A new contest record
698.8000
highest overall ever cooked here
698.8000 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 696.0228 A BOY & HIS BBQ set in 2014.
- old record 696.0228
- set 2014 by A BOY & HIS BBQ
Minnesota in May 2019
May 10–11, 2019 · 📍 3101 HWY 95 NE · State championship
Reps: Cindy Juhl, Debra Gage, Tom Juhl, William Gage · Prize money: $12,000
TOTALLY SAUCED won Grand Champion at the Minnesota in May on May 10, 2019 at 3101 HWY 95 NE, scoring 698.8000 in a field of 57 teams. HOGLINE took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9540. Category winners: Chicken — HOGLINE (178.8572); Pork Ribs — HOGLINE (177.7372); Pork — TOTALLY SAUCED (180.0000); Brisket — HOT DADDY'S BBQ (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by SchwonnyQue with 342.8800. This is the 7th of 15 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by EGGSPERT BBQ MINNESOTA; the next was held in 2021.
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.
468.53
median 668.54
698.80 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 178.86
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 177.74
- Master Series — Pork 180 🔥
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 177.18
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 173.71
107.14
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
57
6 judged meats
Top score
698.8000
Winning margin
2.8460
GC over RC
Field average
654.66
468.53698.80
median 668.54 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7144 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.3716
468.53698.80
10th place overall
Field spread
230.2740
winner to last place
Prize money
$12,000
on the line
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 39%
beats 61% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
46%
32 of 70 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.43 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,547
avg power rating going in · stronger than 36% of contests
Storylines (10 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
28-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
Totally Sauced came in rated below the field's top team, SHIGGIN & GRINNIN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1769
- top seed 1935
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 15 tracked editions
Hot Daddys BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 15 tracked editions.
- 2023
- 2024
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 2–3: PIGTAMER BBQ and SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS tied on 178.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 7–8: NECTAR OF THE HOGS and RUM N' SMOKE BBQ tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 5–6: LAST CALL HEROES BBQ and NECTAR OF THE HOGS tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 5–6 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 6–7 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
HOGLINE won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
TOTALLY SAUCED took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 23rd.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 23rd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 7th
A contest record in pork
180.0000
best pork ever cooked here
TOTALLY SAUCED turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 179.4400 that had stood across 6 earlier editions.
- old best 179.4400
- across 6 past editions
Back to defend
3
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SHIGGIN & GRINNIN (won 2013), SPITFIRE (won 2015), EGGSPERT BBQ MINNESOTA (won 2018).
- SHIGGIN & GRINNIN · 2013
- SPITFIRE · 2015
- EGGSPERT BBQ MINNESOTA · 2018
One of the big ones
57
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 90% of the 5,462 contests in the data
57 teams — bigger than 90% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
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.
- HOT DADDY'S BBQ · Brisket
- TOTALLY SAUCED · Pork
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2013 | Faribault, MN | Faribault, MN | 49 | 689.1424 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | MONKEYS' UNCLES BBQ |
| May 16, 2014 | Falcon Heights, MN | Falcon Heights, MN 55448 | 58 | 696.0228 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | SPITFIRE |
| May 15, 2015 | St. Paul, MN | St. Paul, MN 55346 | 60 | 692.5600 | SPITFIRE | QUETOPIA |
| May 13, 2016 | Falcon Heights, MN | Falcon Heights, MN | 71 | 690.2056 | QUETOPIA | HOGLINE |
| May 12, 2017 | Falcon Heights, MN | Falcon Heights, MN 55346 | 71 | 695.3484 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | RUB MY RACK |
| May 11, 2018 | Falcon Heights, MN | Falcon Heights, MN 55346 | 70 | 694.8344 | EGGSPERT BBQ MINNESOTA | ACES HIGH BBQ |
| May 10, 2019 ← this one | 3101 HWY 95 NE | 57 | 698.8000 | Totally Sauced | HOGLINE | |
| May 7, 2021 | Cambridge, MN | 301 MN-95 | 60 | 697.1544 | Hogline | SIN CIRCLE BBQ |
