A new contest record
707.3828
highest overall ever cooked here
707.3828 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 694.8456 Bad Bears BBQ set in 2025.
- old record 694.8456
- set 2025 by Bad Bears BBQ
The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2) 2025
May 31 – Jun 1, 2025 · Sweet Home, OR · 📍 1851 Tamarack St · State championship
Reps: Ian Schmidt, Julie Poe · Prize money: $24,000
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ won Grand Champion at The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2) on May 31, 2025 in Sweet Home, OR at 1851 Tamarack St, scoring 707.3828 in a field of 28 teams. Alderfire BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.1316. Category winners: Chicken — Bad Bears BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ (178.8572); Pork — CHICKEN FRIED BBQ (177.7372); Brisket — SLINGIN MEATS (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Bad Bears BBQ.
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.
659.27
median 685.35
707.38 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 177.74
- Brisket 180 🔥
153.62
180
Entries
28
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
707.3828
Winning margin
6.2512
GC over RC
Field average
683.80
659.27707.38
median 685.35 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
1.1772 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
693.0628
659.27707.38
10th place overall
Field spread
48.1144
winner to last place
Prize money
$24,000
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 8%
beats 92% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
93%
28 of 30 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.52 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,602
avg power rating going in · stronger than 79% of contests
Storylines (8 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.
An upset on the books
16-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 84 times in 100
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, GETTIN' BASTED, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 16-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1706
- top seed 1995
A day of perfect scores
4
perfect 180s
4 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- SLINGIN MEATS · Brisket
- Bad Bears BBQ · Chicken
- RIO VALLEY MEAT · Chicken
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: Bad Bears BBQ and RIO VALLEY MEAT tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: RIO VALLEY MEAT and GETTIN' BASTED tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: PORTERHOUSE BBQ and SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 7th.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 7th
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
SLINGIN MEATS turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 179.4400 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 179.4400
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Bad Bears BBQ (won 2025).
- Bad Bears BBQ · 2025
They keep coming back
93%
of last edition’s field returned
28 of 30 teams from 2025-05-30 came back
28 of the 30 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 2025 | Sweet Home, OR | 1851 Tamarack St | 30 | 694.8456 | Bad Bears BBQ | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ |
| May 31, 2025 ← this one | 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 | 177.7028 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 175.4288 | 172.5600 |
| Pork | 177.7372 | 176.5600 | 172.5600 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176.5600 | 172.5600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 707.3828 · median 685.3486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 2 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 3 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 4 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 5 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 6 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 7 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 8 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 9 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 10 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 11 | J&C BBQ | |
| 12 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 13 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 14 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 15 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 16 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 17 | Chompa Q | |
| 18 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 19 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 20 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 21 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 22 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 23 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 24 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 25 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 26 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ | |
| 27 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 28 | Red Beards BBQ |
Chicken
28 entries · top 180 · median 172.8400 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 2 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 3 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 4 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 6 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 7 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 8 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 9 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 10 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 11 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 12 | J&C BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 14 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 15 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 16 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 17 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 18 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 19 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 20 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 21 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 22 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 23 | Chompa Q | |
| 24 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 25 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 26 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 27 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 28 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.5428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 2 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 3 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 4 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 5 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 6 | J&C BBQ | |
| 7 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 8 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 9 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 10 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 11 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 12 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 13 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 14 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 15 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 16 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 17 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 18 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 19 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 20 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 21 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 22 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 23 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 24 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 25 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 26 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 27 | Chompa Q | |
| 28 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ |
Pork
28 entries · top 177.7372 · median 171.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 2 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 3 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 4 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 6 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 7 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 8 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 10 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 11 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 12 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 13 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 14 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 15 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 16 | J&C BBQ | |
| 17 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 18 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 19 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 20 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 21 | Chompa Q | |
| 22 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 23 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 24 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 25 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ | |
| 26 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 27 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 28 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ |
Brisket
28 entries · top 180 · median 170.5542 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 2 | Chompa Q | |
| 3 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 4 | Robs Smokin and Grillin BBQ | |
| 5 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 6 | Alderfire BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 8 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 9 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 10 | Small Axe BBQ | |
| 11 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 12 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 13 | J&C BBQ | |
| 14 | BULL MARKET BBQ | |
| 15 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ | |
| 16 | Old Dirty Basters | |
| 17 | CROOKED PIGS | |
| 18 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 19 | RIO VALLEY MEAT | |
| 20 | EZ-D's Smoke Show | |
| 21 | GETTIN' BASTED | |
| 22 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 23 | RJs Smokehouse | |
| 24 | SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | |
| 25 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 26 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | |
| 27 | Big Cat BBQ | |
| 28 | Red Beards BBQ |
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 — Hazelnut Dessert
9 entries · top 179.4400 · median 177.1428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | J&C BBQ | |
| 2 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 3 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys | |
| 4 | Red Beards BBQ | |
| 5 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 6 | SLOW PORKIN | |
| 7 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 8 | Big Boys BBQ | |
| 9 | Tropic Thunder, Meat, Boys II |