Anchor City Cook-Off
2023-09-08 – 2023-09-09 · Centralia, MO · 📍 114 S. Rollins St. · State championship
Reps: PHIL MORROW PHB, ROSEMARY MORROW · Prize money: $5,500.00
Grand Champion: There's No Place Like Smoke (703.3712) · 13 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 SHAKE 'N BAKE 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
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
👑 A dynasty in the making
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE has won this contest 3 times across its 10 tracked editions.
🧹 A double category winner
AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW won Pork Ribs, Brisket — a double.
📸 Photo finishes
Master Series — Chicken places 3–4: SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ and THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 4–5: MY 3 SONS BARBEQUE MO and UNCLE BUBS BBQ LLC tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 7–8: IN DEEP SAUCE and Ambition Que tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (won 2016), THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE (won 2018, 2021).
🃏 An upset on the books
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE came in rated below the field's top team, SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 30-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-10-11 | Centralia, MO | 29 | 688.5372 | NATURAL BORN GRILLERS | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | |
| 2014-10-10 | Centralia, MO 65240 | 27 | 694.2400 | GETTIN' BASTED | NATURAL BORN GRILLERS | |
| 2015-10-09 | Centralia, MO 65240 | 20 | 693.6688 | PITMASTERIQ BBQ | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | |
| 2016-10-14 | City Sq | 34 | 697.0744 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | SMOKIN O BBQ | |
| 2017-10-13 | 101 W Singleton | 27 | 698.7768 | OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ | SMOKIN O BBQ | |
| 2018-10-12 | 101 W Singleton | 33 | 700.5484 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | POLITICAL PORK | |
| 2019-10-11 | Centralia, MO | City Square | 25 | 699.9428 | Gettin Basted | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ |
| 2021-10-08 | Centralia, MO | Centralia, MO 65240 | 19 | 699.9544 | There's No Place Like Smoke | WOOD HOOK BBQ |
| 2022-10-07 | Centralia, MO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023-09-08 ← this one | Centralia, MO | 114 S. Rollins St. | 13 | 703.3712 | There's No Place Like Smoke | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 179.4400 | 174.2628 | 169.6800 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 173.7144 | 170.8228 |
| Master Series — Pork | 180.0000 | 174.8800 | 164.5372 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 179.4400 | 171.9772 | 164.0000 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 174.8572 | 159.4400 | — |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 177.1428 | 163.9428 | — |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
13 entries · top 703.3712 · median 688.5372
Chicken
13 entries · top 179.4400 · median 170.8572
Pork Ribs
13 entries · top 179.4400 · median 172.5600
Pork
13 entries · top 180.0000 · median 171.9772 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
13 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.1200
Backyard Series
Overall
7 entries · top 352.0000 · median 328.6288
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shmack Q | |
| 2 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 3 | Breaking Slabs BBQ | |
| 4 | Mizzou bbqer | |
| 5 | C-Town Smokers | |
| 6 | The Meat Sweats | |
| 7 | Barbell BBQ |
Chicken
7 entries · top 174.8572 · median 162.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shmack Q | |
| 2 | C-Town Smokers | |
| 3 | Breaking Slabs BBQ | |
| 4 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 5 | Mizzou bbqer | |
| 6 | The Meat Sweats | |
| 7 | Barbell BBQ |
Pork Ribs
7 entries · top 177.1428 · median 169.1888
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shmack Q | |
| 2 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 3 | Breaking Slabs BBQ | |
| 4 | Mizzou bbqer | |
| 5 | The Meat Sweats | |
| 6 | C-Town Smokers | |
| 7 | Barbell 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.
Kids-Q — Kids Ages 5-10
3 entries · top 172.5600 · median 172.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilson Distler | |
| 2 | Brody Griffith | |
| 3 | Charlie Daughtrey |
Kids-Q — Teens 11-15
4 entries · top 176.5828 · median 173.7200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlie Carrico | |
| 2 | Eliah Kennon | |
| 3 | Colt Lawson | |
| 4 | Barbell BBQ Teen |