Sep 15–16, 2023 · Yorkville, IL · 📍 4000 N. Bridge St.
Reps: Becky Druetzler, Dave Druetzler · Prize money: $3,500
QUE U won Grand Champion at the Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) on September 15, 2023 in Yorkville, IL at 4000 N. Bridge St., scoring 699.9544 in a field of 17 teams. THE BBQ BUS took Reserve Grand Champion with 698.2288. Category winners: Chicken — QUE U (178.8572); Pork Ribs — THE BBQ BUS (174.2744). This is the 3rd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition came before it; the next was held in 2024.
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Chicken places 2–3: Loose Cannon BBQ and Hump's Haven Backyard BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 1–2: THE BBQ BUS edged Loose Cannon BBQ by 0.0116. Chicken places 7–8: PORKRASTINATORS edged THE BBQ BUS by 0.0228.
QUE U turned in 178.8572 in chicken — past the 175.4172 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Porkrastinators (won 2021).
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2021 | Yorkville, IL | 9054 W. Veterans Pkwy | 18 | 690.7884 | Porkrastinators |
| Nov 4, 2022 | Yorkville, IL | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 15, 2023 ← this one | Yorkville, IL | 4000 N. Bridge St. | 17 | 699.9544 | QUE U |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Yorkville, IL | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Yorkville, IL | — | — | — | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 173.1316 | 169.6916 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 171.9888 | 165.6800 |
17 entries · top 699.9544 · median 671.3372 · out of 720, not the usual 720
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUE U | |
| 2 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 3 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 4 | HOT EMBERS BBQ | |
| 5 | Hump's Haven Backyard BBQ | |
| 6 | Plumber Q | |
| 7 | Pork and Starboard | |
| 8 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 9 | SI2 BBQ | |
| 10 | Red White & Bacon | |
| 11 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 12 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 13 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 14 | You Ain't Kidding BBQ | |
| 15 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 16 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 17 | BBQ Buddies |
17 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8112
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUE U | |
| 2 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 3 | Hump's Haven Backyard BBQ | |
| 4 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 5 | Red White & Bacon | |
| 6 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 7 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 8 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 9 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 10 | SI2 BBQ | |
| 11 | Plumber Q | |
| 12 | You Ain't Kidding BBQ | |
| 13 | HOT EMBERS BBQ | |
| 14 | Pork and Starboard | |
| 15 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 16 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 17 | BBQ Buddies |
17 entries · top 174.2744 · median 167.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 2 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 3 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 4 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 5 | QUE U | |
| 6 | Plumber Q | |
| 7 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 8 | Pork and Starboard | |
| 9 | SI2 BBQ | |
| 10 | You Ain't Kidding BBQ | |
| 11 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 12 | HOT EMBERS BBQ | |
| 13 | BBQ Buddies | |
| 14 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 15 | Hump's Haven Backyard BBQ | |
| 16 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 17 | Red White & Bacon |
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.
17 entries · top 177.7028 · median 170.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 2 | Pork and Starboard | |
| 3 | Red White & Bacon | |
| 4 | HOT EMBERS BBQ | |
| 5 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 6 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 7 | Hump's Haven Backyard BBQ | |
| 8 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 9 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 10 | QUE U | |
| 11 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 12 | Plumber Q | |
| 13 | SI2 BBQ | |
| 14 | You Ain't Kidding BBQ | |
| 15 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 16 | BBQ Buddies | |
| 17 | Stone Cold Grillers |
17 entries · top 180 · median 168.5484 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOT EMBERS BBQ | |
| 2 | QUE U | |
| 3 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 4 | Plumber Q | |
| 5 | PORKRASTINATORS | |
| 6 | Pork and Starboard | |
| 7 | Hump's Haven Backyard BBQ | |
| 8 | SI2 BBQ | |
| 9 | You Ain't Kidding BBQ | |
| 10 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 11 | Red White & Bacon | |
| 12 | Loose Cannon BBQ | |
| 13 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 14 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 15 | BBQ Buddies | |
| 16 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 17 | WE WILL ROCK QUE |