Won without a category win
2 of 3
meats called to the stage
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 2 calls from 3 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 11th
- Pork Ribs 9th
- Brisket 3rd
10th Annual Vista BBQ Classic
Aug 2–3, 2019 · Vista, CA · 📍 2040 N Santa Fe Ave · State championship
Reps: Kathleen McIntosh, Kelly McIntosh · Prize money: $10,000
BIG POPPA SMOKERS won Grand Champion at the 10th Annual Vista BBQ Classic on August 2, 2019 in Vista, CA at 2040 N Santa Fe Ave, scoring 700.5028 in a field of 34 teams. BURNIN AND LOOTIN took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.0860. Category winners: Chicken — 7 SINS BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Team Woodshed (177.7144); Brisket — DAD'S CHILLIN' AND GRILLIN' BBQ (179.4400).
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.
148.53
median 670.71
700.50 🏆
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 177.71
- Brisket 179.44
123.35
179.44
Entries
34
3 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
700.5028
Winning margin
3.4168
GC over RC
Field average
650.31
148.53700.50
median 670.71 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
1.7372 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.6116
148.53700.50
10th place overall
Field spread
551.9772
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 32%
beats 68% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.61 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,588
avg power rating going in · stronger than 70% 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 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: 7 SINS BBQ and BURNIN AND LOOTIN tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: DG FIREHOUSE BBQ and 2LiveQ tied on 172.5484 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: NOTHING COMPARES 2 Q and Clear Blue BBQ tied on 173.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
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 | 172.5484 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.1084 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 177.7028 | 170.8344 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
34 entries · top 700.5028 · median 670.7142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 3 | DAD'S CHILLIN' AND GRILLIN' BBQ | |
| 4 | LADY OF Q | |
| 5 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 6 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 7 | Team Woodshed | |
| 8 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 9 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 10 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 11 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 12 | THE BRISKET BROTHERS | |
| 13 | 2LiveQ | |
| 14 | Clear Blue BBQ | |
| 15 | NOTHING COMPARES 2 Q | |
| 16 | GNAW | |
| 17 | SMOKIN IT UP BBQ | |
| 18 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 19 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 20 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 21 | FU MAN QUE CREW | |
| 22 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 23 | Smokin’ Degenerates | |
| 24 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 25 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 26 | Meat, Inc. Fiasco | |
| 27 | COOL GRILLING | |
| 28 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 29 | MOSSY ROCK BBQ | |
| 30 | BILL'S BLUE LINE BBQ | |
| 31 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 32 | Grumpy Bear BBQ | |
| 33 | BUTT UP BBQ | |
| 34 | Family BBQ |
Chicken
33 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.1544
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 2 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 3 | NOTHING COMPARES 2 Q | |
| 4 | GNAW | |
| 5 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 6 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 7 | LADY OF Q | |
| 8 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 9 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 10 | 2LiveQ | |
| 11 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 12 | DAD'S CHILLIN' AND GRILLIN' BBQ | |
| 13 | Meat, Inc. Fiasco | |
| 14 | COOL GRILLING | |
| 15 | Clear Blue BBQ | |
| 16 | Team Woodshed | |
| 17 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 18 | Smokin’ Degenerates | |
| 19 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 20 | Grumpy Bear BBQ | |
| 21 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 22 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 23 | MOSSY ROCK BBQ | |
| 24 | SMOKIN IT UP BBQ | |
| 25 | THE BRISKET BROTHERS | |
| 26 | FU MAN QUE CREW | |
| 27 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 28 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 29 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 30 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 31 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 32 | BILL'S BLUE LINE BBQ | |
| 33 | BUTT UP BBQ |
Pork Ribs
34 entries · top 177.7144 · median 166.5430
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Woodshed | |
| 2 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 3 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 4 | THE BRISKET BROTHERS | |
| 5 | NOTHING COMPARES 2 Q | |
| 6 | Clear Blue BBQ | |
| 7 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 8 | DAD'S CHILLIN' AND GRILLIN' BBQ | |
| 9 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 10 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 11 | 2LiveQ | |
| 12 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 13 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 14 | Meat, Inc. Fiasco | |
| 15 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 16 | MOSSY ROCK BBQ | |
| 17 | FU MAN QUE CREW | |
| 18 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 19 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 20 | GNAW | |
| 21 | BILL'S BLUE LINE BBQ | |
| 22 | LADY OF Q | |
| 23 | COOL GRILLING | |
| 24 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 25 | Smokin’ Degenerates | |
| 26 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 27 | SMOKIN IT UP BBQ | |
| 28 | Grumpy Bear BBQ | |
| 29 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 30 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 31 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 32 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 33 | Family BBQ | |
| 34 | BUTT UP BBQ |
Brisket
33 entries · top 179.4400 · median 166.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAD'S CHILLIN' AND GRILLIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 3 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 4 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 5 | LADY OF Q | |
| 6 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 8 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 9 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 10 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 11 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 12 | FU MAN QUE CREW | |
| 13 | Clear Blue BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKIN IT UP BBQ | |
| 15 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 16 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 17 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 18 | THE BRISKET BROTHERS | |
| 19 | Team Woodshed | |
| 20 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 21 | Smokin’ Degenerates | |
| 22 | BILL'S BLUE LINE BBQ | |
| 23 | GNAW | |
| 24 | 2LiveQ | |
| 25 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 26 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 27 | NOTHING COMPARES 2 Q | |
| 28 | MOSSY ROCK BBQ | |
| 29 | Meat, Inc. Fiasco | |
| 30 | COOL GRILLING | |
| 31 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 32 | BUTT UP BBQ | |
| 33 | Grumpy 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
33 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | SMOKIN IT UP BBQ | |
| 3 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 4 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 6 | LADY OF Q | |
| 7 | GNAW | |
| 8 | DAD'S CHILLIN' AND GRILLIN' BBQ | |
| 9 | THE BRISKET BROTHERS | |
| 10 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 11 | DG FIREHOUSE BBQ | |
| 12 | 2LiveQ | |
| 13 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | |
| 14 | Team Woodshed | |
| 15 | NOTHING COMPARES 2 Q | |
| 16 | Smokin’ Degenerates | |
| 17 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 18 | PAPA LA RUE'S BBQ | |
| 19 | BIG RED BBQ | |
| 20 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 21 | Clear Blue BBQ | |
| 22 | RAD FONDO BBQ | |
| 23 | COOL GRILLING | |
| 24 | FU MAN QUE CREW | |
| 25 | Grumpy Bear BBQ | |
| 26 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 27 | Meat, Inc. Fiasco | |
| 28 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 29 | BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | |
| 30 | BILL'S BLUE LINE BBQ | |
| 31 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 32 | MOSSY ROCK BBQ | |
| 33 | BUTT UP BBQ |
Ancillary — Cabo Infused
8 entries · top 180 · median 166.2800 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 2 | Grumpy Bear BBQ | |
| 3 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 4 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 5 | Meat, Inc. Fiasco | |
| 6 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 7 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 8 | 7 SINS BBQ |
Ancillary — Cabo Rita
9 entries · top 170.2628 · median 154.9260
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 2 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 3 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 4 | Grumpy Bear BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 6 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 7 | NOTHING COMPARES 2 Q | |
| 8 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 9 | Meat, Inc. Fiasco |
Ancillary — Dessert
7 entries · top 180 · median 175.4288 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 2 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 3 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 4 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 5 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 6 | Meat, Inc. Fiasco | |
| 7 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE |