A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 6 tracked editions
Weez's Groovin' BBQ has won this contest 3 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2022
- 2024
- 2025
Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) 2022
Aug 20, 2022 · Fairbury, IL
Reps: Charlie Brinza, Jeanne Titus · Prize money: $2,250
WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) on August 20, 2022 in Fairbury, IL, scoring 341.1428 in a field of 20 teams. LEE LA Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 334.8344. Category winners: Chicken — WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ (169.1428); Pork Ribs — WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ (172.0000). This is the 1st of 5 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2023.
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.
172.59
median 313.94
341.14 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 169.14
- Pork Ribs 172
20
172
Entries
20
2 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
341.1428
Winning margin
6.3084
GC over RC
Field average
304.71
172.59341.14
median 313.94 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
315.3140
172.59341.14
10th place overall
Field spread
168.5484
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,250
on the line
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 85%
beats 15% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.79 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,522
avg power rating going in · stronger than 15% of contests
Storylines (3 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 3 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 3–4: 309 BBQ and Ishy Links BBQ tied on 168.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: Mr. B's BBQ edged Sermerstout BBQ by 0.0344. Chicken places 8–9: BS BBQ edged Smoque Staff by 0.0692.
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0344
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0692
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 17 | 337.0972 | SermerStout |
| Aug 20, 2022 ← this one | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 20 | 341.1428 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 32 | 342.8228 | Shmack Q |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 26 | 354.2628 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 20 | 347.4400 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 22, 2026 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 16 | 350.8572 | Wapatui Smokers |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 169.1428 | 165.1428 | 160.5368 |
| Pork Ribs | 172 | 167.3828 | 154.7772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
20 entries · top 341.1428 · median 313.9370
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | LEE LA Q | |
| 3 | 309 BBQ | |
| 4 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 5 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 6 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 7 | Shmack Q | |
| 8 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 9 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 10 | Rocket Que | |
| 11 | J.R. Boys | |
| 12 | Big House BBQ | |
| 13 | BS BBQ | |
| 14 | Smoque Staff | |
| 15 | Mr. B's BBQ | |
| 16 | Behemoth BBQ | |
| 17 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 18 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE | |
| 19 | 4 Dads of the Aporkalypse | |
| 20 | Smokin-Deez |
Chicken
20 entries · top 169.1428 · median 159.9942
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | LEE LA Q | |
| 3 | 309 BBQ | |
| 4 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 5 | Mr. B's BBQ | |
| 6 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 7 | J.R. Boys | |
| 8 | BS BBQ | |
| 9 | Smoque Staff | |
| 10 | Rocket Que | |
| 11 | Shmack Q | |
| 12 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 13 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 14 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 15 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 16 | Smokin-Deez | |
| 17 | Behemoth BBQ | |
| 18 | Big House BBQ | |
| 19 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE | |
| 20 | 4 Dads of the Aporkalypse |
Pork Ribs
20 entries · top 172 · median 153.9542
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 2 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 3 | 309 BBQ | |
| 4 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 5 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 6 | LEE LA Q | |
| 7 | Big House BBQ | |
| 8 | Shmack Q | |
| 9 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 10 | Rocket Que | |
| 11 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE | |
| 12 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 13 | J.R. Boys | |
| 14 | Behemoth BBQ | |
| 15 | BS BBQ | |
| 16 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 17 | Smoque Staff | |
| 18 | 4 Dads of the Aporkalypse | |
| 19 | Mr. B's BBQ | |
| 20 | Smokin-Deez |
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.
Kids-Q — Kids Que
2 entries · top 169.7372 · median 165.4286
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ShmackQ Jr | |
| 2 | Sizzin Superheros |
Turkey Smoke Series — Turkey Smoke
20 entries · top 178.8800 · median 166.5542
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 309 BBQ | |
| 2 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE | |
| 3 | Shmack Q | |
| 4 | Behemoth BBQ | |
| 5 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 6 | Mr. B's BBQ | |
| 7 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 8 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 9 | Smokin-Deez | |
| 10 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 11 | Smoque Staff | |
| 12 | J.R. Boys | |
| 13 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 14 | 4 Dads of the Aporkalypse | |
| 15 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 16 | Rocket Que | |
| 17 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 18 | LEE LA Q | |
| 19 | Big House BBQ | |
| 20 | BS BBQ |