A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ · Brisket
- PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ · Chicken
- SMELLAQUE · Chicken
Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown 2025
Jun 8, 2025 · Upper Onslow, NS · CANADA · 📍 16 Hub Center Dr.
Reps: Craig Maidens, Heather Maidens · Prize money: $10,000
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ won Grand Champion at the Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown on June 8, 2025 in Upper Onslow, NS at 16 Hub Center Dr., scoring 707.4284 in a field of 12 teams. Cook the books took Reserve Grand Champion with 700.5488. Category winners: Chicken — PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — CycloneBBQ (178.8572); Pork — 73-BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ (180.0000). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2026.
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.
615.35
median 679.97
707.43 🏆
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 178.86
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 180 🔥
150.26
180
Entries
12
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
707.4284
Winning margin
6.8796
GC over RC
Field average
673.82
615.35707.43
median 679.97 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Tightest race
Pork
4.5716 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
665.1312
615.35707.43
10th place overall
Field spread
92.0800
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000
on the line
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 7%
beats 93% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.45 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,571
avg power rating going in · stronger than 55% of contests
Storylines (4 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
Tie
closest of 4 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ and SMELLAQUE tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: Cook the books and Slam Dunk BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Rub Sweat and Beers edged Cook the books by 0.0116.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 4–5 · 0.0116
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0572
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 5th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 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 | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 2025 ← this one | Upper Onslow, NS | 16 Hub Center Dr. | 12 | 707.4284 | Praire Smoke & Spice | Cook the books |
| Jun 6, 2026 | Upper Onslow, NS | 16 Hub Centre Drive | 15 | 717.7144 | Prairie Smoke & Spice BBQ | Cook the books |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 174.8456 | 166.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 172.0228 | 158.2284 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 173.1428 | 159.9884 |
| Brisket | 180 | 170.2972 | 159.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
12 entries · top 707.4284 · median 679.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 2 | Cook the books | |
| 3 | BBQ WorX | |
| 4 | CycloneBBQ | |
| 5 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 6 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 7 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 8 | 73-BBQ | |
| 9 | Rub Sweat and Beers | |
| 10 | BLK Bobbyflay | |
| 11 | Barbecue Heaven | |
| 12 | 2 Boys Smokehouse |
Chicken
12 entries · top 180 · median 172.2856 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 2 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 3 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 4 | Rub Sweat and Beers | |
| 5 | Cook the books | |
| 6 | BLK Bobbyflay | |
| 7 | BBQ WorX | |
| 8 | 73-BBQ | |
| 9 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 10 | CycloneBBQ | |
| 11 | Barbecue Heaven | |
| 12 | 2 Boys Smokehouse |
Pork Ribs
12 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.4114
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CycloneBBQ | |
| 2 | Cook the books | |
| 3 | Rub Sweat and Beers | |
| 4 | BBQ WorX | |
| 5 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 6 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 7 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 8 | Barbecue Heaven | |
| 9 | 73-BBQ | |
| 10 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 11 | BLK Bobbyflay | |
| 12 | 2 Boys Smokehouse |
Pork
12 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.1486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 73-BBQ | |
| 2 | Cook the books | |
| 3 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 4 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 5 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 6 | BLK Bobbyflay | |
| 7 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 8 | CycloneBBQ | |
| 9 | BBQ WorX | |
| 10 | Rub Sweat and Beers | |
| 11 | Barbecue Heaven | |
| 12 | 2 Boys Smokehouse |
Brisket
12 entries · top 180 · median 166.2742 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 2 | BBQ WorX | |
| 3 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 4 | Cook the books | |
| 5 | CycloneBBQ | |
| 6 | 73-BBQ | |
| 7 | Rub Sweat and Beers | |
| 8 | BLK Bobbyflay | |
| 9 | Slam Dunk BBQ | |
| 10 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 11 | Barbecue Heaven | |
| 12 | 2 Boys Smokehouse |
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Ancillary — Blueberry Maple
7 entries · top 170.8572 · median 165.1428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 2 | CycloneBBQ | |
| 3 | BLK Bobbyflay | |
| 4 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 5 | Barbecue Heaven | |
| 6 | BBQ WorX | |
| 7 | SMELLAQUE |
Ancillary — Turkey
8 entries · top 169.7372 · median 164.5544
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMELLAQUE | |
| 2 | BBQ WorX | |
| 3 | Cook the books | |
| 4 | 73-BBQ | |
| 5 | PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | |
| 6 | BLK Bobbyflay | |
| 7 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 8 | Barbecue Heaven |