A new contest record
706.2400
highest overall ever cooked here
706.2400 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 696.5600 JO-BAWB'S BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 696.5600
- set 2015 by JO-BAWB'S BBQ
Smoke on the Water 2021
May 1–2, 2021 · Liberty, IN · 📍 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd · State championship
Reps: Becky Druetzler, Dave Druetzler · Prize money: $5,000
THE BBQ BUS won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Water on May 1, 2021 in Liberty, IN at 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd, scoring 706.2400 in a field of 27 teams. GETTIN PIGGY WITH IT BACKYARD BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 690.2400. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKE-N-PEPPERS (177.1428); Pork Ribs — THE BBQ BUS (176.5600); Pork — THE BBQ BUS (180.0000); Brisket — PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS (178.8800). This is the 6th of 14 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by Thunder Hog 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.
441.04
median 669.59
706.24 🏆
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 176.56
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 178.88
139.35
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
27
4 judged meats · 5 ancillary
Top score
706.2400
Winning margin
16
GC over RC
Field average
651.11
441.04706.24
median 669.59 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
4.0228 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
675.3484
441.04706.24
10th place overall
Field spread
265.2000
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,000
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 11%
beats 89% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
42%
11 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,593
avg power rating going in · stronger than 73% 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, One2BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 20-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1710
- top seed 1947
A statement win
16.0000
points clear of the field
Wider than 97% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 16.0000 points — a wider margin than 97% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 13 tracked editions
Thunder Hog BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 13 tracked editions.
- 2019
- 2022
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company and SMOKIN HOOSIERS tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: JMB BBQ and Wilbur's Last Ride BBQ tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: SMOKE-N-PEPPERS and FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
THE BBQ BUS won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE BBQ BUS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 5th.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in pork
180.0000
best pork ever cooked here
THE BBQ BUS turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 5 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 5 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Thunder Hog BBQ (won 2019).
- Thunder Hog 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 · Pork
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2013 | Topeka, KS | Topeka, KS | 43 | 687.4516 | CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ | BLACK EYE BBQ |
| Oct 9, 2015 | Topeka, KS | Topeka, KS 66605 | 33 | 696.5600 | JO-BAWB'S BBQ | BOXER Q BBQ |
| May 6, 2017 | Liberty, IN | 3801 West Old Dunlapsville RD | 26 | 695.9084 | VICTORY SMOKERS | GREY STREET BBQ |
| May 5, 2018 | Liberty, IN | 3801 West Old Dunlapsville RD | 28 | 693.6684 | GREY STREET BBQ | BANKIN BABY BBQ |
| May 4, 2019 | Liberty, IN | 381 W Old Dunlapsville | 26 | 696.5140 | Thunder Hog BBQ | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ |
| May 1, 2021 ← this one | Liberty, IN | 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd | 27 | 706.2400 | The BBQ Bus | GETTIN PIGGY WITH IT BACKYARD BBQ |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 25 | 699.3600 | Mad Mutt's BBQ | SMOKE RINGERS |
| Apr 29, 2022 | Liberty, IN | 3801 W Old Dunlapsville Rd | 25 | 707.9888 | Thunder Hog BBQ | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 28 | 701.6688 | Cow Creek BBQ | MAN MEAT BBQ |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 39 | 707.4176 | Slaps BBQ | WOOD HOOK BBQ |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Pine Bluff, AR | 1 Regional Park Dr | 42 | 698.2628 | Kith n Kin | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 31 | 700.5372 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | Bocephus BBQ |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Topeka, KS | 3435 SE East Edge Rd | 30 | 703.3828 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ | Damn Fine Beef & Swine |
| Oct 9, 2026 | Topeka, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1428 | 173.1200 | 169.6800 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 171.4288 | 169.1544 |
| Pork | 180 | 172 | 169.7028 |
| Brisket | 178.8800 | 173.1200 | 171.9656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
27 entries · top 706.2400 · median 669.5884
Chicken
27 entries · top 177.1428 · median 167.4400
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 176.5600 · median 165.9714
Pork
27 entries · top 180 · median 168.6172 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
26 entries · top 178.8800 · median 169.3942
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 — Anything Butt
4 entries · top 180 · median 174.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company | |
| 2 | Extra Mile BBQ | |
| 3 | WEQ4U | |
| 4 | Smoky Bear BBQ |
Kids-Q — Celebrate Real Pork Series - Kids 10 Under
2 entries · top 180 · median 175.1428 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dino Que | |
| 2 | Shake Your Booty Que |
Kids-Q — Celebrate Real Pork Series - Kids 11-15
1 entries · top 173.1428 · median 173.1428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyatt's Wild West BBQ |
Ancillary — Celebrate Real Pork Series - Pork Chop
11 entries · top 178.2972 · median 167.3828
Ancillary — Obr Mystery Meat
9 entries · top 176.5944 · median 162.2400