A new contest record
708.5600
highest overall ever cooked here
708.5600 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 707.4288 Rusty Pig BBQ set in 2024.
- old record 707.4288
- set 2024 by Rusty Pig BBQ
Smoke N for the Kids 2025
Aug 16–17, 2025 · Troy, IL · 📍 410 Wickliffe · State championship
Reps: Charlie Brinza, David Burstein · Prize money: $10,000
Take It Easy BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke N for the Kids on August 16, 2025 in Troy, IL at 410 Wickliffe, scoring 708.5600 in a field of 32 teams. Eleven Thirteen Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 706.2516. Category winners: Chicken — Take It Easy BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Bleed Blue BBQ (180.0000); Pork — JANKY LEG BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — Take It Easy BBQ (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by Rudes BBQ with 349.1316. This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Rusty Pig BBQ; the next was held in 2026.
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.
604.38
median 692.21
708.56 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork 180 🔥
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 175.42
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 176.56
136.51
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2024 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
32
6 judged meats
Top score
708.5600
Winning margin
2.3084
GC over RC
Field average
686.05
604.38708.56
median 692.21 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
4 🔥
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2856 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
697.0628
604.38708.56
10th place overall
Field spread
104.1828
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 5%
beats 95% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
52%
25 of 48 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.4 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,624
avg power rating going in · stronger than 89% of contests
Storylines (9 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.
An upset on the books
11-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 89 times in 100
Take It Easy BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, TRIPLE H BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 11-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1578
- top seed 1938
A first Grand Championship
19
tracked contests to get there
This was Take It Easy BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 19th tracked contest.
A day of perfect scores
4
perfect 180s
4 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Take It Easy BBQ · Brisket
- Take It Easy BBQ · Chicken
- JANKY LEG BBQ · Pork
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 28 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 2–3: RUSTY PIG BBQ and JANKY LEG BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 3–4: JANKY LEG BBQ and OnlyCans Competition BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 5–6: MESS-IN-A ROUND BBQ and Get Your Grill On tied on 177.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Take It Easy BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
Take It Easy BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 15th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 15th
- Pork 9th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
Take It Easy BBQ turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Rusty Pig BBQ (won 2024).
- Rusty Pig BBQ · 2024
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 | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2024 | Troy, IL | 410 Wickliffe | 27 | 707.4288 | Rusty Pig BBQ | TRIPLE H BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2025 ← this one | Troy, IL | 410 Wickliffe | 32 | 708.5600 | Take It Easy BBQ | Eleven Thirteen Q |
| Aug 14, 2026 | Troy, IL | 410 Wickliffe | 26 | 701.6456 | 1Bite Stand | Scuffletown Smokers |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Troy, IL | 410 Wickliffe | 32 | 705.0972 | Janky Leg BBQ | Scuffletown Smokers |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180 | 177.7144 | 177.1544 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 180 | 177.7144 | 175.4172 |
| Master Series — Pork | 180 | 177.7028 | 174.8572 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 176.5600 | 175.4056 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 175.4172 | 173.1316 | 167.3828 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 173.1084 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
32 entries · top 708.5600 · median 692.2058
Chicken
32 entries · top 180 · median 175.4114 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
32 entries · top 180 · median 172.2686 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
32 entries · top 180 · median 173.1258 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
32 entries · top 180 · median 173.1258 · 🔥 perfect 180
Backyard Series
Overall
18 entries · top 349.1316 · median 337.9198
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 2 | Fire Pig | |
| 3 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 4 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 5 | Too Sauced BBQ | |
| 6 | Robbie Q | |
| 7 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 8 | M&M Southern Style Smokin | |
| 9 | Smoke Til Ya Broke | |
| 10 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 11 | Two Pigs And A Smoker | |
| 12 | HESSHOGS | |
| 13 | Snake Holler BBQ | |
| 14 | Smokin A's | |
| 15 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 16 | Barkin' Iron BBQ | |
| 17 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 18 | Salty Hawgs |
Chicken
18 entries · top 175.4172 · median 167.3886
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Too Sauced BBQ | |
| 2 | Smoke Til Ya Broke | |
| 3 | Fire Pig | |
| 4 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 5 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 6 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 7 | Robbie Q | |
| 8 | M&M Southern Style Smokin | |
| 9 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 10 | Barkin' Iron BBQ | |
| 11 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 12 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 13 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 14 | Snake Holler BBQ | |
| 15 | Two Pigs And A Smoker | |
| 16 | HESSHOGS | |
| 17 | Smokin A's | |
| 18 | Salty Hawgs |
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 176.5600 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 3 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 4 | Two Pigs And A Smoker | |
| 5 | Fire Pig | |
| 6 | HESSHOGS | |
| 7 | Robbie Q | |
| 8 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 9 | Smokin A's | |
| 10 | M&M Southern Style Smokin | |
| 11 | Snake Holler BBQ | |
| 12 | Too Sauced BBQ | |
| 13 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 14 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 15 | Smoke Til Ya Broke | |
| 16 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | Barkin' Iron BBQ | |
| 18 | Salty Hawgs |