A new contest record
707.4056
highest overall ever cooked here
707.4056 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 703.3828 Shake 'n Bake BBQ set in 2020.
- old record 703.3828
- set 2020 by Shake 'n Bake BBQ
BBQ & Fly-In on the River 2022
Aug 19–20, 2022 · Excelsior Springs, MO · 📍 201 E. Broadway · State championship
Reps: Dave Rogers, Forrest Bruce, Larry Hadley · Prize money: $10,000
TRIPLE H BBQ won Grand Champion at the BBQ & Fly-In on the River on August 19, 2022 in Excelsior Springs, MO at 201 E. Broadway, scoring 707.4056 in a field of 54 teams. SLAPS BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 705.1316. Category winners: Chicken — SONS OF A BRISKET (179.4400); Pork Ribs — S&S BBQ (180.0000); Pork — FAIRWAY SMOKERS (180.0000); Brisket — RAZORRACKS (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2020 edition was won by Shake 'n Bake 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.
581.37
median 681.05
707.41 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 180 🔥
130.08
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2020 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
54
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
707.4056
Winning margin
2.2740
GC over RC
Field average
669.71
581.37707.41
median 681.05 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8800 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
690.2056
581.37707.41
10th place overall
Field spread
126.0344
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 8%
beats 92% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
45%
25 of 55 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,637
avg power rating going in · stronger than 93% of contests
Storylines (9 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
32-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 68 times in 100
TRIPLE H BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, SLAPS BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 32-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1838
- top seed 1968
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
TRIPLE H BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 24th
- Brisket 4th
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.
- RAZORRACKS · Brisket
- SLAPS BBQ · Brisket
- FAIRWAY SMOKERS · Pork
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
Triple H BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2022
- 2026
A stacked field
1637
average power rating going in
Stronger than 93% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1637 power rating going in — stronger than 93% of every contest tracked.
- top seed SLAPS BBQ (1968)
- 54 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 19 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: Smoke 'n Magic and TRIPLE H BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT and SCORE ONE SMOKIN' tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: SCORE ONE SMOKIN' and ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
S&S BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8572
- across 1 past editions
The contest returns
2 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 2 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2020-08-14.
- previous edition 2020-08-14
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 2020 | Excelsior Springs, MO | 201 E Broadway | 55 | 703.3828 | Shake 'n Bake BBQ | GETTIN' SAUCED |
| Aug 19, 2022 ← this one | Excelsior Springs, MO | 201 E. Broadway | 54 | 707.4056 | Triple H BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
| Aug 18, 2023 | Excelsior Springs, MO | 201 E. Broadway | 57 | 706.8344 | Gettin' Basted | MACHETE BOYS BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2024 | Excelsior Springs, MO | 201 E. Broadway | 65 | 703.9660 | Machete Boys BBQ | Ambition Que |
| Aug 15, 2025 | Excelsior Springs, MO | 201 E. Broadway | 62 | 710.8572 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ |
| Aug 14, 2026 | Excelsior Springs, MO | 201 E. Broadway | 83 | 711.9772 | Triple H BBQ | BBQ Maestros |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 176.5600 | 174.2972 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
| Pork | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.8800 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.8572 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
54 entries · top 707.4056 · median 681.0514
Chicken
54 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.6742
Pork Ribs
54 entries · top 180 · median 169.4114 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
54 entries · top 180 · median 171.9714 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
54 entries · top 180 · median 168.5428 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Ancillary — Dessert
12 entries · top 180 · median 177.1314 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary — Pasta
18 entries · top 178.8572 · median 172.2684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Art of Que | |
| 2 | GRILLAS | |
| 3 | No Money No Honey BBQ | |
| 4 | PIG NEWTON | |
| 5 | Atlas Saloon Brewery | |
| 6 | Bad Influence BBQ | |
| 7 | IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ | |
| 8 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 9 | K CASS BBQ | |
| 10 | All Fired Up and Kicking Ash MO | |
| 11 | Smoke 'n Magic | |
| 12 | BRISKETBONE BBQ | |
| 13 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | |
| 14 | Good Times Baby BBQ | |
| 15 | S&S BBQ | |
| 16 | FAIRWAY SMOKERS | |
| 17 | BURNT FINGER BBQ | |
| 18 | WABASH BBQ |
Turkey Smoke Series — Turkey Smoke
30 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.3942