A stacked field
1645
average power rating going in
Stronger than 94% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1645 power rating going in — stronger than 94% of every contest tracked.
- top seed IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2030)
- 29 rated teams
8th Annual Death Door Barbeque (DAY 2) 2019
Aug 24–25, 2019 · Washington Island, WI · State championship
Reps: Debra Gage, William Gage · Prize money: $8,000
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the 8th Annual Death Door Barbeque (DAY 2) on August 24, 2019 in Washington Island, WI, scoring 699.3828 in a field of 29 teams. Littles BBQ Co took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.0744. Category winners: Chicken — LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW (177.7372); Pork Ribs — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (178.2972); Pork — T-MAC SMOKIN (174.8456); Brisket — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (178.8572). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by IBQN@THEBBQSUPERSTORE.COM.
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.
606.11
median 672.54
699.38 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.74
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 174.85
- Brisket 178.86
141.10
178.86
Entries
29
4 judged meats
Top score
699.3828
Winning margin
6.3084
GC over RC
Field average
665.23
606.11699.38
median 672.54 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
678.7428
606.11699.38
10th place overall
Field spread
93.2684
winner to last place
Prize money
$8,000
on the line
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 36%
beats 64% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
97%
29 of 30 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,645
avg power rating going in · stronger than 94% of contests
Storylines (5 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 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: BIG "E" BBQ and iBQ'n tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: iBQ'n and T-MAC SMOKIN tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: HOT ASH BBQ COMPANY and SMOKE FREAKS tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 12th.
- Chicken 12th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 8th
- Brisket 1st
They keep coming back
97%
of last edition’s field returned
29 of 30 teams from 2019-08-23 came back
29 of the 30 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 23, 2019 | Washington Island, WI | Washington Island | 30 | 699.4172 | IBQN@THEBBQSUPERSTORE.COM | GETTIN' BASTED |
| Aug 24, 2019 ← this one | Washington Island, WI | Washington Island | 29 | 699.3828 | IOWAS SMOKEY DS BBQ | Littles BBQ Co |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7372 | 175.4172 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 173.1316 | 169.1544 |
| Pork | 174.8456 | 172.5484 | 169.6800 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 171.4284 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 699.3828 · median 672.5372
Chicken
29 entries · top 177.7372 · median 168.5488
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.2516
Pork
29 entries · top 174.8456 · median 165.1088
Brisket
29 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8112