A new contest record
710.2860
highest overall ever cooked here
710.2860 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 708.5716 The BBQ Bus set in 2024.
- old record 708.5716
- set 2024 by The BBQ Bus
Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 2026
Sep 25–26, 2026 · Murphysboro, IL · 📍 214 N 17th St · State championship
Reps: Carolyn Wells, Debra Gage, William Gage · Prize money: $12,700
1 Bite Stand won Grand Champion at the Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard on September 25, 2026 in Murphysboro, IL at 214 N 17th St, scoring 710.2860 in a field of 71 teams. With A 180 took Reserve Grand Champion with 707.3944. Category winners: Chicken — With A 180 (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Bourbon Barrel Barbecue (178.8572); Pork — Three Stooges Barbecue (180.0000); Brisket — BooyaQ (179.4400). This is the 5th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by WeQ4u.
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.
312.45
median 687.92
710.29 🏆
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 178.86
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 179.44
143.94
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2022 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
71
4 judged meats
Top score
710.2860
Winning margin
2.8916
GC over RC
Field average
679.11
312.45710.29
median 687.92 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
0.5600 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
700.5260
312.45710.29
10th place overall
Field spread
397.8404
winner to last place
Prize money
$12,700
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 3%
beats 97% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
45%
25 of 56 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.56 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,617
avg power rating going in · stronger than 86% of contests
Storylines (8 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
15-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 85 times in 100
1Bite Stand came in rated below the field's top team, JANKY LEG BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 15-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1648
- top seed 1946
Won without a category win
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
1 Bite Stand won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 2 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 14th
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 13th
- Brisket 2nd
A day of perfect scores
6
perfect 180s
6 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- With A 180 · Chicken
- RUB MY RACK · Chicken
- Triple H BBQ · Chicken
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 21 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: With A 180 and RUB MY RACK tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: RUB MY RACK and Triple H BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: Triple H BBQ and Mulkey's BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Janky Leg BBQ (won 2023), The BBQ Bus (won 2024).
- Janky Leg BBQ · 2023
- The BBQ Bus · 2024
One of the big ones
71
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 95% of the 5,462 contests in the data
71 teams — bigger than 95% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
The biggest field yet
71
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 53 teams
71 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 53.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2022 | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 46 | 702.8344 | Smokin' Ghost | SWINE LIFE |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 50 | 701.1200 | Janky Leg BBQ | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 58 | 708.5716 | The BBQ Bus | WE WILL ROCK QUE |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 56 | 706.2628 | WeQ4u | TRIPLE H BBQ |
| Sep 25, 2026 ← this one | Murphysboro, IL | 214 N 17th St | 71 | 710.2860 | 1Bite Stand | With A 180 |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 179.4400 | 177.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 177.7028 | 175.4288 |
| Pork | 180 | 178.8572 | 177.7028 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 177.7144 | 176.5600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
71 entries · top 710.2860 · median 687.9200
Chicken
70 entries · top 180 · median 173.1084 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
71 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.9656
Pork
71 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
70 entries · top 179.4400 · median 171.1142