Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
2023-06-16 – 2023-06-17 · Miles City, MT · 📍 Riverside Park · State championship
Reps: MICHAEL SANTIAGO, RHONDA SANTIAGO · Prize money: $9,450.00
Grand Champion: Cluster Cluck Barbecue (703.3944) · 22 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Colorado Bulldawg BBQ
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Came back for more
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1544 points — closer than 78% of every championship in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Cluster Cluck Barbecue took the Grand Championship home to CO.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 1–2: Colorado Bulldawg BBQ and Cluster Cluck Barbecue tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: Cluster Cluck Barbecue and BRACKEN RACKS BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: Monarchbbq and Colorado Bulldawg BBQ tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🃏 An upset on the books
Cluster Cluck Barbecue came in rated below the field's top team, Texas Smoke Whisperer, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 19-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-06-16 | Riverside Park , 5th and Main | 26 | 686.8232 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | BIG DADDY QUE | |
| 2022-06-24 | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park | 26 | 699.3828 | Last Call Heroes BBQ | Bushmaster BBQ |
| 2023-06-16 ← this one | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park | 22 | 703.3944 | Cluster Cluck Barbecue | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ |
| 2024-06-14 | Miles City, MT | Riverside Park | 16 | 705.1088 | Wyo Smoke Show | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.8456 | 172.5484 |
| Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 177.1544 | 171.4172 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 174.8456 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 175.4056 | 171.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
22 entries · top 703.3944 · median 686.7542
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cluster Cluck Barbecue | |
| 2 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 3 | LaTa-Que | |
| 4 | Monarchbbq | |
| 5 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 6 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 7 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 8 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 9 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 10 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 11 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 12 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 14 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 15 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 16 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 17 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 18 | Pig Pounda Kappa | |
| 19 | Poor Richard's BBQ | |
| 20 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 21 | JM Automotive | |
| 22 | Arm Benders BBQ |
Chicken
22 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.1486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 2 | Cluster Cluck Barbecue | |
| 3 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 5 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 6 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 7 | LaTa-Que | |
| 8 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 9 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 10 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | Monarchbbq | |
| 12 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 13 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 14 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 15 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 16 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 18 | Poor Richard's BBQ | |
| 19 | Arm Benders BBQ | |
| 20 | Pig Pounda Kappa | |
| 21 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 22 | JM Automotive |
Pork Ribs
22 entries · top 180.0000 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 2 | LaTa-Que | |
| 3 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 4 | Monarchbbq | |
| 5 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 7 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 8 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 9 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 10 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 12 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 13 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 14 | Cluster Cluck Barbecue | |
| 15 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 16 | JM Automotive | |
| 17 | Pig Pounda Kappa | |
| 18 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 19 | Poor Richard's BBQ | |
| 20 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 21 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 22 | Arm Benders BBQ |
Pork
22 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cluster Cluck Barbecue | |
| 2 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 3 | Monarchbbq | |
| 4 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 5 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 6 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 8 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 9 | Pig Pounda Kappa | |
| 10 | LaTa-Que | |
| 11 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 12 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 13 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 14 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 15 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 16 | Poor Richard's BBQ | |
| 17 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 18 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 19 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 20 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 21 | JM Automotive | |
| 22 | Arm Benders BBQ |
Brisket
22 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER | |
| 2 | LaTa-Que | |
| 3 | Cluster Cluck Barbecue | |
| 4 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 5 | Boogs BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 7 | Monarchbbq | |
| 8 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 9 | Needs More Cowbell BBQ | |
| 10 | Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | |
| 11 | Mountain Smoke BBQ | |
| 12 | Rhythm n QUE | |
| 13 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 14 | Kreiser Barbecue | |
| 15 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 16 | BEER BELLY BBQ | |
| 17 | BULL SLAP BBQ | |
| 18 | Pig Pounda Kappa | |
| 19 | Poor Richard's BBQ | |
| 20 | JM Automotive | |
| 21 | Two Fat Guys BBQ | |
| 22 | Arm Benders BBQ |