A day of perfect scores
5
perfect 180s
5 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- LOVE 2 Q · Chicken
- IHC BBQ · Chicken
- Velvet Swine · Chicken
Shawnee Great Grillers 2023
Sep 22–23, 2023 · Shawnee, KS · 📍 11501 W. 57th St · State championship
Reps: Dave Rogers, Forrest Bruce, Larry Hadley, Peg Rogers · Prize money: $6,350
SLAPS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Shawnee Great Grillers on September 22, 2023 in Shawnee, KS at 11501 W. 57th St, scoring 703.9544 in a field of 73 teams. Fergolicious BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.6456. Category winners: Chicken — LOVE 2 Q (180.0000); Pork Ribs — BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE (178.2972); Pork — SLAPS BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — WINGED SWINE (179.4400). This is the 1st of 4 editions of this contest on record; 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.
306.73
median 656.99
703.95 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 179.44
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2023 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
73
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
703.9544
Winning margin
2.3088
GC over RC
Field average
640.91
306.73703.95
median 656.99 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.7372 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
695.3484
306.73703.95
10th place overall
Field spread
397.2228
winner to last place
Prize money
$6,350
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 18%
beats 82% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,535
avg power rating going in · stronger than 26% 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.
A knife fight at the top
4.5604
points across the top five
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.5604 points.
- 1st SLAPS BBQ
- 2nd Fergolicious BBQ
- 3rd Bushmaster BBQ
- 4th 3 Blondes and a Bald
- 5th BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: LOVE 2 Q and IHC BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: IHC BBQ and Velvet Swine tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: Fergolicious BBQ and 913 BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
SLAPS BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 20th.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 20th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 5th
One of the big ones
73
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 96% of the 5,468 contests in the data
73 teams — bigger than 96% of the 5,468 contests in the data.
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 22, 2023 ← this one | Shawnee, KS | 11501 W. 57th St | 73 | 703.9544 | Slaps BBQ | Fergolicious BBQ |
| Sep 27, 2024 | Shawnee, KS | 11501 W. 57th St | 73 | 705.1088 | Mad Mutt's BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Shawnee, KS | 11501 W. 57th St | 67 | 706.8228 | LOVE 2 Q | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE |
| Sep 25, 2026 | Shawnee, KS | 11501 W. 57th St | 65 | 712 | Dr. Squealgood BBQ | Brew 'N' Bar-B-Que |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 177.7144 | 176.0228 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 176.5600 | 173.7144 |
| Pork | 180 | 177.7028 | 176.5600 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 175.4172 | 173.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
73 entries · top 703.9544 · median 656.9940
Chicken
72 entries · top 180 · median 166.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
71 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.8572
Pork
70 entries · top 180 · median 167.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
71 entries · top 179.4400 · median 162.2400
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 — Chef'S Choice
20 entries · top 180 · median 175.9886 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ultimate Flippin Grillers | |
| 2 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 3 | Why Not Smoke | |
| 4 | Hawg Heaven | |
| 5 | F.O.M.S.B. | |
| 6 | Overland Pig Committee | |
| 7 | RIB I'S | |
| 8 | Smokin' Beaver BBQ | |
| 9 | Shell Rock Smokers | |
| 10 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 11 | Ribs for Her Pleasure | |
| 12 | Rock Chalk Jayhawk BBQ | |
| 13 | Sugar 'n Spice BBQ | |
| 14 | K C RIB DOCTOR | |
| 15 | LEGENDARY BARBEQUE | |
| 16 | FOUR MEN AND A PIG | |
| 17 | Jurassic Pork | |
| 18 | B TEAM BBQ | |
| 19 | YARDHOGS BBQ | |
| 20 | Velvet Swine |
Ancillary — Sausage
42 entries · top 180 · median 169.6800 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F.O.M.S.B. | |
| 2 | Last Years Leftovers | |
| 3 | Rock Chalk Jayhawk BBQ | |
| 4 | SKY BLUE THIGHS | |
| 5 | Bubba's Pig-a-licious | |
| 6 | Smokin' Beaver BBQ | |
| 7 | T'S SMOKIN PIT | |
| 8 | Smokers Anonymous | |
| 9 | FOUR MEN AND A PIG | |
| 10 | ALMOST FLAMOUS BARBEQUE | |
| 11 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 12 | Smokey Mountain Boys | |
| 13 | Kingdom Smoke | |
| 14 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | |
| 15 | S M F | |
| 16 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 17 | This is Nice | |
| 18 | Hoggy Style BBQ | |
| 19 | LEGENDARY BARBEQUE | |
| 20 | Ultimate Flippin Grillers | |
| 21 | Hawg Heaven | |
| 22 | Grilligans Island | |
| 23 | B TEAM BBQ | |
| 24 | Danny Boy BBQ | |
| 25 | Velvet Swine | |
| 26 | IHC BBQ | |
| 27 | Shorthorn BBQ | |
| 28 | Shell Rock Smokers | |
| 29 | Big Fork BBQ | |
| 30 | Evening Wood | |
| 31 | Ribs for Her Pleasure | |
| 32 | SMOKE ON WHEELS | |
| 33 | Mad Cow Angry Beaver | |
| 34 | Why Not Smoke | |
| 35 | Bourbon Barrel Smokers | |
| 36 | K C RIB DOCTOR | |
| 37 | Sugar 'n Spice BBQ | |
| 38 | Sloppy Seconds | |
| 39 | Jurassic Pork | |
| 40 | SMOKING JOE'S BARBERQ | |
| 41 | DUNN UP BBQ | |
| 42 | HG BBQ |