Won without a category win
3 of 3
meats called to the stage
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 3 boards, best of them 4th. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 7th
- Brisket 4th
Smoke & Hops
Jul 5–6, 2019 · Harmony, CA · State championship
Reps: Kathleen McIntosh, Kelly McIntosh
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won Grand Champion at the Smoke & Hops on July 5, 2019 in Harmony, CA, scoring 695.9888 in a field of 26 teams. BAR-B-Q'S-2GO took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6684. Category winners: Chicken — BURNIN AND LOOTIN (178.8572); Pork Ribs — 7 SINS BBQ (174.2744); Brisket — CODE 7 SMOKEHOUSE (177.7028).
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.
577.03
median 676.25
695.99 🏆
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 174.27
- Brisket 177.70
114.78
178.86
Entries
26
3 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
695.9888
Winning margin
2.3204
GC over RC
Field average
665.67
577.03695.99
median 676.25 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.1200
577.03695.99
10th place overall
Field spread
118.9600
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 49%
beats 51% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.56 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,606
avg power rating going in · stronger than 81% of contests
Storylines (2 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 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: BAR-B-Q'S-2GO and Smokey and the Pirate tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 1–2: 7 SINS BBQ and 7-8-9 BBQ tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 2–3: RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ and BAR-B-Q'S-2GO tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Brisket 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0112
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 170.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 171.9888 | 167.4172 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 174.2744 | 171.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 695.9888 · median 676.2458
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 3 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 4 | RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ | |
| 5 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 6 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 7 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 8 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 9 | CODE 7 SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 10 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 12 | Jack9 BBQ-CA | |
| 13 | ROYAL SMOKIN' HOT | |
| 14 | Smokin Hot Babe Bbq | |
| 15 | Pirates of the Pig | |
| 16 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 17 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 18 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 19 | RBQ | |
| 20 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | |
| 21 | PORKCHOP & BUBBAS | |
| 22 | Day of the Pig | |
| 23 | REDNECKS WITH FIRE | |
| 24 | The Field Fillers | |
| 25 | PRISON BREAK BBQ | |
| 26 | SMOKING BEAR BBQ |
Chicken
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.5484
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 2 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 3 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 5 | Jack9 BBQ-CA | |
| 6 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 7 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 8 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 9 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 10 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 11 | Pirates of the Pig | |
| 12 | REDNECKS WITH FIRE | |
| 13 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 14 | Smokin Hot Babe Bbq | |
| 15 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 16 | ROYAL SMOKIN' HOT | |
| 17 | RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ | |
| 18 | CODE 7 SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 19 | Day of the Pig | |
| 20 | RBQ | |
| 21 | The Field Fillers | |
| 22 | PRISON BREAK BBQ | |
| 23 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 24 | SMOKING BEAR BBQ | |
| 25 | PORKCHOP & BUBBAS | |
| 26 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 174.2744 · median 165.9886
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 2 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 3 | RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ | |
| 4 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 5 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 6 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 7 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 8 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 10 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 11 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 12 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | |
| 13 | Pirates of the Pig | |
| 14 | Smokin Hot Babe Bbq | |
| 15 | CODE 7 SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 16 | ROYAL SMOKIN' HOT | |
| 17 | PRISON BREAK BBQ | |
| 18 | RBQ | |
| 19 | PORKCHOP & BUBBAS | |
| 20 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 21 | Jack9 BBQ-CA | |
| 22 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 23 | Day of the Pig | |
| 24 | SMOKING BEAR BBQ | |
| 25 | The Field Fillers | |
| 26 | REDNECKS WITH FIRE |
Brisket
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.4228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CODE 7 SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 2 | RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ | |
| 3 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 4 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 5 | Smokin Hot Babe Bbq | |
| 6 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 7 | ROYAL SMOKIN' HOT | |
| 8 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 9 | Jack9 BBQ-CA | |
| 10 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 11 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 12 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 14 | Pirates of the Pig | |
| 15 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | |
| 16 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 17 | PORKCHOP & BUBBAS | |
| 18 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 19 | Day of the Pig | |
| 20 | RBQ | |
| 21 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 22 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 23 | REDNECKS WITH FIRE | |
| 24 | The Field Fillers | |
| 25 | PRISON BREAK BBQ | |
| 26 | SMOKING BEAR BBQ |
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 — Pork Shoulder
26 entries · top 177.7600 · median 169.4058
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 2 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 3 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 4 | RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ | |
| 5 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 6 | Jack9 BBQ-CA | |
| 7 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 8 | NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | |
| 9 | CODE 7 SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 10 | ROYAL SMOKIN' HOT | |
| 11 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 12 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 13 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 15 | Smokin Hot Babe Bbq | |
| 16 | PORKCHOP & BUBBAS | |
| 17 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 18 | RBQ | |
| 19 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 20 | REDNECKS WITH FIRE | |
| 21 | Pirates of the Pig | |
| 22 | Day of the Pig | |
| 23 | SMOKING BEAR BBQ | |
| 24 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 25 | PRISON BREAK BBQ | |
| 26 | The Field Fillers |