Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest
2020-07-10 – 2020-07-11 · Mayetta, KS · 📍 Prairie Band Casino · State championship
Reps: FORREST BRUCE, LARRY HADLEY, MARK COLLIER · Prize money: $11,700.00
Grand Champion: Smokin Timbers BBQ (698.8684) · 61 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 MAN MEAT BBQ
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Perfect 180s
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Came back for more
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.6172 points — closer than 85% of every championship in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ took the Grand Championship home to OK.
🔥 A day of perfect scores
4 perfect 180s were scored at this contest.
📸 Photo finishes
Pork Ribs places 1–2: HIGH i QUE and WHO CARES BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: SCORE ONE SMOKIN' and B-S BBQ OUTLAWS tied on 179.4400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: GETTIN' SAUCED and White Moose tied on 177.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: PORKY BUTTS BBQ (won 2016), SPITFIRE (won 2018), Boomerang BBQ (won 2019).
🃏 An upset on the books
SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, BOOMERANG BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 17-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-06-07 | Mayetta, KS | 69 | 702.2856 | PIGSKIN BBQ | WOODWARD BARBEQUE | |
| 2014-06-06 | Mayetta, KS 66509 | 54 | 701.7372 | JP CUSTOM SMOKE | SMOKEAHOLICS | |
| 2016-06-03 | 12305 150th RD | 55 | 691.4172 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | THUMP & STRUM BBQ | |
| 2017-07-14 | 12305 150th Rd | 58 | 695.3944 | HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | SMOOTH SMOKE | |
| 2018-07-13 | 12305 150th Rd | 48 | 697.0968 | SPITFIRE | BOOM CHICKA COW COW | |
| 2019-07-12 | Mayetta, KS | Prairie Band Casino | 59 | 706.8344 | Boomerang BBQ | HIGH i QUE |
| 2020-07-10 ← this one | Mayetta, KS | Prairie Band Casino | 61 | 698.8684 | Smokin Timbers BBQ | MAN MEAT BBQ |
| 2021-07-09 | Mayetta, KS | Prairie Band Casino | 43 | 713.1316 | Happy Grillmore | SLAPS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 175.4400 | 174.2856 |
| Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 177.7144 | 174.2972 |
| Pork | 178.2972 | 177.1428 | 176.0000 |
| Brisket | 180.0000 | 177.1428 | 174.8572 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
61 entries · top 698.8684 · median 677.6112
Chicken
61 entries · top 180.0000 · median 168.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
61 entries · top 180.0000 · median 167.9772 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
61 entries · top 178.2972 · median 168.5600
Brisket
61 entries · top 180.0000 · median 168.5372 · 🔥 perfect 180