Team of the Year
2,936
Master Series points
WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS finished 2014 as KCBS Master Series Team of the Year on 2,936 points.
Every number below is read straight out of the 2014 results: 673 contests, 8,285 teams and 17,853 team entries.
📰 Read it as The Smoke Ring 📊 The season in charts 📋 The boards 🔢 More numbers 🗓 All 2014 contests
Contests
673
469 scored · 204 still out · 32 cancelled
Teams competing
8,285
3,227 new · 5,058 back from before
Team entries
17,853
2.2 contests per team
Different champions
251
460 contests won · 160 won just once
It took this to win
689.32
average winning Master overall · won by 5.37 on average
Perfect 180s
252 🔥
3.5 per 1,000 meat entries
Typical field
39
teams · biggest was 552
Came back
50.5%
3,899 of 7,728 teams from 2013
State championships
7
contests carrying a state title
Team of the Year
- 👑 Master Series — WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS (2936 pts) full board ↗
- 🥇 Brisket (Master) — WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS (2892 pts)
- 🥇 Chicken (Master) — QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N (2728 pts)
- 🥇 Pork (Master) — YELLOW RIVER BBQ (2793 pts)
- 🥇 Pork Ribs (Master) — HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE (2756 pts)
Storylines (11 found in the 2014 numbers)
Everything here is read out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
The season’s big winner
13×
grand championships in 2014
13 of the 460 contests won this season
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ took 13 grand championships in 2014, more than anyone else — out of 460 won by 251 different teams.
- WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS ×9
- CHECKERED PIG ×8
- PARROTHEAD SMOKERS ×8
The score of the year
710.3088
highest Master overall of 2014
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN put up 710.3088 at Smokin' At The Market — 20.99 points clear of what a 2014 win averaged.
- Smokin' At The Market
- Oct 3, 2014
The closest finish
0.0112
points between first and second
BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ beat SIN CITY SMOKERS by 0.0112 at Days of 47 BBQ Showdown — the narrowest Master win of 2014, and 1 more finished dead level and went to the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Days of 47 BBQ Showdown
- Jul 24, 2014
Rookie champion
4×
GC in their first season
Under the Radar cooked their first tracked KCBS contest in 2014 and won 4 grand championships — one of 6 rookies to take a title.
- 25 contests cooked
- class of 2014: 3,227 new teams
The biggest upset
13%
their odds against the top seed
13% — what the rating gave them going in
HOT COLE'S BBQ (rated 1529) won Grillin N Chillin BBQ out of a field headed by WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS at 1860.
- 43 teams
- Sep 26, 2014
The season’s biggest climb
+189.6
power rating gained in 2014
Under the Radar added 189.6 rating points across 24 rated contests in 2014 — they sit at #25 today.
- 24 rated contests
- now #25 at 1870
Perfect boxes
252
perfect 180s in 2014
Judges handed out 252 perfect 180s in 2014 — 3.5 for every 1,000 meat entries. CLARK CREW BBQ collected 6 of them.
- CLARK CREW BBQ ×6
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ ×6
- MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM ×6
Most miles cooked
42
contests entered in 2014
QUAU entered 42 contests in 2014, winning 3 of them.
- 3 GCs
- 25 top-ten overalls
- 16 states/provinces
The biggest room
552
teams at one contest
The 2014 average field was 39 teams
35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open drew 552 teams, against a 2014 average of 39 — COOL SMOKE won it.
- Oct 2, 2014
- MO
The calendar grew
+13%
contests against 2013
KCBS ran 673 contests in 2014, up 75 on the 598 of 2013.
