Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
2024-08-24 · Park Ridge, IL · 📍 Park Ridge, IL 60068
Reps: EUGENE WICKHAM, SARAH WICKHAM · Prize money: $600.00
Grand Champion: Weez's Groovin' BBQ (354.3200) · 36 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 South Side Pit Men
Entries
36
2 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
354.3200
Winning margin
0.6172
GC over RC
Field average
308.52
median 319.11
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4.6172 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
328.5484
10th place overall
Field spread
199.4860
winner to last place
Prize money
$600.00
on the line
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 28%
beats 72% of 708 Backyard Series wins in the data
Traveled in
8%
of the 36 teams with a home region came from outside IL
Came back for more
66%
23 of 35 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.38 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1516
avg power rating going in · stronger than 20% of contests
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.6172 points — closer than 82% of every championship in the data.
📸 Photo finishes
Pork Ribs places 7–8: I'd Smoke That and Uncle Mike's tied on 166.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: Pickles Posse and Kaleta's Kitchen tied on 165.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Troublemakers BBQ edged Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que by 0.0116.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Stone Cold Grillers (won 2022), Makdaddy BBQ (won 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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Ridge, IL | 100 Courtland Ave | 39 | 330.3888 | SimpleManBBQ | — | |
| Park Ridge, IL | 100 Courtland Ave | 38 | 341.2000 | Sarsany BBQ | — | |
| 2022-08-20 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 41 | 341.7028 | Stone Cold Grillers | — |
| 2023-09-16 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 35 | 346.8344 | Makdaddy BBQ | — |
| 2024-08-24 ← this one | Park Ridge, IL | Park Ridge, IL 60068 | 36 | 354.3200 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ | — |
| 2025-09-05 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler | 38 | 353.7488 | Blended Smoke BBQ | — |
| 2026-08-15 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 30 | 351.9884 | WICKEY-Q | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8800 | 174.2628 | 168.0116 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 168.5600 | 165.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
36 entries · top 354.3200 · median 319.1086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | South Side Pit Men | |
| 3 | Shmack Q | |
| 4 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 5 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 6 | Superlins BBQ | |
| 7 | Pork Dorks | |
| 8 | Pickles Posse | |
| 9 | Broken Bones | |
| 10 | Porklandia | |
| 11 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 12 | Bori-BQ | |
| 13 | Uncle Mike's | |
| 14 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 15 | Fu Man-Q | |
| 16 | Makdaddy BBQ | |
| 17 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 18 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 19 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 20 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 21 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 22 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 23 | The Social Smokers | |
| 24 | Miami Heat BBQ | |
| 25 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 26 | Troublemakers BBQ | |
| 27 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 28 | De La 'Que | |
| 29 | Pig Floyd | |
| 30 | Two Blind Pigs | |
| 31 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 32 | Butt Rubbers | |
| 33 | Seminary Ave Smokers | |
| 34 | Smoke Show | |
| 35 | Yostin' & Smokin' | |
| 36 | Pork Rib! |
Chicken
35 entries · top 178.8800 · median 159.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | South Side Pit Men | |
| 3 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 4 | Troublemakers BBQ | |
| 5 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 6 | Shmack Q | |
| 7 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 8 | Bori-BQ | |
| 9 | Broken Bones | |
| 10 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 11 | Superlins BBQ | |
| 12 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 13 | Makdaddy BBQ | |
| 14 | Pickles Posse | |
| 15 | Porklandia | |
| 16 | Pork Dorks | |
| 17 | Fu Man-Q | |
| 18 | Uncle Mike's | |
| 19 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 20 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 21 | The Social Smokers | |
| 22 | Miami Heat BBQ | |
| 23 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 24 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 25 | Butt Rubbers | |
| 26 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 27 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 28 | De La 'Que | |
| 29 | Seminary Ave Smokers | |
| 30 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 31 | Two Blind Pigs | |
| 32 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 33 | Pig Floyd | |
| 34 | Smoke Show | |
| 35 | Yostin' & Smokin' |
Pork Ribs
36 entries · top 176.5600 · median 159.4000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Side Pit Men | |
| 2 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 3 | Shmack Q | |
| 4 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 5 | Superlins BBQ | |
| 6 | Pork Dorks | |
| 7 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 8 | Uncle Mike's | |
| 9 | Pickles Posse | |
| 10 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 11 | Porklandia | |
| 12 | Fu Man-Q | |
| 13 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 14 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 15 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 16 | Broken Bones | |
| 17 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 18 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 19 | Bori-BQ | |
| 20 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 21 | Makdaddy BBQ | |
| 22 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 23 | The Social Smokers | |
| 24 | Pork Rib! | |
| 25 | Pig Floyd | |
| 26 | Yostin' & Smokin' | |
| 27 | Miami Heat BBQ | |
| 28 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 29 | De La 'Que | |
| 30 | Two Blind Pigs | |
| 31 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 32 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 33 | Troublemakers BBQ | |
| 34 | Butt Rubbers | |
| 35 | Seminary Ave Smokers | |
| 36 | Smoke Show |
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.
Ancillary — Best Dish
28 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.5714
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 2 | South Side Pit Men | |
| 3 | Two Blind Pigs | |
| 4 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 5 | Bori-BQ | |
| 6 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 7 | Pork Dorks | |
| 8 | Troublemakers BBQ | |
| 9 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 10 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 11 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 12 | Pickles Posse | |
| 13 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 14 | Miami Heat BBQ | |
| 15 | De La 'Que | |
| 16 | Smoke Show | |
| 17 | Yostin' & Smokin' | |
| 18 | Makdaddy BBQ | |
| 19 | Porklandia | |
| 20 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 21 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 22 | Fu Man-Q | |
| 23 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 24 | Pig Floyd | |
| 25 | Seminary Ave Smokers | |
| 26 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 27 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 28 | Butt Rubbers |
Ancillary — Best Sauce
23 entries · top 177.7028 · median 163.3712
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bori-BQ | |
| 2 | Pork Dorks | |
| 3 | Porklandia | |
| 4 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 5 | Smoke Show | |
| 6 | South Side Pit Men | |
| 7 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 8 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 9 | Seminary Ave Smokers | |
| 10 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 11 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 12 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 13 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 14 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 15 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 16 | Pig Floyd | |
| 17 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 18 | Makdaddy BBQ | |
| 19 | De La 'Que | |
| 20 | Two Blind Pigs | |
| 21 | Miami Heat BBQ | |
| 22 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 23 | Yostin' & Smokin' |