Rocking BBQ Warsaw
2023-05-19 – 2023-05-20 · Warsaw, IN · 📍 1400 East Smith Street · State championship
Reps: JEANNE TITUS, TINA WELLER · Prize money: $5,000.00
Grand Champion: SmokinGhost BBQ (695.9200) · 35 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 GREY STREET BBQ
Entries
35
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
695.9200
Winning margin
0.5372
GC over RC
Field average
668.40
median 675.92
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.6684
10th place overall
Field spread
124.7544
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,000.00
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 68%
beats 32% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
40%
of the 35 teams with a home region came from outside IN
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.53 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1560
avg power rating going in · stronger than 65% of contests
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5372 points — closer than 92% of every championship in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
SmokinGhost BBQ took the Grand Championship home to IL.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 4–5: MAC ATTACK BBQ and Blowing Smoke BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: DAT'S BBQ and BooyaQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: ZTOP BBQ and TIRE SMOKE BBQ tied on 175.4056 — 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-19 ← this one | Warsaw, IN | 1400 East Smith Street | 35 | 695.9200 | SmokinGhost BBQ | GREY STREET BBQ |
| 2023-05-19 | Warsaw, IN | 1400 East Smith Street | 29 | 177.7144 | Que U | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 175.4172 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1544 | 173.1428 | 172.0000 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 174.8572 | 171.9656 |
| Brisket | 180.0000 | 175.4056 | 171.4400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
35 entries · top 695.9200 · median 675.9200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 2 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 3 | Blowing Smoke BBQ | |
| 4 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 5 | DB BBQ | |
| 6 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 7 | Smokin' Bones Barbecue | |
| 8 | BIG DOGG BBQ - CINCINNATI, OH | |
| 9 | QUE U | |
| 10 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 11 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 12 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 13 | ZTOP BBQ | |
| 14 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 15 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 16 | UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ | |
| 17 | PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS | |
| 18 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 19 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 20 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 22 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 23 | BLUE SMOKE BBQ OF INDIANA | |
| 24 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 25 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 26 | BooyaQ | |
| 27 | Mediocre BBQ | |
| 28 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 29 | iBQ'n | |
| 30 | PPF BBQ | |
| 31 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 32 | FLAT BOTTOM BBQ | |
| 33 | Smoke of Genius | |
| 34 | VanHoozen BBQ | |
| 35 | Shooting Star Farm BBQ |
Chicken
35 entries · top 177.7028 · median 170.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PPF BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 3 | DB BBQ | |
| 4 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 5 | Blowing Smoke BBQ | |
| 6 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 7 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 8 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 9 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 10 | BooyaQ | |
| 11 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 12 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 13 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 14 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 15 | iBQ'n | |
| 16 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 17 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 18 | BLUE SMOKE BBQ OF INDIANA | |
| 19 | QUE U | |
| 20 | ZTOP BBQ | |
| 21 | PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS | |
| 22 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 23 | Smokin' Bones Barbecue | |
| 24 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 25 | UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ | |
| 26 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 27 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 28 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 29 | Mediocre BBQ | |
| 30 | VanHoozen BBQ | |
| 31 | FLAT BOTTOM BBQ | |
| 32 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 33 | BIG DOGG BBQ - CINCINNATI, OH | |
| 34 | Smoke of Genius | |
| 35 | Shooting Star Farm BBQ |
Pork Ribs
35 entries · top 177.1544 · median 167.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokin' Bones Barbecue | |
| 2 | QUE U | |
| 3 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 4 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 5 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 6 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 7 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 8 | UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ | |
| 9 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 10 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 11 | Mediocre BBQ | |
| 12 | BIG DOGG BBQ - CINCINNATI, OH | |
| 13 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 14 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 15 | Blowing Smoke BBQ | |
| 16 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 17 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 18 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 19 | DB BBQ | |
| 20 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 21 | ZTOP BBQ | |
| 22 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 23 | BooyaQ | |
| 24 | PPF BBQ | |
| 25 | VanHoozen BBQ | |
| 26 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 27 | PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS | |
| 28 | BLUE SMOKE BBQ OF INDIANA | |
| 29 | iBQ'n | |
| 30 | FLAT BOTTOM BBQ | |
| 31 | Smoke of Genius | |
| 32 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 33 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 34 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 35 | Shooting Star Farm BBQ |
Pork
35 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.1544
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG DOGG BBQ - CINCINNATI, OH | |
| 2 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 3 | ZTOP BBQ | |
| 4 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 5 | BLUE SMOKE BBQ OF INDIANA | |
| 6 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 7 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 8 | DB BBQ | |
| 9 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 10 | UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin' Bones Barbecue | |
| 12 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 13 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 14 | PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS | |
| 15 | QUE U | |
| 16 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 17 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 18 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 19 | iBQ'n | |
| 20 | Mediocre BBQ | |
| 21 | Blowing Smoke BBQ | |
| 22 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 23 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 24 | FLAT BOTTOM BBQ | |
| 25 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 26 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 27 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 28 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 29 | BooyaQ | |
| 30 | PPF BBQ | |
| 31 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 32 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 33 | VanHoozen BBQ | |
| 34 | Smoke of Genius | |
| 35 | Shooting Star Farm BBQ |
Brisket
35 entries · top 180.0000 · median 168.0000 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blowing Smoke BBQ | |
| 2 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 3 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 5 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 6 | BIG DOGG BBQ - CINCINNATI, OH | |
| 7 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 8 | PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS | |
| 9 | DB BBQ | |
| 10 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 11 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 12 | Smoke of Genius | |
| 13 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 14 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 15 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 16 | SMOKIN HOOSIERS | |
| 17 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 18 | Smokin' Bones Barbecue | |
| 19 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 20 | ZTOP BBQ | |
| 21 | QUE U | |
| 22 | UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ | |
| 23 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 24 | BooyaQ | |
| 25 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 26 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 27 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 28 | BLUE SMOKE BBQ OF INDIANA | |
| 29 | Mediocre BBQ | |
| 30 | iBQ'n | |
| 31 | PPF BBQ | |
| 32 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 33 | FLAT BOTTOM BBQ | |
| 34 | VanHoozen BBQ | |
| 35 | Shooting Star Farm BBQ |
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
6 entries · top 179.4400 · median 174.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 2 | GREY STREET BBQ | |
| 3 | DB BBQ | |
| 4 | Smokin Bugatti BBQ | |
| 5 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 6 | Shiggin aint easy |