Decided by a tiebreaker
Tie
identical totals at the top
The top two teams finished on identical totals — the Grand Championship came down to the KCBS tiebreaker rules.
Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) 2026
Jul 18–19, 2026 · Miles, IA · 📍 99 Centennial St.
Reps: Laurie Tweten, Patrick Diller · Prize money: $2,550
Kick Ash BBQ won Grand Champion at the Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) on July 18, 2026 in Miles, IA at 99 Centennial St., scoring 353.7028 in a field of 28 teams. WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 353.7028. Category winners: Chicken — Kick Ash BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team (178.8572). This is the 5th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2026 edition was won by Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team; the next is scheduled for July 16, 2027.
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.
276.49
median 339.67
353.70 🏆
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
135.94
180
Entries
28
2 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
353.7028
Winning margin
Tie
identical totals — KCBS tiebreaker
Field average
336.76
276.49353.70
median 339.67 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
346.2516
276.49353.70
10th place overall
Field spread
77.2112
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,550
on the line
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 23%
beats 77% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
100%
27 of 27 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.62 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,586
avg power rating going in · stronger than 68% of contests
Storylines (9 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
12-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 88 times in 100
Kick Ash BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 12-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1522
- top seed 1861
A first Grand Championship
8
tracked contests to get there
This was Kick Ash BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 8th tracked contest.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 4 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 5–6: Skinny Pig BBQ and T Daddys BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: RedHog BBQ and Bramble BBQ tied on 173.1316 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Smokey Bros Barbecue edged SMOKEY GQ by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · 0.0116
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0116
A contest record in chicken
180.0000
best chicken ever cooked here
Kick Ash BBQ turned in 180.0000 in chicken — past the 179.4400 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
- old best 179.4400
- across 4 past editions
Back to defend
3
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Chesters Twisted Que (won 2025), Bramble BBQ (won 2025), Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team (won 2026).
- Chesters Twisted Que · 2025
- Bramble BBQ · 2025
- Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team · 2026
The biggest field yet
28
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 18 teams
28 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 18.
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Kick Ash BBQ · Chicken
They keep coming back
100%
of last edition’s field returned
27 of 27 teams from 2026-07-17 came back
27 of the 27 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2024 | Miles, IA | 44 Centennial St. | 11 | 353.7144 | BBQ Pit Bros |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Miles, IA | 44 Centennial St. | 18 | 349.7028 | Chesters Twisted Que |
| Jul 12, 2025 | Miles, IA | 44 Centennial St. | 16 | 353.1316 | Bramble BBQ |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Miles, IA | 99 Centennial St. | 27 | 355.4172 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team |
| Jul 18, 2026 ← this one | Miles, IA | 99 Centennial St. | 28 | 353.7028 | Kick Ash BBQ |
| Jul 16, 2027 | Miles, IA | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 17, 2027 | Miles, IA | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4172 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 173.1316 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
28 entries · top 353.7028 · median 339.6744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kick Ash BBQ | |
| 2 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 3 | Smoke N Poke BBQ | |
| 4 | T Daddys BBQ | |
| 5 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 6 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 7 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 8 | Chester's Twisted Que | |
| 9 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 10 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 11 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 13 | FENDER BENDER BBQ | |
| 14 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 15 | DAWGS BBQ | |
| 16 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 17 | Family Tradition BBQ | |
| 18 | Shmack Q | |
| 19 | River City Smoque | |
| 20 | Smokey Bros Barbecue | |
| 21 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 22 | Killer Rex BBQ | |
| 23 | Ribs For Your Pleasure | |
| 24 | McDonald Family BBQ | |
| 25 | Ole Mae I BBQ | |
| 26 | JK Smokin BBQ | |
| 27 | Dagwoods BBQ | |
| 28 | On the Spit BBQ, LLC |
Chicken
28 entries · top 180 · median 169.6916 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kick Ash BBQ | |
| 2 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 3 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 4 | Smokey Bros Barbecue | |
| 5 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 6 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 7 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 9 | T Daddys BBQ | |
| 10 | Smoke N Poke BBQ | |
| 11 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 12 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 13 | Family Tradition BBQ | |
| 14 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 15 | Chester's Twisted Que | |
| 16 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 17 | Shmack Q | |
| 18 | DAWGS BBQ | |
| 19 | FENDER BENDER BBQ | |
| 20 | Ole Mae I BBQ | |
| 21 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 22 | Ribs For Your Pleasure | |
| 23 | Killer Rex BBQ | |
| 24 | River City Smoque | |
| 25 | JK Smokin BBQ | |
| 26 | McDonald Family BBQ | |
| 27 | Dagwoods BBQ | |
| 28 | On the Spit BBQ, LLC |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.2686
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 2 | Smoke N Poke BBQ | |
| 3 | Chester's Twisted Que | |
| 4 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 5 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 6 | T Daddys BBQ | |
| 7 | FENDER BENDER BBQ | |
| 8 | Kick Ash BBQ | |
| 9 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 10 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 11 | River City Smoque | |
| 12 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 14 | DAWGS BBQ | |
| 15 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 16 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 17 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 18 | McDonald Family BBQ | |
| 19 | Shmack Q | |
| 20 | Killer Rex BBQ | |
| 21 | Family Tradition BBQ | |
| 22 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 23 | Ribs For Your Pleasure | |
| 24 | Smokey Bros Barbecue | |
| 25 | JK Smokin BBQ | |
| 26 | Ole Mae I BBQ | |
| 27 | Dagwoods BBQ | |
| 28 | On the Spit BBQ, LLC |
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 — Sausage
22 entries · top 180 · median 170.5544 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokey Bros Barbecue | |
| 2 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 3 | JK Smokin BBQ | |
| 4 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 5 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 6 | FENDER BENDER BBQ | |
| 7 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 8 | Smoke N Poke BBQ | |
| 9 | Dagwoods BBQ | |
| 10 | DAWGS BBQ | |
| 11 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 12 | On the Spit BBQ, LLC | |
| 13 | Kick Ash BBQ | |
| 14 | Chester's Twisted Que | |
| 15 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 16 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 17 | T Daddys BBQ | |
| 18 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 19 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 20 | Killer Rex BBQ | |
| 21 | Ole Mae I BBQ | |
| 22 | Bramble BBQ |