-06 came back
13 of the 17 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 6, 2016 | North Battleford, Saskatchewan, CA | JCT of HWYS 16 & 40 | 17 | 666.9144 | RED BOAR BBQ | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ |
| Aug 12, 2017 ← this one | North Battleford, SK | Jct. Highways 16&40 | 18 | 669.1656 | SMELLAQUE | YOU NEED A BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 168.5828 | 165.1544 | 159.4400 |
| Pork Ribs | 169.7372 | 162.2972 | 158.2744 |
| Pork | 177.1428 | 162.8572 | 158.8800 |
| Brisket | 174.2972 | 158.2744 | 152.5600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
18 entries · top 669.1656 · median 631.8802
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 2 | YOU NEED A BBQ | |
| 3 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 4 | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 5 | BORDERTOWN BAR B QUE | |
| 6 | BKBBQ | |
| 7 | Through The Mud | |
| 8 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 9 | FROZEN TOQUE BBQ | |
| 10 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 11 | SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA | |
| 12 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 13 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 14 | J&J BBQ | |
| 15 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 16 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 17 | BARE STEEL BAR-B-KEW | |
| 18 | HILLSIDE SMOKE 'N QUE |
Chicken
18 entries · top 168.5828 · median 159.4400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 2 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 3 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 4 | YOU NEED A BBQ | |
| 5 | FROZEN TOQUE BBQ | |
| 6 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 7 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 8 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 9 | J&J BBQ | |
| 10 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 11 | HILLSIDE SMOKE 'N QUE | |
| 12 | BARE STEEL BAR-B-KEW | |
| 13 | BKBBQ | |
| 14 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 15 | SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA | |
| 16 | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 17 | Through The Mud | |
| 18 | BORDERTOWN BAR B QUE |
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 169.7372 · median 158.5658
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BKBBQ | |
| 2 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 3 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 4 | FROZEN TOQUE BBQ | |
| 5 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 6 | YOU NEED A BBQ | |
| 7 | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 8 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 9 | BORDERTOWN BAR B QUE | |
| 10 | J&J BBQ | |
| 11 | SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA | |
| 12 | Through The Mud | |
| 13 | HILLSIDE SMOKE 'N QUE | |
| 14 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 15 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 16 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 17 | BARE STEEL BAR-B-KEW | |
| 18 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ |
Pork
18 entries · top 177.1428 · median 159.4400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BORDERTOWN BAR B QUE | |
| 2 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 3 | SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA | |
| 4 | FROZEN TOQUE BBQ | |
| 5 | Through The Mud | |
| 6 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 7 | YOU NEED A BBQ | |
| 8 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 9 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 10 | J&J BBQ | |
| 11 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 12 | BKBBQ | |
| 13 | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 14 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 15 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 16 | HILLSIDE SMOKE 'N QUE | |
| 17 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 18 | BARE STEEL BAR-B-KEW |
Brisket
18 entries · top 174.2972 · median 152.8172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | |
| 2 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 3 | Through The Mud | |
| 4 | YOU NEED A BBQ | |
| 5 | The Devil Made Me Q It | |
| 6 | BKBBQ | |
| 7 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | |
| 8 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 9 | BORDERTOWN BAR B QUE | |
| 10 | BARE STEEL BAR-B-KEW | |
| 11 | SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA | |
| 12 | SAUCY DAWG BBQ | |
| 13 | GRILLBILLY BBQ | |
| 14 | Rub Me Tender Crew | |
| 15 | BEAR B QUE | |
| 16 | FROZEN TOQUE BBQ | |
| 17 | J&J BBQ | |
| 18 | HILLSIDE SMOKE 'N QUE |