Team of the Year
2,846
Master Series points
PORKY BUTTS BBQ finished 2016 as KCBS Master Series Team of the Year on 2,846 points.
Every number below is read straight out of the 2016 results: 680 contests, 7,747 teams and 17,965 team entries.
📰 Read it as The Smoke Ring 📊 The season in charts 📋 The boards 🔢 More numbers 🗓 All 2016 contests
Contests
680
505 scored · 175 still out · 40 cancelled
Teams competing
7,747
2,213 new · 5,534 back from before
Team entries
17,965
2.3 contests per team
Different champions
243
467 contests won · 148 won just once
It took this to win
693.30
average winning Master overall · won by 5.43 on average
Perfect 180s
353 🔥
4.9 per 1,000 meat entries
Typical field
38
teams · biggest was 557
Came back
49.9%
4,122 of 8,259 teams from 2015
State championships
7
contests carrying a state title
Team of the Year
- 👑 Master Series — PORKY BUTTS BBQ (2846 pts) full board ↗
- 🥇 Brisket (Master) — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2813 pts)
- 🥇 Chicken (Master) — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2786 pts)
- 🥇 Pork (Master) — SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (2754 pts)
- 🥇 Pork Ribs (Master) — PORKY BUTTS BBQ (2695 pts)
Storylines (11 found in the 2016 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
11×
grand championships in 2016
11 of the 467 contests won this season
PORKY BUTTS BBQ took 11 grand championships in 2016, more than anyone else — out of 467 won by 243 different teams.
- BIG POPPA SMOKERS ×10
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ ×10
- REDNECK SCIENTIFIC ×10
The score of the year
712.5944
highest Master overall of 2016
VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY put up 712.5944 at Smoking in the Golden Valley — 19.29 points clear of what a 2016 win averaged.
- Smoking in the Golden Valley
- Sep 23, 2016
A clean sweep
1
four-meat sweep
Winning all four meats at one contest happened 1 time in 2016 — VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY did it at Smoking in the Golden Valley and took the Grand Championship with it.
- VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY · Smoking in the Golden Valley
The closest finish
0.0004
points between first and second
SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS beat ACK-QUE by 0.0004 at Hudson Valley Ribfest — the narrowest Master win of 2016, and 1 more finished dead level and went to the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Hudson Valley Ribfest
- Aug 19, 2016
Rookie champion
1×
GC in their first season
K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ cooked their first tracked KCBS contest in 2016 and won 1 grand championship — one of 5 rookies to take a title.
- 29 contests cooked
- class of 2016: 2,213 new teams
The biggest upset
10%
their odds against the top seed
10% — what the rating gave them going in
HELPING U BBQ (rated 1566) won 24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska out of a field headed by CLARK CREW BBQ at 1942.
- 70 teams
- Aug 5, 2016
The season’s biggest climb
+203
power rating gained in 2016
UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ added 203 rating points across 30 rated contests in 2016 — they sit at #534 today.
- 30 rated contests
- now #534 at 1671
Perfect boxes
353
perfect 180s in 2016
Judges handed out 353 perfect 180s in 2016 — 4.9 for every 1,000 meat entries. GETTIN' BASTED collected 9 of them.
- GETTIN' BASTED ×9
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ ×8
- Organizer Portal ×8
Most miles cooked
46
contests entered in 2016
Smoke-A-Holics entered 46 contests in 2016, winning 3 of them.
- 3 GCs
- 34 top-ten overalls
- 19 states/provinces
The biggest room
557
teams at one contest
The 2016 average field was 38 teams
37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) drew 557 teams, against a 2016 average of 38 — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won it.
