Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ
2023-06-30 – 2023-07-01 · Council Bluffs, IA · 📍 19475 225th · State championship
Reps: PHIL MORROW PHB, ROSEMARY MORROW · Prize money: $5,000.00
Grand Champion: Team Crawford (701.7256) · 22 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 PORKY BUTTS BBQ
Entries
22
4 judged meats
Top score
701.7256
Winning margin
4.0568
GC over RC
Field average
663.72
median 667.62
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8684 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.5888
10th place overall
Field spread
98.4916
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,000.00
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 39%
beats 61% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
50%
of the 22 teams with a home region came from outside IA
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.6 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1535
avg power rating going in · stronger than 40% of contests
Storylines
📸 Photo finishes
Pork Ribs places 8–9: Absolute Bull and PARROTHEAD SMOKERS tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: Absolute Bull and SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 4–5: TEAM CRAWFORD and SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🃏 An upset on the books
TEAM CRAWFORD came in rated below the field's top team, Damn Fine Beef & Swine, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-06-30 ← this one | Council Bluffs, IA | 19475 225th | 22 | 701.7256 | Team Crawford | PORKY BUTTS BBQ |
| 2024-07-05 | Council Bluffs, IA | 19475 225th | 26 | 691.3484 | Shiggin Aint Easy | WHEN PIGS DIE |
| 2025-08-01 | Council Bluffs, IA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8572 | 171.9888 | 169.6800 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 171.9772 | 168.5372 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 172.5600 | 170.8228 |
| Brisket | 177.1544 | 171.4056 | 164.0228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
22 entries · top 701.7256 · median 667.6170
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 2 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | |
| 3 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 4 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine | |
| 5 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 6 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY | |
| 8 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 9 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 10 | SAUCE BOSSES | |
| 11 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 12 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 13 | Absolute Bull | |
| 14 | Byg's BBQ | |
| 15 | Cross Cut BBQ | |
| 16 | Backroad BBQ | |
| 17 | Gutboys | |
| 18 | ELWOOD BBQ | |
| 19 | Smokin A BBQ | |
| 20 | Route 4 BBQ | |
| 21 | The Johnny Pig | |
| 22 | Smokin' Sheltons |
Chicken
22 entries · top 174.8572 · median 168.2742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | |
| 2 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine | |
| 3 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 4 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 5 | SAUCE BOSSES | |
| 6 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 7 | Gutboys | |
| 8 | Absolute Bull | |
| 9 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 10 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 11 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 12 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 13 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 14 | Byg's BBQ | |
| 15 | Backroad BBQ | |
| 16 | Cross Cut BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY | |
| 18 | ELWOOD BBQ | |
| 19 | Smokin' Sheltons | |
| 20 | Smokin A BBQ | |
| 21 | The Johnny Pig | |
| 22 | Route 4 BBQ |
Pork Ribs
22 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.6972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 2 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | |
| 3 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine | |
| 4 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 5 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 6 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 7 | Byg's BBQ | |
| 8 | Absolute Bull | |
| 9 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 10 | Cross Cut BBQ | |
| 11 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 12 | Backroad BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY | |
| 15 | SAUCE BOSSES | |
| 16 | Gutboys | |
| 17 | ELWOOD BBQ | |
| 18 | Smokin A BBQ | |
| 19 | Route 4 BBQ | |
| 20 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 21 | Smokin' Sheltons | |
| 22 | The Johnny Pig |
Pork
22 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.7316
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY | |
| 2 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 3 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | |
| 4 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 5 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 6 | Absolute Bull | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 8 | SAUCE BOSSES | |
| 9 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine | |
| 10 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 11 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 12 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 13 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 14 | Cross Cut BBQ | |
| 15 | Byg's BBQ | |
| 16 | The Johnny Pig | |
| 17 | Smokin A BBQ | |
| 18 | Backroad BBQ | |
| 19 | Gutboys | |
| 20 | ELWOOD BBQ | |
| 21 | Smokin' Sheltons | |
| 22 | Route 4 BBQ |
Brisket
22 entries · top 177.1544 · median 162.2344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 2 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 3 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 4 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 6 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY | |
| 8 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine | |
| 9 | The Johnny Pig | |
| 10 | Route 4 BBQ | |
| 11 | SAUCE BOSSES | |
| 12 | Backroad BBQ | |
| 13 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 14 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 15 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 16 | Byg's BBQ | |
| 17 | ELWOOD BBQ | |
| 18 | Cross Cut BBQ | |
| 19 | Gutboys | |
| 20 | Absolute Bull | |
| 21 | Smokin A BBQ | |
| 22 | Smokin' Sheltons |