A new contest record
699.3828
highest overall ever cooked here
699.3828 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 686.8232 PARROTHEAD SMOKERS set in 2017.
- old record 686.8232
- set 2017 by PARROTHEAD SMOKERS
Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 2022
Jun 24–25, 2022 · Miles City, MT · 📍 Riverside Park · State championship
Reps: Michael Santiago, Rhonda Santiago · Prize money: $9,450
LAST CALL HEROES BBQ won Grand Champion at the Miles City Cowtown Cookoff on June 24, 2022 in Miles City, MT at Riverside Park, scoring 699.3828 in a field of 26 teams. Bushmaster BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.0744. Category winners: Chicken — Bushmaster BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Colorado Bulldawg BBQ (180.0000); Pork — Brinkerhoff BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — Boogs BBQ (178.8572). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by PARROTHEAD SMOKERS; 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.
593.07
median 680.47
699.38 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 178.86
125.67
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2024 — this edition picked out.
Entries
26
4 judged meats
Top score
699.3828
Winning margin
2.3084
GC over RC
Field average
666.65
593.07699.38
median 680.47 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
684.5144
593.07699.38
10th place overall
Field spread
106.3084
winner to last place
Prize money
$9,450
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 36%
beats 64% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
19%
5 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.7 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,573
avg power rating going in · stronger than 58% 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
LAST CALL HEROES BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 9th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: LAST CALL HEROES BBQ and PARROTHEAD SMOKERS tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: BnB BBQ and LAST CALL HEROES BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: BEER BELLY BBQ and RICHIE Z's tied on 178.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 177.1544 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1544
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: PARROTHEAD SMOKERS (won 2017).
- PARROTHEAD SMOKERS · 2017
The contest returns
5 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 5 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2017-06-16.
- previous edition 2017-06-16
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.
- Brinkerhoff BBQ · Pork
- Colorado Bulldawg BBQ · Pork Ribs
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 16, 2017 | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park , 5th and Main | 26 | 686.8232 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | BIG DADDY QUE |
| Jun 24, 2022 ← this one | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park | 26 | 699.3828 | Last Call Heroes BBQ | Bushmaster BBQ |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park | 22 | 703.3944 | Cluster Cluck Barbecue | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park | 16 | 705.1088 | Wyo Smoke Show | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 172 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 174.2744 | 172 |
| Pork | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 171.9656 | 169.6916 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 699.3828 · median 680.4742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 2 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 3 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 4 | Big Daddy's Backyard BBQ | |
| 5 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 6 | LaTa-Que | |
| 7 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 8 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 9 | SPITFIRE | |
| 10 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 11 | RICHIE Z's | |
| 12 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 13 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 14 | LUCKY SMOKE | |
| 15 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 16 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 18 | BnB BBQ | |
| 19 | Camp House BBQ | |
| 20 | The HECK With You BBQ | |
| 21 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 22 | BIG BOYZ BBQ | |
| 23 | No Measurement | |
| 24 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 25 | BAD ASH BBQ | |
| 26 | Treasure State Smoke House |
Chicken
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 2 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 3 | LaTa-Que | |
| 4 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 5 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 6 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 7 | LUCKY SMOKE | |
| 8 | SPITFIRE | |
| 9 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 10 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 11 | Big Daddy's Backyard BBQ | |
| 12 | The HECK With You BBQ | |
| 13 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 14 | RICHIE Z's | |
| 15 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 16 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 17 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 18 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 19 | Camp House BBQ | |
| 20 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 21 | BnB BBQ | |
| 22 | No Measurement | |
| 23 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 24 | BIG BOYZ BBQ | |
| 25 | Treasure State Smoke House | |
| 26 | BAD ASH BBQ |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 180 · median 167.9714 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 2 | BnB BBQ | |
| 3 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 4 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 5 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 6 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 7 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 8 | Big Daddy's Backyard BBQ | |
| 9 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 10 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 11 | SPITFIRE | |
| 12 | LUCKY SMOKE | |
| 13 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 14 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 15 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 16 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 17 | Treasure State Smoke House | |
| 18 | LaTa-Que | |
| 19 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 20 | RICHIE Z's | |
| 21 | The HECK With You BBQ | |
| 22 | BAD ASH BBQ | |
| 23 | Camp House BBQ | |
| 24 | No Measurement | |
| 25 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 26 | BIG BOYZ BBQ |
Pork
26 entries · top 180 · median 170.5486 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 2 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 3 | RICHIE Z's | |
| 4 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 5 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 6 | LaTa-Que | |
| 7 | Big Daddy's Backyard BBQ | |
| 8 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 9 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 10 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 12 | The HECK With You BBQ | |
| 13 | Camp House BBQ | |
| 14 | LUCKY SMOKE | |
| 15 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 16 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 17 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 18 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 19 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 20 | BnB BBQ | |
| 21 | SPITFIRE | |
| 22 | BIG BOYZ BBQ | |
| 23 | Treasure State Smoke House | |
| 24 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 25 | No Measurement | |
| 26 | BAD ASH BBQ |
Brisket
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.2514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 2 | BURNT TREES BBQ | |
| 3 | SPITFIRE | |
| 4 | Camp House BBQ | |
| 5 | RICHIE Z's | |
| 6 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 7 | Big Daddy's Backyard BBQ | |
| 8 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 9 | LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | |
| 10 | LaTa-Que | |
| 11 | Bushmaster BBQ | |
| 12 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 13 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 14 | BnB BBQ | |
| 15 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 16 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 17 | LUCKY SMOKE | |
| 18 | BIG BOYZ BBQ | |
| 19 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 20 | The HECK With You BBQ | |
| 21 | OWENS BBQ | |
| 22 | BAD ASH BBQ | |
| 23 | No Measurement | |
| 24 | Bump-N-BBQ | |
| 25 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 26 | Treasure State Smoke House |