Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
2025-09-05 – 2025-09-06 · Park Ridge, IL · 📍 505 Butler
Reps: EUGENE WICKHAM, SARAH WICKHAM · Prize money: $540.00
Grand Champion: Blended Smoke BBQ (353.7488) · 38 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 BBQ MIKE
Entries
38
2 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
353.7488
Winning margin
4.0460
GC over RC
Field average
319.11
median 319.05
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.0344 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
335.3600
10th place overall
Field spread
78.8916
winner to last place
Prize money
$540.00
on the line
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 33%
beats 67% of 708 Backyard Series wins in the data
Traveled in
24%
of the 38 teams with a home region came from outside IL
Came back for more
42%
15 of 36 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.24 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1509
avg power rating going in · stronger than 14% of contests
Storylines
📸 Photo finishes
Pork Ribs places 4–5: 2 Blind Pigs and I'd Smoke That tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: E SQUARED BBQ edged SMOKIN E'S BBQ by 0.0116.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Stone Cold Grillers (won 2022), Makdaddy BBQ (won 2023).
🃏 An upset on the books
Blended Smoke BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, BBQ MIKE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 32-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Ridge, IL | 100 Courtland Ave | 39 | 330.3888 | SimpleManBBQ | — | |
| Park Ridge, IL | 100 Courtland Ave | 38 | 341.2000 | Sarsany BBQ | — | |
| 2022-08-20 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 41 | 341.7028 | Stone Cold Grillers | — |
| 2023-09-16 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 35 | 346.8344 | Makdaddy BBQ | — |
| 2024-08-24 | Park Ridge, IL | Park Ridge, IL 60068 | 36 | 354.3200 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ | — |
| 2025-09-05 ← this one | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler | 38 | 353.7488 | Blended Smoke BBQ | — |
| 2026-08-15 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 30 | 351.9884 | WICKEY-Q | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 172.5600 | 166.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 173.7028 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
38 entries · top 353.7488 · median 319.0516
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blended Smoke BBQ | |
| 2 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 3 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 4 | Baby Badger Barbeque | |
| 5 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 6 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 7 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 8 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 9 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 10 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 11 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 12 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 13 | Brass Monkey BBQ | |
| 14 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 15 | Seminary Avenue Smokers | |
| 16 | Smoking Embers | |
| 17 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 18 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 19 | Pork Floyd | |
| 20 | MAKDADDY BBQ | |
| 21 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 22 | Bear's Den BBQ | |
| 23 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 24 | TREEMENDOUS! BBQ TEAM | |
| 25 | Smoke Signals | |
| 26 | South Pork | |
| 27 | Pickles Posse | |
| 28 | Broken Bones BBQ | |
| 29 | BoriBQ | |
| 30 | Pork Dorks | |
| 31 | De La'Que | |
| 32 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ | |
| 33 | K&K BBQ | |
| 34 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 35 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 36 | Rubicon BBQ | |
| 37 | Damn Hangry | |
| 38 | Smokey and The Bandits |
Chicken
38 entries · top 180.0000 · median 160.8630 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 2 | Blended Smoke BBQ | |
| 3 | Baby Badger Barbeque | |
| 4 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 5 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 6 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 7 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 8 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 9 | Seminary Avenue Smokers | |
| 10 | Brass Monkey BBQ | |
| 11 | TREEMENDOUS! BBQ TEAM | |
| 12 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 13 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 14 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 15 | Smoking Embers | |
| 16 | South Pork | |
| 17 | Pork Floyd | |
| 18 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 19 | Bear's Den BBQ | |
| 20 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 21 | Broken Bones BBQ | |
| 22 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 23 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 24 | Pork Dorks | |
| 25 | MAKDADDY BBQ | |
| 26 | Pickles Posse | |
| 27 | De La'Que | |
| 28 | BoriBQ | |
| 29 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 30 | Smoke Signals | |
| 31 | K&K BBQ | |
| 32 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 33 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 34 | Rubicon BBQ | |
| 35 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 36 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ | |
| 37 | Damn Hangry | |
| 38 | Smokey and The Bandits |
Pork Ribs
38 entries · top 177.7372 · median 159.0916
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 2 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 3 | Blended Smoke BBQ | |
| 4 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 5 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 6 | Baby Badger Barbeque | |
| 7 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 8 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 9 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 10 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 11 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 12 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 13 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 14 | Brass Monkey BBQ | |
| 15 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 16 | Smoke Signals | |
| 17 | Smoking Embers | |
| 18 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 19 | MAKDADDY BBQ | |
| 20 | Pork Floyd | |
| 21 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 22 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ | |
| 23 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 24 | Seminary Avenue Smokers | |
| 25 | Bear's Den BBQ | |
| 26 | Pickles Posse | |
| 27 | BoriBQ | |
| 28 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 29 | South Pork | |
| 30 | TREEMENDOUS! BBQ TEAM | |
| 31 | Pork Dorks | |
| 32 | K&K BBQ | |
| 33 | De La'Que | |
| 34 | Broken Bones BBQ | |
| 35 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 36 | Smokey and The Bandits | |
| 37 | Rubicon BBQ | |
| 38 | Damn Hangry |
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Ancillary — Best Dish
33 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 2 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 3 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 4 | MAKDADDY BBQ | |
| 5 | De La 'Que 2 | |
| 6 | K&K BBQ | |
| 7 | Smoking Embers | |
| 8 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 9 | Baby Badger Barbeque | |
| 10 | Pickles Posse 2 | |
| 11 | BoriBQ | |
| 12 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 13 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 14 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 15 | South Pork | |
| 16 | Blended Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 18 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 19 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 20 | Smoke Signals | |
| 21 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ | |
| 22 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 23 | Pickles Posse | |
| 24 | Pickles Possee 3 | |
| 25 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 26 | Pork Floyd | |
| 27 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 28 | Damn Hangry | |
| 29 | Pork Dorks | |
| 30 | De La'Que | |
| 31 | MIAMI HEAT 4 | |
| 32 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 33 | Smokey and The Bandits |
Ancillary — Best Sauce
30 entries · top 177.7028 · median 164.8342
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 2 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 3 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 4 | MIAMI HEAT 2 | |
| 5 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 6 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 7 | South Pork | |
| 8 | Smoking Embers | |
| 9 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 10 | Blended Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | BoriBQ | |
| 12 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 13 | De La'Que | |
| 14 | MIAMI HEAT 3 | |
| 15 | Pork Dorks | |
| 16 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 17 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast | |
| 18 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 19 | K&K BBQ | |
| 20 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 21 | Seminary Avenue Smokers | |
| 22 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 23 | Kaleta's Kitchen | |
| 24 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 25 | MAKDADDY BBQ | |
| 26 | Smokey and The Bandits | |
| 27 | Baby Badger Barbeque | |
| 28 | Pork Floyd | |
| 29 | Smoke Signals | |
| 30 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ |