Jun 15–16, 2018 · Kewanee, IL · 📍 605 Tenney St
SMOKE FREAKS won Grand Champion at the Hog Capital Challenge on June 15, 2018 in Kewanee, IL at 605 Tenney St, scoring 683.8972 in a field of 25 teams. ONE2BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 681.0284. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKE FREAKS (176.5600); Pork Ribs — WICKED SMOKE BBQ (173.7144); Pork — PAPA'S BARBQ (174.2628); Brisket — SmokinGhost BBQ (179.4400). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by ONE2BBQ; the next was held in 2019.
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
SMOKE FREAKS came in rated below the field's top team, One2BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
Chicken places 3–4: MAC ATTACK BBQ and MEATSMACK tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: CHANNABILLY BBQ and OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: SMOKE FREAKS and LION 'BOUT THE Q tied on 169.1316 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
SMOKE FREAKS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 8th.
SmokinGhost BBQ turned in 179.4400 in brisket — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: ONE2BBQ (won 2017).
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 2017 | Kewanee, IL | 605 Tenney St | 26 | 703.4172 | ONE2BBQ | BONE COLLECTOR BBQ & CATERING |
| Jun 15, 2018 ← this one | Kewanee, IL | 605 Tenney St | 25 | 683.8972 | SMOKE FREAKS | ONE2BBQ |
| Jun 14, 2019 | Kewanee, IL | 605 Tenney St | 25 | 702.2400 | Heavy Smoke STL | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5600 | 172.5600 | 168.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.7144 | 169.1316 | 163.9888 |
| Pork | 174.2628 | 169.1544 | 166.2400 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 170.8228 | 167.3828 |
25 entries · top 683.8972 · median 658.1600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKE FREAKS | |
| 2 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 3 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 4 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 5 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 6 | AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW | |
| 7 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 8 | OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE | |
| 9 | QUAU | |
| 10 | LION 'BOUT THE Q | |
| 11 | PAPA'S BARBQ | |
| 12 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 13 | CHOCOLATE CITY BBQ | |
| 14 | ZIP'S Q | |
| 15 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 16 | P.I.G. | |
| 17 | Lynnwood Barbecue Co. | |
| 18 | MEATSMACK | |
| 19 | MOON KING BBQ | |
| 20 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 21 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 22 | BIG DADDY OOWEE SMOKIN BONES BBQ | |
| 23 | MIDLIFE CRISIS BBQ | |
| 24 | ILLIDUEQUE | |
| 25 | Buster-que |
25 entries · top 176.5600 · median 165.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKE FREAKS | |
| 2 | AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW | |
| 3 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 4 | MEATSMACK | |
| 5 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 6 | OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE | |
| 7 | CHOCOLATE CITY BBQ | |
| 8 | ZIP'S Q | |
| 9 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 10 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 11 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 12 | Lynnwood Barbecue Co. | |
| 13 | QUAU | |
| 14 | Buster-que | |
| 15 | P.I.G. | |
| 16 | BIG DADDY OOWEE SMOKIN BONES BBQ | |
| 17 | MOON KING BBQ | |
| 18 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 19 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 20 | PAPA'S BARBQ | |
| 21 | LION 'BOUT THE Q | |
| 22 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 23 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 24 | MIDLIFE CRISIS BBQ | |
| 25 | ILLIDUEQUE |
24 entries · top 173.7144 · median 163.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 2 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 3 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 4 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 5 | SMOKE FREAKS | |
