Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
BBQ won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2025
- 2026
Vaartse Hoeve BBQ Contest (Day 1) 2026
Sep 11–12, 2026 · Dongen, Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · 📍 Vaartweg 131
Reps: Angela Fishlock, Mark Fishlock
BBQ+ won Grand Champion at the Vaartse Hoeve BBQ Contest (Day 1) on September 11, 2026 in Dongen, 5106NC at Vaartweg 131, scoring 687.9428 in a field of 10 teams. Cooklounge BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 686.2056. Category winners: Chicken — BBQ Hot Yard (170.8456); Pork Ribs — Just Wing It (176.5600); Pork — BBQ+ (180.0000); Brisket — Keij Smokin Hot (176.5600). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by BBQ+; 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.
643.26
median 675.65
687.94 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 170.85
- Pork Ribs 176.56
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176.56
151.95
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2025 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
10
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
687.9428
Winning margin
1.7372
GC over RC
Field average
672.01
643.26687.94
median 675.65 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4628 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
643.2568
643.26687.94
10th place overall
Field spread
44.6860
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 76%
beats 24% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
26%
6 of 23 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.79 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,621
avg power rating going in · stronger than 88% of contests
Storylines (7 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 dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
BBQ+ has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2025
- 2026
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: Bunch of Swines edged BBQ+ by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 4–5: BBQ+ edged Bunch of Swines by 0.0116. Chicken places 1–2: BBQ Hot Yard edged Just Wing It by 0.0228.
- Chicken 4–5 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0116
- Chicken 1–2 · 0.0228
- Brisket 4–5 · 0.0344
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BBQ+ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 5th.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 5th
A contest record in pork
180.0000
best pork ever cooked here
BBQ+ turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8572
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Bunch of Swines (won 2025), BBQ+ (won 2025).
- Bunch of Swines · 2025
- BBQ+ · 2025
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.
- BBQ+ · Pork
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2025 | Dongen | Vaartweg 131 | 16 | 695.3716 | Bunch of Swines | BBQ+ |
| Sep 13, 2025 | Dongen | Vaartweg 131 | 23 | 689.0512 | BBQ+ | The Antwerp Smokers |
| Sep 11, 2026 ← this one | Dongen | Vaartweg 131 | 10 | 687.9428 | BBQ | Cooklounge BBQ |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Dongen | Vaartweg 131 | 17 | 709.7144 | The Antwerp Smokers | Bunch of Swines |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 170.8456 | 167.3828 | 159.3716 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 170.2628 | 155.9428 |
| Pork | 180 | 169.6684 | 160.4912 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 170.2856 | 151.9540 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
10 entries · top 687.9428 · median 675.6512
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ+ | |
| 2 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 3 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 4 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 5 | Just Wing It | |
| 6 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 7 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 8 | Click&Q | |
| 9 | VH BQ Team | |
| 10 | Riverland Smokers |
Chicken
10 entries · top 170.8456 · median 166.8114
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 2 | Just Wing It | |
| 3 | Riverland Smokers | |
| 4 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 5 | BBQ+ | |
| 6 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 7 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 8 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 9 | VH BQ Team | |
| 10 | Click&Q |
Pork Ribs
10 entries · top 176.5600 · median 169.6856
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Just Wing It | |
| 2 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 3 | Click&Q | |
| 4 | BBQ+ | |
| 5 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 6 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 7 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 8 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 9 | Riverland Smokers | |
| 10 | VH BQ Team |
Pork
10 entries · top 180 · median 169.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ+ | |
| 2 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 3 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 4 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 5 | VH BQ Team | |
| 6 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 7 | Just Wing It | |
| 8 | Click&Q | |
| 9 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 10 | Riverland Smokers |
Brisket
10 entries · top 176.5600 · median 170.0056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 2 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 3 | VH BQ Team | |
| 4 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 5 | BBQ+ | |
| 6 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 7 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 8 | Just Wing It | |
| 9 | Click&Q | |
| 10 | Riverland Smokers |
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 — Dessert
5 entries · top 178.2972 · median 167.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Click&Q | |
| 2 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 3 | Lowland Smokers | |
| 4 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 5 | VH BQ Team |