Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
JR RIBS won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 18th
- Brisket 2nd
BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022
Mar 25–27, 2022 · San Jose, Costa Rica · COSTA RICA · 📍 Centro Eventos Pedregal
Reps: Debra Gage, William Gage
JR RIBS won Grand Champion at the BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022 on March 25, 2022 in San Jose, at Centro Eventos Pedregal, scoring 694.9028 in a field of 28 teams. Comparrillas took Reserve Grand Champion with 689.6688. Category winners: Chicken — Krado BBQ Club (176.0228); Pork Ribs — Comparrillas (178.8572); Pork — Clandestino (178.2972); Brisket — Asados y Paellas (179.4400). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2023.
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.
619.93
median 668.81
694.90 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.02
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 178.30
- Brisket 179.44
137.68
179.44
Entries
28
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
694.9028
Winning margin
5.2340
GC over RC
Field average
667.56
619.93694.90
median 668.81 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
4.5372 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
671.9084
619.93694.90
10th place overall
Field spread
74.9716
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 53%
beats 47% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.19 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,503
avg power rating going in · stronger than 3% of contests
Storylines (3 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.
A first Grand Championship
3
tracked contests to get there
This was JR RIBS's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 3rd tracked contest.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: Los Maes CR and BBQ Costa Rica tied on 168.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: Club Carbon CR and GRILLDROIDS tied on 173.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: Clandestino and Justice BBQ tied on 178.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 2022 ← this one | San Jose | Centro Eventos Pedregal | 28 | 694.9028 | JR RIBS | Comparrillas |
| Apr 15, 2023 | San Jose | Centro Eventos Pedregal | 26 | 708.0228 | GETTIN' BASTED | BBQ REBELS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.0228 | 169.1428 | 166.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 174.2856 | 172.0228 |
| Pork | 178.2972 | 173.7600 | 169.7256 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 173.1428 | 170.8684 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 694.9028 · median 668.8056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JR RIBS | |
| 2 | Comparrillas | |
| 3 | Justice BBQ | |
| 4 | La Parrilla de mi Tata | |
| 5 | Los Maes CR | |
| 6 | BBQ Project | |
| 7 | Asados y Paellas | |
| 8 | GRILLDROIDS | |
| 9 | BBQ Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Club Carbon CR | |
| 11 | 506F | |
| 12 | Clandestino | |
| 13 | The Grillers | |
| 14 | Ramadi Parrilleros | |
| 15 | CLUB CARBONCITO | |
| 16 | Krado BBQ Club | |
| 17 | BBQ Rebels | |
| 18 | BBQueens | |
| 19 | DARTH GRILLERS | |
| 20 | Bali BBQ Team | |
| 21 | LOS PINOS BBQ TEAM | |
| 22 | TEC BBQ | |
