A new contest record
700.5600
highest overall ever cooked here
700.5600 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 697.6684 SmokinGhost BBQ set in 2019.
- old record 697.6684
- set 2019 by SmokinGhost BBQ
Smokin in the Bogs 2020
Sep 4–5, 2020 · Warrens, WI · 📍 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. · State championship
Reps: Dena Milhous, Ron Milhous · Prize money: $7,150
THE BBQ BUS won Grand Champion at the Smokin in the Bogs on September 4, 2020 in Warrens, WI at 1500 Jellystone Park Dr., scoring 700.5600 in a field of 28 teams. Littles BBQ Co took Reserve Grand Champion with 686.8116. Category winners: Chicken — THE BBQ BUS (176.5600); Pork Ribs — THE BBQ BUS (175.4400); Pork — ONE2BBQ (177.1544); Brisket — THE BBQ BUS (180.0000). This is the 3rd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by SmokinGhost 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.
580.29
median 659.08
700.56 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.56
- Pork Ribs 175.44
- Pork 177.15
- Brisket 180 🔥
124.51
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2018 to 2023 — this edition picked out.
Entries
28
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
700.5600
Winning margin
13.7484
GC over RC
Field average
649.75
580.29700.56
median 659.08 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
3.4288 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.5884
580.29700.56
10th place overall
Field spread
120.2740
winner to last place
Prize money
$7,150
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 30%
beats 70% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
29%
13 of 45 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.83 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,611
avg power rating going in · stronger than 83% of contests
Storylines (10 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
20-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 80 times in 100
THE BBQ BUS came in rated below the field's top team, LUCKY'S Q, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 20-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1710
- top seed 1953
A statement win
13.7484
points clear of the field
Wider than 95% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.7484 points — a wider margin than 95% of championships in the data.
A hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
THE BBQ BUS won Chicken, Pork Ribs, Brisket — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Brisket 1st
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
The BBQ Bus has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2020
- 2022
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: WE WILL ROCK QUE and iBQ'n tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 7–8: Hogline BBQ and Shiggin aint easy tied on 170.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: SHIGGIN & GRINNIN edged Big E BBQ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0116
- Brisket 8–9 · 0.0116
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE BBQ BUS took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was pork at 12th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 12th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
THE BBQ BUS turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: BIG "E" BBQ (won 2018), SmokinGhost BBQ (won 2019).
- BIG "E" BBQ · 2018
- SmokinGhost BBQ · 2019
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 31, 2018 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 25 | 689.6804 | BIG "E" BBQ | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
| Aug 30, 2019 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 38 | 697.6684 | SmokinGhost BBQ | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
| Sep 4, 2020 ← this one | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 28 | 700.5600 | The BBQ Bus | Littles BBQ Co |
| Sep 3, 2021 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 25 | 685.0856 | Hogline BBQ | PORKRASTINATORS |
| Sep 2, 2022 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 23 | 688.5144 | The BBQ Bus | BIG "E" BBQ |
| Sep 1, 2023 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 14 | 685.5884 | Triple H BBQ | Can Country Outlaw BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5600 | 173.1200 | 167.9888 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 169.7144 | 165.1200 |
| Pork | 177.1544 | 173.7256 | 169.6800 |
| Brisket | 180 | 171.9772 | 164.5372 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 700.5600 · median 659.0804
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 2 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 3 | iBQ'n | |
| 4 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 5 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 6 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 7 | Big E BBQ | |
| 8 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 9 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 10 | QUE U | |
| 11 | BERGEY BOYS BLAZING BBQ | |
| 12 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 13 | 4 Schmidts and Giggles | |
