A new contest record
701.1316
highest overall ever cooked here
701.1316 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 695.4056 Bunch of Swines set in 2023.
- old record 695.4056
- set 2023 by Bunch of Swines
Twin Smoke 2026
May 15–16, 2026 · Vilnius, Lithuania · LITHUANIA · 📍 Ezeraiciu km, Ezeraiciy g.2
Reps: Angela Fishlock, Mark Fishlock
BBQ Symphony won Grand Champion at the Twin Smoke on May 15, 2026 in Vilnius, LT at Ezeraiciu km, Ezeraiciy g.2, scoring 701.1316 in a field of 23 teams. BBQ Hot Yard took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6916. Category winners: Chicken — No Name (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SMOKING FINNS FI (177.7028); Pork — BBQ Symphony (180.0000); Brisket — BBQ Hot Yard (176.5600). This is the 6th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Smoking Finns.
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.
596.97
median 648.57
701.13 🏆
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 177.70
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176.56
141.06
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
23
4 judged meats
Top score
701.1316
Winning margin
7.4400
GC over RC
Field average
650.65
596.97701.13
median 648.57 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
5.7028 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
650.8456
596.97701.13
10th place overall
Field spread
104.1604
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 28%
beats 72% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
55%
6 of 11 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,524
avg power rating going in · stronger than 17% 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.
A first Grand Championship
15
tracked contests to get there
This was BBQ Symphony's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 15th tracked contest.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
Sweaty Hogs has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2021
- 2022
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: Moose in a Pot and Porkmafia tied on 166.8456 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: Porkmafia and Fregata Koszalin BBQ Poland tied on 166.8456 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 1–2: SMOKING FINNS FI and Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BBQ Symphony took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 6th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
No Name turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 178.8800 that had stood across 5 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8800
- across 5 past editions
The biggest field yet
23
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 15 teams
23 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 15.
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- No Name · Chicken
- BBQ Symphony · 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)
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 11, 2021 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Ezeraiciu km, Ezeraiciy g.2 | 15 | 694.3088 | Sweaty Hogs | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team |
| Jul 2, 2022 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Ezeraiciu km, Ezeraiciy g.2 | 15 | 666.3200 | Sweaty Hogs | Insomnia BBQ Team |
| May 20, 2023 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Ezeraiciu km, Ezeraiciy g.2 | 14 | 695.4056 | Bunch of Swines | Insomnia BBQ Team |
| May 18, 2024 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Ezeraiciu km, Ezeraiciy g.2 | 18 | 670.2056 | Smoking Finns | Clean Smoke BBQ |
| May 17, 2025 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Ezeraiciu km, Ezeraiciy g.2 | 11 | 683.8968 | Smoking Finns | From Nil to Grill |
| May 15, 2026 ← this one | Vilnius, Lithuania | Ezeraiciu km, Ezeraiciy g.2 | 23 | 701.1316 | BBQ Symphony | BBQ Hot Yard |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 174.2856 | 166.8456 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 172 | 167.4400 |