| 23 | Raices Smoke & Grill | |
| 24 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 25 | 88 BBQ | |
| 26 | BBQHolics | |
| 27 | BigReds | |
| 28 | Carnivoros |
Chicken
28 entries · top 176.0228 · median 164.2684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krado BBQ Club | |
| 2 | 506F | |
| 3 | JR RIBS | |
| 4 | CLUB CARBONCITO | |
| 5 | GRILLDROIDS | |
| 6 | Los Maes CR | |
| 7 | BBQ Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Club Carbon CR | |
| 9 | La Parrilla de mi Tata | |
| 10 | BBQ Project | |
| 11 | Justice BBQ | |
| 12 | Ramadi Parrilleros | |
| 13 | Comparrillas | |
| 14 | LOS PINOS BBQ TEAM | |
| 15 | BBQ Rebels | |
| 16 | DARTH GRILLERS | |
| 17 | BBQueens | |
| 18 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 19 | Bali BBQ Team | |
| 20 | Clandestino | |
| 21 | Asados y Paellas | |
| 22 | The Grillers | |
| 23 | Raices Smoke & Grill | |
| 24 | 88 BBQ | |
| 25 | BigReds | |
| 26 | BBQHolics | |
| 27 | Carnivoros | |
| 28 | TEC BBQ |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.2914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comparrillas | |
| 2 | JR RIBS | |
| 3 | DARTH GRILLERS | |
| 4 | Justice BBQ | |
| 5 | La Parrilla de mi Tata | |
| 6 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 7 | BBQ Project | |
| 8 | Club Carbon CR | |
| 9 | GRILLDROIDS | |
| 10 | Carnivoros | |
| 11 | BigReds | |
| 12 | TEC BBQ | |
| 13 | CLUB CARBONCITO | |
| 14 | Asados y Paellas | |
| 15 | Ramadi Parrilleros | |
| 16 | Krado BBQ Club | |
| 17 | BBQ Costa Rica | |
| 18 | Clandestino | |
| 19 | Los Maes CR | |
| 20 | Bali BBQ Team | |
| 21 | The Grillers | |
| 22 | BBQueens | |
| 23 | 506F | |
| 24 | BBQ Rebels | |
| 25 | Raices Smoke & Grill | |
| 26 | LOS PINOS BBQ TEAM | |
| 27 | 88 BBQ | |
| 28 | BBQHolics |
Pork
28 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.2742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clandestino | |
| 2 | Justice BBQ | |
| 3 | Comparrillas | |
| 4 | TEC BBQ | |
| 5 | Bali BBQ Team | |
| 6 | BBQ Costa Rica | |
| 7 | 88 BBQ | |
| 8 | The Grillers | |
| 9 | BBQHolics | |
| 10 | Los Maes CR | |
| 11 | LOS PINOS BBQ TEAM | |
| 12 | La Parrilla de mi Tata | |
| 13 | Raices Smoke & Grill | |
| 14 | Ramadi Parrilleros | |
| 15 | GRILLDROIDS | |
| 16 | BigReds | |
| 17 | Asados y Paellas | |
| 18 | JR RIBS | |
| 19 | BBQ Project | |
| 20 | BBQueens | |
| 21 | BBQ Rebels | |
| 22 | 506F | |
| 23 | CLUB CARBONCITO | |
| 24 | Club Carbon CR | |
| 25 | DARTH GRILLERS | |
| 26 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 27 | Carnivoros | |
| 28 | Krado BBQ Club |
Brisket
28 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.1314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asados y Paellas | |
| 2 | JR RIBS | |
| 3 | BBQ Rebels | |
| 4 | TEC BBQ | |
| 5 | La Parrilla de mi Tata | |
| 6 | The Grillers | |
| 7 | BBQueens | |
| 8 | Raices Smoke & Grill | |
| 9 | Comparrillas | |
| 10 | Los Maes CR | |
| 11 | BBQHolics | |
| 12 | BBQ Project | |
| 13 | 506F | |
| 14 | Club Carbon CR | |
| 15 | Justice BBQ | |
| 16 | LOS PINOS BBQ TEAM | |
| 17 | Ramadi Parrilleros | |
| 18 | Krado BBQ Club | |
| 19 | GRILLDROIDS | |
| 20 | BBQ Costa Rica | |
| 21 | 88 BBQ | |
| 22 | DARTH GRILLERS | |
| 23 | Clandestino | |
| 24 | CLUB CARBONCITO | |
