A razor-thin finish
0.0116
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 95% of the 616 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0116 points — closer than 95% of every championship in the data.
- Makdaddy BBQ
- Shmack Q
Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) 2023
Sep 16, 2023 · Park Ridge, IL · 📍 505 Butler Place
Reps: Eugene Wickham, Sarah Wickham · Prize money: $600
Makdaddy BBQ won Grand Champion at the Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) on September 16, 2023 in Park Ridge, IL at 505 Butler Place, scoring 346.8344 in a field of 35 teams. Shmack Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 346.8228. Category winners: Chicken — Miami Heat (174.2856); Pork Ribs — Hillbilly Deluxe (178.2972). This is the 2nd of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2022 edition was won by Stone Cold Grillers; 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.
298.15
median 321.67
346.83 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.29
- Pork Ribs 178.30
130.81
178.30
Entries
35
2 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
346.8344
Winning margin
0.0116
GC over RC
Field average
322.67
298.15346.83
median 321.67 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8800 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
327.9772
298.15346.83
10th place overall
Field spread
48.6860
winner to last place
Prize money
$600
on the line
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 66%
beats 34% of 616 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
54%
22 of 41 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Weak
ρ = -0.15 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,499
avg power rating going in · stronger than 1% 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.
An upset on the books
25-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 75 times in 100
Makdaddy BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, Shmack Q, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 25-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1500
- top seed 1688
A first Grand Championship
1
title in the data
This was Makdaddy BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data.
A rookie on the podium
1st
at their first tracked contest
Makdaddy BBQ finished 1st overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 4 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 2–3: Makdaddy BBQ edged SmoQued On Main St by 0.0116. Chicken places 4–5: De La 'Que edged Shmack Q by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 7–8: Two Blind Pigs edged Fu Man Q by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0116
- Chicken 4–5 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · 0.0116
- Chicken 3–4 · 0.0228
A contest record in chicken
174.2856
best chicken ever cooked here
Miami Heat turned in 174.2856 in chicken — past the 169.1772 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 169.1772
- across 1 past editions
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Park Ridge, IL | 100 Courtland Ave | 39 | 330.3888 | SimpleManBBQ |
| — | Park Ridge, IL | 100 Courtland Ave | 38 | 341.2000 | Sarsany BBQ |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 41 | 341.7028 | Stone Cold Grillers |
| Sep 16, 2023 ← this one | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 35 | 346.8344 | Makdaddy BBQ |
| Aug 24, 2024 | Park Ridge, IL | Park Ridge, IL 60068 | 36 | 354.3200 | Weez's Groovin' BBQ |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler | 38 | 353.7488 | Blended Smoke BBQ |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Park Ridge, IL | 505 Butler Place | 30 | 351.9884 | WICKEY-Q |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.2856 | 171.4056 | 168.0344 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 174.2972 | 170.8456 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
35 entries · top 346.8344 · median 321.6684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Makdaddy BBQ | |
| 2 | Shmack Q | |
| 3 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 4 | SmoQued On Main St | |
| 5 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 6 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 7 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 8 | Porklandia | |
| 9 | Fu Man Q | |
| 10 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 11 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 12 | Bori-BQ | |
| 13 | Que's Your Daddy | |
| 14 | Trip's Pit n Stick Bar-B-Que | |
| 15 | Pork Dorks | |
| 16 | Butt Rubbers | |
| 17 | Tricky Pig BBQ | |
| 18 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 19 | Yostin' & Smokin' | |
| 20 | Miami Heat | |
| 21 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 22 | Two Blind Pigs | |
| 23 | De La 'Que | |
| 24 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 25 | Seminary Smokers | |
