A new contest record
709.7144
highest overall ever cooked here
709.7144 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 695.3716 Bunch of Swines set in 2025.
- old record 695.3716
- set 2025 by Bunch of Swines
Vaartse Hoeve BBQ Contest (Day 2) 2026
Sep 12–13, 2026 · Dongen, Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · 📍 Vaartweg 131
Reps: Angela Fishlock, Mark Fishlock
The Antwerp Smokers won Grand Champion at the Vaartse Hoeve BBQ Contest (Day 2) on September 12, 2026 in Dongen, 5106NC at Vaartweg 131, scoring 709.7144 in a field of 17 teams. Bunch of Swines took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.6800. Category winners: Chicken — Cooklounge BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Keij Smokin Hot (180.0000); Pork — Cooklounge BBQ (179.4400); Brisket — VH BBQ Team (176.5716). This is the 4th of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2026 edition was won by BBQ.
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.
623.23
median 679.41
709.71 🏆
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 180 🔥
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 176.57
137.62
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2025 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
17
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
709.7144
Winning margin
16.0344
GC over RC
Field average
673.01
623.23709.71
median 679.41 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
678.8004
623.23709.71
10th place overall
Field spread
86.4796
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 3%
beats 97% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
90%
9 of 10 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,555
avg power rating going in · stronger than 42% of contests
Storylines (11 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
33-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 67 times in 100
The Antwerp Smokers came in rated below the field's top team, BBQ+, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 33-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1711
- top seed 1831
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
The Antwerp Smokers won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 3rd
A statement win
16.0344
points clear of the field
Wider than 97% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 16.0344 points — a wider margin than 97% of championships in the data.
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
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: The Antwerp Smokers and Bunch of Swines tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: Riverland Smokers and The Antwerp Smokers tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 4–5: BBQ Brothers and Click&Q tied on 173.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Brisket 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0004
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Cooklounge BBQ won Chicken, Pork — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Keij Smokin Hot turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 177.1428 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1428
- across 3 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, 2026).
- Bunch of Swines · 2025
- BBQ+ · 2025, 2026
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Cooklounge BBQ · Chicken
- Keij Smokin Hot · Pork Ribs
They keep coming back
90%
of last edition’s field returned
9 of 10 teams from 2026-09-11 came back
9 of the 10 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 | Dongen | Vaartweg 131 | 10 | 687.9428 | BBQ | Cooklounge BBQ |
| Sep 12, 2026 ← this one | 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 | 180 | 176.5600 | 170.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 173.7144 | 170.8228 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 175.4172 | 166.2400 |
| Brisket | 176.5716 | 173.7144 | 162.8344 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
17 entries · top 709.7144 · median 679.4060
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 2 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 3 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 4 | VH BBQ Team | |
| 5 | BBQ+ | |
| 6 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 7 | Just Wing It | |
| 8 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 9 | BBQ Brothers | |
| 10 | It's Spice That Meats You | |
| 11 | Riverland Smokers | |
| 12 | Click&Q | |
| 13 | Osdorp Grillers | |
| 14 | Roasting Romans | |
| 15 | Antwerps BBQ-Team | |
| 16 | Flying Fire | |
| 17 | Lowland Smokers |
Chicken
17 entries · top 180 · median 172.5944 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 2 | Antwerps BBQ-Team | |
| 3 | Just Wing It | |
| 4 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 5 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 6 | BBQ Brothers | |
| 7 | It's Spice That Meats You | |
| 8 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 9 | VH BBQ Team | |
| 10 | Roasting Romans | |
| 11 | BBQ+ | |
| 12 | Flying Fire | |
| 13 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 14 | Osdorp Grillers | |
| 15 | Riverland Smokers | |
| 16 | Lowland Smokers | |
| 17 | Click&Q |
Pork Ribs
17 entries · top 180 · median 170.8344 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 2 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 3 | Roasting Romans | |
| 4 | VH BBQ Team | |
| 5 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 6 | It's Spice That Meats You | |
| 7 | Osdorp Grillers | |
| 8 | BBQ+ | |
| 9 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 10 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 11 | Click&Q | |
| 12 | BBQ Brothers | |
| 13 | Just Wing It | |
| 14 | Riverland Smokers | |
| 15 | Flying Fire | |
| 16 | Antwerps BBQ-Team | |
| 17 | Lowland Smokers |
Pork
17 entries · top 179.4400 · median 166.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 2 | Riverland Smokers | |
| 3 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 4 | BBQ+ | |
| 5 | It's Spice That Meats You | |
| 6 | Click&Q | |
| 7 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 8 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 9 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 10 | VH BBQ Team | |
| 11 | Lowland Smokers | |
| 12 | Just Wing It | |
| 13 | Osdorp Grillers | |
| 14 | BBQ Brothers | |
| 15 | Flying Fire | |
| 16 | Antwerps BBQ-Team | |
| 17 | Roasting Romans |
Brisket
17 entries · top 176.5716 · median 164.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VH BBQ Team | |
| 2 | Bunch of Swines | |
| 3 | The Antwerp Smokers | |
| 4 | BBQ Brothers | |
| 5 | Click&Q | |
| 6 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 7 | Just Wing It | |
| 8 | BBQ+ | |
| 9 | Keij Smokin Hot | |
| 10 | Antwerps BBQ-Team | |
| 11 | Riverland Smokers | |
| 12 | Cooklounge BBQ | |
| 13 | Osdorp Grillers | |
| 14 | It's Spice That Meats You | |
| 15 | Roasting Romans | |
| 16 | Lowland Smokers | |
| 17 | Flying Fire |
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 — Ancillary
6 entries · top 177.1544 · median 169.1086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VH BBQ Team | |
| 2 | Osdorp Grillers | |
| 3 | Click&Q | |
| 4 | Lowland Smokers | |
| 5 | Antwerps BBQ-Team | |
| 6 | Flying Fire |