| 25 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 26 | Bali BBQ Team | |
| 27 | BigReds | |
| 28 | Carnivoros |
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 — Bbq Sauce
28 entries · top 172.5828 · median 161.4342
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 506F | |
| 2 | La Parrilla de mi Tata | |
| 3 | BBQ Rebels | |
| 4 | Krado BBQ Club | |
| 5 | BigReds | |
| 6 | Los Maes CR | |
| 7 | Comparrillas | |
| 8 | BBQueens | |
| 9 | JR RIBS | |
| 10 | GRILLDROIDS | |
| 11 | Asados y Paellas | |
| 12 | Bali BBQ Team | |
| 13 | 88 BBQ | |
| 14 | Club Carbon CR | |
| 15 | Raices Smoke & Grill | |
| 16 | Clandestino | |
| 17 | DARTH GRILLERS | |
| 18 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 19 | CLUB CARBONCITO | |
| 20 | BBQ Project | |
| 21 | Ramadi Parrilleros | |
| 22 | BBQ Costa Rica | |
| 23 | LOS PINOS BBQ TEAM | |
| 24 | BBQHolics | |
| 25 | Carnivoros | |
| 26 | Justice BBQ | |
| 27 | The Grillers | |
| 28 | TEC BBQ |
Ancillary — Dessert
27 entries · top 180 · median 162.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bali BBQ Team | |
| 2 | BBQueens | |
| 3 | BBQ Rebels | |
| 4 | JR RIBS | |
| 5 | Justice BBQ | |
| 6 | Carnivoros | |
| 7 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 8 | Asados y Paellas | |
| 9 | DARTH GRILLERS | |
| 10 | Club Carbon CR | |
| 11 | The Grillers | |
| 12 | 506F | |
| 13 | 88 BBQ | |
| 14 | LOS PINOS BBQ TEAM | |
| 15 | Comparrillas | |
| 16 | BBQ Costa Rica | |
| 17 | BigReds | |
| 18 | GRILLDROIDS | |
| 19 | La Parrilla de mi Tata | |
| 20 | Los Maes CR | |
| 21 | CLUB CARBONCITO | |
| 22 | BBQ Project | |
| 23 | Clandestino | |
| 24 | Raices Smoke & Grill | |
| 25 | Ramadi Parrilleros | |
| 26 | Krado BBQ Club | |
| 27 | TEC BBQ |
Ancillary — Quesadilla
27 entries · top 177.7600 · median 163.4628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clandestino | |
| 2 | La Parrilla de mi Tata | |
| 3 | JR RIBS | |
| 4 | BBQ Costa Rica | |
| 5 | 88 BBQ | |
| 6 | Carnivoros | |
| 7 | LOS PINOS BBQ TEAM | |
| 8 | Los Maes CR | |
| 9 | Club Carbon CR | |
| 10 | Bali BBQ Team | |
| 11 | Justice BBQ | |
| 12 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 13 | TEC BBQ | |
| 14 | Asados y Paellas | |
| 15 | CLUB CARBONCITO | |
| 16 | GRILLDROIDS | |
| 17 | BBQ Project | |
| 18 | Krado BBQ Club | |
| 19 | DARTH GRILLERS | |
| 20 | BBQueens | |
| 21 | Ramadi Parrilleros | |
| 22 | Raices Smoke & Grill | |
| 23 | BBQ Rebels | |
| 24 | The Grillers | |
| 25 | 506F | |
| 26 | BigReds | |
| 27 | Comparrillas |
Ancillary — Surprise
27 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clandestino | |
| 2 | BBQ Project | |
| 3 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 4 | 506F | |
| 5 | JR RIBS | |
| 6 | Bali BBQ Team | |
| 7 | BigReds | |
| 8 | LOS PINOS BBQ TEAM | |
| 9 | BBQ Rebels | |
| 10 | Raices Smoke & Grill | |
| 11 | La Parrilla de mi Tata | |
| 12 | 88 BBQ | |
| 13 | Krado BBQ Club | |
| 14 | Los Maes CR | |
| 15 | DARTH GRILLERS | |
| 16 | Carnivoros | |
| 17 | CLUB CARBONCITO | |
| 18 | GRILLDROIDS | |
| 19 | Comparrillas | |
| 20 | Club Carbon CR | |
| 21 | BBQueens | |
| 22 | Ramadi Parrilleros | |
| 23 | BBQHolics | |
| 24 | Justice BBQ | |
| 25 | The Grillers | |
| 26 | BBQ Costa Rica | |
| 27 | TEC BBQ |