A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 7 tracked editions
WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2019
- 2023
The War of Barbeque 2018
Mar 24–25, 2018 · Noventa di Piave, Italy · ITALY
BROS HOG won Grand Champion at The War of Barbeque on March 24, 2018 in Noventa di Piave, 30020, scoring 696.5484 in a field of 18 teams. DRAGON BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 687.4172. Category winners: Chicken — Suqulento (177.1544); Pork Ribs — ITALIAN STYLE BBQ TEAM (173.1544); Pork — BROS HOG (180.0000); Brisket — BROS HOG (176.5600). This is the 1st of 7 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2019.
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.
607.76
median 665.61
696.55 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.15
- Pork Ribs 173.15
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176.56
135.83
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2018 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
18
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
696.5484
Winning margin
9.1312
GC over RC
Field average
664.24
607.76696.55
median 665.61 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
5.1772 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
664.4456
607.76696.55
10th place overall
Field spread
88.7884
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 47%
beats 53% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.64 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,517
avg power rating going in · stronger than 12% 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 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 5–6: STICKY FINGERS BARBECUE TEAM and BROS HOG tied on 167.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: BURROS BBQ and SMOKE'N'FIRE BBQ TEAM tied on 165.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 4–5: STICKY FINGERS BARBECUE TEAM and SMOKE'N'FIRE BBQ TEAM tied on 170.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Brisket 4–5 · tie
- Brisket 2–3 · 0.0112
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
BROS HOG 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
BROS HOG took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 6th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 6th
- 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.
- BROS HOG · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 2018 ← this one | Noventa di Piave | Noventa di Piave, 30020 | 18 | 696.5484 | BROS HOG | DRAGON BBQ |
| Jun 22, 2019 | Jesolo, Venezia | Jesolo, Venezia, 300257 | 19 | 683.3140 | WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ | EGGHEAD-BARBECUE |
| Jun 18, 2022 | Isola della Scala (VR) | Isola della Scala (VR), 300257 | 15 | 697.0972 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ TEAM | LUNA SMOKE - Italy |
| Jul 1, 2023 | Isola della Scala (VR) | Isola della Scala (VR), 300257 | 15 | 693.0512 | White Squirrel BBQ | BUNCH OF SWINES |
| Jun 15, 2024 | Peschiera del Garda | Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | 17 | 703.9888 | Justice BBQ | Smoky Cotte |
| Jun 14, 2025 | Peschiera del Garda | Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | 20 | 701.7260 | Average Joe BBQ Team | Bad Influence BBQ - MO |
| Jun 20, 2026 | Peschiera del Garda | Peschiera del Garda | 25 | 707.3944 | Smoky Cotte | Smoking Butcher |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1544 | 171.9772 | 167.4284 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.1544 | 167.9656 | 165.1200 |
| Pork | 180 | 174.2972 | 167.3940 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 170.2628 | 166.2400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
18 entries · top 696.5484 · median 665.6058
Chicken
18 entries · top 177.1544 · median 167.7314
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 173.1544 · median 165.1200
Pork
18 entries · top 180 · median 167.9598 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
18 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.5314
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 — Dessert
7 entries · top 180 · median 177.7028 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GRILLER UNCHAINED | |
| 2 | STICKY FINGERS BARBECUE TEAM | |
| 3 | ITALIAN STYLE BBQ TEAM | |
| 4 | SALZBURGER BBQ BULLS, AUSTRIA | |
| 5 | Suqulento | |
| 6 | BURROS BBQ | |
| 7 | FRIULI VIOLENT GRILLERS |
Master Series — Mistery Box
9 entries · top 180 · median 165.0856 · 🔥 perfect 180