A new contest record
706.8344
highest overall ever cooked here
706.8344 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 702.2856 PIGSKIN BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 702.2856
- set 2013 by PIGSKIN BBQ
Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest 2019
Jul 12–13, 2019 · Mayetta, KS · 📍 Prairie Band Casino · State championship
Reps: Forrest Bruce, Larry Hadley, Mark Collier · Prize money: $11,200
BOOMERANG BBQ won Grand Champion at the Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest on July 12, 2019 in Mayetta, KS at Prairie Band Casino, scoring 706.8344 in a field of 59 teams. HIGH i QUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 704.5484. Category winners: Chicken — HIGH i QUE (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SMOOTH SMOKE (177.1544); Pork — BUFFALO'S BBQ (178.8800); Brisket — DIRT ROAD BBQ (180.0000). This is the 6th of 8 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by SPITFIRE; the next was held in 2020.
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.
540.54
median 669.63
706.83 🏆
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 177.15
- Pork 178.88
- Brisket 180 🔥
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
59
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
706.8344
Winning margin
2.2860
GC over RC
Field average
664.34
540.54706.83
median 669.63 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
686.2056
540.54706.83
10th place overall
Field spread
166.2972
winner to last place
Prize money
$11,200
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 9%
beats 91% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
50%
24 of 48 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.72 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,618
avg power rating going in · stronger than 87% of contests
Storylines (7 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.
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
BOOMERANG BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 15th
- Brisket 2nd
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- DIRT ROAD BBQ · Brisket
- BOOMERANG BBQ · Brisket
- HIGH i QUE · Chicken
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: BUFFALO'S BBQ and 56 SMOKEHOUSE tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY and Big Al and the Boys tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: LUCKY SMOKE and DIRT ROAD BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
DIRT ROAD BBQ turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 179.4400 that had stood across 5 earlier editions.
- old best 179.4400
- across 5 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB (won 2017), SPITFIRE (won 2018).
- HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB · 2017
- SPITFIRE · 2018
One of the big ones
59
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 91% of the 5,468 contests in the data
59 teams — bigger than 91% of the 5,468 contests in the data.
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 7, 2013 | Mayetta, KS | Mayetta, KS | 69 | 702.2856 | PIGSKIN BBQ | WOODWARD BARBEQUE |
| Jun 6, 2014 | Mayetta, KS | Mayetta, KS 66509 | 54 | 701.7372 | JP CUSTOM SMOKE | SMOKEAHOLICS |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Mayetta, KS | 12305 150th RD | 55 | 691.4172 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | THUMP & STRUM BBQ |
| Jul 14, 2017 | Mayetta, KS | 12305 150th Rd | 58 | 695.3944 | HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | SMOOTH SMOKE |
| Jul 13, 2018 | Mayetta, KS | 12305 150th Rd | 48 | 697.0968 | SPITFIRE | BOOM CHICKA COW COW |
| Jul 12, 2019 ← this one | Mayetta, KS | Prairie Band Casino | 59 | 706.8344 | Boomerang BBQ | HIGH i QUE |
| Jul 10, 2020 | Mayetta, KS | Prairie Band Casino | 61 | 698.8684 | Smokin Timbers BBQ | MAN MEAT BBQ |
| Jul 9, 2021 | Mayetta, KS | Prairie Band Casino | 43 | 713.1316 | Happy Grillmore | SLAPS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4172 | 173.1084 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 176.0116 | 175.4056 |
| Pork | 178.8800 | 175.4172 | 174.2628 |
| Brisket | 180 | 175.4516 | 171.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
59 entries · top 706.8344 · median 669.6340
Chicken
59 entries · top 180 · median 168.5140 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
59 entries · top 177.1544 · median 168
Pork
59 entries · top 178.8800 · median 168.5600
Brisket
59 entries · top 180 · median 165.1200 · 🔥 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.
Ancillary — Side Dish
12 entries · top 180 · median 168.6056 · 🔥 perfect 180