2026-08-28 – 2026-08-29 · Cherry Valley, IL · 📍 218 South Walnut Street
Reps: CHARLIE BRINZA, JEANNE TITUS · Prize money: $2,700.00
Grand Champion: Kick Ash BBQ (354.2744) · 25 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Bramble 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.
What it has taken to win here, 2026 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
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 713 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 85 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 15-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
2 of 3 tracked editions
Kick Ash BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 3 tracked editions.
Chicken places 4–5: M2BBQ and Weez's Groovin' BBQ tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: All Smoked Up BBQ and Shmack Q tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: Big Ten Bones and Wapatui Smokers tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-28 | Cherry Valley, IL | 218 South Walnut Street | 24 | 357.7144 | Kick Ash BBQ | — |
| 2026-08-28 | Cherry Valley, IL | 218 South Walnut Street | 12 | 180.0000 | Wapatui Smokers | — |
| 2026-08-28 ← this one | Cherry Valley, IL | 218 South Walnut Street | 25 | 354.2744 | Kick Ash BBQ | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 174.2744 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 176.5600 | 172.0000 |
25 entries · top 354.2744 · median 340.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kick Ash BBQ | |
| 2 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 3 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 4 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 5 | Big Ten Bones | |
| 6 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 7 | Hoosier BBQ | |
| 8 | Tankerbelle BBQ | |
| 9 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 10 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 11 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 12 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 13 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ | |
| 14 | Grillers Anonymous | |
| 15 | Shmack Q | |
| 16 | M2BBQ | |
| 17 | Bud Days BBQ | |
| 18 | Ole Mae I BBQ | |
| 19 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 20 | Ribs for Your Pleasure | |
| 21 | Low N Slow BBQ Bros | |
| 22 | Drake Bro's BBQ | |
| 23 | DSO's BBQ Texas Style | |
| 24 | Rapped with Smoke BBQ | |
| 25 | Whatcha Smokin' |
25 entries · top 180.0000 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kick Ash BBQ | |
| 2 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 3 | Tankerbelle BBQ | |
| 4 | M2BBQ | |
| 5 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ | |
| 6 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 7 | Shmack Q | |
| 8 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 9 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 10 | Big Ten Bones | |
| 11 | Grillers Anonymous | |
| 12 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 13 | Hoosier BBQ | |
| 14 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 15 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 16 | Ole Mae I BBQ | |
| 17 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 18 | Bud Days BBQ | |
| 19 | Drake Bro's BBQ | |
| 20 | Ribs for Your Pleasure | |
| 21 | Rapped with Smoke BBQ | |
| 22 | Low N Slow BBQ Bros | |
| 23 | DSO's BBQ Texas Style | |
| 24 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 25 | Whatcha Smokin' |
25 entries · top 179.4400 · median 170.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 2 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 3 | Big Ten Bones | |
| 4 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 5 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 6 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 7 | Hoosier BBQ | |
| 8 | Kick Ash BBQ | |
| 9 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 10 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 11 | Tankerbelle BBQ | |
| 12 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 13 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 14 | Grillers Anonymous | |
| 15 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ | |
| 16 | Bud Days BBQ | |
| 17 | Ribs for Your Pleasure | |
| 18 | Low N Slow BBQ Bros | |
| 19 | Shmack Q | |
| 20 | M2BBQ | |
| 21 | DSO's BBQ Texas Style | |
| 22 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 23 | Ole Mae I BBQ | |
| 24 | Rapped with Smoke BBQ | |
| 25 | Drake Bro's BBQ |