A razor-thin finish
0.5368
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 93% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5368 points — closer than 93% of every championship in the data.
- HOGLINE
- 4 LEGS UP BBQ
Smoke in the Spring 2018
Apr 6–7, 2018 · Osage City, KS · 📍 517 South 1st St (Jones Park)
HOGLINE won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Spring on April 6, 2018 in Osage City, KS at 517 South 1st St (Jones Park), scoring 699.3712 in a field of 103 teams. 4 LEGS UP BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 698.8344. Category winners: Chicken — HOGLINE (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SONS OF A BRISKET (178.2972); Pork — Fergolicious BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — PURPLE SHADOW (179.4400). This is the 6th of 14 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by CLARK CREW BBQ; the next was held in 2020.
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.
461.63
median 661.67
699.37 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 179.44
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
103
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
699.3712
Winning margin
0.5368
GC over RC
Field average
652.13
461.63699.37
median 661.67 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
692.4684
461.63699.37
10th place overall
Field spread
237.7364
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 36%
beats 64% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
58%
58 of 100 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,598
avg power rating going in · stronger than 76% 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
24-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 76 times in 100
Hogline came in rated below the field's top team, CLARK CREW BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1811
- top seed 2007
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- HOGLINE · Chicken
- Fergolicious BBQ · Pork
- PORKY BUTTS BBQ · Pork
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 14 tracked editions
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 14 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
A knife fight at the top
4.0228
points across the top five
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.0228 points — 2 teams sat within a single point of the lead.
- 1st HOGLINE
- 2nd 4 LEGS UP BBQ
- 3rd SONS OF A BRISKET
- 4th B-S BBQ OUTLAWS
- 5th BOOMERANG BBQ
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 18 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: B-S BBQ OUTLAWS and BOOMERANG BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: BOOMERANG BBQ and JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 and SKUNK RIVER BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
HOGLINE took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 31st.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 31st
- Pork 9th
- Brisket 9th
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: GRILLIN' BEAVERS (won 2013), CLARK CREW BBQ (won 2016, 2017).
- GRILLIN' BEAVERS · 2013
- CLARK CREW BBQ · 2016, 2017
One of the big ones
103
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 98% of the 5,468 contests in the data
103 teams — bigger than 98% of the 5,468 contests in the data.
This contest's own records (3 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 2013 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS | 71 | 685.7142 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | PELLET ENVY |
| Apr 11, 2014 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS 66523 | 73 | 689.6916 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ |
| Apr 10, 2015 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS 66523 | 97 | 698.2516 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | SMOKE N BABES BBQ |
| Apr 8, 2016 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS | 109 | 700.5144 | CLARK CREW BBQ | LUCKY'S Q |
| Apr 7, 2017 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st St (Jones Park) | 100 | 700.0116 | CLARK CREW BBQ | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Apr 6, 2018 ← this one | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st St (Jones Park) | 103 | 699.3712 | HOGLINE | 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
| Oct 30, 2020 | Osage City, KS | Jones Park (in Osage City) | 93 | 706.2744 | Tebo Creek BBQ | TRIPLE H BBQ |
| Apr 9, 2021 | Osage City, KS | Jones Park (in Osage City) | 105 | 703.4400 | Piggin Whiskey O.G. | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 94 | 700.0228 | Last Call Heroes BBQ | HIGH i QUE |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 103 | 707.9772 | Janky Leg BBQ | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 97 | 706.2628 | Burnt Trees | Damn Fine Beef & Swine |
| Apr 11, 2025 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 92 | 708.6060 | Parts 'R' Smokin | Cow Creek BBQ |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 101 | 709.7028 | Blind Fox BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 177.7028 | 176.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 176 | 174.8800 |
| Pork | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.8572 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 174.8572 | 174.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
103 entries · top 699.3712 · median 661.6684
Chicken
103 entries · top 180 · median 167.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
101 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.8572
Pork
103 entries · top 180 · median 165.7028 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
102 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.1142
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
28 entries · top 180 · median 178.8572 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Kids 10 & Younger
10 entries · top 160.5716 · median 153.3886
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Landon Elliott | |
| 2 | Hunter Hoisington | |
| 3 | Rylee Williams | |
| 4 | Abigail Richardson | |
| 5 | Tyler Hoisington | |
| 6 | Bentlie Masters | |
| 7 | Charlotte Woodworth | |
| 8 | Cheyenne Evans | |
| 9 | Rylie Fischer | |
| 10 | Abigail Messinger |
Master Series — Kids 11 & Above
8 entries · top 176 · median 149.1428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gracie Blackford | |
| 2 | Hailey Habersut | |
| 3 | Noah James | |
| 4 | Miles Bohlander | |
| 5 | Lilly Howard | |
| 6 | Will Fischer | |
| 7 | Tristen Hoisington | |
| 8 | Lexie Leisner |
Master Series — Pork Loin
67 entries · top 177.7144 · median 159.4056