A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 6 tracked editions
Weez's Groovin' BBQ has won this contest 3 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2022
- 2024
- 2025
Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) 2024
Aug 17, 2024 · Fairbury, IL
Reps: Jeanne Titus · Prize money: $3,400
WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) on August 17, 2024 in Fairbury, IL, scoring 354.2628 in a field of 26 teams. Stone Cold Grillers took Reserve Grand Champion with 350.2628. Category winners: Chicken — WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Rudes BBQ (177.7028). This is the 3rd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Shmack Q; the next was held in 2025.
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.
302.78
median 335.95
354.26 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 177.70
139.95
178.86
Entries
26
2 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
354.2628
Winning margin
4
GC over RC
Field average
331.76
302.78354.26
median 335.95 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.5828 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
339.9888
302.78354.26
10th place overall
Field spread
51.4856
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,400
on the line
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 20%
beats 80% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
53%
17 of 32 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.63 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,550
avg power rating going in · stronger than 37% of contests
Storylines (4 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 6 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: 309 BBQ and UP FROM THE PITS BBQ tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: HESSHOGS edged UP FROM THE PITS BBQ by 0.0112. Pork Ribs places 3–4: Stone Cold Grillers edged WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0112
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · 0.0116
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7028
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Rudes BBQ turned in 177.7028 in pork ribs — past the 172.0000 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 172.0000
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Weez's Groovin' BBQ (won 2022), Shmack Q (won 2023).
- Weez's Groovin' BBQ · 2022
- Shmack Q · 2023
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 17 | 337.0972 | SermerStout |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 20 | 341.1428 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 32 | 342.8228 | Shmack Q |
| Aug 17, 2024 ← this one | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 26 | 354.2628 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 20 | 347.4400 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 22, 2026 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 16 | 350.8572 | Wapatui Smokers |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 171.4056 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 173.1200 | 168.5828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
26 entries · top 354.2628 · median 335.9544
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 3 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 4 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 5 | 309 BBQ | |
| 6 | Slingin Q | |
| 7 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 8 | Drippin Smoke | |
| 9 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 10 | Shmack Q | |
| 11 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 12 | HESSHOGS | |
| 13 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 14 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 15 | Rocket Que | |
| 16 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 17 | T.J.D. Smokehouse | |
| 18 | Briar Ridge BBQ | |
| 19 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 20 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 21 | J.R. Boys BBQ | |
| 22 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 23 | BS BBQ | |
| 24 | BBQ Buddies | |
| 25 | Bad Man BBQ | |
| 26 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE |
Chicken
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.8170
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | Drippin Smoke | |
| 3 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 4 | Slingin Q | |
| 5 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 6 | Rocket Que | |
| 7 | Shmack Q | |
| 8 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 9 | 309 BBQ | |
| 10 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 11 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 12 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 13 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 14 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 15 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 16 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 17 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 18 | HESSHOGS | |
| 19 | Briar Ridge BBQ | |
| 20 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 21 | J.R. Boys BBQ | |
| 22 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE | |
| 23 | T.J.D. Smokehouse | |
| 24 | BBQ Buddies | |
| 25 | BS BBQ | |
| 26 | Bad Man BBQ |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 166.8458
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 2 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 3 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 4 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 5 | 309 BBQ | |
| 6 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 7 | T.J.D. Smokehouse | |
| 8 | HESSHOGS | |
| 9 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 10 | Slingin Q | |
| 11 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 12 | Shmack Q | |
| 13 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 14 | Drippin Smoke | |
| 15 | Briar Ridge BBQ | |
| 16 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 17 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 18 | Rocket Que | |
| 19 | BS BBQ | |
| 20 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 21 | J.R. Boys BBQ | |
| 22 | Bad Man BBQ | |
| 23 | BBQ Buddies | |
| 24 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 25 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 26 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE |
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.
Kids-Q — Kids-Q (11-15)
2 entries · top 170.3088 · median 169.4344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hillbilly Deluxe Jr - Katie | |
| 2 | BBQ Buddies - Veronica |