A knife fight at the top
4.5828
points across the top five
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.5828 points.
- 1st Electro-Que-ted
- 2nd Big James Kitchen
- 3rd GSP Barbecue
- 4th Bentley Que
- 5th NORALA BBQ TEAM
Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) 2025
Aug 1–2, 2025 · Florence, AL · 📍 200 James M Spain Dr
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $3,100
Electro-Que-ted won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) on August 1, 2025 in Florence, AL at 200 James M Spain Dr, scoring 353.1200 in a field of 23 teams. Big James Kitchen took Reserve Grand Champion with 351.9656. Category winners: Chicken — GSP Barbecue (177.1544); Pork Ribs — Electro-Que-ted (177.7144). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Mad Rocket Barbeque.
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.
155.92
median 336.50
353.12 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Backyard Series — Chicken 177.15
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 177.71
- Ancillary — Pork 178.86
144.55
178.86
Entries
23
3 judged meats
Top score
353.1200
Winning margin
1.1544
GC over RC
Field average
322.68
155.92353.12
median 336.50 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7488 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
342.8000
155.92353.12
10th place overall
Field spread
197.2000
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,100
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 27%
beats 73% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
23%
9 of 40 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,580
avg power rating going in · stronger than 63% of contests
Storylines (5 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 9 calls decided inside half a point
Backyard Series — Chicken places 2–3: Big James Kitchen and Wee Daddy's BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Chicken places 5–6: Electro-Que-ted and NORALA BBQ TEAM tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Chicken places 8–9: PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q and Rollin Smoke BBQ tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Backyard Series — Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Backyard Series — Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Backyard Series — Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Electro-Que-ted won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
A contest record in pork
178.8572
best pork ever cooked here
Electro-Que-ted turned in 178.8572 in pork — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: PuckDaddy's Killer Q (won 2023).
- PuckDaddy's Killer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2023 | Florence, AL | McFarland Park | 36 | 527.9656 | PuckDaddy's Killer Q |
| Apr 26, 2024 | Florence, AL | 200 Jim Spain Drive | 40 | 353.7028 | Mad Rocket Barbeque |
| Aug 1, 2025 ← this one | Florence, AL | 200 James M Spain Dr | 23 | 353.1200 | Electro-Que-Ted |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 177.1544 | 175.4056 | 170.8344 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 175.4172 | 170.8344 |
| Ancillary — Pork | 178.8572 | 173.1544 | 170.8228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
23 entries · top 353.1200 · median 336.5028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 3 | GSP Barbecue | |
| 4 | Bentley Que | |
| 5 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 6 | 205 Smoke | |
| 7 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 8 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 9 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 10 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 11 | LEE LA Q | |
| 12 | Going Hoggin | |
| 13 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 14 | Myke's BBQ | |
| 15 | Red, White & Que | |
| 16 | J. Piggy's BBQ | |
| 17 | REDBONES | |
| 18 | The Meat Sweats, AL | |
| 19 | America 1st BBQ | |
| 20 | FLO TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 21 | Paul's Barbeque | |
| 22 | Grillin & Chillin Joe's BBQ | |
| 23 | Terry Equipment Smoke |
Chicken
22 entries · top 177.1544 · median 169.9714
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GSP Barbecue | |
| 2 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 3 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 4 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 5 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 6 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 7 | Bentley Que | |
| 8 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 9 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 10 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 11 | 205 Smoke | |
| 12 | J. Piggy's BBQ | |
| 13 | Myke's BBQ | |
| 14 | The Meat Sweats, AL | |
| 15 | Going Hoggin | |
| 16 | REDBONES | |
| 17 | LEE LA Q | |
| 18 | Red, White & Que | |
| 19 | America 1st BBQ | |
| 20 | Grillin & Chillin Joe's BBQ | |
| 21 | FLO TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 22 | Paul's Barbeque |
Pork Ribs
22 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | 205 Smoke | |
| 3 | Bentley Que | |
| 4 | LEE LA Q | |
| 5 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 6 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 7 | GSP Barbecue | |
| 8 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 9 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 10 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 11 | Going Hoggin | |
| 12 | FLO TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 13 | Red, White & Que | |
| 14 | Myke's BBQ | |
| 15 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 16 | REDBONES | |
| 17 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 18 | J. Piggy's BBQ | |
| 19 | America 1st BBQ | |
| 20 | The Meat Sweats, AL | |
| 21 | Terry Equipment Smoke | |
| 22 | Paul's Barbeque |
Ancillary
Pork
20 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.2572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 3 | Bentley Que | |
| 4 | Red, White & Que | |
| 5 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 6 | REDBONES | |
| 7 | Myke's BBQ | |
| 8 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 9 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 10 | Terry Equipment Smoke | |
| 11 | J. Piggy's BBQ | |
| 12 | FLO TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 13 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 14 | The Meat Sweats, AL | |
| 15 | Going Hoggin | |
| 16 | America 1st BBQ | |
| 17 | LEE LA Q | |
| 18 | Grillin & Chillin Joe's BBQ | |
| 19 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 20 | Paul's Barbeque |