2022 Mazatzal Grill Masters BBQ Competition & Testicle Festival
2022-09-30 – 2022-10-01 · Payson, AZ · 📍 MP 251 Hwy 87 · State championship
Reps: KATHLEEN MCINTOSH, KELLY MCINTOSH · Prize money: $17,100.00
Grand Champion: West Coast BBQ Shop (699.4744) · 21 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 GIRLS CAN GRILL
Entries
21
4 judged meats
Top score
699.4744
Winning margin
6.3656
GC over RC
Field average
677.33
median 678.15
Tightest race
Chicken
3.9884 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
684.5024
10th place overall
Field spread
64.8344
winner to last place
Prize money
$17,100.00
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 50%
beats 50% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
43%
of the 21 teams with a home region came from outside AZ
Came back for more
27%
9 of 33 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.7 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1529
avg power rating going in · stronger than 34% of contests
Storylines
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
West Coast BBQ Shop took the Grand Championship home to CA.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 3–4: Cloud of Smoke BBQ and KNIFE PORK AND SPOON tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: Bad Boyz BBQ and GIRLS CAN GRILL tied on 173.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 8–9: Big Red and POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-09-28 | Casino Mile Marker 251, Hwy 87 | 40 | 690.2744 | RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | |
| 2019-09-27 | Payson, AZ | Mazatzal Hotel & Casino | 33 | 697.6912 | B-S BBQ Outlaws | STEEL CITY BBQ |
| 2022-09-30 ← this one | Payson, AZ | MP 251 Hwy 87 | 21 | 699.4744 | West Coast BBQ Shop | GIRLS CAN GRILL |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 173.7144 | 170.8572 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 171.9656 | 169.7256 |
| Pork | 180.0000 | 175.4056 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 174.8572 | 170.8800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
21 entries · top 699.4744 · median 678.1484
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 2 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 3 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 4 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 5 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 6 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 7 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 8 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 9 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 10 | Shig Ninja BBQ | |
| 11 | Big Red | |
| 12 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 13 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 15 | Juan's BBQ | |
| 16 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 17 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 18 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 19 | GuidoQ | |
| 20 | Fat Ox BBQ | |
| 21 | DJ's Smokin BBQ |
Chicken
21 entries · top 177.7028 · median 170.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 2 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 3 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 4 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 5 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 6 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 7 | GuidoQ | |
| 8 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 9 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 10 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 11 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 12 | Juan's BBQ | |
| 13 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 14 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 15 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 16 | Big Red | |
| 17 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 18 | Shig Ninja BBQ | |
| 19 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 20 | DJ's Smokin BBQ | |
| 21 | Fat Ox BBQ |
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 2 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 3 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 4 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 5 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 6 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 7 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 8 | Juan's BBQ | |
| 9 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 10 | Shig Ninja BBQ | |
| 11 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 12 | Big Red | |
| 13 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 14 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 15 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 16 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 18 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 19 | DJ's Smokin BBQ | |
| 20 | Fat Ox BBQ | |
| 21 | GuidoQ |
Pork
21 entries · top 180.0000 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 2 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 3 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 4 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 5 | Shig Ninja BBQ | |
| 6 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 7 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 8 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 9 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 10 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 11 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 12 | Juan's BBQ | |
| 13 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 14 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 15 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 16 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 17 | Big Red | |
| 18 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 19 | Fat Ox BBQ | |
| 20 | GuidoQ | |
| 21 | DJ's Smokin BBQ |
Brisket
21 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.5256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 2 | GIRLS CAN GRILL | |
| 3 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 4 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 5 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 6 | Shig Ninja BBQ | |
| 7 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 8 | Big Red | |
| 9 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 10 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 11 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 12 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 13 | Smoke Show AZ | |
| 14 | ALL ABOUT SMOKIN Q | |
| 15 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 16 | Juan's BBQ | |
| 17 | Cloud of Smoke BBQ | |
| 18 | GuidoQ | |
| 19 | Fat Ox BBQ | |
| 20 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 21 | DJ's Smokin BBQ |