A razor-thin finish
1.1772
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 78% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1772 points — closer than 78% of every championship in the data.
- BBQ+
- WESTSIDE BBQ
W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest 2023
Feb 25–26, 2023 · Rein in Taufers, Italy · ITALY
Reps: Andreas Schnoell, Eva Schnoell
BBQ+ won Grand Champion at the W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest on February 25, 2023 in Rein in Taufers, BZ, scoring 695.9772 in a field of 23 teams. WESTSIDE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.8000. Category winners: Chicken — WESTSIDE BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — HOT WACHULA'S (177.1428); Pork — LUNA SMOKE - Italy (177.7028); Brisket — SMOKE ON THE WILD SIDE (178.8572). This is the 6th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by COOKLOUNGE 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.
615.79
median 660.54
695.98 🏆
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 177.14
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 178.86
140.49
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2023 — this edition picked out.
Entries
23
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
695.9772
Winning margin
1.1772
GC over RC
Field average
661.89
615.79695.98
median 660.54 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
3.4284 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
670.2284
615.79695.98
10th place overall
Field spread
80.1832
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 49%
beats 51% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
53%
8 of 15 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.69 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,575
avg power rating going in · stronger than 59% of contests
Storylines (7 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.
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BBQ+ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 7th
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 2nd
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
Hot Wachula's has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2019
- 2020
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: WESTSIDE BBQ and BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: BBQ+ and WESTSIDE BBQ tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ edged BBQ+ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0116
- Pork 5–6 · 0.0116
A contest record in brisket
178.8572
best brisket ever cooked here
SMOKE ON THE WILD SIDE turned in 178.8572 in brisket — past the 177.7028 that had stood across 5 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7028
- across 5 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Hot Wachula's (won 2019, 2020), COOKLOUNGE BBQ (won 2022).
- Hot Wachula's · 2019, 2020
- COOKLOUNGE BBQ · 2022
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.
- WESTSIDE BBQ · Chicken
- BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q · Chicken
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 14, 2017 | Rein in Taufers, BZ | Cross Country Ski Center | 30 | 679.4172 | BBQ LONGHORN RANCH HANDS | GECKO BBQ |
| Jan 13, 2018 | Rein in Taufers, BZ | Cross Country Ski Center | 30 | 674.8688 | GRILLER INSTINCT | GECKO BBQ |
| Jan 19, 2019 | Rein in Taufers, BZ | Cross Country Ski Center | 30 | 696.5828 | Hot Wachula's | GECKO BBQ |
| Jan 18, 2020 | Rein in Taufers, BZ | Cross Country Ski Center | 28 | 693.0972 | Hot Wachula's | PARKSTAD SMOKERS |
| Mar 12, 2022 | Rein in Taufers, BZ | Rein in Taufers, BZ 39032 | 15 | 687.9888 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | ALL YOU CAN SMOKE BBQ TEAM |
| Feb 25, 2023 ← this one | Rein in Taufers, BZ | Rein in Taufers, BZ 39032 | 23 | 695.9772 | BBQ+ | WESTSIDE BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 171.9656 | 168.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1428 | 173.1200 | 169.1660 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 174.2744 | 172.5484 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 169.1084 | 167.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
23 entries · top 695.9772 · median 660.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ+ | |
| 2 | WESTSIDE BBQ | |
| 3 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 4 | WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ | |
| 5 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 6 | SMOKE ON THE WILD SIDE | |
| 7 | PARKSTAD SMOKERS | |
| 8 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 9 | LUNA SMOKE - Italy | |
| 10 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 11 | Los Grillos | |
| 12 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 13 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 14 | M.A.S.H BBQ | |
| 15 | BURROS BBQ | |
| 16 | THE REBEL BBQ BROTHERS | |
| 17 | TRACICA BBQ TEAM | |
| 18 | Massive BBQ | |
| 19 | SOUTH BRIXIA | |
| 20 | Onkel Felix BBQ | |
| 21 | Barbecuemantua2020 | |
| 22 | IRON BBQ | |
| 23 | MA-kole BBQ |
Chicken
23 entries · top 180 · median 165.7028 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WESTSIDE BBQ | |
| 2 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 3 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 4 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 5 | WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ | |
| 6 | BBQ+ | |
| 7 | BURROS BBQ | |
| 8 | Barbecuemantua2020 | |
| 9 | M.A.S.H BBQ | |
| 10 | LUNA SMOKE - Italy | |
| 11 | THE REBEL BBQ BROTHERS | |
| 12 | SMOKE ON THE WILD SIDE | |
| 13 | PARKSTAD SMOKERS | |
| 14 | MA-kole BBQ | |
| 15 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 16 | SOUTH BRIXIA | |
| 17 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 18 | IRON BBQ | |
| 19 | Massive BBQ | |
| 20 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 21 | Los Grillos | |
| 22 | TRACICA BBQ TEAM | |
| 23 | Onkel Felix BBQ |
Pork Ribs
23 entries · top 177.1428 · median 168.0116
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 2 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 3 | TRACICA BBQ TEAM | |
| 4 | PARKSTAD SMOKERS | |
| 5 | Los Grillos | |
| 6 | WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ | |
| 7 | BBQ+ | |
| 8 | WESTSIDE BBQ | |
| 9 | Onkel Felix BBQ | |
| 10 | THE REBEL BBQ BROTHERS | |
| 11 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 12 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 13 | SMOKE ON THE WILD SIDE | |
| 14 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 15 | Barbecuemantua2020 | |
| 16 | M.A.S.H BBQ | |
| 17 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 18 | BURROS BBQ | |
| 19 | LUNA SMOKE - Italy | |
| 20 | Massive BBQ | |
| 21 | MA-kole BBQ | |
| 22 | IRON BBQ | |
| 23 | SOUTH BRIXIA |
Pork
23 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUNA SMOKE - Italy | |
| 2 | WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ | |
| 3 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 4 | BBQ+ | |
| 5 | SOUTH BRIXIA | |
| 6 | WESTSIDE BBQ | |
| 7 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 8 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 9 | Massive BBQ | |
| 10 | SMOKE ON THE WILD SIDE | |
| 11 | PARKSTAD SMOKERS | |
| 12 | BURROS BBQ | |
| 13 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 14 | Onkel Felix BBQ | |
| 15 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 16 | THE REBEL BBQ BROTHERS | |
| 17 | Los Grillos | |
| 18 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 19 | M.A.S.H BBQ | |
| 20 | TRACICA BBQ TEAM | |
| 21 | IRON BBQ | |
| 22 | Barbecuemantua2020 | |
| 23 | MA-kole BBQ |
Brisket
23 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKE ON THE WILD SIDE | |
| 2 | BBQ+ | |
| 3 | PARKSTAD SMOKERS | |
| 4 | HOT WACHULA'S | |
| 5 | LUNA SMOKE - Italy | |
| 6 | Los Grillos | |
| 7 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 8 | WESTSIDE BBQ | |
| 9 | Woodquarter Smokerheads | |
| 10 | WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ | |
| 11 | M.A.S.H BBQ | |
| 12 | The BBQ Ranch | |
| 13 | BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q | |
| 14 | FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ | |
| 15 | TRACICA BBQ TEAM | |
| 16 | SOUTH BRIXIA | |
| 17 | Massive BBQ | |
| 18 | BURROS BBQ | |
| 19 | IRON BBQ | |
| 20 | MA-kole BBQ | |
| 21 | THE REBEL BBQ BROTHERS | |
| 22 | Onkel Felix BBQ | |
| 23 | Barbecuemantua2020 |
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 — Mystery Box
10 entries · top 169.1312 · median 161.6742