A rookie on the podium
1st
at their first tracked contest
Belen Grill and Chill finished 1st overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Panama BBQ Fest 2023
Jan 28–29, 2023 · Panama City, Panama · PANAMA · 📍 Ciudad del Saber
Reps: Debra Gage, Maria Lohman, Wayne Lohman, William Gage
Belen Grill and Chill won Grand Champion at the Panama BBQ Fest on January 28, 2023 in Panama City, at Ciudad del Saber, scoring 670.7996 in a field of 19 teams. Los Smokies took Reserve Grand Champion with 663.3596. Category winners: Chicken — Los Smokies (173.1084); Pork Ribs — Belen Grill and Chill (169.6912); Pork — Belen Grill and Chill (179.4400); Brisket — Grill & Chill (167.4400). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2024.
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.
448.55
median 634.89
670.80 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 173.11
- Pork Ribs 169.69
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 167.44
83.82
179.44
Entries
19
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
670.7996
Winning margin
7.4400
GC over RC
Field average
614.70
448.55670.80
median 634.89 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
4.5484 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
634.8916
448.55670.80
10th place overall
Field spread
222.2512
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 96%
beats 4% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.3 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,502
avg power rating going in · stronger than 2% of contests
Storylines (4 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 6 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 6–7: Smoke House Pty and La Septiima tied on 163.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: La Humacera and BBQ love Club tied on 162.8800 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Parrilleros 4 life edged Justice BBQ by 0.0112.
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0112
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · 0.0112
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Belen Grill and Chill won Pork Ribs, Pork — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Belen Grill and Chill took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 8th.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 8th
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 28, 2023 ← this one | Panama City | Ciudad del Saber | 19 | 670.7996 | Belen Grill and Chll | Los Smokies |
| Mar 2, 2024 | Panama City | Amador | 22 | 665.0740 | Justice BBQ | Webea Es Lo Q Hay |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 173.1084 | 163.9428 | 157.0856 |
| Pork Ribs | 169.6912 | 165.1428 | 161.7028 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 164.6172 | 156.5484 |
| Brisket | 167.4400 | 159.9884 | 158.2400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
19 entries · top 670.7996 · median 634.8916
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belen Grill and Chill | |
| 2 | Los Smokies | |
| 3 | Justice BBQ | |
| 4 | Grill & Chill | |
| 5 | Barbaros Elite | |
| 6 | Vamg Bbq | |
| 7 | Smoke House Pty | |
| 8 | La Septiima | |
| 9 | Bbq Fellas | |
| 10 | La Humacera | |
| 11 | Parrilleros 4 life | |
| 12 | Xpl BBQ | |
| 13 | Urban Smoke | |
| 14 | Grill Master | |
| 15 | La City da pa mas | |
| 16 | Clan de la Salsa | |
| 17 | 2q3 Spot | |
| 18 | BBQ love Club | |
| 19 | Bien Pega'o |
Chicken
18 entries · top 173.1084 · median 157.6514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Smokies | |
| 2 | Grill & Chill | |
| 3 | Vamg Bbq | |
| 4 | Smoke House Pty | |
| 5 | Barbaros Elite | |
| 6 | Belen Grill and Chill | |
| 7 | Parrilleros 4 life | |
| 8 | Justice BBQ | |
| 9 | Urban Smoke | |
| 10 | Bbq Fellas | |
| 11 | La Septiima | |
| 12 | BBQ love Club | |
| 13 | La Humacera | |
| 14 | Xpl BBQ | |
| 15 | Grill Master | |
| 16 | Clan de la Salsa | |
| 17 | 2q3 Spot | |
| 18 | La City da pa mas |
Pork Ribs
19 entries · top 169.6912 · median 161.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belen Grill and Chill | |
| 2 | Justice BBQ | |
| 3 | Los Smokies | |
| 4 | Bbq Fellas | |
| 5 | Barbaros Elite | |
| 6 | Smoke House Pty | |
| 7 | La Septiima | |
| 8 | La Humacera | |
| 9 | BBQ love Club | |
| 10 | Urban Smoke | |
| 11 | Clan de la Salsa | |
| 12 | Vamg Bbq | |
| 13 | Parrilleros 4 life | |
| 14 | Xpl BBQ | |
| 15 | Grill & Chill | |
| 16 | Bien Pega'o | |
| 17 | La City da pa mas | |
| 18 | 2q3 Spot | |
| 19 | Grill Master |
Pork
19 entries · top 179.4400 · median 156.5484
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belen Grill and Chill | |
| 2 | La Septiima | |
| 3 | Barbaros Elite | |
| 4 | Justice BBQ | |
| 5 | Grill & Chill | |
| 6 | Vamg Bbq | |
| 7 | La Humacera | |
| 8 | Bbq Fellas | |
| 9 | Smoke House Pty | |
| 10 | Los Smokies | |
| 11 | Bien Pega'o | |
| 12 | La City da pa mas | |
| 13 | Parrilleros 4 life | |
| 14 | Clan de la Salsa | |
| 15 | Xpl BBQ | |
| 16 | Grill Master | |
| 17 | Urban Smoke | |
| 18 | 2q3 Spot | |
| 19 | BBQ love Club |
Brisket
19 entries · top 167.4400 · median 158.2400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grill & Chill | |
| 2 | Los Smokies | |
| 3 | Xpl BBQ | |
| 4 | Bbq Fellas | |
| 5 | Justice BBQ | |
| 6 | La Humacera | |
| 7 | Grill Master | |
| 8 | Belen Grill and Chill | |
| 9 | Barbaros Elite | |
| 10 | Vamg Bbq | |
| 11 | Parrilleros 4 life | |
| 12 | Smoke House Pty | |
| 13 | La Septiima | |
| 14 | Urban Smoke | |
| 15 | La City da pa mas | |
| 16 | Bien Pega'o | |
| 17 | BBQ love Club | |
| 18 | 2q3 Spot | |
| 19 | Clan de la Salsa |
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 — Hamburger
10 entries · top 166.2628 · median 158.3144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Septiima | |
| 2 | Grill & Chill | |
| 3 | Belen Grill and Chill | |
| 4 | Los Smokies | |
| 5 | Bbq Fellas | |
| 6 | Bien Pega'o | |
| 7 | Barbaros Elite | |
| 8 | La City da pa mas | |
| 9 | Xpl BBQ | |
| 10 | Vamg Bbq |