A new contest record
708.6060
highest overall ever cooked here
708.6060 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 707.9772 Janky Leg BBQ set in 2023.
- old record 707.9772
- set 2023 by Janky Leg BBQ
Smoke in the Spring 2025
Apr 11–12, 2025 · Osage City, KS · 📍 517 South 1st Street · State championship
Reps: Carolyn Wells, Dave Rogers, Forrest Bruce, Larry Hadley, Larry Voth, Lynda Voth, Peg Rogers · Prize money: $22,650
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Spring on April 11, 2025 in Osage City, KS at 517 South 1st Street, scoring 708.6060 in a field of 92 teams. Cow Creek BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 705.0972. Category winners: Chicken — Damn Fine Beef & Swine (180.0000); Pork Ribs — ROCK N BLUES BBQ (180.0000); Pork — Smokey Bey's Barbecue (180.0000); Brisket — Aww Shucks BBQ (178.8800). The Other standings were won by Jacob Miller with 177.7372. This is the 13th of 14 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Burnt Trees; 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.
462.75
median 681.61
708.61 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 178.88
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
92
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
708.6060
Winning margin
3.5088
GC over RC
Field average
673.22
462.75708.61
median 681.61 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
5 🔥
Tightest race
Pork
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
698.2172
462.75708.61
10th place overall
Field spread
245.8516
winner to last place
Prize money
$22,650
on the line
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 5%
beats 95% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
60%
58 of 97 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.37 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,601
avg power rating going in · stronger than 78% of contests
Storylines (8 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
22-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 78 times in 100
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN came in rated below the field's top team, TRIPLE H BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 22-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1713
- top seed 1931
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 6th. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 16th
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 6th
A day of perfect scores
5
perfect 180s
5 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Damn Fine Beef & Swine · Chicken
- BYO GRILL · Chicken
- Smokey Bey's Barbecue · Pork
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 14 tracked editions
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 14 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 21 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: Damn Fine Beef & Swine and BYO GRILL tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ and RUB MY RACK tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: PARTS 'R' SMOKIN and O.G. BANDITS tied on 177.7144 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (won 2014, 2015).
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ · 2014, 2015
One of the big ones
92
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 98% of the 5,462 contests in the data
92 teams — bigger than 98% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
This contest's own records (3 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 2013 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS | 71 | 685.7142 | GRILLIN' BEAVERS | PELLET ENVY |
| Apr 11, 2014 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS 66523 | 73 | 689.6916 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | CHICKHOOVENSWINE BBQ |
| Apr 10, 2015 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS 66523 | 97 | 698.2516 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | SMOKE N BABES BBQ |
| Apr 8, 2016 | Osage City, KS | Osage City, KS | 109 | 700.5144 | CLARK CREW BBQ | LUCKY'S Q |
| Apr 7, 2017 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st St (Jones Park) | 100 | 700.0116 | CLARK CREW BBQ | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Apr 6, 2018 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st St (Jones Park) | 103 | 699.3712 | HOGLINE | 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
| Oct 30, 2020 | Osage City, KS | Jones Park (in Osage City) | 93 | 706.2744 | Tebo Creek BBQ | TRIPLE H BBQ |
| Apr 9, 2021 | Osage City, KS | Jones Park (in Osage City) | 105 | 703.4400 | Piggin Whiskey O.G. | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 94 | 700.0228 | Last Call Heroes BBQ | HIGH i QUE |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 103 | 707.9772 | Janky Leg BBQ | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 97 | 706.2628 | Burnt Trees | Damn Fine Beef & Swine |
| Apr 11, 2025 ← this one | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 92 | 708.6060 | Parts 'R' Smokin | Cow Creek BBQ |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Osage City, KS | 517 South 1st Street | 101 | 709.7028 | Blind Fox BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 178.2972 | 177.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 178.2972 | 176.5600 |
| Pork | 180 | 178.8572 | 177.7028 |
| Brisket | 178.8800 | 177.7028 | 175.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
92 entries · top 708.6060 · median 681.6056
Chicken
92 entries · top 180 · median 171.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
92 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
92 entries · top 180 · median 170.2514 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
91 entries · top 178.8800 · median 169.6684
Other
Overall
15 entries · top 177.7372 · median 173.7028 · out of 180, not the usual 720
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Miller | |
| 2 | Colt Heyen | |
| 3 | Rayanne Fischer | |
| 4 | Landon Mercer | |
| 5 | Brooklyn Lanie | |
| 6 | Madlahn Mercer | |
| 7 | Cooper Mercer | |
| 8 | Aiden Dreier | |
| 9 | Cohen Menke | |
| 10 | Addy Spring | |
| 11 | Reagan Stoffer | |
| 12 | Hunter Dedic | |
| 13 | Anderson Watts | |
| 14 | Bentlie Masters | |
| 15 | Zara Douglas |
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.
Other — Kids Que Junior
5 entries · top 177.1544 · median 175.4628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colt Heyen | |
| 2 | Rayanne Fischer | |
| 3 | Landon Mercer | |
| 4 | Bentlie Masters | |
| 5 | Zara Douglas |
Other — Kids Que Youth
10 entries · top 177.7372 · median 173.4342
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Miller | |
| 2 | Brooklyn Lanie | |
| 3 | Madlahn Mercer | |
| 4 | Cooper Mercer | |
| 5 | Aiden Dreier | |
| 6 | Cohen Menke | |
| 7 | Addy Spring | |
| 8 | Reagan Stoffer | |
| 9 | Hunter Dedic | |
| 10 | Anderson Watts |
Ancillary — Turkey Smoke
48 entries · top 180 · median 169.3942 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine | |
| 2 | BYO GRILL | |
| 3 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 4 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | |
| 5 | KC MEAT SWEATS | |
| 6 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 7 | Cow Creek BBQ | |
| 8 | PARTS 'R' SMOKIN | |
| 9 | WELL SAUCED BBQ | |
| 10 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | |
| 11 | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 12 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 13 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ | |
| 14 | Blaz'n Weazel BBQ | |
| 15 | Sons Of A Brisket | |
| 16 | Take It Easy BBQ | |
| 17 | ROCK N BLUES BBQ | |
| 18 | Bourbon Bent BBQ | |
| 19 | Who's Cookin' | |
| 20 | O.G. BANDITS | |
| 21 | Smokey Bey's Barbecue | |
| 22 | Ambition Que | |
| 23 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | |
| 24 | M2 Smokin' Q | |
| 25 | Smoke Sergeant BBQ | |
| 26 | SMOKIN ELVISES | |
| 27 | Cities Edge BBQ | |
| 28 | Smokin' Beaver BBQ | |
| 29 | Pine Tar BBQ | |
| 30 | MadChad's BBQ | |
| 31 | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | |
| 32 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 33 | ShowMeMoSmoke | |
| 34 | Shark Q | |
| 35 | IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ | |
| 36 | Barking Dog BBQ | |
| 37 | Aww Shucks BBQ | |
| 38 | Mercer BBQ | |
| 39 | Split Borders BBQ | |
| 40 | TORNADO BBQ | |
| 41 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 42 | Low Eye Que | |
| 43 | JDQ BBQ | |
| 44 | Smoke Me Tender BBQ | |
| 45 | Aggravation BBQ | |
| 46 | Big Fig BBQ | |
| 47 | B 3 BBQ | |
| 48 | Crooked Que BBQ |