May 3–4, 2019 · Elk Grove, CA · 📍 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD · State championship
Reps: Ian Schmidt, Julie Poe · Prize money: $7,000
THE SMOKING J'S won Grand Champion at the Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship on May 3, 2019 in Elk Grove, CA at 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD, scoring 695.9772 in a field of 27 teams. BIG POPPA SMOKERS took Reserve Grand Champion with 690.2284. Category winners: Chicken — Thin Blue Que (176.0000); Pork Ribs — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (175.4400); Pork — THE SMOKING J'S (180.0000); Brisket — THE SMOKING J'S (172.0000). This is the 5th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ; 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, 2016 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 93 times in 100
The Smoking J's came in rated below the field's top team, BIG POPPA SMOKERS, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 7-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
This was The Smoking J's's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 16th tracked contest.
2 of 7 tracked editions
SON OF SMOKE has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
Chicken places 1–2: Thin Blue Que and Smokey and the Pirate tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: 7-8-9 BBQ and RBQ tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: RBQ and PIRATES OF THE PIG tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
THE SMOKING J'S won Pork, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
THE SMOKING J'S took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 6th.
THE SMOKING J'S turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SON OF SMOKE (won 2016, 2017), SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ (won 2018).
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2016 | Elk Grove, CA | 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD | 30 | 696.5140 | SON OF SMOKE | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| Apr 30, 2016 | Elk Grove, CA | 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD | — | — | — | — |
| May 5, 2017 | Elk Grove, CA | 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD | 33 | 687.3600 | SON OF SMOKE | BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ |
| May 4, 2018 | Elk Grove, CA | 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD | 35 | 701.6916 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ |
| May 3, 2019 ← this one | Elk Grove, CA | 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD | 27 | 695.9772 | The Smoking J's | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| May 3, 2019 | Elk Grove, CA | 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD | 15 | 330.9144 | Smokin' Ray's BBQ | — |
| May 6, 2022 | Elk Grove, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176 | 171.4172 | 169.1428 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 172.5600 | 170.8456 |
| Pork | 180 | 173.7028 | 169.1200 |
| Brisket | 172 | 168.5256 | 165.6800 |
27 entries · top 695.9772 · median 659.8744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SMOKING J'S | |
| 2 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 3 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 4 | SMOKESHOW | |
| 5 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 6 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 7 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 8 | BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ | |
| 9 | Thin Blue Que | |
| 10 | RBQ | |
| 11 | OLD TOWN FRANKLIN BBQ | |
| 12 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 13 | PIRATES OF THE PIG | |
| 14 | SON OF SMOKE | |
| 15 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 16 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 17 | Saltworks BBQ | |
| 18 | Jack 9 BBQ - CA | |
| 19 | KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES | |
| 20 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 21 | KAT BBQ | |
| 22 | TEAM BACON | |
| 23 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 24 | Up In Smoke | |
| 25 | PLASTERED PIG BBQ | |
| 26 | JP-B-Que | |
| 27 | Rib Flare Barbecue |
27 entries · top 176 · median 168.5484
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thin Blue Que | |
| 2 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 3 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 4 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 5 | THE SMOKING J'S | |
| 6 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 7 | RBQ | |
| 8 | PIRATES OF THE PIG | |
| 9 | KAT BBQ | |
| 10 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 11 | Saltworks BBQ | |
| 12 | SON OF SMOKE | |
| 13 | BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ | |
| 14 | KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES | |
| 15 | SMOKESHOW | |
| 16 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 17 | PLASTERED PIG BBQ | |
| 18 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 19 | Jack 9 BBQ - CA | |
| 20 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 21 | OLD TOWN FRANKLIN BBQ | |
| 22 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 23 | Up In Smoke | |
| 24 | TEAM BACON | |
| 25 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 26 | JP-B-Que | |
| 27 | Rib Flare Barbecue |
27 entries · top 175.4400 · median 164.5716
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 3 | SON OF SMOKE | |
| 4 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 5 | BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ | |
| 6 | THE SMOKING J'S | |
| 7 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 8 | Thin Blue Que | |
| 9 | SMOKESHOW | |
| 10 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 11 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 12 | Saltworks BBQ | |
| 13 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 14 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 15 | RBQ | |
| 16 | TEAM BACON | |
| 17 | PLASTERED PIG BBQ | |
| 18 | OLD TOWN FRANKLIN BBQ | |
| 19 | Up In Smoke | |
| 20 | Jack 9 BBQ - CA | |
| 21 | KAT BBQ | |
| 22 | PIRATES OF THE PIG | |
| 23 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 24 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 25 | Rib Flare Barbecue | |
| 26 | JP-B-Que | |
| 27 | KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES |
27 entries · top 180 · median 167.4400 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SMOKING J'S | |
| 2 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 3 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 4 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 5 | OLD TOWN FRANKLIN BBQ | |
| 6 | PIRATES OF THE PIG | |
| 7 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 8 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 9 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 10 | TEAM BACON | |
| 11 | SMOKESHOW | |
| 12 | BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ | |
| 13 | JP-B-Que | |
| 14 | KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES | |
| 15 | Thin Blue Que | |
| 16 | Jack 9 BBQ - CA | |
| 17 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 18 | RBQ | |
| 19 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 20 | Saltworks BBQ | |
| 21 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 22 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 23 | Up In Smoke | |
| 24 | Rib Flare Barbecue | |
| 25 | KAT BBQ | |
| 26 | SON OF SMOKE | |
| 27 | PLASTERED PIG BBQ |
27 entries · top 172 · median 162.8344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SMOKING J'S | |
| 2 | OLD TOWN FRANKLIN BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKESHOW | |
| 4 | The BBQ Yard | |
| 5 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 6 | RBQ | |
| 7 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 8 | BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | |
| 9 | PIRATES OF THE PIG | |
| 10 | BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ | |
| 11 | 7-8-9 BBQ | |
| 12 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 13 | KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES | |
| 14 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 15 | Jack 9 BBQ - CA | |
| 16 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 17 | SON OF SMOKE | |
| 18 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 19 | Saltworks BBQ | |
| 20 | KAT BBQ | |
| 21 | Smokin' Axe BBQ | |
| 22 | Thin Blue Que | |
| 23 | Up In Smoke | |
| 24 | PLASTERED PIG BBQ | |
| 25 | TEAM BACON | |
| 26 | Rib Flare Barbecue | |
| 27 | JP-B-Que |
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.
7 entries · top 175.4056 · median 170.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KK BBQ | |
| 2 | Little V's BBQ | |
| 3 | Lil Raptors BBQ | |
| 4 | Little Lunch BBQ | |
| 5 | Little Ci's Dodger BBQ | |
| 6 | Team Fire Flame | |
| 7 | Drop It Like Its' A Horsey |