A new contest record
698.2056
highest overall ever cooked here
698.2056 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 695.3716 SLAPS BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 695.3716
- set 2017 by SLAPS BBQ
Hog Wild West BBQ Contest 2018
Sep 7–8, 2018 · Leavenworth, KS · 📍 2nd Cherokee
THE SMOKING HILLS won Grand Champion at the Hog Wild West BBQ Contest on September 7, 2018 in Leavenworth, KS at 2nd Cherokee, scoring 698.2056 in a field of 25 teams. 4 LEGS UP BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9428. Category winners: Chicken — SALT CREEK BAR-B-QUE (178.8572); Pork Ribs — SLAPS BBQ (176.0000); Pork — THE SMOKING HILLS (180.0000); Brisket — GEO SMOKERS (177.7372). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by SLAPS 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.
576.32
median 652.96
698.21 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 176
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 177.74
122.17
180
Entries
25
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
698.2056
Winning margin
2.2628
GC over RC
Field average
649.71
576.32698.21
median 652.96 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
667.3488
576.32698.21
10th place overall
Field spread
121.8856
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 42%
beats 58% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
44%
11 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.7 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,560
avg power rating going in · stronger than 46% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 5–6: INDIGO PIG and DROP THE MIKE tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: SMOKIN GUNS BBQ and SALT CREEK BAR-B-QUE tied on 173.1544 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 5–6: SMOKIN GUNS BBQ and JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 tied on 169.6684 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · tie
- Brisket 6–7 · 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 brisket at 4th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 4th
A contest record in brisket
177.7372
best brisket ever cooked here
GEO SMOKERS turned in 177.7372 in brisket — past the 176.5828 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5828
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SLAPS BBQ (won 2017).
- SLAPS BBQ · 2017
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 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 8, 2017 | Leavenworth, KS | 2nd Cherokee | 25 | 695.3716 | SLAPS BBQ | Fergolicious BBQ |
| Sep 7, 2018 ← this one | Leavenworth, KS | 2nd Cherokee | 25 | 698.2056 | THE SMOKING HILLS | 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 171.9772 | 169.6684 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 171.4056 | 165.0972 |
| Pork | 180 | 174.2628 | 166.2972 |
| Brisket | 177.7372 | 169.6684 | 165.0972 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 698.2056 · median 652.9596
Chicken
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.5600
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 176 · median 163.9772
Pork
25 entries · top 180 · median 162.8116 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
25 entries · top 177.7372 · median 159.3828
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
9 entries · top 177.1428 · median 171.4400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | INDIGO PIG | |
| 2 | Ribbed for her Pleasure | |
| 3 | Misfits of LV BBQ | |
| 4 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ 2.0 | |
| 5 | AM & PM SMOKERS | |
| 6 | GRINDERS BBQ KANSAS CITY | |
| 7 | SERVQUE Paul Goode | |
| 8 | RUB THAT MEAT BBQ | |
| 9 | Depot NachbarBQ |