A new contest record
717.7144
highest overall ever cooked here
717.7144 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 707.4284 Praire Smoke & Spice set in 2025.
- old record 707.4284
- set 2025 by Praire Smoke & Spice
Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown 2026
Jun 6–7, 2026 · Upper Onslow, NS · CANADA · 📍 16 Hub Centre Drive
Reps: Craig Maidens, Heather Maidens
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ won Grand Champion at the Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown on June 6, 2026 in Upper Onslow, NS at 16 Hub Centre Drive, scoring 717.7144 in a field of 15 teams. Cook the books took Reserve Grand Champion with 705.1428. Category winners: Chicken — Cook the books (180.0000); Pork Ribs — 73-BBQ (178.8572); Pork — PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — Cook the books (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Praire Smoke & Spice.
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.
655.42
median 671.97
717.71 🏆
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 180 🔥
- Brisket 180 🔥
157.11
180
Entries
15
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
717.7144
Winning margin
12.5716
GC over RC
Field average
678.61
655.42717.71
median 671.97 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
6 🔥
Tightest race
Brisket
5.1200 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
669.1196
655.42717.71
10th place overall
Field spread
62.2976
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 0%
beats 100% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
25%
3 of 12 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.16 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,521
avg power rating going in · stronger than 14% of contests
Storylines (7 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 statement win
12.5716
points clear of the field
Wider than 93% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.5716 points — a wider margin than 93% of championships in the data.
A day of perfect scores
6
perfect 180s
6 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Cook the books · Brisket
- Cook the books · Chicken
- PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ · Chicken
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: Cook the books and PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 1–2: 73-BBQ and PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: Saucy Rossy BBQ and Royal Nova BBQ tied on 169.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Cook the books won Chicken, Brisket — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 2nd.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork
180.0000
best pork ever cooked here
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 177.7144 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7144
- across 1 past editions
In the record book (1 in the KCBS record book)
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 2025 | Upper Onslow, NS | 16 Hub Center Dr. | 12 | 707.4284 | Praire Smoke & Spice | Cook the books |
| Jun 6, 2026 ← this one | Upper Onslow, NS | 16 Hub Centre Drive | 15 | 717.7144 | Prairie Smoke & Spice BBQ | Cook the books |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 171.4172 | 167.4516 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 169.1428 | 166.2856 |
| Pork | 180 | 173.1200 | 167.9884 |
| Brisket | 180 | 174.8800 | 171.4284 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
15 entries · top 717.7144 · median 671.9652
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 2 | Cook the books | |
| 3 | Grillin' & Chillin' Pitmasters | |
| 4 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 5 | Royal Nova BBQ | |
| 6 | 73-BBQ | |
| 7 | Back 40 Smoke Co | |
| 8 | 7018 Smoke Co. | |
| 9 | Chicken Bacon Ranch | |
| 10 | Saucy Rossy BBQ | |
| 11 | Serial Grillers | |
| 12 | Pit Hoss | |
| 13 | Matty MacGrill | |
| 14 | The Smokin' Bros | |
| 15 | Smokin Jon's BBQ |
Chicken
15 entries · top 180 · median 169.1428 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cook the books | |
| 2 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 3 | Grillin' & Chillin' Pitmasters | |
| 4 | Serial Grillers | |
| 5 | Matty MacGrill | |
| 6 | 73-BBQ | |
| 7 | Royal Nova BBQ | |
| 8 | 7018 Smoke Co. | |
| 9 | Chicken Bacon Ranch | |
| 10 | Pit Hoss | |
| 11 | Smokin Jon's BBQ | |
| 12 | Back 40 Smoke Co | |
| 13 | The Smokin' Bros | |
| 14 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 15 | Saucy Rossy BBQ |
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 73-BBQ | |
| 2 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 3 | Cook the books | |
| 4 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 5 | Saucy Rossy BBQ | |
| 6 | Royal Nova BBQ | |
| 7 | Pit Hoss | |
| 8 | 7018 Smoke Co. | |
| 9 | Grillin' & Chillin' Pitmasters | |
| 10 | Chicken Bacon Ranch | |
| 11 | Back 40 Smoke Co | |
| 12 | Serial Grillers | |
| 13 | Matty MacGrill | |
| 14 | Smokin Jon's BBQ | |
| 15 | The Smokin' Bros |
Pork
15 entries · top 180 · median 168.0228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 2 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 3 | Back 40 Smoke Co | |
| 4 | Grillin' & Chillin' Pitmasters | |
| 5 | Royal Nova BBQ | |
| 6 | Matty MacGrill | |
| 7 | Cook the books | |
| 8 | Pit Hoss | |
| 9 | Smokin Jon's BBQ | |
| 10 | Serial Grillers | |
| 11 | The Smokin' Bros | |
| 12 | 73-BBQ | |
| 13 | 7018 Smoke Co. | |
| 14 | Saucy Rossy BBQ | |
| 15 | Chicken Bacon Ranch |
Brisket
15 entries · top 180 · median 172.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cook the books | |
| 2 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 3 | Grillin' & Chillin' Pitmasters | |
| 4 | Royal Nova BBQ | |
| 5 | Saucy Rossy BBQ | |
| 6 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 7 | Chicken Bacon Ranch | |
| 8 | 73-BBQ | |
| 9 | Back 40 Smoke Co | |
| 10 | 7018 Smoke Co. | |
| 11 | The Smokin' Bros | |
| 12 | Smokin Jon's BBQ | |
| 13 | Serial Grillers | |
| 14 | Pit Hoss | |
| 15 | Matty MacGrill |
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 — Honey & Wild Blueberries
9 entries · top 173.7028 · median 162.2860
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MOTLEY QUE | |
| 2 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 3 | Pit Hoss | |
| 4 | Serial Grillers | |
| 5 | Cook the books | |
| 6 | Grillin' & Chillin' Pitmasters | |
| 7 | Smokin Jon's BBQ | |
| 8 | Captain Caveman BBQ | |
| 9 | Saucy Rossy BBQ |