A new contest record
702.8228
highest overall ever cooked here
702.8228 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 701.6456 GREY STREET BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 701.6456
- set 2017 by GREY STREET BBQ
Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival 2019
Aug 16–17, 2019 · Madsion, IN · 📍 Broadway and Vaughn St · State championship
Reps: Scott Grinstead, Steve Grinstead · Prize money: $11,300
GREY STREET BBQ won Grand Champion at the Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival on August 16, 2019 in Madsion, IN at Broadway and Vaughn St, scoring 702.8228 in a field of 47 teams. BLUE CHIP BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.8000. Category winners: Chicken — HOGTOWN BARBECUE (178.2972); Pork Ribs — BLUE CHIP BBQ (177.1544); Pork — SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE (177.1544); Brisket — THE BBQ BUS (180.0000). This is the 5th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ; 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.
607.31
median 667.26
702.82 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.30
- Pork Ribs 177.15
- Pork 177.15
- Brisket 180 🔥
142.77
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
47
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
702.8228
Winning margin
8.0228
GC over RC
Field average
660.43
607.31702.82
median 667.26 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.7372 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.0284
607.31702.82
10th place overall
Field spread
95.5084
winner to last place
Prize money
$11,300
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 22%
beats 78% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
46%
25 of 54 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,587
avg power rating going in · stronger than 69% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
GREY STREET BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 2nd
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 7 tracked editions
GREY STREET BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2017
- 2019
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ and HIGH ON THE HAWG tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ and GREY STREET BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: BIG DOGG BBQ - CINCINNATI, OH and CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: GREY STREET BBQ (won 2017).
- GREY STREET BBQ · 2017
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 15, 2014 | Madison, IN | Madison, IN 47250 | 60 | 689.6684 | BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | ONE2BBQ |
| Aug 21, 2015 | Madison, IN | Madison, IN 47250 | 64 | 691.3484 | BARK BROTHERS BBQ | EAT MOR BUTT BBQ |
| Aug 18, 2017 | Madison, IN | Madison, IN | 55 | 701.6456 | GREY STREET BBQ | EXTRA MILE BBQ |
| Aug 17, 2018 | Madison, IN | Broadway and Vaughn St | 54 | 701.6456 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | GREY STREET BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2019 ← this one | Madsion, IN | Broadway and Vaughn St | 47 | 702.8228 | Grey Street BBQ | BLUE CHIP BBQ |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Madison, IN | 601 W First St. | 43 | 698.2400 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | SMOKE-N-PEPPERS |
| Aug 19, 2022 | Madison, IN | 100 Broadway Street | 45 | 703.3944 | Blue Chip BBQ | CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.2972 | 174.2628 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 175.4172 | 172.5716 |
| Pork | 177.1544 | 173.7028 | 172 |
| Brisket | 180 | 174.8800 | 170.8112 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
47 entries · top 702.8228 · median 667.2568
Chicken
47 entries · top 178.2972 · median 167.9888
Pork Ribs
47 entries · top 177.1544 · median 163.9888
Pork
47 entries · top 177.1544 · median 166.8344
Brisket
47 entries · top 180 · median 165.0972 · 🔥 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 — Anything But
13 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.1084
Ancillary — Dessert
14 entries · top 180 · median 177.1372 · 🔥 perfect 180