A razor-thin finish
0.6172
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 86% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.6172 points — closer than 86% of every championship in the data.
- Sublime BBQ
- SLAPS BBQ
The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 2019
Jun 21–22, 2019 · Lenexa, KS · 📍 Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park · State championship
Reps: Forrest Bruce, Kim Collier, Larry Hadley, Mark Collier, Scott Grinstead, Steve Grinstead · Prize money: $18,425
SUBLIME BBQ won Grand Champion at The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship on June 21, 2019 in Lenexa, KS at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, scoring 695.4400 in a field of 183 teams. SLAPS BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.8228. Category winners: Chicken — The Dalton Gang (178.8572); Pork Ribs — PARK AVENUE PORK (177.1428); Pork — HIGH i QUE (178.8800); Brisket — 913 BBQ (179.4400). This is the 1st of 6 editions of this contest on record; 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.
435.90
median 641.71
695.44 🏆
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 177.14
- Pork 178.88
- Brisket 179.44
121.14
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2019 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
183
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
695.4400
Winning margin
0.6172
GC over RC
Field average
638.50
435.90695.44
median 641.71 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8340 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
679.9884
435.90695.44
10th place overall
Field spread
259.5432
winner to last place
Prize money
$18,425
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 51%
beats 49% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.49 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,516
avg power rating going in · stronger than 11% 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.
An upset on the books
29-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 71 times in 100
Sublime BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, SLAPS BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 29-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1790
- top seed 1944
Won without a category win
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
SUBLIME BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 2 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 16th
- Pork 30th
- Brisket 4th
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
Slaps BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2021
- 2025
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: OINK, MOO & COCK-A-DOODLE DOO and Bare Bones tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 4–5: OINK, MOO & COCK-A-DOODLE DOO and Stewey Magoos tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 8–9: FOUR MEN AND A PIG and Fergolicious BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
- Brisket 8–9 · tie
- Brisket 9–10 · tie
One of the big ones
183
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 99% of the 5,462 contests in the data
183 teams — bigger than 99% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
This contest's own records (1 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2019 ← this one | Lenexa, KS | Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park | 183 | 695.4400 | Sublime BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
| Jun 25, 2021 | Lenexa, KS | Freedom Fields | 145 | 702.2628 | Slaps BBQ | KC Meat Sweats |
| Jun 23, 2023 | Lenexa, KS | 87th & Lackman | 167 | 700.6288 | Damn Fine Beef and Swine | HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB |
| Jun 21, 2024 | Lenexa, KS | 87th & Lackman | 172 | 704.0344 | Mulkey's BBQ | Smokey Bey's Barbecue |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Lenexa, KS | 87th & Lackman | 159 | 707.4400 | Slaps BBQ | Squealin N Dealin BBQ |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Lenexa, KS | 8801 Greenway Lane | 157 | 709.1200 | Gettin' Basted | Dr. Squealgood BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 176 | 173.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1428 | 174.3088 | 173.1428 |
| Pork | 178.8800 | 176 | 174.2628 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 174.2628 | 173.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
183 entries · top 695.4400 · median 641.7140
Chicken
183 entries · top 178.8572 · median 161.0972
Pork Ribs
182 entries · top 177.1428 · median 160.8228
Pork
183 entries · top 178.8800 · median 161.7256
Brisket
183 entries · top 179.4400 · median 160
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.
Ancillary — Beefsteak
74 entries · top 180 · median 162.8514 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary — Miscellaneous
105 entries · top 176.5600 · median 163.4172
Ancillary — Sausage
131 entries · top 178.8572 · median 161.7144