2018 Season

← 2017 2019 →

Every number below is read straight out of the 2018 results: 566 contests, 6,971 teams and 15,878 team entries.

📰 Read it as The Smoke Ring 📊 The season in charts 📋 The boards 🔢 More numbers 🗓 All 2018 contests

Contests

566

480 scored · 86 still out · 55 cancelled

Teams competing

6,971

1,724 new · 5,247 back from before

Team entries

15,878

2.3 contests per team

Different champions

232

419 contests won · 149 won just once

It took this to win

692.60

average winning Master overall · won by 5.01 on average

Top score

714.2744

THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ

Perfect 180s

288 🔥

4.5 per 1,000 meat entries

States & provinces

busiest MO (45)

Typical field

teams · biggest was 467

Came back

50.6%

3,813 of 7,539 teams from 2017

Purse on the line

$10,000

listed across 1 contest

State championships

contests carrying a state title

Team of the Year

👑 Master Series — GETTIN' BASTED (2840 pts) full board ↗
🥇 Brisket (Master) — GETTIN' BASTED (2755 pts)
🥇 Chicken (Master) — BOOMERANG BBQ (2748 pts)
🥇 Pork (Master) — GETTIN' BASTED (2773 pts)
🥇 Pork Ribs (Master) — BOOMERANG BBQ (2781 pts)

Storylines (11 found in the 2018 numbers)

Everything here is read out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.

Team of the Year

2,840 Master Series points

GETTIN' BASTED finished 2018 as KCBS Master Series Team of the Year on 2,840 points.

The season’s big winner

12× grand championships in 2018

12 of the 419 contests won this season

BOOMERANG BBQ was one of 2 teams to take 12 grand championships in 2018 — out of 419 won by 232 different teams.

GETTIN' BASTED ×12
BBQ+ ×9
Organizer Portal ×9

The score of the year

714.2744 highest Master overall of 2018

THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ put up 714.2744 at Smokin On The Pecos (Day 2) — 21.67 points clear of what a 2018 win averaged.

Smokin On The Pecos (Day 2)
Jun 23, 2018

The closest finish

0.0116 points between first and second

BUTCHER BBQ beat IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ by 0.0116 at Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES FULL) — the narrowest Master win of 2018, and 2 more finished dead level and went to the KCBS tiebreaker.

Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES FULL)
Oct 26, 2018

Rookie champion

1× GC in their first season

PARKSTAD SMOKERS cooked their first tracked KCBS contest in 2018 and won 1 grand championship — one of 6 rookies to take a title.

11 contests cooked
class of 2018: 1,724 new teams

The biggest upset

5% their odds against the top seed

5% — what the rating gave them going in

Rio Valley Meat BBQ (rated 1517) won Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown out of a field headed by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ at 2046.

38 teams
Feb 16, 2018

The season’s biggest climb

+277.9 power rating gained in 2018

BOOMERANG BBQ added 277.9 rating points across 53 rated contests in 2018 — they sit at #10 today.

53 rated contests
now #10 at 1922

Perfect boxes

288 perfect 180s in 2018

Judges handed out 288 perfect 180s in 2018 — 4.5 for every 1,000 meat entries. GETTIN' BASTED collected 11 of them.

GETTIN' BASTED ×11
BOOMERANG BBQ ×7
BUTCHER BBQ ×6

Most miles cooked

54 contests entered in 2018

BOOMERANG BBQ entered 54 contests in 2018, winning 12 of them.

12 GCs
46 top-ten overalls
17 states/provinces

The biggest room

467 teams at one contest

The 2018 average field was 37 teams

39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) drew 467 teams, against a 2018 average of 37 — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won it.

Sep 15, 2018
KS

A shorter calendar

-14% contests against 2017

KCBS ran 566 contests in 2018, down 91 on the 657 of 2017.

566 in 2018
657 in 2017

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)

2018 in the run of seasons (2018 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	GETTIN' BASTED	2840
2	BOOMERANG BBQ	2839
3	Smoke Me Silly	2781
4	SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	2755
5	GREY STREET BBQ	2751
6	IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	2744
7	BBQ+	2736
8	WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	2709
9	SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	2702
10	BUTCHER BBQ	2701

Most Grand Championships

#	Team	GCs
1	BOOMERANG BBQ	12
2	GETTIN' BASTED	12
3	BBQ+	9
4	Organizer Portal	9
5	GREY STREET BBQ	8
6	IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	8
7	BUNCH OF SWINES	7
8	BUTCHER BBQ	7
9	SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	7
10	SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	7

Highest overall scores (Master · /720)

#	Team	Score
1	THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ Smokin On The Pecos (Day 2) · Jun 23, 2018	714.2744
2	WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-Off & Cruise In Day 2 · Jul 14, 2018	713.7028
3	BOOMERANG BBQ Smokin On The Pecos (Day 1) · Jun 22, 2018	713.1544
4	IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff · Sep 21, 2018	712.5600
5	Organizer Portal BBQ-Fest Cooking Contest · Jul 20, 2018	710.9144
6	SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown · Oct 19, 2018	710.8916
7	IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ Sonny's Smokin Showdown (INVITATIONAL ONLY) · Mar 2, 2018	710.8688
8	GETTIN' BASTED 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort · May 18, 2018	710.2972
9	A-1 TAX SERVICE INC Smoke in the House · Jun 15, 2018	710.2628
10	GETTIN' BASTED Stillwater Elks Lodge Blazathon · Apr 6, 2018	709.7372

