A razor-thin finish
0.5484
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 89% of the 616 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5484 points — closer than 89% of every championship in the data.
- Kick Ash BBQ
- Bramble BBQ
Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) 2026
Aug 28–29, 2026 · Cherry Valley, IL · 📍 218 South Walnut Street
Reps: Charlie Brinza, Jeanne Titus · Prize money: $2,700
Kick Ash BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) on August 28, 2026 in Cherry Valley, IL at 218 South Walnut Street, scoring 354.2744 in a field of 25 teams. Bramble BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 353.7260. Category winners: Chicken — Kick Ash BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Big Bear BBQ (179.4400). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2026 edition was won by Wapatui Smokers.
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.
307.37
median 340.54
354.27 🏆
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 179.44
151.39
180
Entries
25
2 judged meats
Top score
354.2744
Winning margin
0.5484
GC over RC
Field average
336.15
307.37354.27
median 340.54 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8800 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
345.1200
307.37354.27
10th place overall
Field spread
46.9028
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,700
on the line
How hot was the win?
Top 19%
beats 81% of 616 Backyard Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,575
avg power rating going in · stronger than 60% of contests
Storylines (5 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
15-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
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.
- champion 1559
- top seed 1861
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 3 tracked editions
Kick Ash BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 3 tracked editions.
- 2026
- 2026
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
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.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | Cherry Valley, IL | 218 South Walnut Street | 24 | 357.7144 | Kick Ash BBQ |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Cherry Valley, IL | 218 South Walnut Street | 12 | 180 | Wapatui Smokers |
| Aug 28, 2026 ← this one | Cherry Valley, IL | 218 South Walnut Street | 25 | 354.2744 | Kick Ash BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 174.2744 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 176.5600 | 172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
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' |
Chicken
25 entries · top 180 · 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' |
Pork Ribs
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 |