- 673 in 2014
- 598 in 2013
The season in charts
When they cooked (contests per month)
Where they cooked (busiest states and provinces)
How the season scored (every Master overall, in 10-point bins)
How big the fields were (contests by number of teams)
How the meats scored (average of every entry, /180)
2014 in the run of seasons (2014 picked out in both)
Contests held, season by season
What it took to win (average winning Master overall, /720)
The boards
Master Series Team of the Year (top 10)
| # | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | 2936 |
| 2 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 2852 |
| 3 | TRUEBUD BBQ | 2839 |
| 4 | CHECKERED PIG | 2830 |
| 5 | Smoke Me Silly | 2808 |
| 6 | One2BBQ | 2786 |
| 7 | CLARK CREW BBQ | 2779 |
| 8 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | 2762 |
| 9 | Killer B's BBQ | 2759 |
| 10 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | 2750 |
Most Grand Championships
| # | Team | GCs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 13 |
| 2 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | 9 |
| 3 | CHECKERED PIG | 8 |
| 4 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | 8 |
| 5 | CLARK CREW BBQ | 7 |
| 6 | Killer B's BBQ | 7 |
| 7 | Organizer Portal | 7 |
| 8 | CAVEMAN CUISINE | 6 |
| 9 | One2BBQ | 6 |
| 10 | TRUEBUD BBQ | 6 |
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN Smokin' At The Market · Oct 3, 2014 |
710.3088 |
| 2 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ MO Veterans Home BBQ BIVOUAC · Nov 8, 2014 |
709.7032 |
| 3 | KNOCK UR SOX OFF BBQ Blazin' BBQ Throwdown · Oct 17, 2014 |
709.6800 |
| 4 | iBQ'n Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival · Sep 12, 2014 |
708.6056 |
| 5 | JAESTAR BBQ AZ Rhythm & Ribs · Sep 5, 2014 |
708.5484 |
| 6 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN Mid-South Barbecue Festival · Oct 17, 2014 |
708.5256 |
| 7 | HIGH ON THE HAWG Mid-South Barbecue Festival · Oct 17, 2014 |
708.0116 |
| 8 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ Okfuskee Firefighters Wildfire Cookoff · Jun 6, 2014 |
708.0116 |
| 9 | MIDNIGHT SMOKERS MJ Smokin' At The Market · Oct 3, 2014 |
707.4172 |
| 10 | CHECKERED PIG Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally · Sep 19, 2014 |
706.8572 |
Best cook of the season, meat by meat (/180)
| Meat | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | THE BLUE BLOODS Smokin in the Square |
180 🔥 |
| Pork Ribs | SMOKIN' N THE DARK Sam's Club National BBQ Tour |
180 🔥 |
| Pork | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N Smokin in the Square |
180 🔥 |
| Brisket | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS The Tiger Town Pig Festival |
180 🔥 |
How hard each meat was (2014 only)
| Meat | Entries | Avg | Avg win | 180s per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17,858 | 163.05 | 176.85 | 4.5 |
| Pork Ribs | 17,973 | 161.12 | 176.16 | 2 |
| Pork | 17,886 | 162.02 | 176.40 | 3.6 |
| Brisket | 17,803 | 159.80 | 176.53 | 3.9 |
Busiest teams (contests entered)
| Team | Contests | GCs | Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| QUAU 16 states | 42 | 3 | 25 |
| WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS 13 states | 39 | 9 | 35 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ 19 states | 38 | 13 | 35 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ 10 states | 37 | 3 | 29 |
| THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ 12 states | 35 | 5 | 29 |
| QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N 9 states | 35 | 4 | 30 |
