Oct 26–27, 2018 · Osawatomie, KS · 📍 John Brown Memorial Park
BULL CREEK BBQ won Grand Champion at the Border War Barbeque on October 26, 2018 in Osawatomie, KS at John Brown Memorial Park, scoring 697.1428 in a field of 56 teams. PELLET ENVY took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.3944. Category winners: Chicken — SKUNK RIVER BBQ (177.7144); Pork Ribs — PELLET ENVY (178.8572); Pork — T-N-T QUE CREW (178.8572); Brisket — KC SMOKE DAWGS (180.0000). This is the 3rd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by PORK PULLERS; the next was held in 2019.
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 84 times in 100
BULL CREEK BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, DIRT ROAD BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 16-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
BULL CREEK BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 2 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
This was BULL CREEK BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 31st tracked contest.
Chicken places 2–3: BOXER Q BBQ and LOW LIFE BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: LOW LIFE BBQ and 777 BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: PORK PULLERS and SLAPS BBQ tied on 174.8688 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 913 BBQ (won 2016), PORK PULLERS (won 2017).
Bigger than 90% of the 5,462 contests in the data
56 teams — bigger than 90% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
This contest usually draws about 42 teams
56 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 42.
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 2016 | Osawatomie, KS | Osawatomie, KS | 38 | 695.3944 | 913 BBQ | BULL CREEK BBQ |
| Oct 27, 2017 | Osawatomie, KS | John Brown Memorial Park | 46 | 699.4284 | PORK PULLERS | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| Oct 26, 2018 ← this one | Osawatomie, KS | John Brown Memorial Park | 56 | 697.1428 | BULL CREEK BBQ | PELLET ENVY |
| Oct 25, 2019 | Osawatomie, KS | John Brown Memorial Park | 44 | 698.8116 | Tebo Creek BBQ | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Osawatomie, KS | John Brown Memorial Park | 30 | 705.7028 | All Forked Up For Q | SLAPS BBQ |
| Oct 21, 2022 | Osawatomie, KS | John Brown Memorial Park | 30 | 705.6800 | High i Que BBQ | Damn Fine Beef & Swine |
| Oct 18, 2024 | Osawatomie, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 176 | 172.5828 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 176.0116 | 174.2628 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 173.7144 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176 | 172.5600 |
56 entries · top 697.1428 · median 676.4970
56 entries · top 177.7144 · median 168.2456
56 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.9828
56 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2630
56 entries · top 180 · median 168.8342 · 🔥 perfect 180
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.
19 entries · top 180 · median 175.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BALDIN' SMOKIN' BANDITOS | |
| 2 | PIG NEWTON | |
| 3 | ROCK N BLUES BBQ | |
| 4 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | |
| 5 | Beer Belly BBQ | |
| 6 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | |
| 7 | Flamin M&Ms | |
| 8 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 9 | PUTTIN' IT IN YOUR MOUTH BBQ | |
| 10 | BOB'S BBQ | |
| 11 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 12 | Smoky Bottom Boys | |
| 13 | HOUSE'S BAR-B-QUE | |
| 14 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 15 | BIG AL AND THE BOYS BARBECUE | |
| 16 | Pine Tar BBQ | |
| 17 | Royal Smoke | |
| 18 | Meat Slingers | |
| 19 | Drunken Pigz BBQ |
28 entries · top 179.4400 · median 170.8514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irwin's Pit Crew | |
| 2 | BIG AL AND THE BOYS BARBECUE | |
| 3 | CHASE BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 4 | Smoky Bottom Boys | |
| 5 | ROCK N BLUES BBQ | |
| 6 | SKUNK RIVER BBQ | |
| 7 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 8 | Beer Belly BBQ | |
| 9 | BROWN STREET BBQ | |
| 10 | PARTS R SMOKIN | |
| 11 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | |
| 12 | Happy Grillmore | |
| 13 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | |
| 14 | PITT SMOKERS | |
| 15 | TWO GUYS AND A SMOKER | |
| 16 | Meat Slingers | |
| 17 | Good o'le Boys and Gale's | |
| 18 | Drunken Pigz BBQ | |
| 19 | Pine Tar BBQ | |
| 20 | Wildhouse BBQ | |
| 21 | Flamin M&Ms | |
| 22 | PUTTIN' IT IN YOUR MOUTH BBQ | |
| 23 | BALDIN' SMOKIN' BANDITOS | |
| 24 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 25 | Royal Smoke | |
| 26 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 27 | GRILLAS | |
| 28 | BOB'S BBQ |