A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 6 tracked editions
Fire & Shine BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 6 tracked editions.
- 2025
- 2025
First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) 2026
Sep 27, 2026 · Milford, DE · 📍 20142 Beaver Dam Dr
Reps: Alex Jr Brown, Bill Jones · Prize money: $500
Rough Cut Q won Grand Champion at the First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) on September 27, 2026 in Milford, DE at 20142 Beaver Dam Dr, scoring 350.2744 in a field of 16 teams. Hot Thang took Reserve Grand Champion with 346.8344. Category winners: Chicken — Hot Thang (177.7028); Pork Ribs — BKYDBBQ (177.7144). This is the 6th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2026 edition was won by Mispillion Meat Works.
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.
323.86
median 337.94
350.27 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 177.71
151.31
177.71
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2025 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
16
2 judged meats
Top score
350.2744
Winning margin
3.4400
GC over RC
Field average
337.37
323.86350.27
median 337.94 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
5.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
336.5260
323.86350.27
10th place overall
Field spread
26.4120
winner to last place
Prize money
$500
on the line
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 42%
beats 58% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
28%
15 of 54 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = 0.06 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,634
avg power rating going in · stronger than 92% 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.
A stacked field
1634
average power rating going in
Stronger than 92% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1634 power rating going in — stronger than 92% of every contest tracked.
- top seed Leaning Jowler BBQ (1808)
- 16 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 6 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: Hot Thang and Brock's BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Capt. Blue BBQ and Backwooder BBQ tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: Hot Thang edged Tame the Flame BBQ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0116
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Rough Cut Q (won 2025).
- Rough Cut Q · 2025
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2025 | Milford, DE | 20142 Beaver Dam Dr | 25 | 697.6688 | Drilling & Grilling | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Milford, DE | 20142 Beaver Dam Dr | 16 | 176.0116 | Fire & Shine BBQ | — |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Milford, DE | 20142 Beaver Dam Dr | 12 | 178.8572 | Rough Cut Q | — |
| Sep 28, 2025 | Milford, DE | 20142 Beaver Dam Dr | 14 | 352 | Fire & Shine BBQ | — |
| Sep 25, 2026 | Milford, DE | 20142 Beaver Dam Dr | 39 | 702.2400 | Mispillion Meat Works | Susquehanna Smokers |
| Sep 27, 2026 ← this one | Milford, DE | 20142 Beaver Dam Dr | 16 | 350.2744 | Rough Cut Q | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 172.5600 | 168.5372 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 171.4172 | 168.5256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
16 entries · top 350.2744 · median 337.9372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rough Cut Q | |
| 2 | Hot Thang | |
| 3 | The Swine Doctors BBQ | |
| 4 | Brock's BBQ | |
| 5 | Squeals Like the First Time | |
| 6 | Leaning Jowler BBQ | |
| 7 | BKYDBBQ | |
| 8 | Castleton'Q | |
| 9 | Tame the Flame BBQ | |
| 10 | Oink N Doink BBQ | |
| 11 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 12 | Bay Brothers BBQ | |
| 13 | Backwooder BBQ | |
| 14 | MRC Barbecue | |
| 15 | Capt. Blue BBQ | |
| 16 | All About the Wood |
Chicken
16 entries · top 177.7028 · median 170.2514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot Thang | |
| 2 | Brock's BBQ | |
| 3 | Castleton'Q | |
| 4 | Rough Cut Q | |
| 5 | Squeals Like the First Time | |
| 6 | All About the Wood | |
| 7 | Capt. Blue BBQ | |
| 8 | Backwooder BBQ | |
| 9 | The Swine Doctors BBQ | |
| 10 | Tame the Flame BBQ | |
| 11 | Leaning Jowler BBQ | |
| 12 | Oink N Doink BBQ | |
| 13 | Bay Brothers BBQ | |
| 14 | MRC Barbecue | |
| 15 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 16 | BKYDBBQ |
Pork Ribs
16 entries · top 177.7144 · median 168.5430
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BKYDBBQ | |
| 2 | The Swine Doctors BBQ | |
| 3 | Rough Cut Q | |
| 4 | Leaning Jowler BBQ | |
| 5 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 6 | Hot Thang | |
| 7 | Tame the Flame BBQ | |
| 8 | Oink N Doink BBQ | |
| 9 | Squeals Like the First Time | |
| 10 | Brock's BBQ | |
| 11 | Bay Brothers BBQ | |
| 12 | MRC Barbecue | |
| 13 | Castleton'Q | |
| 14 | Backwooder BBQ | |
| 15 | Capt. Blue BBQ | |
| 16 | All About the Wood |