| OLD PLANTATION BBQ 7 states | 35 | 2 | 25 |
| MIKE 14 states | 34 | 1 | 25 |
| Smoke-A-Holics 10 states | 34 | 1 | 17 |
| Organizer Portal 8 states | 33 | 7 | 26 |
Biggest climbers (power rating gained in 2014)
| Team | Gained | Contests |
|---|---|---|
| Under the Radar #25 today | +189.6 | 24 |
| Smoke-A-Holics #974 today | +187.7 | 33 |
| BIG BUTTS NEED RUBBIN TOO #621 today | +179.6 | 23 |
| CHECKERED PIG #28 today | +168.5 | 29 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ #1 today | +167.4 | 35 |
| PORKY BUTTS BBQ #22 today | +163.7 | 18 |
| CLARK CREW BBQ #2 today | +162.2 | 19 |
| BUBBA-Q'S #606 today | +147.7 | 16 |
| DIRT ROAD BBQ #6 today | +147.3 | 25 |
| THE REAL SMOKIN ACES #272 today | +144.7 | 20 |
Biggest contests
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 552 | COOL SMOKE |
| Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship Lenexa, KS | 184 | HAROLD'S HOT MEAT SMOKERS |
| 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational Kansas City, MO | 165 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Shawnee, KS | 112 | KC Q |
| Delaware's Triple Threat BBQ Festival at the Fair Harrington, DE | 109 | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| Dana Point State BBQ Championship Dana Point, CA | 97 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ |
| Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Benefiting Link Centre Tupelo, MS | 95 | SMOKE ME SILLY |
| Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 92 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| Sugar Mound BBQ Festival Mound City, KS | 87 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO |
| SC Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC | 86 | KILLER B'S BBQ |
Closest finishes (Master, first over second)
| Margin | Contest |
|---|---|
| 0.0112 | Days of 47 BBQ Showdown BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ over SIN CITY SMOKERS |
| 0.0116 | Buckeye State BBQ Championship ABLE ACRES BBQ over Pappy Q |
| 0.0340 | Laurie Hillbilly BBQ SLEEPY HOLLOW over GILLY'S BBQ |
| 0.0340 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ over THE BBQ GURU |
| 0.0348 | Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest JAESTAR BBQ over BURNT AT BOTH ENDZ |
| 0.0348 | West Coast BBQ Classic JET COATINGS - MONKEY STYLE over ZZYZX BAR.B.Q |
| 0.0456 | Sky's The Limit BBQ Classic Part Two WILDCATTERS Q CREW over Smoke-A-Holics |
| 0.0460 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival FIRE DANCER BBQ over HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE |
| 0.0460 | Central Iowa Expo BBQ, Cruise & Brew Pig Skin BBQ over 4:20 Q |
| 0.0572 | Riverside Blues & BBQ Festival INSANE SWINE BBQ over SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
1 more finished dead level and were settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Widest winning margins (Master)
| Margin | Contest |
|---|---|
| 30.9712 | Carnivores Classic MONTANA Q over RUB Q LONG TIME |
| 25.1428 | Battle of the Bones MOVIN' THE CHAINS over Fat Dads |
| 22.9372 | Buckner Smoke Out in the Valley DIRT ROAD BBQ over K.C. CAN CREW |
| 21.7144 | 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival PORK PATROL BBQ over TATOO BOB'S BAR-B-Q |
| 21.2344 | Minnesota in May A Boy & His BBQ over SPITFIRE |
Biggest upsets (winner's odds against the top-rated team)
Read off the nightly power-rating replay. Invitationals and non-points contests are not rated, so they never appear here.
