A razor-thin finish
0.5600
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 88% of the 610 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5600 points — closer than 88% of every championship in the data.
- Shmack Q
- RUBY CREEK BBQ
Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) 2023
Aug 19, 2023 · Fairbury, IL
Reps: Charlie Brinza, Jeanne Titus · Prize money: $3,400
Shmack Q won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) on August 19, 2023 in Fairbury, IL, scoring 342.8228 in a field of 32 teams. RUBY CREEK BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 342.2628. Category winners: Chicken — T.J.D. Smokehouse (178.2972); Pork Ribs — Shmack Q (171.4056). This is the 2nd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by Weez's Groovin' BBQ; 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.
290.19
median 321.66
342.82 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.30
- Pork Ribs 171.41
136.54
178.30
Entries
32
2 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
342.8228
Winning margin
0.5600
GC over RC
Field average
319.48
290.19342.82
median 321.66 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.9768 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
330.2632
290.19342.82
10th place overall
Field spread
52.6284
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,400
on the line
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 81%
beats 19% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
85%
17 of 20 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.5 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,524
avg power rating going in · stronger than 17% of contests
Storylines (6 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 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
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: Loose Cannon BBQ and WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Shmack Q and Era's Que tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ edged Sermerstout BBQ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0344
A contest record in chicken
178.2972
best chicken ever cooked here
T.J.D. Smokehouse turned in 178.2972 in chicken — past the 169.1428 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 169.1428
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Weez's Groovin' BBQ (won 2022).
- Weez's Groovin' BBQ · 2022
They keep coming back
85%
of last edition’s field returned
17 of 20 teams from 2022-08-20 came back
17 of the 20 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 | Fairbury, IL | Fairbury Fair Grounds | 20 | 341.1428 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Aug 19, 2023 ← this one | 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 | 178.2972 | 171.9772 | 167.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 171.4056 | 167.4288 | 163.9884 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
32 entries · top 342.8228 · median 321.6628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shmack Q | |
| 2 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 3 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 4 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 5 | T.J.D. Smokehouse | |
| 6 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 7 | Big Rich BBQ | |
| 8 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 9 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 10 | 309 BBQ | |
| 11 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 12 | Smokin' Deez | |
| 13 | J.R. Boys | |
| 14 | Briar Ridge BBQ | |
| 15 | Era's Que | |
| 16 | Mr. B's BBQ | |
| 17 | HESSHOGS | |
| 18 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 19 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 20 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 21 | Rub Sauce & 2 Smokin Barrels BBQ | |
| 22 | Rocket Que | |
| 23 | Dehm Bro's | |
| 24 | Big House BBQ | |
| 25 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 26 | 3 Buddy Seasonings | |
| 27 | BS BBQ | |
| 28 | Loons Smoked Meats | |
| 29 | Pig Pile | |
| 30 | Smokin Phenes BBQ | |
| 31 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE | |
| 32 | 4 Dads of the Aporkalypse |
Chicken
32 entries · top 178.2972 · median 162.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | T.J.D. Smokehouse | |
| 2 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 3 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 4 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 5 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 6 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 7 | Shmack Q | |
| 8 | Era's Que | |
| 9 | J.R. Boys | |
| 10 | HESSHOGS | |
| 11 | Smokin' Deez | |
| 12 | Mr. B's BBQ | |
| 13 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 14 | Big Rich BBQ | |
| 15 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 16 | 309 BBQ | |
| 17 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 18 | Briar Ridge BBQ | |
| 19 | Rocket Que | |
| 20 | Big House BBQ | |
| 21 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 22 | Rub Sauce & 2 Smokin Barrels BBQ | |
| 23 | Smokin Phenes BBQ | |
| 24 | Pig Pile | |
| 25 | Dehm Bro's | |
| 26 | 4 Dads of the Aporkalypse | |
| 27 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 28 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE | |
| 29 | BS BBQ | |
| 30 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 31 | Loons Smoked Meats | |
| 32 | 3 Buddy Seasonings |
Pork Ribs
32 entries · top 171.4056 · median 156.5258
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shmack Q | |
| 2 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 3 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 4 | Big Rich BBQ | |
| 5 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 6 | 309 BBQ | |
| 7 | 3 Buddy Seasonings | |
| 8 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 9 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 10 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 11 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 12 | Briar Ridge BBQ | |
| 13 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 14 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 15 | Smokin' Deez | |
| 16 | T.J.D. Smokehouse | |
| 17 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 18 | Loons Smoked Meats | |
| 19 | BS BBQ | |
| 20 | Mr. B's BBQ | |
| 21 | Dehm Bro's | |
| 22 | J.R. Boys | |
| 23 | HESSHOGS | |
| 24 | Rub Sauce & 2 Smokin Barrels BBQ | |
| 25 | Rocket Que | |
| 26 | Era's Que | |
| 27 | Big House BBQ | |
| 28 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 29 | Pig Pile | |
| 30 | EZ CHEW BARBECUE | |
| 31 | Smokin Phenes BBQ | |
| 32 | 4 Dads of the Aporkalypse |
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 5-10
2 entries · top 173.7372 · median 172.0172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ava Hess | |
| 2 | Reese Hess |