Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 2)
2022-05-28 – 2022-05-29 · Big Bear Lake, CA · 📍 630 Bartlett Rd · State championship
Reps: MICHAEL SANTIAGO, RHONDA SANTIAGO · Prize money: $10,000.00
Grand Champion: B'Mackin BBQ (698.8116) · 25 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ
Entries
25
4 judged meats
Top score
698.8116
Winning margin
0.0348
GC over RC
Field average
670.84
median 680.46
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
686.1944
10th place overall
Field spread
89.3028
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000.00
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 55%
beats 45% 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
100%
25 of 25 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.65 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1536
avg power rating going in · stronger than 42% of contests
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0348 points — closer than 95% of every championship in the data.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 2–3: SD Smoke BBQ and SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ and Big Red BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Big Red BBQ and 2LiveQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Smokin' Volts BBQ (won 2022).
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 | Big Bear Lake, CA | 630 Bartlett Rd | 25 | 701.6572 | Smokin' Volts BBQ | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON |
| 2022-05-28 ← this one | 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 | 178.8572 | 177.7028 | 174.2856 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 174.2744 | 172.5716 |
| Pork | 180.0000 | 176.0228 | 170.8344 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 175.4400 | 169.7372 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 698.8116 · median 680.4568
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 3 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 4 | 2LiveQ | |
| 5 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 6 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 7 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 8 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 9 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 10 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 11 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 12 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 13 | LADY OF Q | |
| 14 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 15 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 16 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 17 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 18 | Coaches Pit BBQ | |
| 19 | Justice BBQ | |
| 20 | New Life BBQ | |
| 21 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 22 | Baby Girl BBQ | |
| 23 | Boneyard | |
| 24 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company | |
| 25 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE |
Chicken
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 173.1200
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 2 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 4 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 5 | 2LiveQ | |
| 6 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 7 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 8 | Baby Girl BBQ | |
| 9 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 10 | Coaches Pit BBQ | |
| 11 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 12 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 13 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 14 | LADY OF Q | |
| 15 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 16 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 17 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 18 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 19 | New Life BBQ | |
| 20 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 21 | Justice BBQ | |
| 22 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company | |
| 23 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 24 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 25 | Boneyard |
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 176.5716 · median 171.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 2 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 3 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 4 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 5 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 6 | 2LiveQ | |
| 7 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 8 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 9 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 10 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 11 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 12 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 13 | LADY OF Q | |
| 14 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 15 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 16 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 17 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 18 | Justice BBQ | |
| 19 | Baby Girl BBQ | |
| 20 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 21 | Boneyard | |
| 22 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 23 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company | |
| 24 | New Life BBQ | |
| 25 | Coaches Pit BBQ |
Pork
25 entries · top 180.0000 · median 169.7028 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 2 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 4 | LADY OF Q | |
| 5 | Baby Girl BBQ | |
| 6 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 7 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 8 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 9 | 2LiveQ | |
| 10 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 11 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 12 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 13 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 15 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 16 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 17 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 18 | Justice BBQ | |
| 19 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 20 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 21 | Coaches Pit BBQ | |
| 22 | New Life BBQ | |
| 23 | Boneyard | |
| 24 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 25 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company |
Brisket
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.4056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 SINS BBQ | |
| 2 | KNIFE PORK AND SPOON | |
| 3 | SMOKIN' BLISS BBQ | |
| 4 | SD Smoke BBQ | |
| 5 | OM BBQ COMPANY | |
| 6 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 8 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 9 | 2LiveQ | |
| 10 | Boneyard | |
| 11 | New Life BBQ | |
| 12 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | |
| 13 | Coaches Pit BBQ | |
| 14 | Bob's Morning Wood Barbeque | |
| 15 | Big Red BBQ | |
| 16 | Justice BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKE HOUND BBQ | |
| 18 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 19 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 20 | LADY OF Q | |
| 21 | 5TH GEAR BBQ | |
| 22 | Weekend Warrior BBQ | |
| 23 | Big Bear Lake Brewing Company | |
| 24 | JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | |
| 25 | Baby Girl BBQ |