A statement win
9.6796
points clear of the field
Wider than 85% of the 4,742 championships in the data
The champion won by 9.6796 points — a wider margin than 85% of championships in the data.
10th Annual Big Island BBQ
2017-08-25 – 2017-08-26 · Albert Lea, MN · 📍 Freeborn County Fairgrounds
Grand Champion: THE SMOKING HILLS (700.5140) · 56 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 SPITFIRE
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.
150.23
median 656.15
700.51 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180.00 🔥
- Pork Ribs 177.70
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 175.41
100.27
180.00
Entries
56
4 judged meats · 6 ancillary
Top score
700.5140
Winning margin
9.6796
GC over RC
Field average
611.54
150.23700.51
median 656.15 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
1.6684 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.6228
150.23700.51
10th place overall
Field spread
550.2856
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 31%
beats 69% of 4707 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.63 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1567
avg power rating going in · stronger than 52% 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 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: NECTAR OF THE HOGS and GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: HOGLINE and R BUTTS R SMOKIN tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 8–9: THE Q CREW and DOWNHOME COOKIN & BBQ tied on 170.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
- Pork 8–9 · tie
- Brisket 3–4 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE SMOKING HILLS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 8th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 6th
One of the big ones
56
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 90% of the 5,410 contests in the data
56 teams made this a bigger field than 90% of every contest tracked.
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.
- THE SMOKING HILLS · Chicken
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 175.4400 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 173.1544 | 170.2860 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 175.4056 | 170.8344 |
| Brisket | 175.4056 | 173.7372 | 170.8572 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
56 entries · top 700.5140 · median 656.1484
Chicken
53 entries · top 180.0000 · median 168.6056 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
54 entries · top 177.7028 · median 164.5658
Pork
51 entries · top 177.7144 · median 165.1316
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SPITFIRE | |
| 2 | GRUMPY OLD MEN BBQ | |
| 3 | HOGLINE | |
| 4 | R BUTTS R SMOKIN | |
| 5 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 6 | MASTERTECH BBQ | |
| 7 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | |
| 8 | THE Q CREW | |
| 9 | DOWNHOME COOKIN & BBQ | |
| 10 | ACES HIGH BBQ | |
| 11 | THUMP & STRUM BBQ | |
| 12 | SCORCHED DECK BBQ | |
| 13 | THE TWISTED TAIL | |
| 14 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 15 | BARK 'N BONES BBQ | |
| 16 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | |
| 17 | BSQ'S | |
| 18 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 19 | THE DOCFATHER BBQ | |
| 20 | SMOKIN JOE'S BBQ | |
| 21 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 22 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 23 | Taste of Texas | |
| 24 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES | |
| 25 | BIG AL'S GHETTO HOGS | |
| 26 | Smokin' G's BBQ | |
| 27 | Three Brothers Different Mothers | |
| 28 | Zach's Bachelor Party Without Zach | |
| 29 | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA | |
| 30 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 31 | FNG BBQ | |
| 32 | SCHWEBS BBQ | |
| 33 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 34 | DIGGERS PIGGERS | |
| 35 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 36 | CASE OF RIBS | |
| 37 | Butts & Racks BBQ | |
| 38 | MONKEYS' UNCLES BBQ | |
| 39 | T-ROY'S BBQ | |
| 40 | SWEET SMOKE RING BBQ | |
| 41 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 42 | C.I.A. Meat Inspectors | |
| 43 | DRY 2 DA BONE | |
| 44 | Porchy's | |
| 45 | SMOKIN BONES - MN | |
| 46 | SCHOO'S BBQ | |
| 47 | Shug's BBQ | |
| 48 | Looney Q | |
| 49 | 3 THIRDS BBQ | |
