Photo finishes
Tie
decided the closest call
Brisket places 2–3: The Smokin' Lab and Szendo Smoke BBQ Team tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Brisket 2–3 · tie
Transylvanian Steak & BBQ Fest
May 9–10, 2026 · Targu Mures, Romania · ROMANIA · 📍 Medieval Fortress Targu Mures str. Avram lancu no 2
Reps: Luca Famigli, Roberto Sirok
Szendo Smoke BBQ Team won Grand Champion at the Transylvanian Steak & BBQ Fest on May 9, 2026 in Targu Mures, 540088 at Medieval Fortress Targu Mures str. Avram lancu no 2, scoring 702.2400 in a field of 7 teams. Ribs in Peace took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.6340. Category winners: Chicken — Szendo Smoke BBQ Team (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Szendo Smoke BBQ Team (176.0000); Pork — Ribs in Peace (180.0000); Brisket — FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ (176.5600).
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 176
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176.56
20
180
Entries
7
4 judged meats
Top score
702.2400
Winning margin
4.6060
GC over RC
Field average
630.33
459.71702.24
median 685.62 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
8.6172 pts across the top 5
Field spread
242.5260
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 25%
beats 75% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Field strength
1,511
avg power rating going in
Storylines (4 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.
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Szendo Smoke BBQ Team won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Szendo Smoke BBQ Team took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 3rd.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 3rd
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Ribs in Peace · Pork
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 169.6684 | — |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 167.3828 | — |
| Pork | 180 | 166.2284 | — |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 163.9428 | — |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
7 entries · top 702.2400 · median 685.6228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 2 | Ribs in Peace | |
| 3 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 4 | The Smokin' Lab | |
| 5 | Beaver Field BBQ | |
| 6 | Bobo's BBQ | |
| 7 | New Chicago |
Chicken
7 entries · top 178.8572 · median 172.5716
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 2 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 3 | Ribs in Peace | |
| 4 | The Smokin' Lab | |
| 5 | Beaver Field BBQ | |
| 6 | New Chicago | |
| 7 | Bobo's BBQ |
Pork Ribs
6 entries · top 176 · median 174.5542
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 2 | Ribs in Peace | |
| 3 | The Smokin' Lab | |
| 4 | Beaver Field BBQ | |
| 5 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 6 | Bobo's BBQ |
Pork
7 entries · top 180 · median 168.5484 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ribs in Peace | |
| 2 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 3 | Beaver Field BBQ | |
| 4 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 5 | The Smokin' Lab | |
| 6 | Bobo's BBQ | |
| 7 | New Chicago |
Brisket
7 entries · top 176.5600 · median 169.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 2 | The Smokin' Lab | |
| 3 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 4 | Ribs in Peace | |
| 5 | Beaver Field BBQ | |
| 6 | Bobo's BBQ | |
| 7 | New Chicago |