A new contest record
694.8000
highest overall ever cooked here
694.8000 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 692.5372 MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ. set in 2017.
- old record 692.5372
- set 2017 by MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ.
Silicon Valley BBQ Championship 2018
Jun 22–23, 2018 · Santa Clara, CA · 📍 909 Kiely Blvd
BURNIN AND LOOTIN won Grand Champion at the Silicon Valley BBQ Championship on June 22, 2018 in Santa Clara, CA at 909 Kiely Blvd, scoring 694.8000 in a field of 49 teams. BONE RUBBIN BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 683.9540. Category winners: Chicken — PIRATES OF THE PIG (177.1772); Pork Ribs — BURNIN AND LOOTIN (176.0000); Pork — Smokey and the Pirate (177.7028); Brisket — THE SMOKING HILLS (177.7028). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ.; 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.
458.83
median 654.82
694.80 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.18
- Pork Ribs 176
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 177.70
20
177.70
Entries
49
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
694.8000
Winning margin
10.8460
GC over RC
Field average
643.89
458.83694.80
median 654.82 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7372 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
677.6460
458.83694.80
10th place overall
Field spread
235.9656
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 55%
beats 45% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
58%
36 of 62 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.7 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,586
avg power rating going in · stronger than 68% 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.
A statement win
10.8460
points clear of the field
Wider than 89% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.8460 points — a wider margin than 89% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: PIRATES OF THE PIG and BULL MARKET BBQ tied on 177.1772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: Sharpe's Woodshed and THE SMOKING HILLS tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: THE SMOKING HILLS and BURNIN AND LOOTIN tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
BURNIN AND LOOTIN took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 13th.
- Chicken 8th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 13th
A contest record in chicken
177.1772
best chicken ever cooked here
PIRATES OF THE PIG turned in 177.1772 in chicken — 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: MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ. (won 2017).
- MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ. · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2017 | Santa Clara, CA | 909 Kiely Blvd | 62 | 692.5372 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ. | PORTERHOUSE BBQ |
| Jun 22, 2018 ← this one | Santa Clara, CA | 909 Kiely Blvd | 49 | 694.8000 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | BONE RUBBIN BBQ |
| Jun 21, 2019 | Santa Clara, CA | 909 Kiely Blvd | — | — | — | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO |
| Jun 18, 2021 | Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1772 | 175.4400 | 173.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 170.8572 | 166.8800 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 173.7028 | 171.4516 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 169.6800 | 166.8572 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
49 entries · top 694.8000 · median 654.8228
Chicken
49 entries · top 177.1772 · median 166.2400
Pork Ribs
49 entries · top 176 · median 161.6684
Pork
49 entries · top 177.7028 · median 163.9656
Brisket
49 entries · top 177.7028 · median 161.1544
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 — Backyard
32 entries · top 326.2744 · median 295.6056
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
31 entries · top 167.9772 · median 143.9084
Master Series — Backyard Tri-Tip
32 entries · top 171.4516 · median 149.9828