- Oct 29, 2016
- KS
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)
2016 in the run of seasons (2016 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 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | 2846 |
| 2 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 2823 |
| 3 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | 2817 |
| 4 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | 2793 |
| 5 | CLARK CREW BBQ | 2740 |
| 6 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 2737 |
| 7 | GETTIN' BASTED | 2726 |
| 8 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | 2722 |
| 9 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | 2700 |
| 10 | LUCKY'S Q | 2690 |
Most Grand Championships
| # | Team | GCs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | 11 |
| 2 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | 10 |
| 3 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 10 |
| 4 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | 10 |
| 5 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | 8 |
| 6 | CLARK CREW BBQ | 6 |
| 7 | GETTIN' BASTED | 6 |
| 8 | GREY STREET BBQ | 6 |
| 9 | HICKORY PRIME | 6 |
| 10 | One2BBQ | 6 |
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY Smoking in the Golden Valley · Sep 23, 2016 |
712.5944 |
| 2 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full) · Nov 11, 2016 |
712.5828 |
| 3 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship · Sep 30, 2016 |
711.9772 |
| 4 | DIRT ROAD BBQ 8th Annual VFW Post 846 BBQ Challenge · Apr 22, 2016 |
710.8460 |
| 5 | BRICKHEAD BBQ Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival · Jun 10, 2016 |
710.2972 |
| 6 | QUETOPIA Mankato Cookout Day 1 · Jun 10, 2016 |
710.2744 |
| 7 | ATLANTA BBQ STORE Rock'n Ribville (GBC Qualifier) · Sep 16, 2016 |
709.7144 |
| 8 | HOT COLE'S BBQ Dickson County Smoke Fest · Oct 28, 2016 |
709.7028 |
| 9 | GETTIN' BASTED Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest · Apr 1, 2016 |
709.6800 |
| 10 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ The Kansas Smithfield Guinea Pig · Jul 22, 2016 |
709.1200 |
Best cook of the season, meat by meat (/180)
| Meat | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | J & B'S BBQ Brasstown Valley's BBQ Throwdown (GBC Qualifier)- TEAMS FULL & JUDGES FULL |
180 🔥 |
| Pork Ribs | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ Flames on the Flint (GBC Qualifier) |
180 🔥 |
| Pork | Porkaholics Barbeque Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) |
180 🔥 |
| Brisket | BUFFALO'S BBQ National Western BBQ Throwdown |
180 🔥 |
How hard each meat was (2016 only)
| Meat | Entries | Avg | Avg win | 180s per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17,996 | 164.60 | 177.38 | 5.7 |
| Pork Ribs | 18,063 | 162.85 | 176.56 | 2.9 |
| Pork | 17,946 | 163.65 | 177.20 | 4.9 |
| Brisket | 17,898 | 161.49 | 177.17 | 6.1 |
Busiest teams (contests entered)
| Team | Contests | GCs | Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke-A-Holics 19 states | 46 | 3 | 34 |
| CLARK CREW BBQ 14 states | 40 | 6 | 31 |
| SAUCED! BBQ TEAM 13 states | 40 | 5 | 28 |
| PORKY BUTTS BBQ 12 states | 39 | 11 | 30 |
| GETTIN' BASTED 14 states | 39 | 6 | 28 |
| THE SMOKING HILLS 11 states | 39 | 1 | 27 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ 15 states | 37 | 10 | 34 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ 12 states | 37 | 6 | 31 |
| HICKORY PRIME 11 states | 35 | 6 | 16 |
| BOOTYQUE 16 states | 35 | 4 | 26 |
Biggest climbers (power rating gained in 2016)
| Team | Gained | Contests |
|---|---|---|
| UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ #534 today | +203 | 30 |
| HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ #37 today | +181.7 | 23 |
| K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ #1320 today | +168.9 | 29 |
| HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB #44 today | +163.5 | 27 |
| SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE #90 today | +152 | 16 |
| PORKY BUTTS BBQ #22 today | +146.6 | 37 |
| 913 BBQ #42 today | +141.5 | 28 |
| BOOTYQUE #46 today | +140.7 | 34 |
| KOSMOSQ.COM #568 today | +140.5 | 15 |
| Sublime BBQ #96 today | +139.5 | 18 |
Biggest contests
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 557 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship Lenexa, KS | 183 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE |
| 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) Kansas City, KS | 180 | 913 BBQ |
| Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Shawnee, KS | 111 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE |
| Smoke in the Spring Osage City, KS | 109 | CLARK CREW BBQ |
| Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 96 | COOL SMOKE |
| Tupelo BBQ Duel- Comp 1 Tupelo, MS | 95 | CAJUN BLAZE |
| Flames on the Flint (GBC Qualifier) Bainbridge, GA | 89 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| World Barbecue Championship Orange Beach, AL | 89 | CAJUN BLAZE |
| Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival Bixby, OK | 83 | UNCLE BC'S |
Closest finishes (Master, first over second)
| Margin | Contest |
|---|---|
| 0.0004 | Hudson Valley Ribfest SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS over ACK-QUE |
| 0.0112 | Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval EAT MOR BUTT BBQ over FOWL BUTT BBQ |
| 0.0116 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour SON SEEKERS BBQ over THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW |
| 0.0116 | Smokin at the Ballpark BBQ Fest THE BASIC BBQ TEAM over SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| 0.0116 | New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton FOUR SMOKING GUYS over Rogue Hog BBQ |
| 0.0116 | Border War Barbeque 913 BBQ over BULL CREEK BBQ |
| 0.0228 | Jammin' in JC BBQ Contest JO-BAWB'S BBQ over 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
| 0.0340 | Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show HICKORY PRIME over MIDNIGHT BURN |
| 0.0340 | Chesapeake Jubilee HICKORY PRIME over WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| 0.0344 | Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle APORKALYPSE NOW over BULL RUSH BBQ |
1 more finished dead level and were settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Widest winning margins (Master)
| Margin | Contest |
|---|---|
| 24.6628 | Smoke on the River Smokey and the Pirate over TOO ASHAMED TO NAME |
| 22.3888 | Nostrano Garlic Festival Presents: Great Maine BBQ Challenge at Smuggler's Den Campground THE BASIC BBQ TEAM over SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| 21.7488 | Fitzgerald Pig Pickin BULL RUSH BBQ over BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW |
| 21.7368 | Boydton's Big Bad BBQ REDNECK SCIENTIFIC over 412Q |
| 21.2000 | Red, White & BBQ (Day 1) IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ over WOODWARD BARBEQUE |
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.
