A razor-thin finish
1.6452
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 76% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.6452 points — closer than 76% of every championship in the data.
- BBQ+
- Barbecoa BBQ Team
Het Belgisch Barbecue Weekend 5the Edition
May 23–24, 2025 · Boom, Belgium · BELGIUM · 📍 Kapelstraat 145
Reps: Marianne Van Galen, Mayco Van Galen
BBQ+ won Grand Champion at the Het Belgisch Barbecue Weekend 5the Edition on May 23, 2025 in Boom, 2850 at Kapelstraat 145, scoring 682.2172 in a field of 16 teams. Barbecoa BBQ Team took Reserve Grand Champion with 680.5720. Category winners: Chicken — BUNCH OF SWINES (173.7028); Pork Ribs — BBQ+ (176.5716); Pork — It's spice that meats you (174.2972); Brisket — Barbecoa BBQ Team (174.8800).
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.
615.94
median 640.43
682.22 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 173.70
- Pork Ribs 176.57
- Pork 174.30
- Brisket 174.88
142.19
176.57
Entries
16
4 judged meats
Top score
682.2172
Winning margin
1.6452
GC over RC
Field average
645.69
615.94682.22
median 640.43 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
5.7372 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
639.3720
615.94682.22
10th place overall
Field spread
66.2736
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 86%
beats 14% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,591
avg power rating going in · stronger than 72% of contests
Storylines (3 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 8 calls decided inside half a point
Brisket places 4–5: Justice BBQ and BBQ+ tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: BUNCH OF SWINES edged FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ by 0.0112. Chicken places 6–7: It's spice that meats you edged The BBQ Ranch by 0.0116.
- Brisket 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · 0.0112
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0116
- Brisket 2–3 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BBQ+ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 5th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 5th
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 173.7028 | 167.9656 | 161.7144 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 164.5372 | 157.1544 |
| Pork | 174.2972 | 163.4288 | 159.9772 |
| Brisket | 174.8800 | 169.1200 | 153.6572 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
16 entries · top 682.2172 · median 640.4344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ+ | |
| 2 | Barbecoa BBQ Team | |
| 3 | It's spice that meats you | |
| 4 | BUNCH OF SWINES | |
| 5 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 6 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 7 | Justice BBQ | |
| 8 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 9 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 10 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 11 | RIVERLAND SMOKERS | |
| 12 | 3BBQ | |
| 13 | Just wing it BBQ team | |
| 14 | Grate Expectations | |
| 15 | Click & Q | |
| 16 | ANTWERPS BBQ-TEAM |
Chicken
16 entries · top 173.7028 · median 166.8688
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUNCH OF SWINES | |
| 2 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 3 | Barbecoa BBQ Team | |
| 4 | BBQ+ | |
| 5 | Grate Expectations | |
| 6 | It's spice that meats you | |
| 7 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 8 | Click & Q | |
| 9 | ANTWERPS BBQ-TEAM | |
| 10 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 11 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 12 | Justice BBQ | |
| 13 | 3BBQ | |
| 14 | Just wing it BBQ team | |
| 15 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 16 | RIVERLAND SMOKERS |
Pork Ribs
16 entries · top 176.5716 · median 161.1144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ+ | |
| 2 | Barbecoa BBQ Team | |
| 3 | BUNCH OF SWINES | |
| 4 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 5 | Just wing it BBQ team | |
| 6 | 3BBQ | |
| 7 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 8 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 9 | Justice BBQ | |
| 10 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 11 | It's spice that meats you | |
| 12 | RIVERLAND SMOKERS | |
| 13 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 14 | ANTWERPS BBQ-TEAM | |
| 15 | Click & Q | |
| 16 | Grate Expectations |
Pork
16 entries · top 174.2972 · median 162.2686
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | It's spice that meats you | |
| 2 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 3 | BBQ+ | |
| 4 | Barbecoa BBQ Team | |
| 5 | BUNCH OF SWINES | |
| 6 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 7 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 8 | 3BBQ | |
| 9 | Grate Expectations | |
| 10 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 11 | RIVERLAND SMOKERS | |
| 12 | Just wing it BBQ team | |
| 13 | Justice BBQ | |
| 14 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 15 | Click & Q | |
| 16 | ANTWERPS BBQ-TEAM |
Brisket
16 entries · top 174.8800 · median 160.8172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbecoa BBQ Team | |
| 2 | RIVERLAND SMOKERS | |
| 3 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 4 | Justice BBQ | |
| 5 | BBQ+ | |
| 6 | It's spice that meats you | |
| 7 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 8 | BUNCH OF SWINES | |
| 9 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 10 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 11 | ANTWERPS BBQ-TEAM | |
| 12 | 3BBQ | |
| 13 | Just wing it BBQ team | |
| 14 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 15 | Click & Q | |
| 16 | Grate Expectations |