| 50 | Q Fanatic BBQ | |
| 51 | MEATO BANDITOS |
Brisket
51 entries · top 175.4056 · median 164.0344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | |
| 2 | Three Brothers Different Mothers | |
| 3 | THE TWISTED TAIL | |
| 4 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 5 | Zach's Bachelor Party Without Zach | |
| 6 | THE SMOKING HILLS | |
| 7 | CASE OF RIBS | |
| 8 | ACES HIGH BBQ | |
| 9 | SPITFIRE | |
| 10 | DRY 2 DA BONE | |
| 11 | R BUTTS R SMOKIN | |
| 12 | HOGLINE | |
| 13 | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA | |
| 14 | THE DOCFATHER BBQ | |
| 15 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 16 | THUMP & STRUM BBQ | |
| 17 | SCORCHED DECK BBQ | |
| 18 | MASTERTECH BBQ | |
| 19 | BARK 'N BONES BBQ | |
| 20 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | |
| 21 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 22 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 23 | BSQ'S | |
| 24 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 25 | T-ROY'S BBQ | |
| 26 | Porchy's | |
| 27 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 28 | Butts & Racks BBQ | |
| 29 | THE Q CREW | |
| 30 | MONKEYS' UNCLES BBQ | |
| 31 | GRUMPY OLD MEN BBQ | |
| 32 | SWEET SMOKE RING BBQ | |
| 33 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES | |
| 34 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 35 | Q Fanatic BBQ | |
| 36 | DOWNHOME COOKIN & BBQ | |
| 37 | FNG BBQ | |
| 38 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 39 | SMOKIN BONES - MN | |
| 40 | Beauty and the Beast | |
| 41 | DIGGERS PIGGERS | |
| 42 | SMOKIN JOE'S BBQ | |
| 43 | BIG AL'S GHETTO HOGS | |
| 44 | Smokin' G's BBQ | |
| 45 | 3 THIRDS BBQ | |
| 46 | SCHWEBS BBQ | |
| 47 | Taste of Texas | |
| 48 | MEATO BANDITOS | |
| 49 | Looney Q | |
| 50 | C.I.A. Meat Inspectors | |
| 51 | Shug's 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 — Chili
13 entries · top 174.2628 · median 160.5256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CASE OF RIBS | |
| 2 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 3 | Hope Church -1 | |
| 4 | Rawhide | |
| 5 | Beauty and the Beast | |
| 6 | Lost Creek | |
| 7 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 8 | Hope Church -2 | |
| 9 | Shug's BBQ | |
| 10 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 11 | 3 THIRDS BBQ | |
| 12 | MEATO BANDITOS | |
| 13 | Lucky Charms |
Master Series — Dessert
12 entries · top 178.8572 · median 173.1658
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 2 | Smokin Bros -2 | |
| 3 | Farm Boy BBQ -2 | |
| 4 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 5 | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA | |
| 6 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 7 | BIG AL'S GHETTO HOGS | |
| 8 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 9 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 10 | THE Q CREW | |
| 11 | C.I.A. Meat Inspectors | |
| 12 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES |
Master Series — Kid'S Que -11-15
2 entries · top 176.5716 · median 170.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wes Dockendorf | |
| 2 | Jessica Watson |
Master Series — Kid'S Que -7-10
6 entries · top 176.0228 · median 166.8514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Easton Lunning | |
| 2 | Elyse Brown | |
| 3 | Avery Ebeling | |
| 4 | Reece Brown | |
| 5 | Evie Lunning | |
| 6 | Shelbie Dahlen |
Master Series — Sauce
16 entries · top 174.8800 · median 163.9886
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokin' G's BBQ | |
| 2 | FULL BOAR BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 4 | KRUSTYZ COOKERY | |
| 5 | Full Boar BBQ -2 | |
| 6 | TRUE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 7 | SPITFIRE | |
| 8 | THE TWISTED TAIL | |
| 9 | CASE OF RIBS | |
| 10 | DIGGERS PIGGERS | |
| 11 | BSQ'S | |
| 12 | THE Q CREW | |
| 13 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 14 | Krustyz Cookery - 2 | |
| 15 | Krustyz Cookery -3 | |
| 16 | Lucky Charms |
Master Series — Sausage
8 entries · top 171.9772 · median 165.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokin Bros BBQ | |
| 2 | BLACK DOG BBQ IA | |
| 3 | MYASSIS SMOKIN | |
| 4 | SCORCHED DECK BBQ | |
| 5 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES | |
| 6 | FARMBOY BBQ | |
| 7 | Zach's Bachelor Party Without Zach | |
| 8 | Smokin' G's BBQ |