A new contest record
704.5600
highest overall ever cooked here
704.5600 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.8112 Beer Belly BBQ set in 2019.
- old record 698.8112
- set 2019 by Beer Belly BBQ
Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 2021
Jun 25–26, 2021 · Miles City, MT · 📍 Riverside Park · State championship
Reps: Michael Santiago, Rhonda Santiago
OWENS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Miles City Cowtown Cook Off on June 25, 2021 in Miles City, MT at Riverside Park, scoring 704.5600 in a field of 25 teams. TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.0972. Category winners: Chicken — AMERICAN HEROES BBQ (178.8800); Pork Ribs — TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER (177.7144); Pork — TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER (178.8572); Brisket — OWENS BBQ (177.7028). This is the 4th of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by Beer Belly BBQ.
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.
602.21
median 681.63
704.56 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.88
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 177.70
141.12
178.88
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
25
4 judged meats
Top score
704.5600
Winning margin
3.4628
GC over RC
Field average
667.22
602.21704.56
median 681.63 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.3200 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.4176
602.21704.56
10th place overall
Field spread
102.3544
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 15%
beats 85% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
46%
13 of 28 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,594
avg power rating going in · stronger than 74% of contests
Storylines (9 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
16-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 84 times in 100
OWENS BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 16-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1582
- top seed 1875
A first Grand Championship
22
tracked contests to get there
This was Owens BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 22nd tracked contest.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: Mountain Smoke BBQ and SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ and BEER BELLY BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ and OWENS BBQ tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Brisket 1–2 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
OWENS BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 9th.
- Chicken 9th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
177.7028
best brisket ever cooked here
OWENS BBQ turned in 177.7028 in brisket — past the 177.1544 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1544
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: LAST CALL HEROES BBQ (won 2018), Beer Belly BBQ (won 2019).
- LAST CALL HEROES BBQ · 2018
- Beer Belly BBQ · 2019
The contest returns
2 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 2 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2019-06-14.
- previous edition 2019-06-14
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2015 | Miles City, MT | Miles City, MT 59301 | 26 | 686.2856 | GRATE EXPECTATIONS | JO-BAWB'S BBQ |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park , 5th and Main | 27 | 691.9428 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | YOU QUE'D ME ALL NIGHT LONG |
| Jun 14, 2019 | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park | 28 | 698.8112 | Beer Belly BBQ | RICHIE Z's |
| Jun 25, 2021 ← this one | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park | 25 | 704.5600 | Owens BBQ | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8800 | 176.5600 | 174.2972 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.7028 | 168.5944 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 173.7028 | 170.8228 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 173.7028 | 170.8112 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 704.5600 · median 681.6340
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 2 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 3 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 4 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 5 | AMERICAN HEROES BBQ | |
| 6 | BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 7 | SPITFIRE | |
| 8 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 9 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 10 | LaTa-Que | |
| 11 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 13 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 14 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 15 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 16 | SHELLBACK BBQ | |
| 17 | Papa's Pit Crew | |
| 18 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 19 | Shootin' Smoke | |
| 20 | BIG BOYZ BBQ | |
| 21 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 22 | BBQ ODYSSEY | |
| 23 | Bad Ash BBQ | |
| 24 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 25 | Treasurer State Smokehouse |
Chicken
25 entries · top 178.8800 · median 171.4172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMERICAN HEROES BBQ | |
| 2 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 3 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 5 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 7 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 8 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 9 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 10 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 11 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 12 | SPITFIRE | |
| 13 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 14 | Papa's Pit Crew | |
| 15 | SHELLBACK BBQ | |
| 16 | LaTa-Que | |
| 17 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 18 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 19 | Shootin' Smoke | |
| 20 | Bad Ash BBQ | |
| 21 | Treasurer State Smokehouse | |
| 22 | BBQ ODYSSEY | |
| 23 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 24 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 25 | BIG BOYZ BBQ |
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 177.7144 · median 166.8684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 2 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 3 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 4 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 5 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 6 | AMERICAN HEROES BBQ | |
| 7 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 8 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 9 | SPITFIRE | |
| 10 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 11 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 12 | LaTa-Que | |
| 13 | BIG BOYZ BBQ | |
| 14 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 15 | BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 16 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 17 | SHELLBACK BBQ | |
| 18 | BBQ ODYSSEY | |
| 19 | Papa's Pit Crew | |
| 20 | Shootin' Smoke | |
| 21 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 22 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 23 | Bad Ash BBQ | |
| 24 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 25 | Treasurer State Smokehouse |
Pork
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 2 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 3 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 4 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 5 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 6 | LaTa-Que | |
| 7 | SHELLBACK BBQ | |
| 8 | BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 9 | SPITFIRE | |
| 10 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 11 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 13 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 14 | AMERICAN HEROES BBQ | |
| 15 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 16 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | Papa's Pit Crew | |
| 18 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 19 | BIG BOYZ BBQ | |
| 20 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 21 | Treasurer State Smokehouse | |
| 22 | Shootin' Smoke | |
| 23 | Bad Ash BBQ | |
| 24 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 25 | BBQ ODYSSEY |
Brisket
25 entries · top 177.7028 · median 167.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 3 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ | |
| 4 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 5 | BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 6 | AMERICAN HEROES BBQ | |
| 7 | LaTa-Que | |
| 8 | SPITFIRE | |
| 9 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 10 | PIGTAMER BBQ | |
| 11 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 12 | SHELLBACK BBQ | |
| 13 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 14 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 15 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 16 | Papa's Pit Crew | |
| 17 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 18 | Shootin' Smoke | |
| 19 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 20 | BBQ ODYSSEY | |
| 21 | BIG BOYZ BBQ | |
| 22 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 23 | Bad Ash BBQ | |
| 24 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 25 | Treasurer State Smokehouse |