A new contest record
705.1316
highest overall ever cooked here
705.1316 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.8572 DAD'S GRILLIN CREW set in 2016.
- old record 698.8572
- set 2016 by DAD'S GRILLIN CREW
BBQ & Blues on the Levee (JUDGES FULL) 2018
Oct 5–6, 2018 · Helena, AR · 📍 Walnut St.
Organizer Portal won Grand Champion at the BBQ & Blues on the Levee (JUDGES FULL) on October 5, 2018 in Helena, AR at Walnut St., scoring 705.1316 in a field of 25 teams. ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.0856. Category winners: Chicken — ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (178.8572); Pork Ribs — DAD'S GRILLIN CREW (177.7144); Pork — ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (175.4172); Brisket — Organizer Portal (177.7028). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by LONGNECK SIPPERS; 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.
289.70
median 654.14
705.13 🏆
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 177.71
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 177.70
137.10
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
25
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
705.1316
Winning margin
8.0460
GC over RC
Field average
628.00
289.70705.13
median 654.14 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
4.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.5540
289.70705.13
10th place overall
Field spread
415.4288
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 13%
beats 87% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
37%
11 of 30 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,574
avg power rating going in · stronger than 58% 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 8 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 8–9: Kermit's Ex and DELTA COMPANY BBQ tied on 167.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 2–3: HIGH ON THE HAWG and ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN tied on 172.5484 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: SMOKIN THROUGH THE NIGHT edged FAT, DRUNK & STUPID by 0.0112.
- Pork 8–9 · tie
- Brisket 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · 0.0112
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN won Chicken, Pork — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Organizer Portal took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 3rd.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
177.7028
best brisket ever cooked here
Organizer Portal turned in 177.7028 in brisket — past the 176.0000 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 176.0000
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: DAD'S GRILLIN CREW (won 2016), LONGNECK SIPPERS (won 2017).
- DAD'S GRILLIN CREW · 2016
- LONGNECK SIPPERS · 2017
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2016 | Helena, AR | Walnut St. | 21 | 698.8572 | DAD'S GRILLIN CREW | Sizziling Bones |
| Oct 6, 2017 | Helena, AR | Walnut St. | 30 | 695.9772 | LONGNECK SIPPERS | Organizer Portal |
| Oct 5, 2018 ← this one | Helena, AR | Walnut St. | 25 | 705.1316 | SMOKE ME SILLY | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
| Oct 11, 2019 | Helena, AR | Helena, AR 72342 | 20 | 704.5256 | Rooters N Tooters | FIRE DANCER BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 167.3828 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 170.8456 | 168.5372 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 170.8228 | 167.3944 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 170.8228 | 167.3828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 705.1316 · median 654.1368
Chicken
23 entries · top 178.8572 · median 163.9544
Pork Ribs
24 entries · top 177.7144 · median 166.5372
Pork
24 entries · top 175.4172 · median 165.3944
Brisket
25 entries · top 177.7028 · median 162.8228
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 — Sauce
13 entries · top 176.5600 · median 170.2628