Aug 17–18, 2018 · Marshall, MN · 📍 1501 State Street
LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY won Grand Champion at the SMSU Smokefest on August 17, 2018 in Marshall, MN at 1501 State Street, scoring 689.0856 in a field of 40 teams. RUM N' SMOKE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 688.5256. Category winners: Chicken — LUCKY'S Q (178.8572); Pork Ribs — SHIGGIN & GRINNIN (175.4400); Pork — HOGLINE (177.7372); Brisket — REBEL FIRE QUE'N COMPANY (174.8456). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by BACKROADS BBQ; 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 2019 — 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.
Closer than 92% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5600 points — closer than 92% of every championship in the data.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 80 times in 100
LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY came in rated below the field's top team, LUCKY'S Q, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 20-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 2 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 3.4284 points — 2 teams sat within a single point of the lead.
Pork Ribs places 6–7: SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS and SMOKE IN THE EYE tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: MUSTANG SALLY BBQ and LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: MARBURG BROTHERS BBQ and RUM N' SMOKE BBQ tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SHIGGIN & GRINNIN (won 2016), BACKROADS BBQ (won 2017).
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2016 | Marshall, MN | 1501 State Street | 37 | 695.3712 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | LUCKY'S Q |
| Aug 18, 2017 | Marshall, MN | 1501 State Street | 41 | 687.9772 | BACKROADS BBQ | TIMBONE BARBECUE |
| Aug 17, 2018 ← this one | Marshall, MN | 1501 State Street | 40 | 689.0856 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | RUM N' SMOKE BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2019 | Marshall, MN | 1501 State Street | 46 | 697.0972 | Lucky's Q | BIGG SMOAK BBQ |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 172.0116 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 173.1200 | 169.1200 |
| Pork | 177.7372 | 173.7028 | 169.6800 |
| Brisket | 174.8456 | 172.5828 | 170.8228 |
40 entries · top 689.0856 · median 668.2058
40 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.9772
40 entries · top 175.4400 · median 166.5430
40 entries · top 177.7372 · median 167.4000
40 entries · top 174.8456 · median 165.7142