A new contest record
688.5484
highest overall ever cooked here
688.5484 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 673.1084 Motley Que set in 2022.
- old record 673.1084
- set 2022 by Motley Que
Didsbury Lions BBQ 2023
Aug 5–6, 2023 · Didsbury, AB · CANADA · 📍 AG Society Grounds
Reps: Brenda Black, Ken Black
Notorious P.I.G. won Grand Champion at the Didsbury Lions BBQ on August 5, 2023 in Didsbury, AB at AG Society Grounds, scoring 688.5484 in a field of 17 teams. Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery took Reserve Grand Champion with 684.4800. Category winners: Chicken — ROKER Q (175.4400); Pork Ribs — MOTLEY QUE (176.5600); Pork — Notorious P.I.G. (176.5828); Brisket — Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery (177.7028). This is the 3rd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by Motley Que; the next was held in 2024.
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.
618.19
median 665.61
688.55 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.44
- Pork Ribs 176.56
- Pork 176.58
- Brisket 177.70
137.62
177.70
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
17
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
688.5484
Winning margin
4.0684
GC over RC
Field average
660.37
618.19688.55
median 665.61 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
662.7196
618.19688.55
10th place overall
Field spread
70.3540
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 75%
beats 25% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
58%
11 of 19 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.75 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,520
avg power rating going in · stronger than 14% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: SMOKIN' OUTLAWS and Homestead Smoke Shack tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: Panther BBQ and Hunny and Hooch BBQ tied on 169.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: DIDY SMOKE IT edged Hunny and Hooch BBQ by 0.0112.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0112
- Brisket 4–5 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Notorious P.I.G. took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 10th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 4th
A contest record in brisket
177.7028
best brisket ever cooked here
Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery turned in 177.7028 in brisket — past the 172.5600 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 172.5600
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Motley Que (won 2022).
- Motley Que · 2022
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 2021 | Didsbury, AB | Didsbury, Al T0M 0W0 | 26 | 658.1712 | Frozen Toque BBQ | MEAT SWEATS BBQ AB |
| Aug 27, 2022 | Didsbury, AB | AG Society Grounds | 19 | 673.1084 | Motley Que | Kreiser Barbecue |
| Aug 5, 2023 ← this one | Didsbury, AB | AG Society Grounds | 17 | 688.5484 | The Notorious P.I.G. | Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Didsbury, AB | Didsbury AG Society Grounds | 28 | 693.6684 | Home Cookin' BBQ | SMELLAQUE |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Didsbury, AB | Didsbury AG Society Grounds | 32 | 700.5600 | SmellaQue | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4400 | 172 | 169.1084 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 170.2744 | 166.2628 |
| Pork | 176.5828 | 170.2856 | 164.5140 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 170.8456 | 159.9540 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
17 entries · top 688.5484 · median 665.6116
Chicken
17 entries · top 175.4400 · median 169.1084
Pork Ribs
17 entries · top 176.5600 · median 167.3944
Pork
17 entries · top 176.5828 · median 164.5372
Brisket
17 entries · top 177.7028 · median 161.7028
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.
Kids-Q — Burgers
6 entries · top 172.5600 · median 168.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameron Q | |
| 2 | Li'l Billy Deluxe BBQ | |
| 3 | Toasted Carrots | |
| 4 | Jr. Outlaws | |
| 5 | 3000 Degrees | |
| 6 | O Dawg BBQ |