Clean sweeps (all four meats at one contest)
| Team | Contest |
|---|---|
| VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY 🏆 | Smoking in the Golden Valley Sep 23, 2016 |
Most perfect 180s (in 2016)
| Team | 180s | Contests |
|---|---|---|
| GETTIN' BASTED | 9 | 8 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 8 | 8 |
| Organizer Portal | 8 | 8 |
| 913 BBQ | 7 | 6 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 7 | 7 |
| BOOTYQUE | 6 | 6 |
| REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | 6 | 6 |
| JO-BAWB'S BBQ | 5 | 5 |
| KILLER HOGS | 5 | 4 |
| VICTORY LANE BBQ | 5 | 3 |
Class of 2016 (2,213 teams debuted · how the class did →)
| Team | Contests | GCs |
|---|---|---|
| K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ | 29 | 1 |
| WHITEWATER BBQ COMPANY | 11 | 1 |
| UTAH BBQ COMPANY | 10 | 1 |
| SUPER BBQ BROS. CANADA | 4 | 1 |
| All Up In Ya Belly | 1 | 1 |
| POPS' SMOKIN' BBQ | 20 | 0 |
| BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | 16 | 0 |
| KOSMOSQ.COM | 15 | 0 |
| White Squirrel BBQ | 14 | 0 |
| SWINE DINING GA | 11 | 0 |
| CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | 10 | 0 |
| FAIR DINKUM AUSSIE AMERICAN BARBEQUE | 9 | 0 |
State by state
| State/Prov. | Contests | Scored | Avg field |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS 2 titles | 50 | 37 | 64 |
| MO | 49 | 38 | 36 |
| GA 1 title | 44 | 21 | 40 |
| CA | 43 | 32 | 36 |
| TN | 37 | 32 | 37 |
| OK | 27 | 18 | 41 |
| AL | 25 | 23 | 39 |
| WI | 25 | 21 | 36 |
| TX | 23 | 8 | 44 |
| NC | 20 | 19 | 43 |
| IN | 19 | 13 | 35 |
| IL | 18 | 14 | 37 |
| MS | 17 | 14 | 39 |
| VA 1 title | 16 | 13 | 32 |
| AR | 15 | 11 | 33 |
| CO | 15 | 11 | 36 |
| MN | 15 | 13 | 39 |
| NY | 15 | 11 | 35 |
| IA | 13 | 11 | 33 |
| KY | 11 | 9 | 29 |
| FL | 10 | 6 | 36 |
| NV | 10 | 7 | 33 |
| PA 1 title | 10 | 10 | 42 |
| SC | 10 | 9 | 31 |
| MI | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| NL | 8 | 8 | 35 |
| MD | 7 | 5 | 40 |
| NE | 7 | 5 | 47 |
| OH | 7 | 6 | 28 |
| AZ | 6 | 4 | 34 |
| CT | 6 | 5 | 40 |
| DE | 6 | 6 | 48 |
| IT | 5 | 5 | 24 |
| MT | 5 | 4 | 27 |
| SD | 5 | 4 | 38 |
| NJ | 4 | 4 | 50 |
| NM 1 title | 4 | 2 | 38 |
| UT | 4 | 1 | 30 |
| LA | 3 | 2 | 44 |
| MA | 3 | 1 | 33 |
| OR | 3 | 2 | 28 |
| WY 1 title | 3 | 3 | 26 |
| AU | 2 | 2 | 26 |
| BE | 2 | 2 | 35 |
| ME | 2 | 2 | 23 |
| ON | 2 | 2 | 17 |
| VT | 2 | 2 | 33 |
| AT | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| BC | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| BS | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| CH | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| CZ | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| DC | 1 | 1 | 35 |
| DK | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| FR | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| ID | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| NH | 1 | 1 | 32 |
| NO | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| NR | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| PR | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| RI | 1 | 1 | 34 |
| SE | 1 | 1 | 31 |
| WA | 1 | 1 | 30 |
| WV | 1 | 1 | 42 |
State championships (7 in 2016)
| Contest | Grand Champion |
|---|---|
| Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier) GA · May 13, 2016 | SMOKE CENTRAL BBQ |
| Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship KS · Jun 24, 2016 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE |
| 13th Annual Pork & Brew BBQ State Championship NM · Jul 2, 2016 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
| Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival WY · Aug 19, 2016 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ |
| 12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship VA · Sep 9, 2016 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ |
| Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship KS · Sep 23, 2016 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE |
| Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship PA · Oct 7, 2016 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ |
More from 2016
Season ran
Jan 8 → Dec 10
first and last contest on the 2016 calendar
Average winning margin
5.43
across 467 Master contests · 1 settled by tiebreaker
Walks to the stage
18,821
top-ten calls handed out in the four meats
New teams
2,213
first tracked contest anywhere was in 2016
Contest series
646
distinct recurring contests on the calendar
Busiest weekend
24 contests
all on Jun 3, 2016
Toughest table
Brisket
lowest average of the four meats at 161.49
Outside the rating
5
invitationals and non-points contests that do not move a power rating
Cancelled
40
contests that came off the calendar
Results still out
175
of 680 contests on the 2016 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 2016 contest →