| 6 | LION 'BOUT THE Q | |
| 7 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 8 | CHOCOLATE CITY BBQ | |
| 9 | QUAU | |
| 10 | OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE | |
| 11 | P.I.G. | |
| 12 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 13 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 14 | AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW | |
| 15 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 16 | BIG DADDY OOWEE SMOKIN BONES BBQ | |
| 17 | PAPA'S BARBQ | |
| 18 | MOON KING BBQ | |
| 19 | ILLIDUEQUE | |
| 20 | MEATSMACK | |
| 21 | Lynnwood Barbecue Co. | |
| 22 | ZIP'S Q | |
| 23 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 24 | MIDLIFE CRISIS BBQ |
25 entries · top 174.2628 · median 163.9312
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PAPA'S BARBQ | |
| 2 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 3 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKE FREAKS | |
| 5 | ZIP'S Q | |
| 6 | OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE | |
| 7 | ILLIDUEQUE | |
| 8 | MIDLIFE CRISIS BBQ | |
| 9 | LION 'BOUT THE Q | |
| 10 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 11 | P.I.G. | |
| 12 | Lynnwood Barbecue Co. | |
| 13 | Buster-que | |
| 14 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 15 | AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW | |
| 16 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 17 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 18 | QUAU | |
| 19 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 20 | MOON KING BBQ | |
| 21 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 22 | CHOCOLATE CITY BBQ | |
| 23 | BIG DADDY OOWEE SMOKIN BONES BBQ | |
| 24 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 25 | MEATSMACK |
25 entries · top 179.4400 · median 162.2284
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SmokinGhost BBQ | |
| 2 | CARROL LOU'S SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 3 | ONE2BBQ | |
| 4 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 5 | QUAU | |
| 6 | CHANNABILLY BBQ | |
| 7 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKE FREAKS | |
| 9 | Buster-que | |
| 10 | AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW | |
| 11 | PAPA'S BARBQ | |
| 12 | LION 'BOUT THE Q | |
| 13 | CHOCOLATE CITY BBQ | |
| 14 | MOON KING BBQ | |
| 15 | ZIP'S Q | |
| 16 | OKLAHOMA JOE'S SERIOUS QUE | |
| 17 | MEATSMACK | |
| 18 | Lynnwood Barbecue Co. | |
| 19 | P.I.G. | |
| 20 | Lucky 13 BBQ | |
| 21 | MIDLIFE CRISIS BBQ | |
| 22 | CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | |
| 23 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 24 | BIG DADDY OOWEE SMOKIN BONES BBQ | |
| 25 | ILLIDUEQUE |
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.
13 entries · top 335.3596 · median 311.3256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | T Daddy's BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKE, FIRE & BREW | |
| 3 | DB BBQ | |
| 4 | FARMER SMOKED BBQ | |
| 5 | EF-Q | |
| 6 | Smitty's Smoke House BBQ | |
| 7 | Daddy T Smokin BBQ | |
| 8 | Manager's Special | |
| 9 | Twin Maples BBQ | |
| 10 | H&H BBQ | |
| 11 | COUNTRY CROSSROADS BARBECUE | |
| 12 | TNT BBQ | |
| 13 | Maple Grove Creek BBQ |
13 entries · top 174.8800 · median 159.4972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FARMER SMOKED BBQ | |
| 2 | EF-Q | |
| 3 | DB BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKE, FIRE & BREW | |
| 5 | T Daddy's BBQ | |
| 6 | Smitty's Smoke House BBQ | |
| 7 | TNT BBQ | |
| 8 | Manager's Special | |
| 9 | H&H BBQ | |
| 10 | COUNTRY CROSSROADS BARBECUE | |
| 11 | Twin Maples BBQ | |
| 12 | Daddy T Smokin BBQ | |
| 13 | Maple Grove Creek BBQ |
13 entries · top 169.1084 · median 151.3716
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | T Daddy's BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKE, FIRE & BREW | |
| 3 | Daddy T Smokin BBQ | |
| 4 | DB BBQ | |
| 5 | FARMER SMOKED BBQ | |
| 6 | Smitty's Smoke House BBQ | |
| 7 | EF-Q | |
| 8 | Twin Maples BBQ | |
| 9 | Manager's Special | |
| 10 | Maple Grove Creek BBQ | |
| 11 | H&H BBQ | |
| 12 | COUNTRY CROSSROADS BARBECUE | |
| 13 | TNT BBQ |