Best cook of the season, meat by meat (/180)

Meat	Team	Score
Chicken	BURNTOUT BBQ CO National Western BBQ Throwdown	180 🔥
Pork Ribs	HOT WACHULA'S W.E.S.T. Winter extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest	180 🔥
Pork	Spring Creek Cookers Humble Rodeo and BBQ	180 🔥
Brisket	SAUCED! BBQ TEAM Lakeland Pig Festival	180 🔥

How hard each meat was (2018 only)

Meat	Entries	Avg	Avg win	180s per 1,000
Chicken	15,999	164.55	177.14	5.8
Pork Ribs	15,981	162.96	176.28	2.3
Pork	15,830	163.67	176.93	4.6
Brisket	15,788	161.90	176.78	5.4

Busiest teams (contests entered)

Team	Contests	GCs	Top 10
BOOMERANG BBQ 17 states	54	12	46
GETTIN' BASTED 15 states	50	12	42
B-S BBQ OUTLAWS 18 states	45	2	22
SLAPS BBQ 9 states	40	2	26
DIRT ROAD BBQ 8 states	39	3	24
4 LEGS UP BBQ 11 states	38	1	28
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ 14 states	37	8	31
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE 10 states	35	1	20
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ 13 states	34	7	26
THE SMOKING HILLS 8 states	34	3	20

Biggest climbers (power rating gained in 2018)

Team	Gained	Contests
BOOMERANG BBQ #10 today	+277.9	53
BIG RAZ BBQ #97 today	+166.6	19
BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX #2469 today	+160.5	22
LA PASADITA #539 today	+156.5	31
Rio Valley Meat BBQ #18 today	+153.4	11
UNFAMOUS DAVE'S #1307 today	+146.7	16
Carrol Lou's Smokehouse #396 today	+145.7	25
3N1 Q #66 today	+143.8	23
SMOKE MONSTER BBQ #95 today	+143.3	15
TIMBONE BARBECUE #248 today	+142	17

Biggest contests

Contest	Teams	Grand Champion
39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	467	IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ
The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle Lenexa, KS	185	HIGH i QUE II
39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) Kansas City, KS	164	BUNCH OF SWINES
Humble Rodeo and BBQ Humble, TX	145	BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque Shawnee, KS	107	913 BBQ
Smoke in the Spring Osage City, KS	103	HOGLINE
Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES FULL) Lynchburg, TN	102	BUTCHER BBQ
SC Festival Of Discovery Greenwood, SC	89	OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE
Smoke on the Shores Nashville, TN	87	ONE2BBQ
Fire Lake BBQ Cook-off Day 1 Shawnee, OK	84	FAT BOYS BBQ - TEMPLE, TX

Closest finishes (Master, first over second)

Margin	Contest
0.0116	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES FULL) BUTCHER BBQ over IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ
0.0228	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest -Re-Boot (JUDGES FULL) ALL FORKED UP FOR Q over SLAPS BBQ
0.0228	McLouth BBQ Blowout 27th Annual ( JUDGES FULL) Boxer Q BBQ over 99 PROBLEMS SMOKIN AINT 1
0.0232	BBQ 4 ASTOP Littles BBQ Co over TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI
0.0232	RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1) BOOMERANG BBQ over GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA
0.0340	Brew & Que on the Shrine Lake Smoke Central BBQ over Bald Hawg BBQ
0.0344	Smokin on The Dock of the Bay OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE over 3 EYZ BBQ
0.0452	Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival EVIL MONKEY BBQ over Petie's Smokin Pits BBQ
0.0456	Smoke on the Falls The Specialists over Organizer Portal
0.0460	10th Annual Gillett Heritage Days Festival BBQ cook off Survivor-Que over HOT AND FAST BBQ

2 more finished dead level and were settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.

Widest winning margins (Master)

Margin	Contest
25.7256	Smokin on the Water MOE CASON BBQ over Perth BBQ School Varsity
21.5884	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY1) CAMPGROUND BBQ SEREIES FIRE DOWN BELOW over BIG RAZ BBQ
20.1260	The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com BIG "E" BBQ over BIG BROTHERS BBQ
20.0800	UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitors Invitational Only Series) DRUM DADDY BBQ over PARK AVENUE PORK
19.4056	BBQ in The Valley SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS over Priorville BBQ

Biggest upsets (winner's odds against the top-rated team)