| 26 | Big Smokers | |
| 27 | Pig Floyd | |
| 28 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast BBQ | |
| 29 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 30 | Pickles Posse | |
| 31 | Smoke Show | |
| 32 | Z & M Barbecue | |
| 33 | Broken Bones | |
| 34 | Uncle Mikes BBQ | |
| 35 | Pork-O-Blarney Bbq Team |
Chicken
35 entries · top 174.2856 · median 161.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami Heat | |
| 2 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 3 | Trip's Pit n Stick Bar-B-Que | |
| 4 | De La 'Que | |
| 5 | Shmack Q | |
| 6 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 7 | Makdaddy BBQ | |
| 8 | Porklandia | |
| 9 | Uncle Mikes BBQ | |
| 10 | Yostin' & Smokin' | |
| 11 | Butt Rubbers | |
| 12 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 13 | Que's Your Daddy | |
| 14 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 15 | Tricky Pig BBQ | |
| 16 | SmoQued On Main St | |
| 17 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 18 | Pork Dorks | |
| 19 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 20 | Pork-O-Blarney Bbq Team | |
| 21 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast BBQ | |
| 22 | Fu Man Q | |
| 23 | Smoke Show | |
| 24 | Bori-BQ | |
| 25 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 26 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 27 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 28 | Big Smokers | |
| 29 | Z & M Barbecue | |
| 30 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 31 | Seminary Smokers | |
| 32 | Pickles Posse | |
| 33 | Broken Bones | |
| 34 | Pig Floyd | |
| 35 | Two Blind Pigs |
Pork Ribs
35 entries · top 178.2972 · median 162.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 2 | Makdaddy BBQ | |
| 3 | SmoQued On Main St | |
| 4 | Shmack Q | |
| 5 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 6 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 7 | Two Blind Pigs | |
| 8 | Fu Man Q | |
| 9 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 10 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 11 | Bori-BQ | |
| 12 | Pig Floyd | |
| 13 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 14 | Porklandia | |
| 15 | Seminary Smokers | |
| 16 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 17 | Pork Dorks | |
| 18 | Big Smokers | |
| 19 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 20 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 21 | Que's Your Daddy | |
| 22 | Tricky Pig BBQ | |
| 23 | Pickles Posse | |
| 24 | Butt Rubbers | |
| 25 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast BBQ | |
| 26 | Trip's Pit n Stick Bar-B-Que | |
| 27 | Z & M Barbecue | |
| 28 | Yostin' & Smokin' | |
| 29 | Broken Bones | |
| 30 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 31 | Miami Heat | |
| 32 | De La 'Que | |
| 33 | Smoke Show | |
| 34 | Pork-O-Blarney Bbq Team | |
| 35 | Uncle Mikes 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 — Best Dish
30 entries · top 180 · median 167.1830 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast BBQ | |
| 2 | Pickles Posse | |
| 3 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 4 | Bori-BQ | |
| 5 | Uncle Mikes BBQ | |
| 6 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 7 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 8 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 9 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 10 | De La 'Que | |
| 11 | Pig Floyd | |
| 12 | Two Blind Pigs | |
| 13 | Mouth 2 Mouth | |
| 14 | Yostin' & Smokin' | |
| 15 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 16 | Trip's Pit n Stick Bar-B-Que | |
| 17 | Big Bad Wolves 2 | |
| 18 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 19 | Pork Dorks | |
| 20 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 21 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 22 | Smoke Show | |
| 23 | Que's Your Daddy | |
| 24 | Z & M Barbecue | |
| 25 | Makdaddy BBQ | |
| 26 | Miami Heat | |
| 27 | Big Smokers | |
| 28 | Fu Man Q | |
| 29 | Seminary Smokers | |
| 30 | Butt Rubbers |
Ancillary — Sauce
25 entries · top 172 · median 158.8112
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tricky Pig BBQ | |
| 2 | Big Bad Wolves | |
| 3 | Porklandia | |
| 4 | Pork Place BBQ Team | |
| 5 | Seminary Smokers | |
| 6 | The Bacon and Hockey Podcast BBQ | |
| 7 | Pig Floyd | |
| 8 | Big Smokers | |
| 9 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 10 | Que's Your Daddy | |
| 11 | Pork Ribs Fire Department BBQ | |
| 12 | P-Ridge Smoke | |
| 13 | South Pork BBQ | |
| 14 | Bori-BQ | |
| 15 | Shmack Q | |
| 16 | I'd Smoke That | |
| 17 | Overproofed BBQ Team | |
| 18 | Smoke Show | |
| 19 | De La 'Que | |
| 20 | Miami Heat | |
| 21 | Trip's Pit n Stick Bar-B-Que | |
| 22 | Broken Bones | |
| 23 | Pork Dorks | |
| 24 | Two Blind Pigs | |
| 25 | Yostin' & Smokin' |