A first Grand Championship
1
title in the data
This was Silver Creek Barbecue's first Grand Championship in the data.
Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) 2023
Jul 15, 2023 · Dowagiac, MI · 📍 200 Depot Dr
Reps: Jeanne Titus · Prize money: $2,200
Silver Creek Barbecue won Grand Champion at the Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) on July 15, 2023 in Dowagiac, MI at 200 Depot Dr, scoring 350.9032 in a field of 16 teams. RUBY CREEK BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 349.6800. Category winners: Chicken — Silver Creek Barbecue (174.8916); Pork Ribs — Silver Creek Barbecue (176.0116). This is the 1st of 3 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.
254.27
median 314.80
350.90 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.89
- Pork Ribs 176.01
124.56
176.01
Entries
16
2 judged meats
Top score
350.9032
Winning margin
1.2232
GC over RC
Field average
317.54
254.27350.90
median 314.80 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4.6060 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
311.4400
254.27350.90
10th place overall
Field spread
96.6292
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,200
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 36%
beats 64% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.31 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,498
avg power rating going in · stronger than 0% 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 rookie on the podium
1st
at their first tracked contest
Silver Creek Barbecue finished 1st overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 2 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: SWEET CLEAVER BBQ and Overcurrent BBQ tied on 170.2856 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: Overcurrent BBQ edged MC Barbeque by 0.0344.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0344
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Silver Creek Barbecue 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2023 ← this one | Dowagiac, MI | 200 Depot Dr | 16 | 350.9032 | Silver Creek Barbecue |
| Jul 20, 2024 | Dowagiac, MI | 200 Depot Dr | 23 | 352.5484 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ |
| Jul 19, 2025 | Dowagiac, MI | 200 Depot DrIVE | 17 | 354.2972 | BBQ Mike |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8916 | 170.2856 | 153.6800 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.0116 | 166.2972 | 159.3600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
16 entries · top 350.9032 · median 314.8002
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silver Creek Barbecue | |
| 2 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 3 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 4 | Overcurrent BBQ | |
| 5 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 6 | MC Barbeque | |
| 7 | Heritage Q | |
| 8 | Preacher's BBQ | |
| 9 | FLASH'S BBQ | |
| 10 | Burnt Belly BBQ | |
| 11 | Porkasaurus Rex BBQ | |
| 12 | JD's BBQ | |
| 13 | Monster Pit | |
| 14 | Jeremiah Haraldson | |
| 15 | Biscuit Boys | |
| 16 | Team Hawg Jaws |
Chicken
16 entries · top 174.8916 · median 156.2688
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silver Creek Barbecue | |
| 2 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 3 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 4 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 5 | Overcurrent BBQ | |
| 6 | Heritage Q | |
| 7 | MC Barbeque | |
| 8 | JD's BBQ | |
| 9 | FLASH'S BBQ | |
| 10 | Burnt Belly BBQ | |
| 11 | Monster Pit | |
| 12 | Jeremiah Haraldson | |
| 13 | Biscuit Boys | |
| 14 | Preacher's BBQ | |
| 15 | Porkasaurus Rex BBQ | |
| 16 | Team Hawg Jaws |
Pork Ribs
16 entries · top 176.0116 · median 161.1372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silver Creek Barbecue | |
| 2 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 3 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 4 | Preacher's BBQ | |
| 5 | Overcurrent BBQ | |
| 6 | MC Barbeque | |
| 7 | Porkasaurus Rex BBQ | |
| 8 | Heritage Q | |
| 9 | SWEET CLEAVER BBQ | |
| 10 | FLASH'S BBQ | |
| 11 | Burnt Belly BBQ | |
| 12 | JD's BBQ | |
| 13 | Jeremiah Haraldson | |
| 14 | Monster Pit | |
| 15 | Biscuit Boys | |
| 16 | Team Hawg Jaws |