A new contest record
695.9544
highest overall ever cooked here
695.9544 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 690.2284 YSB BBQ set in 2021.
- old record 690.2284
- set 2021 by YSB BBQ
Western Legends BBQ Contest 2022
Sep 9–10, 2022 · Kanab, UT · 📍 100N 180E (back parking lot) · State championship
Reps: Michael Santiago, Rhonda Santiago · Prize money: $10,000
Bushmaster BBQ won Grand Champion at the Western Legends BBQ Contest on September 9, 2022 in Kanab, UT at 100N 180E (back parking lot), scoring 695.9544 in a field of 31 teams. Meat Candy Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 692.5256. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ (176.5828); Pork Ribs — Meat Candy Q (178.8572); Pork — BAD BOYZ BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — STEVO'S BBQ TEAM (177.7144). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2021 edition was won by YSB 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.
586.67
median 670.11
695.95 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.58
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 177.71
129.65
180
Entries
31
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
695.9544
Winning margin
3.4288
GC over RC
Field average
665.58
586.67695.95
median 670.11 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8684 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.0168
586.67695.95
10th place overall
Field spread
109.2800
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 50%
beats 50% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
46%
12 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.72 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,599
avg power rating going in · stronger than 76% of contests
Storylines (5 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
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
Bushmaster BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 2 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 14th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 11th
- Brisket 3rd
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: CROOKED PIGS and BAD BOYZ BBQ tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: BAD BOYZ BBQ and Meat Candy Q tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ and POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
A contest record in brisket
177.7144
best brisket ever cooked here
STEVO'S BBQ TEAM turned in 177.7144 in brisket — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 1 past editions
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- BAD BOYZ BBQ · Pork
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 20, 2021 | Kanab, UT | Kanab, UT 84741 | 26 | 690.2284 | YSB BBQ | Crooked Pigs |
| Sep 9, 2022 ← this one | Kanab, UT | 100N 180E (back parking lot) | 31 | 695.9544 | Bushmaster BBQ | Meat Candy Q |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5828 | 173.7144 | 173.1084 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 170.2628 |
| Pork | 180 | 176.5600 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 177.7144 | 171.4056 | 167.4400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
31 entries · top 695.9544 · median 670.1140
Chicken
31 entries · top 176.5828 · median 169.6800
Pork Ribs
31 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.6800
Pork
31 entries · top 180 · median 169.1428 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
31 entries · top 177.7144 · median 165.0856
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.
Turkey Smoke Series — Turkey Smoke
18 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.9886