The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1)
2025-05-30 – 2025-05-31 · Sweet Home, OR · 📍 1851 Tamarack St · State championship
Reps: IAN SCHMIDT, JULIE POE · Prize money: $24,000.00
Grand Champion: Bad Bears BBQ (694.8456) · 30 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 CHICKEN FRIED BBQ
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1084 points — closer than 83% of every championship in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Bad Bears BBQ took the Grand Championship home to CA.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 9–10: SMOKIN' AXE BBQ and PORTERHOUSE BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: SinBin BBQ and Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys tied on 174.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: GETTIN' BASTED and SinBin BBQ tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🃏 An upset on the books
Bad Bears BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, GETTIN' BASTED, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 11-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-30 ← this one | Sweet Home, OR | 1851 Tamarack St | 30 | 694.8456 | Bad Bears BBQ | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ |
| 2025-05-31 | Sweet Home, OR | 1851 Tamarack St | 28 | 707.3828 | Smokin' Volts BBQ | Alderfire BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 175.4056 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 173.1428 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 173.1200 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 173.1200 | 169.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 694.8456 · median 673.5828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 2 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 3 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 4 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 5 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 6 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 7 | J&C BBQ | |
| 8 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 10 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 11 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 12 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 13 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 14 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 15 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 16 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 17 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 18 | Chompa Q | |
| 19 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 20 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ | |
| 21 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 22 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 23 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 24 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 25 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 26 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 27 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 28 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 29 | Smokin Squatch BBQ | |
| 30 | Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em |
Chicken
30 entries · top 180.0000 · median 170.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 2 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 3 | J&C BBQ | |
| 4 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 5 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 6 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ | |
| 7 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 8 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 10 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 11 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 13 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 14 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 15 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 16 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 17 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 18 | Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em | |
| 19 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 20 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 21 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 22 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 23 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 24 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 25 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 26 | Smokin Squatch BBQ | |
| 27 | Chompa Q | |
| 28 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 29 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 30 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys |
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.1258
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 3 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 4 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 5 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 6 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 7 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 8 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 9 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 10 | Chompa Q | |
| 11 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 12 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 13 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 14 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 15 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 16 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 17 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 18 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 19 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 20 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ | |
| 21 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 22 | J&C BBQ | |
| 23 | Smokin Squatch BBQ | |
| 24 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 25 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 26 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 27 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 28 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 29 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 30 | Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em |
Pork
30 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168.2572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 2 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 3 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 4 | Chompa Q | |
| 5 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 6 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 7 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 8 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 9 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 10 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 11 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 12 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 13 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 14 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 15 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 16 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 17 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 18 | J&C BBQ | |
| 19 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 20 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 21 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 22 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 23 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 24 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 25 | Smokin Squatch BBQ | |
| 26 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 27 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ | |
| 28 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 29 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 30 | Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em |
Brisket
30 entries · top 179.4400 · median 167.6742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 2 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 3 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 4 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 5 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 7 | J&C BBQ | |
| 8 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 9 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 10 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 12 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 13 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 14 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 15 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 16 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 17 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 18 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 19 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 20 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ | |
| 21 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 22 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 23 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 24 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 25 | Chompa Q | |
| 26 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 27 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 28 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 29 | Smokin Squatch BBQ | |
| 30 | Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em |
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 — Mushroom
8 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.4056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 2 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 3 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 4 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 5 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 6 | J&C BBQ | |
| 7 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 8 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ |