A stacked field
1635
average power rating going in
Stronger than 92% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1635 power rating going in — stronger than 92% of every contest tracked.
- top seed BIG POPPA SMOKERS (1986)
- 47 rated teams
Arizona National BBQ Stampede 2018
Dec 28–29, 2018 · Phoenix, AZ · 📍 1826 W McDowell RD
Prize money: $10,000
BOOMERANG BBQ won Grand Champion at the Arizona National BBQ Stampede on December 28, 2018 in Phoenix, AZ at 1826 W McDowell RD, scoring 705.6912 in a field of 47 teams. BIG POPPA SMOKERS took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.1200. Category winners: Chicken — ROOFTOP BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — BOOMERANG BBQ (178.2972); Pork — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (179.4400); Brisket — BOOMERANG BBQ (175.4056). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; 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.
589.03
median 673.57
705.69 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 175.41
137.71
179.44
Entries
47
4 judged meats
Top score
705.6912
Winning margin
4.5712
GC over RC
Field average
666.33
589.03705.69
median 673.57 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
1.7028 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.9312
589.03705.69
10th place overall
Field spread
116.6624
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 12%
beats 88% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.62 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,635
avg power rating going in · stronger than 92% 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 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: KNIFE PORK AND SPOON and Lip S-Macn BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Lip S-Macn BBQ and BAD BOYZ BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: BAD BOYZ BBQ and TOOT & STINKY'S CALI-Q tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
BOOMERANG BBQ won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BOOMERANG BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 9th.
- Chicken 9th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 1st
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 28, 2018 ← this one | Phoenix, AZ | 1826 W McDowell RD | 47 | 705.6912 | Boomerang BBQ | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| Dec 27, 2019 | Phoenix, AZ | 1826 W McDowell RD | 44 | 700.5028 | Big Poppa Smokers | SHIG NINJA BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 173.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 176 | 174.2856 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 177.7028 | 173.7028 |
| Brisket | 175.4056 | 173.7028 | 170.8344 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
47 entries · top 705.6912 · median 673.5652
Chicken
47 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.4056
Pork Ribs
47 entries · top 178.2972 · median 168.0116
Pork
47 entries · top 179.4400 · median 166.8456
Brisket
47 entries · top 175.4056 · median 165.1200