Decided by a tiebreaker
Tie
identical totals at the top
The top two teams finished on identical totals — the Grand Championship came down to the KCBS tiebreaker rules.
Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) 2025
Jul 19, 2025 · Dowagiac, MI · 📍 200 Depot DrIVE
Reps: Jeanne Titus · Prize money: $2,200
BBQ MIKE won Grand Champion at the Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) on July 19, 2025 in Dowagiac, MI at 200 Depot DrIVE, scoring 354.2972 in a field of 17 teams. SMOKEY GQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 354.2972. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKEY GQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Smoky J's BBQ (178.2972). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ.
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.
279.38
median 338.27
354.30 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.30
136.54
180
Entries
17
2 judged meats
Top score
354.2972
Winning margin
Tie
identical totals — KCBS tiebreaker
Field average
333.89
279.38354.30
median 338.27 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
338.2284
279.38354.30
10th place overall
Field spread
74.9148
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,200
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 16%
beats 84% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
30%
7 of 23 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.39 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,532
avg power rating going in · stronger than 24% 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 2 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 2–3: Skinny Pig BBQ and BBQ MIKE tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: SMOKEY GQ edged Preacher's BBQ by 0.0344.
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0344
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
SMOKEY GQ turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 2 past editions
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- SMOKEY GQ · Chicken
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2023 | Dowagiac, MI | 200 Depot Dr | 16 | 350.9032 | Silver Creek Barbecue |
| Jul 20, 2024 | Dowagiac, MI | 200 Depot Dr | 23 | 352.5484 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ |
| Jul 19, 2025 ← this one | Dowagiac, MI | 200 Depot DrIVE | 17 | 354.2972 | BBQ Mike |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 172.5600 | 167.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 174.2972 | 169.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
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 |
Chicken
17 entries · top 180 · 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 |
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 |