Aug 22, 2026 · Fairbury, IL
Reps: Charlie Brinza, Jeanne Titus · Prize money: $3,400
Wapatui Smokers won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) on August 22, 2026 in Fairbury, IL, scoring 350.8572 in a field of 16 teams. Slab Daddy took Reserve Grand Champion with 350.3088. Category winners: Chicken — SermerStout BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — 309 BBQ (180.0000). This is the 5th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Weez's Groovin' BBQ.
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Closer than 90% of the 610 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5484 points — closer than 90% of every championship in the data.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 76 times in 100
Wapatui Smokers came in rated below the field's top team, Rudes BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
This was Wapatui Smokers's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 33rd tracked contest.
3 of 6 tracked editions
Weez's Groovin' BBQ has won this contest 3 times across its 6 tracked editions.
Slab Daddy finished 2nd overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Pork Ribs places 7–8: Shmack Q edged Ishy Links BBQ by 0.0112. Pork Ribs places 6–7: All Smoked Up BBQ edged Shmack Q by 0.0116. Chicken places 5–6: J.R. Boys BBQ edged Rudes BBQ by 0.0116.
309 BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Shmack Q (won 2023).
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 17 | 337.0972 | SermerStout |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 20 | 341.1428 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 32 | 342.8228 | Shmack Q |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 26 | 354.2628 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 20 | 347.4400 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 22, 2026 ← this one | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 16 | 350.8572 | Wapatui Smokers |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 174.8572 | 172.5716 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 171.9772 | 170.8456 |
16 entries · top 350.8572 · median 343.9658
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 2 | Slab Daddy | |
| 3 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 4 | J.R. Boys BBQ | |
| 5 | SermerStout BBQ | |
| 6 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 7 | Shmack Q | |
| 8 | 309 BBQ | |
| 9 | 692 BBQ | |
| 10 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin E's BBQ | |
| 12 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 13 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 14 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 15 | Mi-Cue | |
| 16 | Easy Chew Barbeque |
16 entries · top 180 · median 173.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SermerStout BBQ | |
| 2 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 3 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 4 | 692 BBQ | |
| 5 | J.R. Boys BBQ | |
| 6 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 7 | Slab Daddy | |
| 8 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 9 | Shmack Q | |
| 10 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 11 | Smokin E's BBQ | |
| 12 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 13 | Mi-Cue | |
| 14 | 309 BBQ | |
| 15 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 16 | Easy Chew Barbeque |
16 entries · top 180 · median 171.4114 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 309 BBQ | |
| 2 | Slab Daddy | |
| 3 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 4 | Smokin E's BBQ | |
| 5 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 6 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 7 | Shmack Q | |
| 8 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 9 | J.R. Boys BBQ | |
| 10 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 11 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 12 | 692 BBQ | |
| 13 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 14 | SermerStout BBQ | |
| 15 | Easy Chew Barbeque | |
| 16 | Mi-Cue |