A razor-thin finish
1.0740
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 81% of the 616 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.0740 points — closer than 81% of every championship in the data.
- WICKEY-Q
- Shmack Q
Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) 2026
Aug 15, 2026 · Park Ridge, IL · 📍 505 Butler Place
Reps: Eugene Wickham, Sarah Wickham · Prize money: $540
WICKEY-Q won Grand Champion at the Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) on August 15, 2026 in Park Ridge, IL at 505 Butler Place, scoring 351.9884 in a field of 30 teams. Shmack Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 350.9144. Category winners: Chicken — Shmack Q (178.3200); Pork Ribs — WICKEY-Q (177.7028). This is the 5th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Blended Smoke BBQ.
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.
165.12
median 321.13
351.99 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.32
- Pork Ribs 177.70
20
178.32
Entries
30
2 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
351.9884
Winning margin
1.0740
GC over RC
Field average
314.78
165.12351.99
median 321.13 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
5.1084 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
337.6684
165.12351.99
10th place overall
Field spread
186.8684
winner to last place
Prize money
$540
on the line
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 32%
beats 68% of 616 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
53%
20 of 38 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.44 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,524
avg power rating going in · stronger than 17% of contests
Storylines (6 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
17-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 83 times in 100
WICKEY-Q came in rated below the field's top team, South Pork, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 17-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1500
- top seed 1774
A first Grand Championship
1
title in the data
This was WICKEY-Q's first Grand Championship in the data.
A rookie on the podium
1st
at their first tracked contest
WICKEY-Q finished 1st overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que and SMOKIN E'S BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: PORKLANDIA and Morning Wood BBQ tied on 172.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: Morning Wood BBQ edged Grillers Anonymous by 0.0116.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0344
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Makdaddy BBQ (won 2023), Blended Smoke BBQ (won 2025).
- Makdaddy BBQ · 2023
- Blended Smoke BBQ · 2025
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Park Ridge, IL | 100 Courtland Ave | 39 | 330.3888 | SimpleManBBQ |
| — | Park Ridge, IL | 100 Courtland Ave | 38 | 341.2000 | Sarsany BBQ |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 41 | 341.7028 | Stone Cold Grillers |
| Sep 16, 2023 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 35 | 346.8344 | Makdaddy BBQ |
| Aug 24, 2024 | Park Ridge, IL | Park Ridge, IL 60068 | 36 | 354.3200 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler | 38 | 353.7488 | Blended Smoke BBQ |
| Aug 15, 2026 ← this one | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 30 | 351.9884 | WICKEY-Q |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.3200 | 172 | 168.5944 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 172.5944 | 168.5484 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
30 entries · top 351.9884 · median 321.1314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WICKEY-Q | |
| 2 | Shmack Q | |
| 3 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 4 | South Pork | |
| 5 | Grillers Anonymous | |
| 6 | The Brisket Brother's | |
| 7 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 8 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 9 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 10 | Brass Monkey BBQ | |
| 11 | Seminary Avenue Smokers | |
| 12 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 13 | Bear's Den BBQ | |
| 14 | The Folks Down The Street | |
| 15 | De La'Que | |
| 16 | Blended Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | MAKDADDY BBQ | |
| 18 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 19 | Grill.Eat.Drink.Repeat | |
| 20 | Team Pork Place | |
| 21 | Broken Bones BBQ | |
| 22 | Damn Hangry | |
| 23 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 24 | TREEMENDOUS! BBQ TEAM | |
| 25 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 26 | MBQ Smoke Society | |
| 27 | BoriBQ | |
| 28 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ | |
| 29 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 30 | Devon Intervention |
Chicken
30 entries · top 178.3200 · median 160.8628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shmack Q | |
| 2 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 3 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 4 | WICKEY-Q | |
| 5 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 6 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 7 | Grillers Anonymous | |
| 8 | Brass Monkey BBQ | |
| 9 | The Brisket Brother's | |
| 10 | South Pork | |
| 11 | Bear's Den BBQ | |
| 12 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 13 | MAKDADDY BBQ | |
| 14 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 15 | Grill.Eat.Drink.Repeat | |
| 16 | Blended Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | Seminary Avenue Smokers | |
| 18 | Team Pork Place | |
| 19 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 20 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 21 | TREEMENDOUS! BBQ TEAM | |
| 22 | De La'Que | |
| 23 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ | |
| 24 | Broken Bones BBQ | |
| 25 | BoriBQ | |
| 26 | The Folks Down The Street | |
| 27 | Damn Hangry | |
| 28 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 29 | MBQ Smoke Society | |
| 30 | Devon Intervention |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 177.7028 · median 161.6912
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WICKEY-Q | |
| 2 | South Pork | |
| 3 | The Brisket Brother's | |
| 4 | The Folks Down The Street | |
| 5 | Shmack Q | |
| 6 | Grillers Anonymous | |
| 7 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 8 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 9 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 10 | Seminary Avenue Smokers | |
| 11 | Brass Monkey BBQ | |
| 12 | Damn Hangry | |
| 13 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 14 | De La'Que | |
| 15 | Blended Smoke BBQ | |
| 16 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 17 | Broken Bones BBQ | |
| 18 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 19 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 20 | MBQ Smoke Society | |
| 21 | Team Pork Place | |
| 22 | Bear's Den BBQ | |
| 23 | MAKDADDY BBQ | |
| 24 | Grill.Eat.Drink.Repeat | |
| 25 | TREEMENDOUS! BBQ TEAM | |
| 26 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 27 | BoriBQ | |
| 28 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ | |
| 29 | Devon Intervention |
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 — Best Dish
29 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.8344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Folks Down The Street 2 | |
| 2 | BoriBQ | |
| 3 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ 2 | |
| 4 | WICKEY-Q | |
| 5 | Team Pork Place | |
| 6 | Lip Shmack'n Q | |
| 7 | Damn Hangry | |
| 8 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 9 | Grill.Eat.Drink.Repeat | |
| 10 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 11 | MAKDADDY BBQ | |
| 12 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ | |
| 13 | Brass Monkey BBQ | |
| 14 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 15 | Grill.Eat.Drink.Repeat 2 | |
| 16 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 17 | Broken Bones BBQ | |
| 18 | Bear's Den BBQ | |
| 19 | South Pork | |
| 20 | De La'Que | |
| 21 | The Brisket Brother's | |
| 22 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 23 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 24 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 25 | MBQ Smoke Society | |
| 26 | The Folks Down the Street 3 | |
| 27 | Devon Intervention | |
| 28 | De La'Que 2 | |
| 29 | The Folks Down The Street |
Ancillary — Best Sauce
15 entries · top 177.7372 · median 168.5140
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MBQ Smoke Society | |
| 2 | Que's Your Daddy? | |
| 3 | MIAMI HEAT BBQ | |
| 4 | WICKEY-Q | |
| 5 | BoriBQ | |
| 6 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 7 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 8 | Team Pork Place | |
| 9 | PORKLANDIA | |
| 10 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 11 | South Pork | |
| 12 | 2 Blind Pigs | |
| 13 | Morning Wood BBQ | |
| 14 | Blended Smoke BBQ | |
| 15 | Devon Intervention |