Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
2025-07-19 · Dowagiac, MI
Reps: JEANNE TITUS · Prize money: $2,200.00
Grand Champion: BBQ Mike (354.2972) · 17 teams
Entries
17
2 categories
Top score
354.2972
Winning margin
Tie
identical totals — KCBS tiebreaker
Field average
333.89
median 338.27
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.0000 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
338.2284
what a walk cost here
Field spread
74.9148
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,200.00
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 80%
beats 20% of 2715 overall wins in the data
Field strength
1530
avg power rating going in · stronger than 36% of contests
Storylines
⚖️ Decided by a tiebreaker
The top two teams finished on identical totals — the Grand Championship came down to the KCBS tiebreaker rules.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
BBQ MIKE took the Grand Championship home to IL.
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
This contest over the years
| Date | Where | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-15 | Dowagiac, MI | 16 | 350.9032 | Silver Creek Barbecue |
| 2024-07-20 | Dowagiac, MI | 23 | 352.5484 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ |
| 2025-07-19 ← this one | Dowagiac, MI | 17 | 354.2972 | BBQ Mike |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series — Chicken
17 entries · top 180.0000 · median 168.5256 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 2 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 3 | Hoosier BBQ | |
| 4 | Smoky J's BBQ | |
| 5 | Porkasaurus Rex BBQ | |
| 6 | Preacher's BBQ | |
| 7 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 8 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 9 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 10 | Shmack Q | |
| 11 | Jughead's BBQ | |
| 12 | Burnt Bellies BBQ | |
| 13 | Dirty Shirt BBQ | |
| 14 | Los Primos BBQ | |
| 15 | Twisted Bee BBQ | |
| 16 | Kazoo BBQ | |
| 17 | Boot Smokers |
Backyard Series — Overall
17 entries · top 354.2972 · median 338.2744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 2 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 3 | Smoky J's BBQ | |
| 4 | Hoosier BBQ | |
| 5 | Preacher's BBQ | |
| 6 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 7 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 8 | Shmack Q | |
| 9 | Jughead's BBQ | |
| 10 | Porkasaurus Rex BBQ | |
| 11 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 12 | Los Primos BBQ | |
| 13 | Twisted Bee BBQ | |
| 14 | Burnt Bellies BBQ | |
| 15 | Kazoo BBQ | |
| 16 | Dirty Shirt BBQ | |
| 17 | Boot Smokers |
Backyard Series — Pork Ribs
17 entries · top 178.2972 · median 170.8688
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smoky J's BBQ | |
| 2 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 3 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 4 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 5 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 6 | Preacher's BBQ | |
| 7 | Shmack Q | |
| 8 | Hoosier BBQ | |
| 9 | Jughead's BBQ | |
| 10 | Los Primos BBQ | |
| 11 | Twisted Bee BBQ | |
| 12 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 13 | Porkasaurus Rex BBQ | |
| 14 | Kazoo BBQ | |
| 15 | Burnt Bellies BBQ | |
| 16 | Dirty Shirt BBQ | |
| 17 | Boot Smokers |