| Pork | 180 | 168.5600 | 164.5600 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 166.2400 | 162.2744 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
23 entries · top 701.1316 · median 648.5716
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ Symphony | |
| 2 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 3 | No Name | |
| 4 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 5 | Justice BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKING FINNS FI | |
| 7 | Alkanas Briedis | |
| 8 | SMOKING ACES BBQ SWEDEN | |
| 9 | BM Grils & Smokers | |
| 10 | AlltimeBBQ | |
| 11 | Dumo gauja 2 | |
| 12 | GGG | |
| 13 | Clean Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | Fregata Koszalin BBQ Poland | |
| 15 | Moose in a Pot | |
| 16 | Lingon & dill BBQ team | |
| 17 | KAUTECH | |
| 18 | Belenkokie pietai | |
| 19 | From Nil to Grill | |
| 20 | Porkmafia | |
| 21 | Trys gandriukai | |
| 22 | POLISH BBQ TEAM | |
| 23 | Kalmetal |
Chicken
23 entries · top 180 · median 165.7372 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No Name | |
| 2 | BBQ Symphony | |
| 3 | Justice BBQ | |
| 4 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 5 | GGG | |
| 6 | SMOKING FINNS FI | |
| 7 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 8 | Moose in a Pot | |
| 9 | Porkmafia | |
| 10 | Fregata Koszalin BBQ Poland | |
| 11 | KAUTECH | |
| 12 | Dumo gauja 2 | |
| 13 | BM Grils & Smokers | |
| 14 | SMOKING ACES BBQ SWEDEN | |
| 15 | Belenkokie pietai | |
| 16 | Lingon & dill BBQ team | |
| 17 | From Nil to Grill | |
| 18 | Alkanas Briedis | |
| 19 | Trys gandriukai | |
| 20 | AlltimeBBQ | |
| 21 | Kalmetal | |
| 22 | POLISH BBQ TEAM | |
| 23 | Clean Smoke BBQ |
Pork Ribs
23 entries · top 177.7028 · median 162.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKING FINNS FI | |
| 2 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 3 | Clean Smoke BBQ | |
| 4 | Alkanas Briedis | |
| 5 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 6 | BBQ Symphony | |
| 7 | Justice BBQ | |
| 8 | No Name | |
| 9 | BM Grils & Smokers | |
| 10 | AlltimeBBQ | |
| 11 | Fregata Koszalin BBQ Poland | |
| 12 | Dumo gauja 2 | |
| 13 | Belenkokie pietai | |
| 14 | From Nil to Grill | |
| 15 | Lingon & dill BBQ team | |
| 16 | SMOKING ACES BBQ SWEDEN | |
| 17 | KAUTECH | |
| 18 | Moose in a Pot | |
| 19 | POLISH BBQ TEAM | |
| 20 | Porkmafia | |
| 21 | Kalmetal | |
| 22 | Trys gandriukai | |
| 23 | GGG |
Pork
23 entries · top 180 · median 163.3944 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ Symphony | |
| 2 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 3 | SMOKING ACES BBQ SWEDEN | |
| 4 | Belenkokie pietai | |
| 5 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 6 | No Name | |
| 7 | GGG | |
| 8 | Porkmafia | |
| 9 | Justice BBQ | |
| 10 | Clean Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | Moose in a Pot | |
| 12 | AlltimeBBQ | |
| 13 | Alkanas Briedis | |
| 14 | BM Grils & Smokers | |
| 15 | Lingon & dill BBQ team | |
| 16 | From Nil to Grill | |
| 17 | SMOKING FINNS FI | |
| 18 | Dumo gauja 2 | |
| 19 | Trys gandriukai | |
| 20 | KAUTECH | |
| 21 | Fregata Koszalin BBQ Poland | |
| 22 | POLISH BBQ TEAM | |
| 23 | Kalmetal |
Brisket
23 entries · top 176.5600 · median 161.1088
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 2 | Alkanas Briedis | |
| 3 | BBQ Symphony | |
| 4 | No Name | |
| 5 | Justice BBQ | |
| 6 | GGG | |
| 7 | Fregata Koszalin BBQ Poland | |
| 8 | AlltimeBBQ | |
| 9 | Dumo gauja 2 | |
| 10 | SMOKING FINNS FI | |
| 11 | SMOKING ACES BBQ SWEDEN | |
| 12 | KAUTECH | |
| 13 | Clean Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | Trys gandriukai | |
| 15 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 16 | BM Grils & Smokers | |
| 17 | From Nil to Grill | |
| 18 | Lingon & dill BBQ team | |
| 19 | POLISH BBQ TEAM | |
| 20 | Moose in a Pot | |
| 21 | Kalmetal | |
| 22 | Porkmafia | |
| 23 | Belenkokie pietai |