A new contest record
698.7884
highest overall ever cooked here
698.7884 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.2288 Clark Crew BBQ set in 2022.
- old record 698.2288
- set 2022 by Clark Crew BBQ
Greeley Blues Jam (Day 2) 2022
Jun 4–5, 2022 · Greeley, CO · 📍 600 N. 14th Avenue · State championship
Reps: Del Anderson, Michael Winter · Prize money: $10,000
Fergolicious BBQ won Grand Champion at the Greeley Blues Jam (Day 2) on June 4, 2022 in Greeley, CO at 600 N. 14th Avenue, scoring 698.7884 in a field of 34 teams. Bushmaster BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 689.6340. Category winners: Chicken — TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER (177.7028); Pork Ribs — Fergolicious BBQ (180.0000); Pork — Fergolicious BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER (178.8572). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by Clark Crew 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.
534.78
median 669.03
698.79 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 178.86
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
34
4 judged meats
Top score
698.7884
Winning margin
9.1544
GC over RC
Field average
660.71
534.78698.79
median 669.03 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
677.6232
534.78698.79
10th place overall
Field spread
164.0112
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 39%
beats 61% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
97%
32 of 33 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.56 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,568
avg power rating going in · stronger than 53% of contests
Storylines (11 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
25-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 75 times in 100
Fergolicious BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, CLARK CREW BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 25-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1849
- top seed 2042
A statement win
9.1544
points clear of the field
Wider than 85% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 9.1544 points — a wider margin than 85% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP and Meat Machine BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 8–9: CRAZY FOOL BBQ and M-DUBS BBQ tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: GRILLIN' BEAVERS edged HEIFERS, BUTTS, & CLUCKS BBQ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Brisket 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0116
- Brisket 9–10 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER won Chicken, Brisket — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
Fergolicious BBQ took the title on 2 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 13th.
- Chicken 12th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 13th
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Fergolicious BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Clark Crew BBQ (won 2022).
- Clark Crew BBQ · 2022
The biggest field yet
34
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 33 teams
34 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 33.
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Fergolicious BBQ · Pork
- Fergolicious BBQ · Pork Ribs
They keep coming back
97%
of last edition’s field returned
32 of 33 teams from 2022-06-03 came back
32 of the 33 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 4, 2021 | Greeley, CO | 501 N 14th Ave | 33 | 693.7260 | Woody's Q Shack | Bushmaster BBQ |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Greeley, CO | 600 N. 14th Avenue | 33 | 698.2288 | Clark Crew BBQ | Fergolicious BBQ |
| Jun 4, 2022 ← this one | Greeley, CO | 600 N. 14th Avenue | 34 | 698.7884 | Fergolicious BBQ | Bushmaster BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 174.2628 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 173.7144 | 170.8228 |
| Pork | 180 | 175.4516 | 170.8228 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 174.8456 | 170.8112 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
34 entries · top 698.7884 · median 669.0340
Chicken
34 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168.8170
Pork Ribs
34 entries · top 180 · median 165.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
34 entries · top 180 · median 166.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
34 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.5484