| May 13, 2022 | Cambridge, MN | 301 MN-95 | 59 | 690.2056 | Son of a Boar BBQ | CITY SLICKERS BBQ |
| May 13, 2022 | Cambridge, MN | 301 MN-95 | 22 | 175.4056 | PORKET ABOUT IT | — |
| May 13, 2022 | Cambridge, MN | 301 MN-95 | 38 | 348.0228 | WEEZ'S GROVIN' BBQ | — |
| May 12, 2023 | St. Peter, MN | 400 Union St. | 59 | 698.2284 | Hot Daddys BBQ | Hogline BBQ |
| May 10, 2024 | St. Peter, MN | 400 Union St. | 58 | 699.9772 | Hot Daddy's BBQ | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| May 9, 2025 | St. Peter, MN | 400 Union St. | 58 | 701.6688 | Ash Kickin' BBQ | Phoenix BBQ |
| May 8, 2026 | St. Peter, MN | Nicolett County Fair Grounds | 77 | 700.0004 | Burnt Trees BBQ | Smokin Suckers |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 178.8572 | 177.1428 | 173.7028 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 175.4172 | 171.9888 |
| Master Series — Pork | 180 | 176 | 173.7028 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 173.7028 | 171.9656 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 177.1772 | 167.4172 | 161.1544 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 173.7144 | 165.7028 | 161.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
57 entries · top 698.8000 · median 668.5372
Chicken
56 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.4172
Pork Ribs
56 entries · top 177.7372 · median 165.1144
Pork
57 entries · top 180 · median 166.2744 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
57 entries · top 180 · median 165.7600 · 🔥 perfect 180
Backyard Series
Overall
37 entries · top 342.8800 · median 310.2516
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SchwonnyQue | |
| 2 | The Great Pig In The Sky | |
| 3 | Squeeze my Slabs | |
| 4 | MAGNUM P.I.G. MN BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | Norhern lights smoke bbq | |
| 6 | Unknown Smokers | |
| 7 | Good Grefe! | |
| 8 | Pig Booty BBQ | |
| 9 | Dad Bod Barbeque | |
| 10 | Steven M Chamberland | |
| 11 | R & B BBQ | |
| 12 | Smokem like u stolem | |
| 13 | JC BBQ | |
| 14 | Big Ten Bones | |
| 15 | BJLIGHTNIN'S BBQ | |
| 16 | TC BBQ | |
| 17 | Queue 'Em Up | |
| 18 | BBQ-4-U | |
| 19 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 20 | Big Racks BBQ | |
| 21 | King Kong Pig | |
| 22 | McCarthy BBQ | |
| 23 | Northern South BBQ | |
| 24 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 25 | Q | |
| 26 | Frankensmokers | |
| 27 | HOVEY SMOKE | |
| 28 | Twin Cities Smoke | |
| 29 | Epic Smoke BBQ | |
| 30 | Outlaw BBQ | |
| 31 | Kulinary Chaos | |
| 32 | Smokin Hooves | |
| 33 | Mama Taught Me To How Cook | |
| 34 | HeggeQue | |
| 35 | BullyBBQ | |
| 36 | Slapshot BBQ | |
| 37 | 3 Guys BBQ |
Chicken
37 entries · top 177.1772 · median 157.1316
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SchwonnyQue | |
| 2 | R & B BBQ | |
| 3 | JC BBQ | |
| 4 | Squeeze my Slabs | |
| 5 | The Great Pig In The Sky | |
| 6 | Norhern lights smoke bbq | |
| 7 | Dad Bod Barbeque | |
| 8 | TC BBQ | |
| 9 | Big Ten Bones | |
| 10 | Big Racks BBQ | |
| 11 | MAGNUM P.I.G. MN BBQ TEAM | |
| 12 | Good Grefe! | |
| 13 | Steven M Chamberland | |
| 14 | Pig Booty BBQ | |
| 15 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 16 | Unknown Smokers | |
| 17 | Northern South BBQ | |
| 18 | BJLIGHTNIN'S BBQ | |
| 19 | McCarthy BBQ | |
| 20 | Queue 'Em Up | |
| 21 | Smokem like u stolem | |
| 22 | BBQ-4-U | |
| 23 | Frankensmokers | |
| 24 | 3 Guys BBQ | |
| 25 | Q | |
| 26 | Mama Taught Me To How Cook | |
| 27 | Kulinary Chaos | |
| 28 | King Kong Pig | |
| 29 | HeggeQue | |
| 30 | HOVEY SMOKE | |
| 31 | Smokin Hooves | |
| 32 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 33 | Twin Cities Smoke | |
| 34 | Outlaw BBQ | |
| 35 | BullyBBQ | |
| 36 | Slapshot BBQ | |
| 37 | Epic Smoke BBQ |
Pork Ribs
37 entries · top 173.7144 · median 154.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAGNUM P.I.G. MN BBQ TEAM | |
| 2 | The Great Pig In The Sky | |
| 3 | Squeeze my Slabs | |
| 4 | Unknown Smokers | |
| 5 | SchwonnyQue | |
| 6 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 7 | Pig Booty BBQ | |
| 8 | Good Grefe! | |
| 9 | Smokem like u stolem | |
| 10 | Epic Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | Steven M Chamberland | |
| 12 | Norhern lights smoke bbq | |
| 13 | Outlaw BBQ | |
| 14 | King Kong Pig | |
| 15 | Dad Bod Barbeque | |
| 16 | Twin Cities Smoke | |
| 17 | BBQ-4-U | |
| 18 | BJLIGHTNIN'S BBQ | |
| 19 | Queue 'Em Up | |
| 20 | McCarthy BBQ | |
| 21 | HOVEY SMOKE | |
| 22 | Big Ten Bones | |
| 23 | BullyBBQ | |
| 24 | JC BBQ | |
| 25 | Slapshot BBQ | |
| 26 | TC BBQ | |
| 27 | R & B BBQ | |
| 28 | Big Racks BBQ | |
| 29 | Northern South BBQ | |
| 30 | Q | |
| 31 | Smokin Hooves | |
| 32 | Frankensmokers | |
| 33 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 34 | Kulinary Chaos | |
| 35 | Mama Taught Me To How Cook | |
| 36 | HeggeQue | |
| 37 | 3 Guys BBQ |