Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMELLAQUE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 3rd
Big Smoke Bonnyville 2025
Sep 6–7, 2025 · Bonnyville, AB · CANADA · 📍 5709 50 Ave Unit 103
Reps: Brenda Black, Ken Black
SMELLAQUE won Grand Champion at the Big Smoke Bonnyville on September 6, 2025 in Bonnyville, AB at 5709 50 Ave Unit 103, scoring 697.0972 in a field of 15 teams. Brisket Butts took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.2512. Category winners: Chicken — Bottle Hill BBQ (177.7144); Pork Ribs — EFFIN'EH GRAY'S (176.5716); Pork — Q Cartel (174.2628); Brisket — DIDY SMOKE IT (179.4400). The Backyard Series standings were won by Bottle Hill BBQ with 343.9772. This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; 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.
516.50
median 685.65
697.10 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 177.71
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 176.57
- Master Series — Pork 174.26
- Master Series — Brisket 179.44
- Backyard Series — Chicken 173.70
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 172.55
149.09
179.44
Entries
15
6 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
697.0972
Winning margin
2.8460
GC over RC
Field average
666.47
516.50697.10
median 685.65 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
1.7028 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
677.1200
516.50697.10
10th place overall
Field spread
180.5944
winner to last place
Double threats
12
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 45%
beats 55% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.36 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,540
avg power rating going in · stronger than 30% of contests
Storylines (2 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
Master Series — Chicken places 4–5: SMELLAQUE and DIDY SMOKE IT tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Chicken places 4–5: Grill Hub and Ryan Smoke 3G tied on 165.1316 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Pork Ribs places 2–3: Bottle Hill BBQ and Cougar BBQ tied on 170.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Backyard Series — Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2025 ← this one | Bonnyville, AB | 5709 50 Ave Unit 103 | 15 | 697.0972 | SmellaQue | Brisket Butts |
| Aug 14, 2026 | Bonnyville, AB | 5709 50 Ave Unit 103 | 15 | 687.3828 | Smokin' Outlaws | SmellaQue |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 177.7144 | 173.1200 | 170.2628 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 173.1316 | 169.7028 |
| Master Series — Pork | 174.2628 | 172.5600 | 168.5828 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 179.4400 | 171.4172 | 167.3828 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 173.7028 | 165.1316 | — |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 172.5484 | 158.2860 | — |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
15 entries · top 697.0972 · median 685.6460
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 2 | Brisket Butts | |
| 3 | Q Cartel | |
| 4 | DIDY SMOKE IT | |
| 5 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 6 | Bottle Hill BBQ | |
| 7 | Panther BBQ | |
| 8 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 9 | Phantom Smoke & BBQ | |
| 10 | Mc Que It | |
| 11 | Grill Hub | |
| 12 | Tommy Boy Grillin | |
| 13 | Ryan Smoke 3G | |
| 14 | 301 Degrees of Deliciousness | |
| 15 | No Measurements BBQ |
Chicken
15 entries · top 177.7144 · median 172.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bottle Hill BBQ | |
| 2 | Panther BBQ | |
| 3 | Brisket Butts | |
| 4 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 5 | DIDY SMOKE IT | |
| 6 | No Measurements BBQ | |
| 7 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 8 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 9 | Phantom Smoke & BBQ | |
| 10 | Mc Que It | |
| 11 | Grill Hub | |
| 12 | Q Cartel | |
| 13 | 301 Degrees of Deliciousness | |
| 14 | Tommy Boy Grillin | |
| 15 | Ryan Smoke 3G |
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 176.5716 · median 170.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 2 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 3 | Q Cartel | |
| 4 | Panther BBQ | |
| 5 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 6 | Grill Hub | |
| 7 | Brisket Butts | |
| 8 | No Measurements BBQ | |
| 9 | DIDY SMOKE IT | |
| 10 | Phantom Smoke & BBQ | |
| 11 | Bottle Hill BBQ | |
| 12 | Mc Que It | |
| 13 | Ryan Smoke 3G | |
| 14 | Tommy Boy Grillin | |
| 15 | 301 Degrees of Deliciousness |
Pork
15 entries · top 174.2628 · median 169.7144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q Cartel | |
| 2 | Panther BBQ | |
| 3 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 4 | No Measurements BBQ | |
| 5 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 6 | Mc Que It | |
| 7 | Brisket Butts | |
| 8 | Bottle Hill BBQ | |
| 9 | Phantom Smoke & BBQ | |
| 10 | Tommy Boy Grillin | |
| 11 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 12 | Grill Hub | |
| 13 | DIDY SMOKE IT | |
| 14 | 301 Degrees of Deliciousness | |
| 15 | Ryan Smoke 3G |
Brisket
14 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.9886
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DIDY SMOKE IT | |
| 2 | Brisket Butts | |
| 3 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 4 | Q Cartel | |
| 5 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 6 | Ryan Smoke 3G | |
| 7 | Bottle Hill BBQ | |
| 8 | Mc Que It | |
| 9 | Phantom Smoke & BBQ | |
| 10 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 11 | Panther BBQ | |
| 12 | Tommy Boy Grillin | |
| 13 | Grill Hub | |
| 14 | 301 Degrees of Deliciousness |
Backyard Series
Overall
6 entries · top 343.9772 · median 335.9602
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bottle Hill BBQ | |
| 2 | Grill Hub | |
| 3 | Cougar BBQ | |
| 4 | Ryan Smoke 3G | |
| 5 | 301 Degrees of Deliciousness | |
| 6 | Tommy Boy Grillin |
Chicken
6 entries · top 173.7028 · median 165.9944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bottle Hill BBQ | |
| 2 | Cougar BBQ | |
| 3 | 301 Degrees of Deliciousness | |
| 4 | Grill Hub | |
| 5 | Ryan Smoke 3G | |
| 6 | Tommy Boy Grillin |
Pork Ribs
6 entries · top 172.5484 · median 169.7030
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grill Hub | |
| 2 | Bottle Hill BBQ | |
| 3 | Cougar BBQ | |
| 4 | Ryan Smoke 3G | |
| 5 | 301 Degrees of Deliciousness | |
| 6 | Tommy Boy Grillin |
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 — Drink
11 entries · top 180 · median 175.4172 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | |
| 2 | No Measurements BBQ | |
| 3 | Phantom Smoke & BBQ | |
| 4 | 301 Degrees of Deliciousness | |
| 5 | Brisket Butts | |
| 6 | Grill Hub | |
| 7 | DIDY SMOKE IT | |
| 8 | Mc Que It | |
| 9 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 10 | Tommy Boy Grillin | |
| 11 | Ryan Smoke 3G |
Kids-Q — Hamburgers
6 entries · top 178.2972 · median 172.2686
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little Phantom | |
| 2 | Up N Smoke | |
| 3 | Bows N BBQ | |
| 4 | Pew Pew BBQ | |
| 5 | Ry Ry the BBQ Kid | |
| 6 | Glittering Grills |