A new contest record
701.6684
highest overall ever cooked here
701.6684 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 687.3256 SMOKIN T'S set in 2013.
- old record 687.3256
- set 2013 by SMOKIN T'S
Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest 2018
Aug 17–18, 2018 · Cape Girardeau, MO · 📍 Arena Park
BYO GRILL won Grand Champion at the Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest on August 17, 2018 in Cape Girardeau, MO at Arena Park, scoring 701.6684 in a field of 44 teams. OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6684. Category winners: Chicken — OUTSIDERS BBQ (176.5828); Pork Ribs — GOOD GRIEF BBQ (176.5944); Pork — OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE (177.7028); Brisket — OUTSIDERS BBQ (176.5600). This is the 5th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by OUTLAW HAWGS 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.
581.55
median 650.47
701.67 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.58
- Pork Ribs 176.59
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 176.56
127.90
177.70
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
44
4 judged meats
Top score
701.6684
Winning margin
8
GC over RC
Field average
647.37
581.55701.67
median 650.47 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
1.7028 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
677.1084
581.55701.67
10th place overall
Field spread
120.1144
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 27%
beats 73% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
47%
20 of 43 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.7 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,542
avg power rating going in · stronger than 31% of contests
Storylines (7 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.
An upset on the books
24-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 76 times in 100
BYO GRILL came in rated below the field's top team, RAZORRACKS, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1600
- top seed 1804
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BYO GRILL won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 3rd
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 7 tracked editions
OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2017
- 2019
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: RAZORRACKS and Ridge Top Smokin' Section tied on 174.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: Heavy Smoke BBQ and BYO GRILL tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE and BYO GRILL tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
OUTSIDERS BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE (won 2016), OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ (won 2017).
- OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE · 2016
- OUTLAW HAWGS 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2013 | Cape Girardeau, MO | Cape Girardeau, MO | 56 | 687.3256 | SMOKIN T'S | 4 SMOKIN' BUTTS |
| Aug 21, 2015 | Cape Girardeau, MO | Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 | 58 | 682.2856 | Hot Mess BBQ | BREWMASTERS BAR-B-QUE |
| Aug 19, 2016 | Cape Girardeau, MO | Arena Park | 51 | 683.9196 | OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE | FIRE DANCER BBQ |
| Aug 18, 2017 | Cape Girardeau, MO | Arena Park | 43 | 685.6800 | OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ | Organizer Portal |
| Aug 17, 2018 ← this one | Cape Girardeau, MO | Arena Park | 44 | 701.6684 | BYO GRILL | OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE |
| Aug 16, 2019 | Cape Girardeau, MO | 410 Kiwanis dr. | 45 | 701.6456 | Outlaw Hawgs BBQ | Heavy Smoke BBQ |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Cape Girardeau, MO | 410 Kiwanis dr. | 27 | 682.7312 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5828 | 174.2972 | 171.4056 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5944 | 172.5600 | 169.1200 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 176 | 171.4056 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 173.7372 | 170.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
44 entries · top 701.6684 · median 650.4686
Chicken
44 entries · top 176.5828 · median 165.1086
Pork Ribs
44 entries · top 176.5944 · median 163.4288
Pork
44 entries · top 177.7028 · median 162.5428
Brisket
44 entries · top 176.5600 · median 159.1142