A first Grand Championship
18
tracked contests to get there
This was MADDDOG'S BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 18th tracked contest.
The Great Northwest Barbecue & Beer Festival
Jul 13–14, 2018 · Coeur d' Alene, ID · 📍 420 E Front Ave
MADDDOG'S BBQ won Grand Champion at The Great Northwest Barbecue & Beer Festival on July 13, 2018 in Coeur d' Alene, ID at 420 E Front Ave, scoring 697.0740 in a field of 19 teams. Hoagie Smokes took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.9656. Category winners: Chicken — 509BBQ Crew (176.0228); Pork Ribs — Hoagie Smokes (178.3200); Pork — BOOTIES BBQ (177.7028); Brisket — MADDDOG'S BBQ (180.0000).
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.
584.50
median 667.92
697.07 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.02
- Pork Ribs 178.32
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 180 🔥
141.11
180
Entries
19
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
697.0740
Winning margin
5.1084
GC over RC
Field average
662.97
584.50697.07
median 667.92 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
667.9196
584.50697.07
10th place overall
Field spread
112.5712
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 46%
beats 54% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.5 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,523
avg power rating going in · stronger than 16% of contests
Storylines (4 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 6 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 5–6: DANCES WITH SMOKE BARBEQUE and A La Carte Family BBQ & Catering tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: SMOKIN FOOLS BBQ - WASHINGTON edged DANCES WITH SMOKE BARBEQUE by 0.0344. Pork Ribs places 4–5: HOLY SMOKES BBQ PNW edged THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES by 0.0344.
- Pork 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0344
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0344
- Pork 4–5 · 0.0344
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
MADDDOG'S BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 7th.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 7th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 1st
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.
- MADDDOG'S BBQ · Brisket
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.0228 | 170.8456 | 165.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.3200 | 171.4056 | 168.5372 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 174.2628 | 168 |
| Brisket | 180 | 173.1200 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
19 entries · top 697.0740 · median 667.9196
Chicken
19 entries · top 176.0228 · median 165.7028
Pork Ribs
19 entries · top 178.3200 · median 168.5372
Pork
19 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168
Brisket
19 entries · top 180 · median 169.6800 · 🔥 perfect 180
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 — Bacon
8 entries · top 174.8572 · median 156.2974
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MADDDOG'S BBQ | |
| 2 | HOLY SMOKES BBQ PNW | |
| 3 | SmokinPig | |
| 4 | G-PA D'S BBQ | |
| 5 | UpNSmokin BBQ | |
| 6 | A La Carte Family BBQ & Catering | |
| 7 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 8 | YOU NEED A BBQ |