A first Grand Championship
10
tracked contests to get there
This was The Great Pig in The Sky's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 10th tracked contest.
Big Island BBQ Backyard
Aug 22, 2021 · Albert Lea, MN · 📍 132 North Broadway
Reps: Cindy Juhl, Tom Juhl
THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY won Grand Champion at the Big Island BBQ Backyard on August 22, 2021 in Albert Lea, MN at 132 North Broadway, scoring 349.7144 in a field of 15 teams. The Yardpigs took Reserve Grand Champion with 343.9656. Category winners: Chicken — Furlongs Smoke & Seafood (176.5716); Pork Ribs — THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY (175.4516).
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.
302.78
median 329.09
349.71 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.57
- Pork Ribs 175.45
150.25
176.57
Entries
15
2 judged meats
Top score
349.7144
Winning margin
5.7488
GC over RC
Field average
330.13
302.78349.71
median 329.09 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
6.8688 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
325.0512
302.78349.71
10th place overall
Field spread
46.9372
winner to last place
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 45%
beats 55% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.4 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,531
avg power rating going in · stronger than 23% of contests
Storylines (2 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.
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 2 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: UGLY BABY BBQ edged SMOKEY GQ by 0.0116. Chicken places 6–7: small town girl barbeque edged Good Grefe! by 0.0344.
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0116
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0344
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5716 | 169.7028 | 165.1084 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4516 | 168.5600 | 157.0628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
15 entries · top 349.7144 · median 329.0856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY | |
| 2 | The Yardpigs | |
| 3 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 4 | Poke'em and Smoke'em BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 6 | Porket About It | |
| 7 | Sugar Shack | |
| 8 | SMOKIN' ROAMERS | |
| 9 | Pittie Q | |
| 10 | WRECKING CREW BBQ | |
| 11 | Good Grefe! | |
| 12 | small town girl barbeque | |
| 13 | UGLY BABY BBQ | |
| 14 | SMOKIN' PIT PATRIOTS | |
| 15 | What’cha Got BBQ |
Chicken
15 entries · top 176.5716 · median 167.9888
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 2 | THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY | |
| 3 | WRECKING CREW BBQ | |
| 4 | Poke'em and Smoke'em BBQ | |
| 5 | The Yardpigs | |
| 6 | small town girl barbeque | |
| 7 | Good Grefe! | |
| 8 | UGLY BABY BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 10 | Porket About It | |
| 11 | Pittie Q | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' ROAMERS | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' PIT PATRIOTS | |
| 14 | Sugar Shack | |
| 15 | What’cha Got BBQ |
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 175.4516 · median 164.5716
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY | |
| 2 | The Yardpigs | |
| 3 | Sugar Shack | |
| 4 | Porket About It | |
| 5 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 6 | Poke'em and Smoke'em BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' ROAMERS | |
| 8 | Pittie Q | |
| 9 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 10 | SMOKIN' PIT PATRIOTS | |
| 11 | Good Grefe! | |
| 12 | small town girl barbeque | |
| 13 | WRECKING CREW BBQ | |
| 14 | UGLY BABY BBQ | |
| 15 | What’cha Got BBQ |