A first Grand Championship
3
tracked contests to get there
This was Loco Smokers's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 3rd tracked contest.
IBEW So Cal BBQ & Chili Cook-Off (COMPETITOR SERIES) 2025
Jun 20–21, 2025 · San Diego, CA · 📍 4545 Viewridge Ave. #100
Reps: Kathleen McIntosh, Kelly McIntosh
Loco Smokers won Grand Champion at the IBEW So Cal BBQ & Chili Cook-Off (COMPETITOR SERIES) on June 20, 2025 in San Diego, CA at 4545 Viewridge Ave. #100, scoring 694.2056 in a field of 15 teams. Meat Sweats took Reserve Grand Champion with 657.0744. Category winners: Chicken — Loco Smokers (166.2400); Pork Ribs — Loco Smokers (180.0000); Pork — Loco Smokers (180.0000); Brisket — We Shock The Competition BBQ Team (169.7144). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Meat Sweats; the next was held in 2026.
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.
615.86
median 636.95
694.21 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 166.24
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 169.71
141.12
180
Entries
15
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
694.2056
Winning margin
37.1312
GC over RC
Field average
640.61
615.86694.21
median 636.95 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2628 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
634.2516
615.86694.21
10th place overall
Field spread
78.3432
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
Came back for more
40%
4 of 10 teams from the previous edition returned
Storylines (10 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 hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
Loco Smokers won Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
Loco Smokers has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2025
- 2026
A rookie on the podium
3rd
at their first tracked contest
Smoke Brisket Not Meth finished 3rd overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 6 calls decided inside half a point
Brisket places 4–5: Meat Sweats and Smoke All Day tied on 161.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: We Barbecue For Those Who Can't edged G- Squad by 0.0112. Pork places 8–9: G- Squad edged The Last Minute Guy by 0.0116.
- Brisket 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0112
- Pork 8–9 · 0.0116
- Pork 4–5 · 0.0228
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Loco Smokers took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was brisket at 2nd.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Loco Smokers turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Meat Sweats (won 2024).
- Meat Sweats · 2024
The biggest field yet
15
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 12 teams
15 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 12.
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.
- Loco Smokers · Pork
- Loco Smokers · Pork Ribs
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
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2023 | San Diego, CA | 4545 Viewridge Dr | 14 | 707.9656 | Smokin' Volts Barbeque | — |
| May 3, 2024 | San Diego, CA | 4545 ViewRidge Ave | 10 | 648.6056 | Meat Sweats | — |
| Jun 20, 2025 ← this one | San Diego, CA | 4545 Viewridge Ave. #100 | 15 | 694.2056 | Loco Smokers | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Santa Ana, CA | 1261 E Dyer Rd | 9 | 670.7428 | LOCO SMOKERS | Rubbed The Wrong Way |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 166.2400 | 163.9772 | 157.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 163.4060 | 157.0512 |
| Pork | 180 | 169.6800 | 162.8228 |
| Brisket | 169.7144 | 161.7028 | 154.2400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Competitor Series
Overall
15 entries · top 694.2056 · median 636.9484 · out of 720, not the usual 720
Chicken
15 entries · top 166.2400 · median 162.2628
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 180 · median 160 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
15 entries · top 180 · median 165.0972 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
15 entries · top 169.7144 · median 157.0744
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 — Chili
10 entries · top 176.0116 · median 170.2572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meat Sweats | |
| 2 | We Barbecue For Those Who Can't | |
| 3 | The Last Minute Guy | |
| 4 | Renew 569 | |
| 5 | Banks the Butcher | |
| 6 | The United Sparkies ;) | |
| 7 | Smoke All Day | |
| 8 | 357 Tramps | |
| 9 | Jr's BBQ | |
| 10 | Loco Smokers |
Ancillary — Side Dish
12 entries · top 180 · median 168.2856 · 🔥 perfect 180