Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 1)
2022-05-27 – 2022-05-28 · Big Bear Lake, CA · 📍 630 Bartlett Rd · State championship
Reps: MICHAEL SANTIAGO, RHONDA SANTIAGO · Prize money: $10,000.00
Grand Champion: Smokin' Volts BBQ (701.6572) · 25 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 KNIFE PORK AND SPOON
Entries
25
4 judged meats
Top score
701.6572
Winning margin
2.8000
GC over RC
Field average
666.63
median 669.66
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8572 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
680.4684
10th place overall
Field spread
96.6860
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000.00
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 41%
beats 59% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
4%
of the 25 teams with a home region came from outside CA
Came back for more
52%
14 of 27 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.7 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1536
avg power rating going in · stronger than 42% of contests
Storylines
🧹 A double category winner
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 2–3: Big Red BBQ and SD Smoke BBQ tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: 2LiveQ and B' MACKIN BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: 2LiveQ and B' MACKIN BBQ tied on 176.5716 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🃏 An upset on the books
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, BIG POPPA SMOKERS, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 23-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-05-28 | Big Bear Lake, CA | 630 Bartlett Rd | 27 | 705.1316 | Mudville BBQ | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| 2022-05-27 ← this one | Big Bear Lake, CA | 630 Bartlett Rd | 25 | 701.6572 | Smokin' Volts BBQ | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON |
| 2022-05-28 | Big Bear Lake, CA | 630 Bartlett Rd | 25 | 698.8116 | B'Mackin BBQ | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 174.8456 | 170.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 174.8572 | 170.8344 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 176.5716 | 171.9656 |
| Brisket | 180.0000 | 172.0000 | 169.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 701.6572 · median 669.6572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 2 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 3 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 4 | 2LiveQ | |
| 5 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 6 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 7 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 8 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 9 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 10 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 11 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 12 | LADY OF Q | |
| 13 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 14 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 15 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 16 | Justice BBQ | |
| 17 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 18 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 19 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 20 | Coaches Pit BBQ | |
| 21 | BABY GIRL BBQ | |
| 22 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company | |
| 23 | New Life BBQ | |
| 24 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 25 | Boneyard |
Chicken
25 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168.5256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 2 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 3 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 4 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 5 | 2LiveQ | |
| 6 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 7 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 8 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 9 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 10 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 11 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 12 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 13 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 14 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 15 | LADY OF Q | |
| 16 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 17 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 18 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 19 | Coaches Pit BBQ | |
| 20 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company | |
| 21 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 22 | Justice BBQ | |
| 23 | New Life BBQ | |
| 24 | BABY GIRL BBQ | |
| 25 | Boneyard |
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 178.2972 · median 169.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 2 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 3 | 2LiveQ | |
| 4 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 5 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 6 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 7 | BABY GIRL BBQ | |
| 8 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 9 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 10 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 11 | Justice BBQ | |
| 12 | LADY OF Q | |
| 13 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 14 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 15 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 16 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 17 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 18 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 19 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 20 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 21 | Coaches Pit BBQ | |
| 22 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 23 | Boneyard | |
| 24 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company | |
| 25 | New Life BBQ |
Pork
25 entries · top 179.4400 · median 170.2512
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 2 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 3 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 4 | LADY OF Q | |
| 5 | 2LiveQ | |
| 6 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 8 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 9 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 10 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 11 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 12 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 13 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 14 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 15 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 16 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | Coaches Pit BBQ | |
| 18 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 19 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 20 | New Life BBQ | |
| 21 | Justice BBQ | |
| 22 | BABY GIRL BBQ | |
| 23 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 24 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company | |
| 25 | Boneyard |
Brisket
25 entries · top 180.0000 · median 166.2400 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 2 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 3 | Justice BBQ | |
| 4 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 5 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 6 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 7 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 8 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 9 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company | |
| 10 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 11 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 12 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 13 | 2LiveQ | |
| 14 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 15 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 16 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 17 | LADY OF Q | |
| 18 | New Life BBQ | |
| 19 | Coaches Pit BBQ | |
| 20 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 21 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 22 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 23 | Boneyard | |
| 24 | BABY GIRL BBQ | |
| 25 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE |