Team of the Year
2,843
Master Series points
CLARK CREW BBQ finished 2015 as KCBS Master Series Team of the Year on 2,843 points.
Every number below is read straight out of the 2015 results: 690 contests, 8,259 teams and 18,424 team entries.
📰 Read it as The Smoke Ring 📊 The season in charts 📋 The boards 🔢 More numbers 🗓 All 2015 contests
Contests
690
494 scored · 196 still out · 26 cancelled
Teams competing
8,259
2,696 new · 5,563 back from before
Team entries
18,424
2.2 contests per team
Different champions
247
476 contests won · 134 won just once
It took this to win
691.53
average winning Master overall · won by 4.87 on average
Perfect 180s
336 🔥
4.6 per 1,000 meat entries
Typical field
39
teams · biggest was 606
Came back
49.7%
4,117 of 8,285 teams from 2014
State championships
9
contests carrying a state title
Team of the Year
- 👑 Master Series — CLARK CREW BBQ (2843 pts) full board ↗
- 🥇 Brisket (Master) — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2757 pts)
- 🥇 Chicken (Master) — GETTIN' BASTED (2678 pts)
- 🥇 Pork (Master) — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (2715 pts)
- 🥇 Pork Ribs (Master) — SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (2755 pts)
Storylines (10 found in the 2015 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 2015
13 of the 476 contests won this season
CLARK CREW BBQ took 13 grand championships in 2015, more than anyone else — out of 476 won by 247 different teams.
- THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ ×10
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ ×8
- Organizer Portal ×8
The score of the year
714.8800
highest Master overall of 2015
JAESTAR BBQ put up 714.8800 at Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest — 23.35 points clear of what a 2015 win averaged.
- Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest
- Sep 11, 2015
The closest finish
0.0112
points between first and second
One2BBQ beat ABLE ACRES BBQ by 0.0112 at Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness — the narrowest Master win of 2015, and 1 more finished dead level and went to the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness
- Jun 26, 2015
Rookie champion
1×
GC in their first season
THE UNIVERSITY OF QUE cooked their first tracked KCBS contest in 2015 and won 1 grand championship — one of 6 rookies to take a title.
- 8 contests cooked
- class of 2015: 2,696 new teams
The biggest upset
7%
their odds against the top seed
7% — what the rating gave them going in
BARK BROTHERS BBQ (rated 1512) won Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival out of a field headed by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ at 1959.
- 64 teams
- Aug 21, 2015
The season’s biggest climb
+180.4
power rating gained in 2015
Smoke-A-Holics added 180.4 rating points across 44 rated contests in 2015 — they sit at #1038 today.
- 44 rated contests
- now #1038 at 1601
Perfect boxes
336
perfect 180s in 2015
Judges handed out 336 perfect 180s in 2015 — 4.6 for every 1,000 meat entries. BIG POPPA SMOKERS collected 8 of them.
- BIG POPPA SMOKERS ×8
- Organizer Portal ×7
- CLARK CREW BBQ ×6
Most miles cooked
46
contests entered in 2015
Smoke-A-Holics entered 46 contests in 2015, winning 5 of them.
- 5 GCs
- 32 top-ten overalls
- 13 states/provinces
The biggest room
606
teams at one contest
The 2015 average field was 39 teams
36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open drew 606 teams, against a 2015 average of 39 — GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA won it.
- Oct 3, 2015
- MO
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)
2015 in the run of seasons (2015 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 | CLARK CREW BBQ | 2843 |
| 2 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | 2834 |
| 3 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 2764 |
| 4 | Smoke Me Silly | 2740 |
| 5 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | 2709 |
| 6 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 2705 |
| 7 | GETTIN' BASTED | 2694 |
| 8 | YELLOW RIVER BBQ | 2659 |
| 9 | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | 2655 |
| 10 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | 2651 |
Most Grand Championships
| # | Team | GCs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLARK CREW BBQ | 13 |
| 2 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | 10 |
| 3 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 8 |
| 4 | Organizer Portal | 8 |
| 5 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | 6 |
| 6 | YELLOW RIVER BBQ | 6 |
| 7 | 3 EYZ BBQ | 5 |
| 8 | BUTCHER BBQ | 5 |
| 9 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | 5 |
| 10 | GETTIN' BASTED | 5 |
