Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)
2026-08-08 · Warsaw, IN · 📍 Buffalo St.
Reps: JEANNE TITUS · Prize money: $2,850.00
Grand Champion: Rudes BBQ (347.9888) · 13 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 VanHoozen BBQ
Entries
13
2 judged meats
Top score
347.9888
Winning margin
2.8804
GC over RC
Field average
335.91
median 339.39
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.5828 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
333.0628
10th place overall
Field spread
25.1772
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,850.00
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 65%
beats 35% of 708 Backyard Series wins in the data
Traveled in
23%
of the 13 teams with a home region came from outside IN
Came back for more
33%
6 of 18 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.2 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1542
avg power rating going in · stronger than 46% of contests
Storylines
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Rudes BBQ took the Grand Championship home to IL.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 6–7: Jughead's BBQ and Holy Cow BBQ tied on 169.6800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 1–2: Rudes BBQ edged Fat For A Reason BBQ by 0.0116. Chicken places 7–8: Holy Cow BBQ edged RedHog BBQ by 0.0116.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-09 | Warsaw, IN | Buffalo St. | 18 | 357.1428 | BBQ Mike | — |
| 2026-08-08 ← this one | Warsaw, IN | Buffalo St. | 13 | 347.9888 | Rudes BBQ | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4288 | 170.8112 | 163.9312 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2628 | 169.6800 | 163.3828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
13 entries · top 347.9888 · median 339.3944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 2 | VanHoozen BBQ | |
| 3 | Fat For A Reason BBQ | |
| 4 | Holy Cow BBQ | |
| 5 | Smokin E's BBQ | |
| 6 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 7 | Porkasaurus Rex BBQ | |
| 8 | Hoosier BBQ | |
| 9 | SermerStout BBQ | |
| 10 | Jughead's BBQ | |
| 11 | Blackeye BBQ | |
| 12 | Black Sheep BBQ Indiana | |
| 13 | Smokin Cowboys BBQ |
Chicken
13 entries · top 175.4288 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 2 | Fat For A Reason BBQ | |
| 3 | Porkasaurus Rex BBQ | |
| 4 | VanHoozen BBQ | |
| 5 | Smokin E's BBQ | |
| 6 | Jughead's BBQ | |
| 7 | Holy Cow BBQ | |
| 8 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 9 | Hoosier BBQ | |
| 10 | SermerStout BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin Cowboys BBQ | |
| 12 | Black Sheep BBQ Indiana | |
| 13 | Blackeye BBQ |
Pork Ribs
13 entries · top 174.2628 · median 168.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VanHoozen BBQ | |
| 2 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 3 | Holy Cow BBQ | |
| 4 | RedHog BBQ | |
| 5 | Smokin E's BBQ | |
| 6 | SermerStout BBQ | |
| 7 | Hoosier BBQ | |
| 8 | Fat For A Reason BBQ | |
| 9 | Porkasaurus Rex BBQ | |
| 10 | Jughead's BBQ | |
| 11 | Blackeye BBQ | |
| 12 | Black Sheep BBQ Indiana | |
| 13 | Smokin Cowboys BBQ |