Odds	Contest
5%	Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown Rio Valley Meat BBQ (1517) over a field led by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2046)
6%	Humble Rodeo and BBQ BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX (1558) over a field led by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2046)
6%	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival DAY 2 (JUDGES FULL) B' Mackin BBQ (1596) over a field led by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2067)
6%	Best Dam Barbeque SQUAT AND GOBBLE BARBEQUE (1503) over a field led by BIG POPPA SMOKERS (1968)
7%	Q for a Cause THE TWISTED TAIL (1600) over a field led by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2051)
7%	Colorado Pork & Hops Challenge SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ (1526) over a field led by BIG POPPA SMOKERS (1976)
7%	Smokin Trackside BBQ Bash KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON (1503) over a field led by DIRT ROAD BBQ (1951)
7%	Minnesota in May Eggspert BBQ Minnesota (1500) over a field led by LUCKY'S Q (1937)
8%	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off BYO GRILL (1569) over a field led by SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (2001)
8%	Turf & Surf BBQ Championship 7-8-9 BBQ (1539) over a field led by BIG POPPA SMOKERS (1971)

Read off the nightly power-rating replay. Invitationals and non-points contests are not rated, so they never appear here.

Most perfect 180s (in 2018)

Team	180s	Contests
GETTIN' BASTED	11	10
BOOMERANG BBQ	7	7
BUTCHER BBQ	6	6
Organizer Portal	6	6
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE	6	6
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	6	4
CLARK CREW BBQ	5	5
HOT COLE'S BBQ	5	3
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM	5	5
THE SMOKING HILLS	5	5

Class of 2018 (1,724 teams debuted · how the class did →)

Team	Contests	GCs
PARKSTAD SMOKERS	11	1
Eggspert BBQ Minnesota	8	1
Dog Star	1	1
HEATBEADS ALL STARS	1	1
SUGAR & SPICE TENDER AND NICE	1	1
Thanks A Glatt	1	1
KRAZE-E'S BBQ	14	0
PAPA'S BARBQ	10	0
Westside BBQ	10	0
Boom Chicka Cow Cow	9	0
MASTERS OF FIRE	9	0
BINGE-N-ON BBQ	8	0

State by state

State/Prov.	Contests	Scored	Avg field
MO	45	38	34
GA 1 title	34	16	35
KS 1 title	34	30	66
CA 1 title	29	20	40
TN	25	23	36
IL	23	21	35
AL	22	19	29
WI	21	21	37
NC	18	16	38
IN	17	9	34
OK	17	14	38
CO	13	12	35
IA	13	10	28
MS	12	11	30
NY	12	11	35
VA 1 title	12	11	37
OH 3 titles	11	11	27
PA 1 title	11	11	44
MN	10	9	44
AR	9	9	32
KY	9	9	26
MD	8	8	41
MI	8	7	31
TX	8	6	76
FL	7	6	40
NE	7	6	31
SC	6	6	36
CT	5	4	38
MA	5	5	25
AZ	4	4	52
MT	4	4	26
SD	4	4	33
UT 1 title	4	4	17
LA	3	1	48
NJ	3	3	49
NV	3	3	36
ON	3	2	21
DE	2	2	58
ID	2	2	22
ME	2	2	29
NM	2	2	36
VT	2	2	34
WV	2	2	50
WY 1 title	2	2	29
AB	1	1	25
BC	1	1	18
BZ	1	1	30
DC	1	1	42
ND	1	0	—
NH	1	1	41
OR	1	1	35
QC	1	1	18
RI	1	1	37
WA	1	1	27

State championships (10 in 2018)

Contest	Grand Champion
Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF GA · May 11, 2018	MAYA JANE BBQ CO.
PigMania Lima State Championship BBQ & Music Festival OH · May 18, 2018	GREY STREET BBQ
PigMania Hilliard State Championship BBQ & Music Festival OH · Jun 29, 2018	EXTRA MILE BBQ
Traeger NorUt State Championship UT · Jun 29, 2018	PARROTHEAD SMOKERS
Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival WY · Aug 17, 2018	B-S BBQ OUTLAWS
PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival OH · Aug 31, 2018	SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ
14th Annual Recovery Fest/8th Annual BBQ State Championship VA · Sep 7, 2018	REDNECK SCIENTIFIC
America's Finest BBQ State Championship CA · Sep 14, 2018	JET COATINGS - MONKEY STYLE
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque KS · Sep 21, 2018	913 BBQ
Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship PA · Oct 5, 2018	LO' -N- SLO' BBQ

Busiest reps (contests worked in 2018)

Rep	Contests
Larry Voth	1
Lynda Voth	1

More from 2018

Season ran Jan 5 → Dec 31 first and last contest on the 2018 calendar

Average winning margin 5.01 across 419 Master contests · 2 settled by tiebreaker

Walks to the stage 17,057 top-ten calls handed out in the four meats

New teams 1,724 first tracked contest anywhere was in 2018

Contest series 531 distinct recurring contests on the calendar

Busiest weekend 17 contests all on May 4, 2018

Reps working 2 KCBS reps on the season’s contests

Toughest table Brisket lowest average of the four meats at 161.9

Outside the rating 7 invitationals and non-points contests that do not move a power rating

Cancelled 55 contests that came off the calendar

Results still out 86 of 566 contests on the 2018 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 2018 contest →