A first Grand Championship
8
tracked contests to get there
This was Furlongs Smoke & Seafood's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 8th tracked contest.
Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) 2021
Aug 21, 2021 · Canton, MN · 📍 106 North Main St
Reps: Dena Milhous, Ron Milhous · Prize money: $2,550
Furlongs Smoke & Seafood won Grand Champion at the Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) on August 21, 2021 in Canton, MN at 106 North Main St, scoring 354.8572 in a field of 18 teams. Porket About It took Reserve Grand Champion with 345.1544. Category winners: Chicken — Furlongs Smoke & Seafood (178.2972); Pork Ribs — Furlongs Smoke & Seafood (176.5600). This is the 1st of 6 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2022.
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.
299.37
median 328.21
354.86 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.30
- Pork Ribs 176.56
146.25
178.30
Entries
18
2 judged meats
Top score
354.8572
Winning margin
9.7028
GC over RC
Field average
326.50
299.37354.86
median 328.21 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
6.8800 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
327.3372
299.37354.86
10th place overall
Field spread
55.4860
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,550
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 14%
beats 86% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.55 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,523
avg power rating going in · stronger than 16% 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.
A statement win
9.7028
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 610 championships in the data
The champion won by 9.7028 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 6 tracked editions
Furlongs Smoke & Seafood has won this contest 3 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2021
- 2023
- 2024
Photo finishes
0.0004
closest of 2 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 3–4: Sugar Shack edged Pittie Q by 0.0004. Chicken places 4–5: Sugar Shack edged WRECKING CREW BBQ by 0.0228.
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · 0.0004
- Chicken 4–5 · 0.0228
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Furlongs Smoke & Seafood won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
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 21, 2021 ← this one | Canton, MN | 106 North Main St | 18 | 354.8572 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Canton, MN | 106 North Main St | 15 | 344.5828 | Lucky Shoes BBQ |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Canton, MN | 106 North Main St | 16 | 347.4400 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Canton, MN | 106 North Main St | 18 | 346.2284 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Canton, MN | 106 North Main St | 17 | 347.9772 | Big Ten Bones |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Canton, MN | 106 North Main Street | 18 | 353.1544 | Big Mike's Smokehouse |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.2972 | 171.4172 | 164 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 166.8344 | 161.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
18 entries · top 354.8572 · median 328.2114
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 2 | Porket About It | |
| 3 | Sugar Shack | |
| 4 | North of the Border | |
| 5 | THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY | |
| 6 | Big Ten Bones | |
| 7 | WRECKING CREW BBQ | |
| 8 | Pittie Q | |
| 9 | Good Grefe! | |
| 10 | The Meatyo-Q'rs | |
| 11 | SMOKIN' ROAMERS | |
| 12 | Unknown Smokers | |
| 13 | Aud's Squad | |
| 14 | Epic Smoke BBQ | |
| 15 | Poke'em and Smoke'em BBQ | |
| 16 | Lucky Shoes BBQ | |
| 17 | Pappa Bear Bar-B-Que | |
| 18 | The Fortunate Meats |
Chicken
18 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 2 | Porket About It | |
| 3 | North of the Border | |
| 4 | Sugar Shack | |
| 5 | WRECKING CREW BBQ | |
| 6 | Big Ten Bones | |
| 7 | The Meatyo-Q'rs | |
| 8 | THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY | |
| 9 | Good Grefe! | |
| 10 | Poke'em and Smoke'em BBQ | |
| 11 | Aud's Squad | |
| 12 | Pittie Q | |
| 13 | Epic Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKIN' ROAMERS | |
| 15 | Unknown Smokers | |
| 16 | The Fortunate Meats | |
| 17 | Lucky Shoes BBQ | |
| 18 | Pappa Bear Bar-B-Que |
Pork Ribs
18 entries · top 176.5600 · median 161.4058
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 2 | Porket About It | |
| 3 | Sugar Shack | |
| 4 | Pittie Q | |
| 5 | THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY | |
| 6 | Big Ten Bones | |
| 7 | North of the Border | |
| 8 | SMOKIN' ROAMERS | |
| 9 | WRECKING CREW BBQ | |
| 10 | Unknown Smokers | |
| 11 | Good Grefe! | |
| 12 | Lucky Shoes BBQ | |
| 13 | Epic Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | The Meatyo-Q'rs | |
| 15 | Aud's Squad | |
| 16 | Pappa Bear Bar-B-Que | |
| 17 | Poke'em and Smoke'em BBQ | |
| 18 | The Fortunate Meats |