A new contest record
711.4172
highest overall ever cooked here
711.4172 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 706.2856 CLARK CREW BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 706.2856
- set 2017 by CLARK CREW BBQ
Smoke on the Trails 2021
Sep 10–11, 2021 · Gardner, KS · State championship
Reps: Forrest Bruce, Larry Hadley, Peg Rogers · Prize money: $10,000
SLAPS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Trails on September 10, 2021 in Gardner, KS, scoring 711.4172 in a field of 53 teams. SMOKE RINGERS took Reserve Grand Champion with 706.8344. Category winners: Chicken — LOVE 2 Q (180.0000); Pork Ribs — GETTIN' BASTED (177.7144); Pork — SMOKE RINGERS (180.0000); Brisket — GETTIN' SAUCED (180.0000). This is the 5th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2020 edition was won by Slaps 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.
313.68
median 673.55
711.42 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 180 🔥
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
53
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
711.4172
Winning margin
4.5828
GC over RC
Field average
649.66
313.68711.42
median 673.55 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
696.5260
313.68711.42
10th place overall
Field spread
397.7372
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 2%
beats 98% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
52%
25 of 48 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,584
avg power rating going in · stronger than 67% of contests
Storylines (8 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.
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
Slaps BBQ won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2020
- 2021
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
SLAPS BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 15th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 2nd
A day of perfect scores
7
perfect 180s
7 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- GETTIN' SAUCED · Brisket
- SLAPS BBQ · Brisket
- HIGH i QUE · Brisket
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 5 tracked editions
SLAPS BBQ has won this contest 3 times across its 5 tracked editions.
- 2018
- 2020
- 2021
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 19 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: LOVE 2 Q and GETTIN' BASTED tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Happy Grillmore and Free Range Friends BBQ tied on 178.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: MAD MUTT'S BBQ and GETTIN' SAUCED tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
A contest record in pork
180.0000
best pork ever cooked here
SMOKE RINGERS turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 179.4400 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
- old best 179.4400
- across 4 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SLAPS BBQ (won 2018, 2020), High I Que (won 2019).
- SLAPS BBQ · 2018, 2020
- High I Que · 2019
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 2017 | Gardner, KS | Celebration Park 32501 W 159th St | 64 | 706.2856 | CLARK CREW BBQ | PELLET ENVY |
| Sep 28, 2018 | Gardner, KS | Celebration Park 32501 W 159th St | 68 | 705.7028 | SLAPS BBQ | PELLET ENVY |
| Sep 27, 2019 | Gardner, KS | Celebration Park 32501 W 159th St | 53 | 691.3484 | High I Que | MAN MEAT BBQ |
| Sep 11, 2020 | Gardner, KS | 32501 W 159th St. | 48 | 704.5372 | Slaps BBQ | Happy Grillmore - KS |
| Sep 10, 2021 ← this one | Gardner, KS | Gardner, KS 66030 | 53 | 711.4172 | Slaps BBQ | SMOKE RINGERS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 178.2972 | 176.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 176.5600 | 175.4056 |
| Pork | 180 | 177.7144 | 174.2972 |
| Brisket | 180 | 177.7028 | 173.1084 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
53 entries · top 711.4172 · median 673.5540
Chicken
53 entries · top 180 · median 166.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