| 14 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 15 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 16 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 17 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES | |
| 18 | Slightly Sauced | |
| 19 | Incipient Phase BBQ | |
| 20 | ON QUE BBQ | |
| 21 | Risky Brisket | |
| 22 | Son of a Boar BBQ | |
| 23 | MIL-TOWN BBQ | |
| 24 | Southside Smoke | |
| 25 | DAVID ALDEN | |
| 26 | DP BBQ | |
| 27 | SCHWEBS BBQ | |
| 28 | Hard Rock |
Chicken
28 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 2 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 3 | iBQ'n | |
| 4 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 5 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 6 | QUE U | |
| 7 | 4 Schmidts and Giggles | |
| 8 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 9 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 10 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 11 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 12 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 13 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 14 | ON QUE BBQ | |
| 15 | Slightly Sauced | |
| 16 | BERGEY BOYS BLAZING BBQ | |
| 17 | Southside Smoke | |
| 18 | SCHWEBS BBQ | |
| 19 | Risky Brisket | |
| 20 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES | |
| 21 | MIL-TOWN BBQ | |
| 22 | DP BBQ | |
| 23 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 24 | Big E BBQ | |
| 25 | Incipient Phase BBQ | |
| 26 | Son of a Boar BBQ | |
| 27 | DAVID ALDEN | |
| 28 | Hard Rock |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 175.4400 · median 162.5428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 2 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 3 | ON QUE BBQ | |
| 4 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 5 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 6 | Big E BBQ | |
| 7 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 8 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 9 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 10 | iBQ'n | |
| 11 | Incipient Phase BBQ | |
| 12 | QUE U | |
| 13 | BERGEY BOYS BLAZING BBQ | |
| 14 | SCHWEBS BBQ | |
| 15 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 16 | DAVID ALDEN | |
| 17 | Slightly Sauced | |
| 18 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 19 | 4 Schmidts and Giggles | |
| 20 | Southside Smoke | |
| 21 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES | |
| 22 | Risky Brisket | |
| 23 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 24 | Son of a Boar BBQ | |
| 25 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 26 | MIL-TOWN BBQ | |
| 27 | Hard Rock | |
| 28 | DP BBQ |
Pork
28 entries · top 177.1544 · median 167.7086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 2 | 4 Schmidts and Giggles | |
| 3 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 4 | BERGEY BOYS BLAZING BBQ | |
| 5 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 6 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 7 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 8 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 9 | Slightly Sauced | |
| 10 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES | |
| 11 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 12 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 13 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 14 | iBQ'n | |
| 15 | Big E BBQ | |
| 16 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 17 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 18 | QUE U | |
| 19 | Incipient Phase BBQ | |
| 20 | Son of a Boar BBQ | |
| 21 | DAVID ALDEN | |
| 22 | DP BBQ | |
| 23 | Southside Smoke | |
| 24 | Risky Brisket | |
| 25 | SCHWEBS BBQ | |
| 26 | MIL-TOWN BBQ | |
| 27 | Hard Rock | |
| 28 | ON QUE BBQ |
Brisket
28 entries · top 180 · median 157.9428 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 2 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 3 | Big E BBQ | |
| 4 | iBQ'n | |
| 5 | LUCKY'S Q | |
| 6 | QUE U | |
| 7 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 8 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 9 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 10 | BERGEY BOYS BLAZING BBQ | |
| 11 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 12 | Risky Brisket | |
| 13 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 14 | 4 Schmidts and Giggles | |
| 15 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 16 | Incipient Phase BBQ | |
| 17 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 18 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES | |
| 19 | MIL-TOWN BBQ | |
| 20 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 21 | Son of a Boar BBQ | |
| 22 | ON QUE BBQ | |
| 23 | DP BBQ | |
| 24 | Slightly Sauced | |
| 25 | DAVID ALDEN | |
| 26 | Hard Rock | |
| 27 | Southside Smoke | |
| 28 | SCHWEBS BBQ |
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 — Dessert
5 entries · top 180 · median 178.2972 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big E BBQ | |
| 2 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 3 | BERGEY BOYS BLAZING BBQ | |
| 4 | CROIX VALLEY SAUCES | |
| 5 | Incipient Phase BBQ |