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JAESTAR BBQ Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest · Sep 11, 2015 |
714.8800 |
| 2 | CAJUN BLAZE Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown · Sep 25, 2015 |
714.8572 |
| 3 | ZZYZX BAR.B.Q The Outlets @ Lake Elsinore BBQ State Championship · Sep 13, 2015 |
712.6060 |
| 4 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS The Rotary Club of Bearden - Que Fest · May 29, 2015 |
712.5716 |
| 5 | Organizer Portal Nebo Fall Festival BBQ · Sep 18, 2015 |
710.8688 |
| 6 | 2 WORTHLESS NUTS, NATURAL BORN GRILLERS The Rotary Club of Bearden - Que Fest · May 29, 2015 |
710.8688 |
| 7 | BURNT FINGER BBQ Cookin on the Kaw · Oct 9, 2015 |
710.2860 |
| 8 | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff · May 22, 2015 |
710.2744 |
| 9 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS The Outlets @ Lake Elsinore BBQ State Championship · Sep 11, 2015 |
709.1428 |
| 10 | Bald Hawg BBQ Hillbilly Hog BBQ Throwdown & Fall Festival · Oct 23, 2015 |
709.1428 |
Best cook of the season, meat by meat (/180)
| Meat | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | BIG POPPA SMOKERS Certified BBQ Judging Class - Cancelled |
180 🔥 |
| Pork Ribs | DRY 2 DA BONE 6th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship |
180 🔥 |
| Pork | COOL GRILLING 6th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship |
180 🔥 |
| Brisket | BIG POPPA SMOKERS 6th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship |
180 🔥 |
How hard each meat was (2015 only)
| Meat | Entries | Avg | Avg win | 180s per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 18,509 | 164.22 | 177.35 | 6.3 |
| Pork Ribs | 18,560 | 162.35 | 176.39 | 2.8 |
| Pork | 18,435 | 163.15 | 176.82 | 3.8 |
| Brisket | 18,317 | 161.13 | 176.88 | 5.3 |
Busiest teams (contests entered)
| Team | Contests | GCs | Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke-A-Holics 13 states | 46 | 5 | 32 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ 11 states | 40 | 5 | 34 |
| CLARK CREW BBQ 12 states | 39 | 13 | 35 |
| THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ 18 states | 38 | 10 | 26 |
| GETTIN' BASTED 10 states | 38 | 5 | 29 |
| SMOKE ON THIS 8 states | 36 | 5 | 22 |
| Organizer Portal 9 states | 34 | 8 | 25 |
| QUAU 13 states | 34 | 3 | 28 |
| TRUE SMOKE BBQ 8 states | 34 | 1 | 11 |
| FIRE DANCER BBQ 9 states | 33 | 5 | 22 |
Biggest climbers (power rating gained in 2015)
| Team | Gained | Contests |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke-A-Holics #1038 today | +180.4 | 44 |
| Three Hog Night Smokers #425 today | +162.5 | 25 |
| CLARK CREW BBQ #2 today | +154.5 | 37 |
| SWINE AND SHINE BBQ #522 today | +153.1 | 32 |
| CONTAGIOUS Q #133 today | +141.4 | 20 |
| ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ #61 today | +140 | 16 |
| Q-BONES BBQ #60 today | +139.9 | 19 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE #89 today | +135.9 | 25 |
| BREWMASTERS BAR-B-QUE #308 today | +135.5 | 17 |
| TRUCKY'S TRUE BLU BBQ'UE #606 today | +130.6 | 14 |
Biggest contests
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO | 606 | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA |
| 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational Kansas City, MO | 187 | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship Lenexa, KS | 183 | PELLET ENVY |
| Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Shawnee, KS | 112 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE |
| 4th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA | 100 | SMOKIN MO'S BBQ |
| Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival Harrington, DE | 99 | SAUCE THIS BBQ |
| Smoke in the Spring Osage City, KS | 97 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Tupelo, MS | 94 | SWINE LIFE |
| Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 93 | COOL SMOKE |
| SC Festival of Discovery (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Greenwood, SC | 90 | BUB-BA-Q |
Closest finishes (Master, first over second)
| Margin | Contest |
|---|---|
| 0.0112 | Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness One2BBQ over ABLE ACRES BBQ |
| 0.0116 | Smokin' on Oak SLAPS BBQ over TRUEBUD BBQ |
| 0.0116 | Smokin' Butts & Tires - Cookoff and Car Show (GBC Qualifier) MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM over HICKORY PRIME |
| 0.0116 | BBQ in the Bluffs PARROTHEAD SMOKERS over OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ |
| 0.0224 | Smoke Out in the Valley DIRT ROAD BBQ over Sublime BBQ |
| 0.0228 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour JACK'S OLD SOUTH over RED EYED SMOKERS |
