A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 7 tracked editions
GREY STREET BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2017
- 2019
Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival 2018
Aug 17–18, 2018 · Madison, IN · 📍 Broadway and Vaughn St
THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ won Grand Champion at the Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival on August 17, 2018 in Madison, IN at Broadway and Vaughn St, scoring 701.6456 in a field of 54 teams. GREY STREET BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 699.3600. Category winners: Chicken — BLUE CHIP BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SMOKE FREAKS (178.8572); Pork — THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC (180.0000). This is the 4th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by GREY STREET 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.
611.77
median 669.03
701.65 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 180 🔥
141.06
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
54
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
701.6456
Winning margin
2.2856
GC over RC
Field average
664.26
611.77701.65
median 669.03 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
685.6116
611.77701.65
10th place overall
Field spread
89.8744
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 27%
beats 73% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
58%
32 of 55 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,587
avg power rating going in · stronger than 69% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC and WHISKEY WHISKERS BBQ COMPANY tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ and GREY STREET BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS and WEQ4U tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
- Pork 9–10 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 10th.
- Chicken 10th
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 6th
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8572
best pork ribs ever cooked here
SMOKE FREAKS turned in 178.8572 in pork ribs — past the 177.7144 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7144
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: GREY STREET BBQ (won 2017).
- GREY STREET BBQ · 2017
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC · Brisket
- BLUE CHIP BBQ · Chicken
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 15, 2014 | Madison, IN | Madison, IN 47250 | 60 | 689.6684 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | ONE2BBQ |
| Aug 21, 2015 | Madison, IN | Madison, IN 47250 | 64 | 691.3484 | BARK BROTHERS BBQ | EAT MOR BUTT BBQ |
| Aug 18, 2017 | Madison, IN | Madison, IN | 55 | 701.6456 | GREY STREET BBQ | EXTRA MILE BBQ |
| Aug 17, 2018 ← this one | Madison, IN | Broadway and Vaughn St | 54 | 701.6456 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | GREY STREET BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2019 | Madsion, IN | Broadway and Vaughn St | 47 | 702.8228 | Grey Street BBQ | BLUE CHIP BBQ |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Madison, IN | 601 W First St. | 43 | 698.2400 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | SMOKE-N-PEPPERS |
| Aug 19, 2022 | Madison, IN | 100 Broadway Street | 45 | 703.3944 | Blue Chip BBQ | CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4056 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 171.9772 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 175.4056 | 173.1200 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176.5600 | 173.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
54 entries · top 701.6456 · median 669.0286
Chicken
54 entries · top 180 · median 168.5256 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
54 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.1030
Pork
54 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2342
Brisket
54 entries · top 180 · median 167.3828 · 🔥 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 — Anything But
19 entries · top 180 · median 169.1544 · 🔥 perfect 180
Master Series — Dessert
22 entries · top 180 · median 174.5542 · 🔥 perfect 180