Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMELLAQUE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 11th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 5th
BBQ on the Bow 2019
Aug 31 – Sep 1, 2019 · Calgary, Canada · CANADA · 📍 5003 16 Ave NW
Reps: Brenda Black, Ken Black
SMELLAQUE won Grand Champion at the BBQ on the Bow on August 31, 2019 in Calgary, T3B 0H7 at 5003 16 Ave NW, scoring 670.2972 in a field of 37 teams. RUSTY'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 666.1828. Category winners: Chicken — ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ (177.1428); Pork Ribs — ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ (171.9656); Pork — DIDY SMOKE IT (172.5716); Brisket — YOU NEED A BBQ (171.4056). The Open Comp standings were won by SMELLAQUE with 179.4400. This is the 6th of 8 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by HOME COOKIN' 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.
154.26
median 627.07
670.30 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.14
- Pork Ribs 171.97
- Pork 172.57
- Brisket 171.41
130.26
177.14
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
38
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
670.2972
Winning margin
4.1144
GC over RC
Field average
609.03
154.26670.30
median 627.07 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
4.5716 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
644.5144
154.26670.30
10th place overall
Field spread
516.0344
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 96%
beats 4% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
51%
22 of 43 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.38 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,529
avg power rating going in · stronger than 21% 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.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 8 tracked editions
SMELLAQUE has won this contest 2 times across its 8 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2019
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Brisket places 9–10: ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS edged ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 3–4: Notorious P.I.G edged SMELLAQUE by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 9–10: THEBACKYARDBBQ.CA edged YOU NEED A BBQ by 0.0116.
- Brisket 9–10 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · 0.0116
- Brisket 5–6 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SMELLAQUE (won 2016), ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS (won 2017).
- SMELLAQUE · 2016
- ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS · 2017
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 31, 2013 | Calgary, Alberta, CA | Calgary, Alberta, Ca | 26 | 657.6796 | HOUSE OF Q | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS |
| Sep 5, 2015 | Calgary, AB | Calgary, Alberta, T2W3J6 | 35 | 671.9312 | Bordertown Bar-B-Que | SMELLAQUE |
| Sep 3, 2016 | Calgary, Alberta, CA | Montgomery Community | 35 | 681.7144 | SMELLAQUE | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ |
| Sep 2, 2017 | Calgary | Montgomery Community Association | 42 | 666.2400 | ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | SMELLAQUE |
| Sep 1, 2018 | Calgary | Montgomery Community Association | 43 | 677.7140 | HOME COOKIN' BBQ | BIGG SMOAK BBQ |
| Aug 31, 2019 ← this one | Calgary | 5003 16 Ave NW | 37 | 670.2972 | SmellaQue | RUSTY'S BBQ |
| Sep 26, 2020 | Didsbury, AB | Didsbury, Alberta, | 21 | 662.7656 | Prairie Smoke & Spice | SMELLAQUE |
| Sep 4, 2021 | Didsbury, AB | Rosebud Valley Campground | 29 | 677.7712 | Meat Sweats | THE DEVIL MADE ME Q IT |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1428 | 169.7028 | 166.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 171.9656 | 165.7372 | 162.8456 |
| Pork | 172.5716 | 168 | 164.5600 |
| Brisket | 171.4056 | 162.8572 | 159.4284 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
38 entries · top 670.2972 · median 627.0686
Chicken
37 entries · top 177.1428 · median 157.1200
Pork Ribs
37 entries · top 171.9656 · median 157.6800
Pork
37 entries · top 172.5716 · median 158.8456
Brisket
37 entries · top 171.4056 · median 153.7144
Open Comp
Overall
18 entries · top 179.4400 · median 161.9714 · out of 180, not the usual 720
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.
Kids-Q — Chicken Wings
13 entries · top 174.2856 · median 159.4516
Open Comp — Pizza
18 entries · top 179.4400 · median 161.9714