A new contest record
703.9888
highest overall ever cooked here
703.9888 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 702.8456 Double Barrel BBQ set in 2021.
- old record 702.8456
- set 2021 by Double Barrel BBQ
Ozarks BBQ Fest 2022
Apr 22–23, 2022 · Springfield, MO · 📍 3001 N Grant Ave · State championship
Reps: Alfred T Bowen, Fran Bowen · Prize money: $17,200
GETTIN' BASTED won Grand Champion at the Ozarks BBQ Fest on April 22, 2022 in Springfield, MO at 3001 N Grant Ave, scoring 703.9888 in a field of 31 teams. MAN MEAT BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 698.8116. Category winners: Chicken — AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW (180.0000); Pork Ribs — GETTIN' BASTED (177.7144); Pork — Go Pig or Go Home (180.0000); Brisket — Bonemaker Outdoors (180.0000). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2021 edition was won by Double Barrel BBQ; 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.
305.60
median 659.30
703.99 🏆
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 🔥
138.17
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2020 to 2023 — this edition picked out.
Entries
31
4 judged meats
Top score
703.9888
Winning margin
5.1772
GC over RC
Field average
641.29
305.60703.99
median 659.30 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
4 🔥
Bonemaker Outdoors (Brisket), AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW (Chicken), TAILGATE GUYS BBQ (Chicken) + 1 more
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.7028 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
678.1368
305.60703.99
10th place overall
Field spread
398.3884
winner to last place
Prize money
$17,200
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 17%
beats 83% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
32%
12 of 37 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.66 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,551
avg power rating going in · stronger than 39% of contests
Storylines (7 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 day of perfect scores
4
perfect 180s
4 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Bonemaker Outdoors · Brisket
- AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW · Chicken
- TAILGATE GUYS BBQ · Chicken
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
Gettin' Basted has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2020
- 2022
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW and TAILGATE GUYS BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: Ambition Que and All Fired Up and Kicking Ash MO tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: All Fired Up and Kicking Ash MO and MAN MEAT BBQ tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
GETTIN' BASTED took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 13th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 13th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
Bonemaker Outdoors turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Gettin' Basted (won 2020), Double Barrel BBQ (won 2021).
- Gettin' Basted · 2020
- Double Barrel BBQ · 2021
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, 2020 | Springfield, MO | Ozark Empire Fairground | 26 | 701.6456 | Gettin' Basted | GETTIN' SAUCED |
| Apr 23, 2021 | Springfield, MO | Ozark Empire Fairground | 37 | 702.8456 | Double Barrel BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
| Apr 22, 2022 ← this one | Springfield, MO | 3001 N Grant Ave | 31 | 703.9888 | Gettin' Basted | MAN MEAT BBQ |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Springfield, MO | 3001 N Grant Ave | 30 | 706.2516 | SLAPS BBQ | Fine As* Swine BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 176.0116 | 173.1084 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 176.0116 | 173.7028 |
| Pork | 180 | 174.2628 | 168.5256 |
| Brisket | 180 | 174.2628 | 167.3828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
31 entries · top 703.9888 · median 659.3024
Chicken
30 entries · top 180 · median 166.5486 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
31 entries · top 177.7144 · median 168.5256
Pork
30 entries · top 180 · median 166.5544 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
29 entries · top 180 · median 165.0856 · 🔥 perfect 180