A first Grand Championship
1
title in the data
This was Smokin' Ray's BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data.
Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship (BACK YARD ONLY) 2019
May 3–4, 2019 · Elk Grove, CA · 📍 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD
Reps: Ian Schmidt, Julie Poe · Prize money: $500
Smokin' Ray's BBQ won Grand Champion at the Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship (BACK YARD ONLY) on May 3, 2019 in Elk Grove, CA at 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD, scoring 330.9144 in a field of 15 teams. Smoke It Like It's Hot took Reserve Grand Champion with 325.6912. Category winners: Chicken — Smokin' Ray's BBQ (170.3316); Pork Ribs — Smoke It Like It's Hot (165.7256). This is the 6th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by The Smoking J's; the next was held in 2022.
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.
277.20
median 310.77
330.91 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 170.33
- Pork Ribs 165.73
126.31
170.33
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
15
2 judged meats
Top score
330.9144
Winning margin
5.2232
GC over RC
Field average
310.50
277.20330.91
median 310.77 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
5.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
305.6800
277.20330.91
10th place overall
Field spread
53.7140
winner to last place
Prize money
$500
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 97%
beats 3% of 616 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
0%
0 of 35 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = 0.28 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,499
avg power rating going in · stronger than 1% of contests
Storylines (4 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 dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 7 tracked editions
SON OF SMOKE has won this contest 2 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2016
- 2017
A rookie on the podium
1st
at their first tracked contest
Smokin' Ray's BBQ finished 1st overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 3 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 4–5: Smokin' Ray's BBQ and My Brothers Ribs tied on 160.5828 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: KB BBQ and Steady Hoggin' BBQ tied on 159.9884 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: Drop It Like It's Hog edged PRISON BREAK BBQ by 0.0340.
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0340
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Elk Grove, CA | 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD | 27 | 695.9772 | The Smoking J's | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| May 3, 2019 ← this one | Elk Grove, CA | 9950 Elk Grove-Florin RD | 15 | 330.9144 | Smokin' Ray's BBQ | — |
| May 6, 2022 | Elk Grove, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 170.3316 | 158.2628 | 153.1316 |
| Pork Ribs | 165.7256 | 160.5828 | 153.6916 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
15 entries · top 330.9144 · median 310.7652
Chicken
15 entries · top 170.3316 · median 154.8456
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 165.7256 · median 157.6800