Smoke N for the Kids
2025-08-16 – 2025-08-17 · Troy, IL · 📍 410 Wickliffe · State championship
Reps: CHARLIE BRINZA, DAVID BURSTEIN · Prize money: $10,000.00
Grand Champion: Take It Easy BBQ (708.5600) · 32 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Eleven Thirteen Q
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Perfect 180s
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Came back for more
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Take It Easy BBQ took the Grand Championship home to MO.
🔥 A day of perfect scores
4 perfect 180s were scored at this contest.
🧹 A double category winner
Take It Easy BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
📸 Photo finishes
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.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Rusty Pig BBQ (won 2024).
🏟️ A stacked field
The field averaged a 1615 power rating going in — stronger than 96% of every contest tracked.
🃏 An upset on the books
Take It Easy BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, TRIPLE H BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 14-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-17 | Troy, IL | 410 Wickliffe | 27 | 707.4288 | Rusty Pig BBQ | TRIPLE H BBQ |
| 2025-08-16 ← this one | Troy, IL | 410 Wickliffe | 32 | 708.5600 | Take It Easy BBQ | Eleven Thirteen Q |
| 2026-08-14 | Troy, IL | 410 Wickliffe | 26 | 701.6456 | 1Bite Stand | Scuffletown Smokers |
| 2026-08-15 | 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 | 180.0000 | 177.7144 | 177.1544 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 177.7144 | 175.4172 |
| Master Series — Pork | 180.0000 | 177.7028 | 174.8572 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180.0000 | 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 180.0000 · median 175.4114 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
32 entries · top 180.0000 · median 172.2686 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
32 entries · top 180.0000 · median 173.1258 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
32 entries · top 180.0000 · 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 |