A razor-thin finish
0.1036
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 95% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.1036 points — closer than 95% of every championship in the data.
- The BBQ Bus
- iBQ'n
Up In Smoke on the Square 2019
May 31 – Jun 1, 2019 · Lincoln, IL · State championship
Reps: Charlie Brinza, Tina Weller · Prize money: $9,525
THE BBQ BUS won Grand Champion at the Up In Smoke on the Square on May 31, 2019 in Lincoln, IL, scoring 682.8576 in a field of 36 teams. iBQ'n took Reserve Grand Champion with 682.7540. Category winners: Chicken — TWISTED SMOKE ADC (177.7600); Pork Ribs — SQUISHY'S SMOKIN' HOT RACKS (175.4744); Pork — QUE U (175.4172); Brisket — EXTRA MILE BBQ (177.1544). The Backyard Series standings were won by Smoke, Fire and Brew with 325.6340. This is the 7th of 12 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by SMOKIN ACES@THEBBQSUPERSTORE.COM; the next was held in 2021.
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.
510.73
median 663.61
682.86 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 177.76
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 175.47
- Master Series — Pork 175.42
- Master Series — Brisket 177.15
- Backyard Series — Chicken 168
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 164.56
20
177.76
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
36
6 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
682.8576
Winning margin
0.1036
GC over RC
Field average
656.30
510.73682.86
median 663.61 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4516 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
671.9084
510.73682.86
10th place overall
Field spread
172.1260
winner to last place
Prize money
$9,525
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 85%
beats 15% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
55%
22 of 40 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.12 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,570
avg power rating going in · stronger than 55% of contests
Storylines (5 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.
An upset on the books
18-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 82 times in 100
THE BBQ BUS came in rated below the field's top team, iBQ'n, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 18-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1629
- top seed 1892
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE BBQ BUS won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 7th. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 9th
- Pork Ribs 7th
- Pork 10th
- Brisket 8th
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 7–8: Jugs BBQ and AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Brisket places 9–10: Littles BBQ Co and Firehouse 51 tied on 170.8684 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Brisket places 6–7: SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ edged THUNDER HOG BBQ by 0.0116.
- Master Series — Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Master Series — Brisket 9–10 · tie
- Master Series — Brisket 6–7 · 0.0116
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0116
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: MONSTER-QUE (won 2014).
- MONSTER-QUE · 2014
This contest's own records (1 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2013 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL | 46 | 689.6916 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | Twyford's BBQ & Catering |
| Aug 22, 2014 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 50 | 699.4400 | MONSTER-QUE | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE |
| Jun 5, 2015 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 40 | 689.0740 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln , IL 62656 | 52 | 685.6800 | OUTSIDERS BBQ | TRUCKY'S TRUE BLU BBQ'UE |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Lincoln, IL | Kilkapool/Plilaski | 32 | 695.8968 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | PORK PARADISE |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Lincoln, IL | Kilkapool/Plilaski | 40 | 687.3600 | SMOKIN ACES@THEBBQSUPERSTORE.COM | iBQ'n |
| May 31, 2019 ← this one | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 36 | 682.8576 | The BBQ Bus | iBQ'n |
| Jun 4, 2021 | Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 26 | 346.8344 | 309 BBQ | — |
| Aug 23, 2024 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 28 | 350.8688 | Up From The Pits BBQ | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 31 | 357.7144 | Electro-Que-ted | — |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 16 | 349.6916 | Smokin E's BBQ | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 177.7600 | 173.7028 | 170.8344 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 175.4744 | 172.0228 | 168.5600 |
| Master Series — Pork | 175.4172 | 170.8572 | 169.1316 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.1544 | 171.9884 | 170.8684 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 168 | 161.0740 | 149.6340 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 164.5600 | 150.8688 | 145.6572 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
36 entries · top 682.8576 · median 663.6112
Chicken
36 entries · top 177.7600 · median 167.1256
Pork Ribs
36 entries · top 175.4744 · median 164.5486
Pork
36 entries · top 175.4172 · median 165.6858
Brisket
36 entries · top 177.1544 · median 165.3770
Backyard Series
Overall
15 entries · top 325.6340 · median 303.3716
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smoke, Fire and Brew | |
| 2 | Vintage Wieners | |
| 3 | SAIQ | |
| 4 | Iron Head'Que | |
| 5 | Ruby Creek BBQ | |
| 6 | Sugar Creek BBQ | |
| 7 | Double D's BBQ | |
| 8 | Wahab & Son | |
| 9 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 10 | Basso Brothers | |
| 11 | Smoke em if ya got em | |
| 12 | TNT BBQ | |
| 13 | Mac Daddy & Sons | |
| 14 | Hardwood Smokers | |
| 15 | Westy's BBQ |
Chicken
15 entries · top 168 · median 151.3256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Double D's BBQ | |
| 2 | SAIQ | |
| 3 | Sugar Creek BBQ | |
| 4 | Vintage Wieners | |
| 5 | Smoke, Fire and Brew | |
| 6 | Smoke em if ya got em | |
| 7 | Wahab & Son | |
| 8 | Ruby Creek BBQ | |
| 9 | Mac Daddy & Sons | |
| 10 | Iron Head'Que | |
| 11 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 12 | Basso Brothers | |
| 13 | TNT BBQ | |
| 14 | Hardwood Smokers | |
| 15 | Westy's BBQ |
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 164.5600 · median 148
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smoke, Fire and Brew | |
| 2 | Iron Head'Que | |
| 3 | Ruby Creek BBQ | |
| 4 | Vintage Wieners | |
| 5 | Wahab & Son | |
| 6 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 7 | Sugar Creek BBQ | |
| 8 | SAIQ | |
| 9 | Basso Brothers | |
| 10 | TNT BBQ | |
| 11 | Westy's BBQ | |
| 12 | Double D's BBQ | |
| 13 | Smoke em if ya got em | |
| 14 | Mac Daddy & Sons | |
| 15 | Hardwood Smokers |
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.
Kids-Q — Kid'S Que
5 entries · top 177.7600 · median 161.7144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hoosier-Railer | |
| 2 | Grills Gone Wild | |
| 3 | Redwood | |
| 4 | Little Nuthatch Hill | |
| 5 | Team TT |