A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
The BBQ Bus has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2020
- 2022
Smokin in the Bogs 2023
Sep 1–2, 2023 · Warrens, WI · 📍 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. · State championship
Reps: John Scharffbillig, Laurie Tweten · Prize money: $7,150
TRIPLE H BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smokin in the Bogs on September 1, 2023 in Warrens, WI at 1500 Jellystone Park Dr., scoring 685.5884 in a field of 14 teams. Can Country Outlaw BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 683.8856. Category winners: Chicken — WE WILL ROCK QUE (175.4172); Pork Ribs — Can Country Outlaw BBQ (178.8572); Pork — TRIPLE H BBQ (176.5600); Brisket — Shiggin aint easy (172.5716). This is the 6th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by The BBQ Bus.
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.
488.47
median 674.18
685.59 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.42
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 176.56
- Brisket 172.57
151.94
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2018 to 2023 — this edition picked out.
Entries
14
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
685.5884
Winning margin
1.7028
GC over RC
Field average
655.88
488.47685.59
median 674.18 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
5.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
661.6000
488.47685.59
10th place overall
Field spread
197.1196
winner to last place
Prize money
$7,150
on the line
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 81%
beats 19% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
26%
6 of 23 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.88 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,646
avg power rating going in · stronger than 95% of contests
Storylines (6 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.
A stacked field
1646
average power rating going in
Stronger than 95% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1646 power rating going in — stronger than 95% of every contest tracked.
- top seed TRIPLE H BBQ (1902)
- 14 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 3–4: SMOKEHOUSE 72 and Lucky's Q tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: Lucky's Q and IT'S BBQ TIME tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: SMOKEHOUSE 72 edged PORKRASTINATORS by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0116
- Brisket 3–4 · 0.0228
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
TRIPLE H BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 8th.
- Chicken 8th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 6th
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8572
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Can Country Outlaw BBQ turned in 178.8572 in pork ribs — past the 178.3200 that had stood across 5 earlier editions.
- old best 178.3200
- across 5 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Hogline BBQ (won 2021).
- Hogline BBQ · 2021
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2018 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 25 | 689.6804 | BIG "E" BBQ | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
| Aug 30, 2019 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 38 | 697.6684 | SmokinGhost BBQ | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
| Sep 4, 2020 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 28 | 700.5600 | The BBQ Bus | Littles BBQ Co |
| Sep 3, 2021 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 25 | 685.0856 | Hogline BBQ | PORKRASTINATORS |
| Sep 2, 2022 | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 23 | 688.5144 | The BBQ Bus | BIG "E" BBQ |
| Sep 1, 2023 ← this one | Warrens, WI | 1500 Jellystone Park Dr. | 14 | 685.5884 | Triple H BBQ | Can Country Outlaw BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4172 | 170.2628 | 164.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 173.7144 | 165.0856 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 169.6800 | 163.3828 |
| Brisket | 172.5716 | 166.8228 | 163.9428 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
14 entries · top 685.5884 · median 674.1828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 2 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 3 | Lucky's Q | |
| 4 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 5 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 6 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 7 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 8 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 9 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 10 | Smokin Highway Men | |
| 11 | B.S. BARBEQUE | |
| 12 | Croix Valley Foods | |
| 13 | Boo Boo Bus BBQ | |
| 14 | C&M BBQ |
Chicken
13 entries · top 175.4172 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 2 | Lucky's Q | |
| 3 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 4 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 5 | B.S. BARBEQUE | |
| 6 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 7 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 8 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 9 | Croix Valley Foods | |
| 10 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 11 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 12 | Smokin Highway Men | |
| 13 | Boo Boo Bus BBQ |
Pork Ribs
14 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.1144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 2 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 4 | Lucky's Q | |
| 5 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 6 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 7 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 8 | Croix Valley Foods | |
| 9 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 10 | B.S. BARBEQUE | |
| 11 | Smokin Highway Men | |
| 12 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 13 | Boo Boo Bus BBQ | |
| 14 | C&M BBQ |
Pork
14 entries · top 176.5600 · median 167.9944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 3 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 4 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 5 | Lucky's Q | |
| 6 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 7 | Smokin Highway Men | |
| 8 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 9 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 10 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 11 | C&M BBQ | |
| 12 | B.S. BARBEQUE | |
| 13 | Croix Valley Foods | |
| 14 | Boo Boo Bus BBQ |
Brisket
14 entries · top 172.5716 · median 165.1144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 2 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 3 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 4 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 5 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 6 | TRIPLE H BBQ | |
| 7 | C&M BBQ | |
| 8 | Hogline BBQ | |
| 9 | Lucky's Q | |
| 10 | Smokin Highway Men | |
| 11 | Boo Boo Bus BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 13 | B.S. BARBEQUE | |
| 14 | Croix Valley Foods |
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
4 entries · top 176.5600 · median 170.8170
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IT'S BBQ TIME | |
| 2 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 3 | B.S. BARBEQUE | |
| 4 | Croix Valley Foods |