Best Dam Barbeque
2022-05-27 – 2022-05-28 · Boulder City, NV · 📍 999 Colorado Street · State championship
Reps: KATHLEEN MCINTOSH, KELLY MCINTOSH · Prize money: $12,000.00
Grand Champion: Girls Can Grill (698.2516) · 26 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ
Entries
26
4 judged meats
Top score
698.2516
Winning margin
4.0344
GC over RC
Field average
641.98
median 660.21
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1660 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
675.3024
10th place overall
Field spread
311.0176
winner to last place
Prize money
$12,000.00
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 57%
beats 43% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
65%
of the 26 teams with a home region came from outside NV
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.63 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1528
avg power rating going in · stronger than 33% of contests
Storylines
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
GIRLS CAN GRILL took the Grand Championship home to AZ.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 7–8: Sharpe's Woodshed and RIP N BONES BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: Rhythm n QUE and LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ edged Rhythm n QUE by 0.0116.
🃏 An upset on the books
GIRLS CAN GRILL came in rated below the field's top team, Fergolicious BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 29-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-05-25 | Boulder City, NV 89005 | 30 | 693.1316 | SQUAT AND GOBBLE BARBEQUE | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2022-05-27 ← this one | Boulder City, NV | 999 Colorado Street | 26 | 698.2516 | Girls Can Grill | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ |
| 2023-05-26 | Boulder City, NV | Boulder City, NV 89005 | 27 | 711.4056 | Stevo's BBQ | Rhythm n QUE |
| 2024-05-24 | Boulder City, NV | Boulder City, NV 89005 | 33 | 695.3600 | Porterhouse BBQ | BURNIN AND LOOTIN |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5716 | 175.4056 | 170.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 171.9888 | 167.4056 |
| Pork | 178.2972 | 173.7028 | 169.6684 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 170.2628 | 167.9656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 698.2516 · median 660.2060
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 2 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 3 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 4 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 6 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 7 | RIP N BONES BBQ | |
| 8 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 9 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 10 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 11 | Sharpe's Woodshed | |
| 12 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 13 | Primal Q | |
| 14 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 15 | Wood N Coals BBQ | |
| 16 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | Guido Q | |
| 18 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 19 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 20 | Smokin Bocks | |
| 21 | Smokin' Envy BBQ | |
| 22 | STICKY BUTTS | |
| 23 | Generation Q | |
| 24 | Hickoryhead Smoked Meats | |
| 25 | Chris & Mike BBQ | |
| 26 | Swinging Meats |
Chicken
26 entries · top 176.5716 · median 166.8400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 2 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 3 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 4 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 5 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 6 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 7 | Sharpe's Woodshed | |
| 8 | RIP N BONES BBQ | |
| 9 | Wood N Coals BBQ | |
| 10 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 11 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 12 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 13 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 14 | Primal Q | |
| 15 | Smokin' Envy BBQ | |
| 16 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 17 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 18 | Guido Q | |
| 19 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 20 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 21 | Generation Q | |
| 22 | STICKY BUTTS | |
| 23 | Smokin Bocks | |
| 24 | Chris & Mike BBQ | |
| 25 | Hickoryhead Smoked Meats | |
| 26 | Swinging Meats |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.6744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 2 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 3 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 4 | Sharpe's Woodshed | |
| 5 | RIP N BONES BBQ | |
| 6 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 7 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 8 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 9 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 10 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 11 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 12 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 13 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 14 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 15 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 16 | Wood N Coals BBQ | |
| 17 | Guido Q | |
| 18 | Smokin Bocks | |
| 19 | Smokin' Envy BBQ | |
| 20 | Primal Q | |
| 21 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 22 | STICKY BUTTS | |
| 23 | Generation Q | |
| 24 | Hickoryhead Smoked Meats | |
| 25 | Chris & Mike BBQ | |
| 26 | Swinging Meats |
Pork
26 entries · top 178.2972 · median 162.7942
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primal Q | |
| 2 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 3 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 4 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 5 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 6 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 7 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 8 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 9 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 10 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 11 | Guido Q | |
| 12 | Smokin Bocks | |
| 13 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 14 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 15 | Sharpe's Woodshed | |
| 16 | Wood N Coals BBQ | |
| 17 | STICKY BUTTS | |
| 18 | RIP N BONES BBQ | |
| 19 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 20 | Smokin' Envy BBQ | |
| 21 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 22 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 23 | Generation Q | |
| 24 | Chris & Mike BBQ | |
| 25 | Hickoryhead Smoked Meats | |
| 26 | Swinging Meats |
Brisket
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 160.8114
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 2 | YOUR BEHIND BBQ | |
| 3 | RIP N BONES BBQ | |
| 4 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 5 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 6 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 7 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 8 | Sharpe's Woodshed | |
| 9 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 10 | VEGAS GRILLBILLIES | |
| 11 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 12 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 13 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 14 | Wood N Coals BBQ | |
| 15 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 16 | Primal Q | |
| 17 | Fox Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 18 | Guido Q | |
| 19 | Generation Q | |
| 20 | PHIL THE GRILL | |
| 21 | Smokin Bocks | |
| 22 | Smokin' Envy BBQ | |
| 23 | STICKY BUTTS | |
| 24 | Hickoryhead Smoked Meats | |
| 25 | Chris & Mike BBQ | |
| 26 | Swinging Meats |