| 0.0228 | Smokin' at the Ball Park BBQ Fest Rogue Hog BBQ over QUE AND A HALF MEN |
| 0.0228 | Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! MONSTER-QUE over RURAL ROUTE BBQ |
| 0.0228 | Central Iowa Expo BBQ BIG BROTHERS BBQ over DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| 0.0228 | Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest HotMess BBQ over BREWMASTERS BAR-B-QUE |
1 more finished dead level and were settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Widest winning margins (Master)
| Margin | Contest |
|---|---|
| 34.3888 | Smoke in the North MISS PIGGY'S U.K. over LETZQ |
| 30.8572 | 2015 BBQ & Brew (BACKYARD CONTEST ONLY) BOAR HOGS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q-TEAM over Groundhog Smokers |
| 23.5200 | Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival 3 EYZ BBQ over CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ |
| 21.0400 | Rock'N RibFest 2015 Pork Butt Paradise over SQUEALING FOR VENGEANCE |
| 20.6056 | Smoke on the Water JO-BAWB'S BBQ over Boxer Q BBQ |
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 2015)
| Team | 180s | Contests |
|---|---|---|
| BIG POPPA SMOKERS | 8 | 8 |
| Organizer Portal | 7 | 6 |
| CLARK CREW BBQ | 6 | 6 |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 6 | 6 |
| 2 WORTHLESS NUTS, NATURAL BORN GRILLERS | 5 | 5 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 5 | 5 |
| BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ | 4 | 4 |
| BUFFALO'S BBQ | 4 | 4 |
| Extra Mile BBQ | 4 | 4 |
| RURAL ROUTE BBQ | 4 | 4 |
Class of 2015 (2,696 teams debuted · how the class did →)
State by state
| State/Prov. | Contests | Scored | Avg field |
|---|---|---|---|
| MO | 59 | 46 | 52 |
| GA 1 title | 52 | 28 | 39 |
| KS 2 titles | 48 | 34 | 45 |
| CA 2 titles | 31 | 25 | 43 |
| VA | 30 | 13 | 32 |
| TN | 29 | 22 | 39 |
| AL 1 title | 26 | 19 | 31 |
| NC | 24 | 18 | 46 |
| OK | 24 | 19 | 42 |
| IL | 23 | 15 | 38 |
| CO | 18 | 14 | 35 |
| WI | 18 | 15 | 38 |
| IN | 17 | 12 | 36 |
| IA | 15 | 12 | 33 |
| MN | 15 | 11 | 41 |
| AR | 14 | 12 | 31 |
| MS | 13 | 11 | 39 |
| PA | 13 | 8 | 46 |
| OH | 12 | 6 | 33 |
| KY | 11 | 8 | 31 |
| NE | 11 | 8 | 32 |
| NY | 11 | 10 | 38 |
| TX | 11 | 9 | 42 |
| FL 1 title | 10 | 7 | 42 |
| SC | 10 | 8 | 34 |
| AZ | 9 | 5 | 39 |
| MI | 9 | 8 | 30 |
| MD | 8 | 6 | 44 |
| CT | 7 | 6 | 29 |
| LA | 7 | 3 | 43 |
| NV | 7 | 7 | 36 |
| SD | 6 | 5 | 33 |
| WY 1 title | 6 | 4 | 27 |
| NM 1 title | 5 | 2 | 46 |
| BC | 4 | 2 | 20 |
| MT | 4 | 4 | 25 |
| NJ | 4 | 4 | 47 |
| ON | 4 | 2 | 20 |
| AB | 3 | 1 | 35 |
| OR | 3 | 2 | 32 |
| UT | 3 | 3 | 23 |
| DE | 2 | 2 | 79 |
| MA | 2 | 2 | 31 |
| ME | 2 | 2 | 22 |
| NH | 2 | 2 | 33 |
| SK | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| VT | 2 | 2 | 29 |
| DC | 1 | 1 | 42 |
| MB | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| NL | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| PR | 1 | 1 | 33 |
| RI | 1 | 1 | 37 |
| WA | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| WV | 1 | 1 | 41 |
State championships (9 in 2015)
| Contest | Grand Champion |
|---|---|
| Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier) GA · May 8, 2015 | YES, DEAR BBQ |
| Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship KS · Jun 26, 2015 | PELLET ENVY |
| Pork & Brew BBQ State Championship NM · Jul 3, 2015 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ |
| Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival WY · Aug 14, 2015 | ROOFTOP BBQ |
| The Outlets @ Lake Elsinore BBQ State Championship CA · Sep 11, 2015 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| The Outlets @ Lake Elsinore BBQ State Championship CA · Sep 13, 2015 | ZZYZX BAR.B.Q |
| Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship KS · Sep 25, 2015 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE |
| Plant City Pig Jam - State Championship BBQ Contest FL · Nov 20, 2015 | Accutech |
| Christmas on the River State Championship BBQ AL · Dec 4, 2015 | THE UNIVERSITY OF QUE |
More from 2015
Season ran
Jan 9 → Dec 17
first and last contest on the 2015 calendar
Average winning margin
4.87
across 476 Master contests · 1 settled by tiebreaker
Walks to the stage
19,189
top-ten calls handed out in the four meats
New teams
2,696
first tracked contest anywhere was in 2015
Contest series
659
distinct recurring contests on the calendar
Busiest weekend
22 contests
all on Sep 11, 2015
Toughest table
Brisket
lowest average of the four meats at 161.13
Outside the rating
4
invitationals and non-points contests that do not move a power rating
Cancelled
26
contests that came off the calendar
Results still out
196
of 690 contests on the 2015 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 2015 contest →