A first Grand Championship
10
tracked contests to get there
This was Bushwood BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 10th tracked contest.
East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship (BACKYARD) - Paola Roots Festival 2023
Aug 25–26, 2023 · Paola, KS · 📍 Town Square
Reps: Alfred T Bowen, Fran Bowen · Prize money: $1,050
Bushwood BBQ won Grand Champion at the East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship (BACKYARD) - Paola Roots Festival on August 25, 2023 in Paola, KS at Town Square, scoring 346.8228 in a field of 9 teams. Smoke This Drink That BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 340.5028. Category winners: Chicken — Bushwood BBQ (174.8572); Pork Ribs — Breaking Slabs BBQ (173.1200). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2023.
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.
293.57
median 328.48
346.82 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.86
- Pork Ribs 173.12
145.05
174.86
Entries
9
2 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
346.8228
Winning margin
6.3200
GC over RC
Field average
325.07
293.57346.82
median 328.48 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
8.5828 pts across the top 5
Field spread
53.2568
winner to last place
Prize money
$1,050
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 67%
beats 33% of 616 Backyard Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.77 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,531
avg power rating going in
Storylines (2 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
0.0116
decided the closest call
Pork Ribs places 2–3: Smoke This Drink That BBQ edged Bushwood BBQ by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0116
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2023 ← this one | Paola, KS | Town Square | 9 | 346.8228 | Bushwood BBQ | — |
| Aug 26, 2023 | Paola, KS | Town Square | 16 | 707.3828 | Gettin' Basted | BULL CREEK BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8572 | 164.5712 | — |
| Pork Ribs | 173.1200 | 164.5372 | — |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
9 entries · top 346.8228 · median 328.4800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 2 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | |
| 3 | Breaking Slabs BBQ | |
| 4 | Old CountrySmoke | |
| 5 | Aww Shucks BBQ | |
| 6 | TeamThirsty BBQ Division | |
| 7 | Kiss BBQ | |
| 8 | Making BBQ Great Again | |
| 9 | J & M BBQ |
Chicken
9 entries · top 174.8572 · median 164.5712
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 2 | Aww Shucks BBQ | |
| 3 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | |
| 4 | Old CountrySmoke | |
| 5 | Kiss BBQ | |
| 6 | Breaking Slabs BBQ | |
| 7 | TeamThirsty BBQ Division | |
| 8 | Making BBQ Great Again | |
| 9 | J & M BBQ |
Pork Ribs
9 entries · top 173.1200 · median 164.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breaking Slabs BBQ | |
| 2 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | |
| 3 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 4 | TeamThirsty BBQ Division | |
| 5 | Old CountrySmoke | |
| 6 | Aww Shucks BBQ | |
| 7 | Kiss BBQ | |
| 8 | Making BBQ Great Again | |
| 9 | J & M BBQ |
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 — Sausage
7 entries · top 177.7144 · median 173.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Making BBQ Great Again | |
| 2 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | |
| 3 | Breaking Slabs BBQ | |
| 4 | TeamThirsty BBQ Division | |
| 5 | Aww Shucks BBQ | |
| 6 | Old CountrySmoke | |
| 7 | Kiss BBQ |