53 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.4288
Pork
51 entries · top 180 · median 170.8344 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKE RINGERS | |
| 2 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 3 | GEO SMOKERS | |
| 4 | Barking Dog BBQ | |
| 5 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY O.G | |
| 6 | ROCK N BLUES BBQ | |
| 7 | GETTIN' SAUCED | |
| 8 | B & D BBQ | |
| 9 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 10 | Wildhouse BBQ | |
| 11 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 12 | Happy Grillmore | |
| 13 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 14 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 15 | DAWGHOUSE BBQ | |
| 16 | Shark Q | |
| 17 | WOOD HOOK BBQ | |
| 18 | BONES BRIGADE KC | |
| 19 | JCs GOOD OL BOYS | |
| 20 | 3 PIGS SMOKIN | |
| 21 | HIGH i QUE | |
| 22 | Meat Gazers | |
| 23 | Crossed Rifles BBQ | |
| 24 | BUBBA AND THE BOYS BARBEQUE | |
| 25 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 26 | BOOM CHICKA COW COW | |
| 27 | Barking Hogs BBQ | |
| 28 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 29 | Free Range Friends BBQ | |
| 30 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | |
| 31 | Igy 6 | |
| 32 | Smokin Brothers Pro Team | |
| 33 | Kings of Smoke | |
| 34 | Tierney's Smoked Goods | |
| 35 | Hog's Plan BBQ | |
| 36 | Flying W North BBQ | |
| 37 | Aggravation BBQ | |
| 38 | KC MEAT SWEATS | |
| 39 | The 28th Amendment | |
| 40 | Pork N Heifers | |
| 41 | Up N' Smoke | |
| 42 | Papa Bears KC Barbecue | |
| 43 | Here for the Beers | |
| 44 | Just Smoked Your Butt | |
| 45 | Buccaneer Barbecue | |
| 46 | Girls That Smoke | |
| 47 | The Butt Rubbers | |
| 48 | Ming St Meats | |
| 49 | PB&J BBQ | |
| 50 | 3 Idiots and a Smoker | |
| 51 | BBQ2O |
Brisket
52 entries · top 180 · median 165.0856 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GETTIN' SAUCED | |
| 2 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 3 | HIGH i QUE | |
| 4 | WOOD HOOK BBQ | |
| 5 | BONES BRIGADE KC | |
| 6 | Crossed Rifles BBQ | |
| 7 | Aggravation BBQ | |
| 8 | 3 PIGS SMOKIN | |
| 9 | DAWGHOUSE BBQ | |
| 10 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 11 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKE RINGERS | |
| 13 | Free Range Friends BBQ | |
| 14 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 15 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 16 | Wildhouse BBQ | |
| 17 | ROCK N BLUES BBQ | |
| 18 | Flying W North BBQ | |
| 19 | Happy Grillmore | |
| 20 | Hog's Plan BBQ | |
| 21 | Barking Hogs BBQ | |
| 22 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 23 | GEO SMOKERS | |
| 24 | Smokin Brothers Pro Team | |
| 25 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 26 | PIGGIN' WHISKEY O.G | |
| 27 | BOOM CHICKA COW COW | |
| 28 | KC MEAT SWEATS | |
| 29 | Here for the Beers | |
| 30 | Shark Q | |
| 31 | JCs GOOD OL BOYS | |
| 32 | BUBBA AND THE BOYS BARBEQUE | |
| 33 | B & D BBQ | |
| 34 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 35 | Igy 6 | |
| 36 | Just Smoked Your Butt | |
| 37 | The 28th Amendment | |
| 38 | Kings of Smoke | |
| 39 | Up N' Smoke | |
| 40 | Tierney's Smoked Goods | |
| 41 | Barking Dog BBQ | |
| 42 | Ming St Meats | |
| 43 | Meat Gazers | |
| 44 | The Butt Rubbers | |
| 45 | Pork N Heifers | |
| 46 | BBQ2O | |
| 47 | 3 Idiots and a Smoker | |
| 48 | Buccaneer Barbecue | |
| 49 | Smokin' Somethin | |
| 50 | Girls That Smoke | |
| 51 | PB&J BBQ | |
| 52 | Papa Bears KC Barbecue |
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
11 entries · top 180 · median 173.7028 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokin Brothers Pro Team | |
| 2 | Shark Q | |
| 3 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 4 | The 28th Amendment | |
| 5 | Aggravation BBQ | |
| 6 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 7 | Papa Bears KC Barbecue | |
| 8 | Barking Hogs BBQ | |
| 9 | Flying W North BBQ | |
| 10 | BBQ2O | |
| 11 | Buccaneer Barbecue |