A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
The Real Smokin Aces has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2020
- 2021
Big Blue Barbecue 2019
Aug 9–10, 2019 · Shelbyville, IN · 📍 500 Frank ST · State championship
Reps: Becky Druetzler, Dave Druetzler · Prize money: $8,100
ONE2BBQ won Grand Champion at the Big Blue Barbecue on August 9, 2019 in Shelbyville, IN at 500 Frank ST, scoring 692.5028 in a field of 29 teams. THE BBQ BUS took Reserve Grand Champion with 690.8116. Category winners: Chicken — THUNDER HOG BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — ONE2BBQ (176.0116); Pork — ONTARGET BBQ (179.4400); Brisket — THE BBQ BUS (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by WV LOC-N-LOADED BBQ; 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.
615.20
median 673.03
692.50 🏆
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 176.01
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 180 🔥
148.51
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2018 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
29
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
692.5028
Winning margin
1.6912
GC over RC
Field average
672.38
615.20692.50
median 673.03 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4172 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
679.8740
615.20692.50
10th place overall
Field spread
77.3028
winner to last place
Prize money
$8,100
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 63%
beats 37% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
67%
18 of 27 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.56 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,684
avg power rating going in · stronger than 99% 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.
A stacked field
1684
average power rating going in
Stronger than 99% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1684 power rating going in — stronger than 99% of every contest tracked.
- top seed GREY STREET BBQ (1951)
- 29 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: SMOKE-N-PEPPERS and EXTRA MILE BBQ tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. and GREY STREET BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: iBQ'n and HIGH ON THE HAWG tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
ONE2BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 19th.
- Chicken 19th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 8th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
THE BBQ BUS turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 175.4056 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 175.4056
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: WV LOC-N-LOADED BBQ (won 2018).
- WV LOC-N-LOADED BBQ · 2018
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- THE BBQ BUS · Brisket
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2018 | Shelbyville, IN | Shelbyville, IN 46176 | 27 | 695.9428 | WV LOC-N-LOADED BBQ | CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. |
| Aug 9, 2019 ← this one | Shelbyville, IN | 500 Frank ST | 29 | 692.5028 | One2BBQ | THE BBQ BUS |
| Aug 14, 2020 | Shelbyville, IN | 500 Frank ST | 50 | 707.4400 | The Real Smokin Aces | ONE2BBQ |
| Aug 13, 2021 | Shelbyville, IN | 500 Frank ST | 30 | 698.2628 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | SMOKE-N-PEPPERS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.8572 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.0116 | 172.5944 | 169.6800 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 173.1200 | 169.7028 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176.5716 | 169.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 692.5028 · median 673.0288
Chicken
29 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.6684
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 176.0116 · median 167.4060
Pork
29 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.6800
Brisket
29 entries · top 180 · median 167.3828 · 🔥 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 — Dessert
8 entries · top 178.8572 · median 173.9944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEQ4U | |
| 2 | ONTARGET BBQ | |
| 3 | BURNING PIG BBQ | |
| 4 | CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. | |
| 5 | BUTTS-N-RACKS BBQ, LLC | |
| 6 | EXTRA MILE BBQ | |
| 7 | LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ | |
| 8 | The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company |
Kids-Q — Kids Q 12-16
2 entries · top 176.5600 · median 174.2800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hufflepuff BBQ | |
| 2 | Little Drummer Boy BBQ |