Most perfect 180s (in 2014)
| Team | 180s | Contests |
|---|---|---|
| CLARK CREW BBQ | 6 | 6 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 6 | 6 |
| MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM | 6 | 6 |
| Organizer Portal | 5 | 5 |
| QUAU | 5 | 4 |
| WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | 5 | 5 |
| JAESTAR BBQ | 4 | 4 |
| LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | 4 | 3 |
| Pig Skin BBQ | 4 | 4 |
| QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | 4 | 4 |
Class of 2014 (3,227 teams debuted · how the class did →)
| Team | Contests | GCs |
|---|---|---|
| Under the Radar | 25 | 4 |
| BUBBA-Q'S | 16 | 2 |
| Porterhouse BBQ | 15 | 2 |
| BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD | 7 | 1 |
| The Smokey Bandits | 5 | 1 |
| BELMONT HOUSE OF SMOKE | 3 | 1 |
| BRITISH BULLDOG BBQ | 3 | 1 |
| Gone Fish-n | 2 | 1 |
| THE EUROPEAN ALLSTAR BARBECUE TEAM | 2 | 1 |
| THE PIT CLUB | 2 | 1 |
| TRASH CAN COOKERS | 2 | 1 |
| Big Smoak | 1 | 1 |
State by state
| State/Prov. | Contests | Scored | Avg field |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS 2 titles | 57 | 39 | 45 |
| MO 2 titles | 53 | 44 | 52 |
| CA | 51 | 27 | 39 |
| GA 1 title | 46 | 28 | 36 |
| IL | 34 | 17 | 37 |
| OK | 26 | 18 | 39 |
| TN | 24 | 20 | 41 |
| IA | 21 | 17 | 31 |
| CO | 18 | 13 | 33 |
| PA | 18 | 9 | 43 |
| NC | 17 | 16 | 48 |
| AL 1 title | 16 | 11 | 34 |
| VA | 16 | 12 | 35 |
| MS | 15 | 13 | 37 |
| AR | 14 | 10 | 36 |
| NE | 14 | 11 | 32 |
| TX | 14 | 7 | 43 |
| IN | 13 | 10 | 42 |
| MN | 13 | 10 | 42 |
| WI | 13 | 12 | 36 |
| KY | 11 | 9 | 33 |
| OH | 11 | 4 | 41 |
| SC | 11 | 8 | 37 |
| NV | 10 | 9 | 39 |
| NY | 10 | 8 | 48 |
| AZ | 9 | 6 | 26 |
| FL | 9 | 6 | 43 |
| MD | 9 | 8 | 43 |
| SD | 8 | 5 | 31 |
| MI | 7 | 6 | 37 |
| CT | 6 | 6 | 20 |
| MT | 6 | 4 | 19 |
| NM 1 title | 6 | 2 | 49 |
| OR | 5 | 3 | 18 |
| EU | 4 | 4 | 29 |
| MA | 4 | 3 | 29 |
| NJ | 4 | 4 | 52 |
| UT | 4 | 2 | 30 |
| WY | 4 | 4 | 25 |
| LA | 3 | 3 | 38 |
| WA | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| AB | 2 | 0 | — |
| BC | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| ME | 2 | 2 | 23 |
| NH | 2 | 2 | 38 |
| PR | 2 | 1 | 38 |
| RI | 2 | 2 | 21 |
| DC | 1 | 1 | 41 |
| DE | 1 | 1 | 109 |
| MB | 1 | 0 | — |
| UK | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| VT | 1 | 1 | 34 |
State championships (7 in 2014)
| Contest | Grand Champion |
|---|---|
| NKC MO State Championship BBQ MO · Mar 14, 2014 | GETTIN' SAUCED |
| Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier) GA · May 9, 2014 | PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE |
| Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship KS · Jun 27, 2014 | HAROLD'S HOT MEAT SMOKERS |
| Pork & Brew BBQ State Championship NM · Jul 4, 2014 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ |
| Bates County Barbecue State Championship & Festival MO · Sep 5, 2014 | TRUEBUD BBQ |
| Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship KS · Sep 26, 2014 | KC Q |
| Christmas on the River State Championship BBQ AL · Dec 5, 2014 | FIRE DANCER BBQ |
More from 2014
Season ran
Jan 17 → Dec 13
first and last contest on the 2014 calendar
Average winning margin
5.37
across 459 Master contests · 1 settled by tiebreaker
Walks to the stage
18,463
top-ten calls handed out in the four meats
New teams
3,227
first tracked contest anywhere was in 2014
Contest series
633
distinct recurring contests on the calendar
Busiest weekend
25 contests
all on Aug 22, 2014
Toughest table
Brisket
lowest average of the four meats at 159.8
Outside the rating
3
invitationals and non-points contests that do not move a power rating
Cancelled
32
contests that came off the calendar
Results still out
204
of 673 contests on the 2014 calendar
Contest counts exclude cancelled events. Overall scores are split by series because they are on different scales — Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360 — and only the four judged meats count toward perfect 180s. Browse every 2014 contest →