Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown
2026-06-06 – 2026-06-07 · Upper Onslow, NS · CANADA · 📍 16 Hub Centre Drive
Reps: CRAIG MAIDENS, HEATHER MAIDENS
Grand Champion: Prairie Smoke & Spice BBQ (717.7144) · 15 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Cook the books
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Perfect 180s
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Came back for more
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
💪 A statement win
The champion won by 12.5716 points — a wider margin than 95% of championships in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ took the Grand Championship home to AB.
🔥 A day of perfect scores
6 perfect 180s were scored at this contest.
🧹 A double category winner
Cook the books won Chicken, Brisket — a double.
📸 Photo finishes
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.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-08 | Upper Onslow, NS | 16 Hub Center Dr. | 12 | 707.4284 | Praire Smoke & Spice | Cook the books |
| 2026-06-06 ← 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 | 180.0000 | 171.4172 | 167.4516 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 169.1428 | 166.2856 |
| Pork | 180.0000 | 173.1200 | 167.9884 |
| Brisket | 180.0000 | 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 180.0000 · 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 180.0000 · 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 180.0000 · 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 |