A razor-thin finish
0.6056
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 87% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.6056 points — closer than 87% of every championship in the data.
- HEAVY SMOKE BBQ
- QUE U
CIBBQ Red Devil Edition Day 1
Jul 17–18, 2020 · Eureka, IL · State championship
Reps: Dave Rogers, Peg Rogers · Prize money: $5,000
Heavy Smoke BBQ won Grand Champion at the CIBBQ Red Devil Edition Day 1 on July 17, 2020 in Eureka, IL, scoring 689.1084 in a field of 30 teams. QUE U took Reserve Grand Champion with 688.5028. Category winners: Chicken — Heavy Smoke BBQ (177.7028); Pork Ribs — CHANNABILLY BBQ (174.8916); Pork — ONE2BBQ (176.0000); Brisket — SOUTH SIDE PIT MEN (176.0000).
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.
605.59
median 669.29
689.11 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 174.89
- Pork 176
- Brisket 176
145.09
177.70
Entries
30
4 judged meats
Top score
689.1084
Winning margin
0.6056
GC over RC
Field average
667.37
605.59689.11
median 669.29 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8916 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
674.7996
605.59689.11
10th place overall
Field spread
83.5196
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,000
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 74%
beats 26% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.5 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,589
avg power rating going in · stronger than 70% of contests
Storylines (4 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.
An upset on the books
28-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
Heavy Smoke BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, One2BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1775
- top seed 1936
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 7–8: TRIPLE H BBQ and ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 1–2: SOUTH SIDE PIT MEN and Chasin Chicken Barbeque tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 5–6: TRIPLE H BBQ and DB BBQ tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Pork 7–8 · tie
- Brisket 1–2 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0116
How the title was won
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
Heavy Smoke BBQ took the title on 2 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 16th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 16th
- Pork 11th
- Brisket 3rd
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 173.1200 | 170.8456 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.8916 | 172 | 169.6800 |
| Pork | 176 | 172 | 170.2972 |
| Brisket | 176 | 171.4056 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 689.1084 · median 669.2852
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 2 | QUE U | |
| 3 | JaBs BBQ | |
| 4 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 5 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 6 | Risky Brisket | |
| 7 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 8 | Chasin Chicken Barbeque | |
| 9 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 10 | LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ | |
| 11 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 12 | WV LOC-N-LOADED BBQ | |
| 13 | RUSTY PIG BBQ | |
| 14 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 15 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 16 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 17 | DB BBQ | |
| 18 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 19 | SOUTH SIDE PIT MEN | |
| 20 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 21 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 22 | P.I.G. | |
| 23 | Not Your Daddy's BBQ | |
| 24 | HOG CALL BBQ | |
| 25 | Three Stooges bbq | |
| 26 | HEFTY LEFTY BBQ | |
| 27 | The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company | |
| 28 | RACK MASTERS BBQ | |
| 29 | MOON KING BBQ | |
| 30 | SAUCED N SMOKED |
Chicken
30 entries · top 177.7028 · median 167.3944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 2 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 3 | WV LOC-N-LOADED BBQ | |
| 4 | Risky Brisket | |
| 5 | JaBs BBQ | |
| 6 | LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ | |
| 7 | Chasin Chicken Barbeque | |
| 8 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 9 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 10 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 11 | QUE U | |
| 12 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 13 | RUSTY PIG BBQ | |
| 14 | MOON KING BBQ | |
| 15 | DB BBQ | |
| 16 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 17 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 18 | Three Stooges bbq | |
| 19 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 20 | HOG CALL BBQ | |
| 21 | HEFTY LEFTY BBQ | |
| 22 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 23 | Not Your Daddy's BBQ | |
| 24 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 25 | The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company | |
| 26 | SOUTH SIDE PIT MEN | |
| 27 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 28 | P.I.G. | |
| 29 | RACK MASTERS BBQ | |
| 30 | SAUCED N SMOKED |
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 174.8916 · median 168.2686
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 2 | Risky Brisket | |
| 3 | QUE U | |
| 4 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 5 | P.I.G. | |
| 6 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 7 | JaBs BBQ | |
| 8 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 9 | LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ | |
| 10 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 11 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 12 | Chasin Chicken Barbeque | |
| 13 | RUSTY PIG BBQ | |
| 14 | DB BBQ | |
| 15 | RACK MASTERS BBQ | |
| 16 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 18 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 19 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 20 | Not Your Daddy's BBQ | |
| 21 | WV LOC-N-LOADED BBQ | |
| 22 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 23 | Three Stooges bbq | |
| 24 | SOUTH SIDE PIT MEN | |
| 25 | The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company | |
| 26 | HEFTY LEFTY BBQ | |
| 27 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 28 | MOON KING BBQ | |
| 29 | HOG CALL BBQ | |
| 30 | SAUCED N SMOKED |
Pork
30 entries · top 176 · median 168.5772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 2 | RUSTY PIG BBQ | |
| 3 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 4 | Risky Brisket | |
| 5 | WV LOC-N-LOADED BBQ | |
| 6 | QUE U | |
| 7 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 8 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 9 | JaBs BBQ | |
| 10 | HOG CALL BBQ | |
| 11 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 12 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 13 | Not Your Daddy's BBQ | |
| 14 | HEFTY LEFTY BBQ | |
| 15 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 16 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 17 | The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company | |
| 18 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 19 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 20 | LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ | |
| 21 | P.I.G. | |
| 22 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 23 | Three Stooges bbq | |
| 24 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 25 | SOUTH SIDE PIT MEN | |
| 26 | Chasin Chicken Barbeque | |
| 27 | DB BBQ | |
| 28 | MOON KING BBQ | |
| 29 | RACK MASTERS BBQ | |
| 30 | SAUCED N SMOKED |
Brisket
30 entries · top 176 · median 166.0172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOUTH SIDE PIT MEN | |
| 2 | Chasin Chicken Barbeque | |
| 3 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | |
| 4 | QUE U | |
| 5 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 6 | DB BBQ | |
| 7 | JaBs BBQ | |
| 8 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 9 | RACK MASTERS BBQ | |
| 10 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 11 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 12 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 13 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 14 | HOG CALL BBQ | |
| 15 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 16 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 17 | P.I.G. | |
| 18 | LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ | |
| 19 | The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company | |
| 20 | Risky Brisket | |
| 21 | WV LOC-N-LOADED BBQ | |
| 22 | Three Stooges bbq | |
| 23 | HEFTY LEFTY BBQ | |
| 24 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 25 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 26 | RUSTY PIG BBQ | |
| 27 | SAUCED N SMOKED | |
| 28 | Not Your Daddy's BBQ | |
| 29 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 30 | MOON KING BBQ |