A new contest record
706.8228
highest overall ever cooked here
706.8228 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 705.1088 Mad Mutt's BBQ set in 2024.
- old record 705.1088
- set 2024 by Mad Mutt's BBQ
Shawnee Great Grillers 2025
Sep 26–27, 2025 · Shawnee, KS · 📍 11501 W. 57th St · State championship
Reps: Dave Rogers, Forrest Bruce, Larry Hadley, Peg Rogers · Prize money: $6,350
LOVE 2 Q won Grand Champion at the Shawnee Great Grillers on September 26, 2025 in Shawnee, KS at 11501 W. 57th St, scoring 706.8228 in a field of 67 teams. BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 703.9656. Category winners: Chicken — BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE (179.4400); Pork Ribs — LOVE 2 Q (178.8572); Pork — KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON (180.0000); Brisket — Big Fork BBQ (178.2972). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Mad Mutt's BBQ; 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.
598.03
median 661.04
706.82 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 178.30
141.06
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2023 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
67
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
706.8228
Winning margin
2.8572
GC over RC
Field average
663.07
598.03706.82
median 661.04 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
1.7028 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
696.4912
598.03706.82
10th place overall
Field spread
108.7888
winner to last place
Prize money
$6,350
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 9%
beats 91% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
70%
51 of 73 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.59 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,540
avg power rating going in · stronger than 29% of contests
Storylines (9 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
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON · Pork
- BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE · Pork
- Pine Tar BBQ · Pork
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 19 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: Squealin N Dealin BBQ and LOVE 2 Q tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: This is Nice and Power I BBQ tied on 177.7372 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: Power I BBQ and MAD MUTT'S BBQ tied on 177.7372 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
LOVE 2 Q took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 14th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 14th
A contest record in pork ribs
178.8572
best pork ribs ever cooked here
LOVE 2 Q turned in 178.8572 in pork ribs — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Slaps BBQ (won 2023), Mad Mutt's BBQ (won 2024).
- Slaps BBQ · 2023
- Mad Mutt's BBQ · 2024
One of the big ones
67
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 94% of the 5,462 contests in the data
67 teams — bigger than 94% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
They keep coming back
70%
of last edition’s field returned
51 of 73 teams from 2024-09-27 came back
51 of the 73 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2023 | Shawnee, KS | 11501 W. 57th St | 73 | 703.9544 | Slaps BBQ | Fergolicious BBQ |
| Sep 27, 2024 | Shawnee, KS | 11501 W. 57th St | 73 | 705.1088 | Mad Mutt's BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
| Sep 26, 2025 ← this one | Shawnee, KS | 11501 W. 57th St | 67 | 706.8228 | LOVE 2 Q | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE |
| Sep 25, 2026 | Shawnee, KS | 11501 W. 57th St | 65 | 712 | Dr. Squealgood BBQ | Brew 'N' Bar-B-Que |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 177.7372 | 176.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 175.4172 |
| Pork | 180 | 177.7028 | 175.4172 |
| Brisket | 178.2972 | 175.4172 | 174.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
67 entries · top 706.8228 · median 661.0404
Chicken
67 entries · top 179.4400 · median 167.3828
Pork Ribs
67 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2400
Pork
67 entries · top 180 · median 166.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
67 entries · top 178.2972 · median 165.0972
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
41 entries · top 176.5944 · median 168.5600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pine Tar BBQ | |
| 2 | FOMSB | |
| 3 | Kingdom Smoke | |
| 4 | This is Nice | |
| 5 | Bubbas Pigalicious | |
| 6 | Barking Dog BBQ | |
| 7 | IHC BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKE ON WHEELS | |
| 9 | K C RIB DOCTOR | |
| 10 | Last Years Left Overs | |
| 11 | Grilligans Island | |
| 12 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 13 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | |
| 14 | YARDHOGS BBQ | |
| 15 | Smoking Haydocks | |
| 16 | HAWG HEAVEN BBQ | |
| 17 | Minage a Hog | |
| 18 | ROADKILL BBQ | |
| 19 | Why Not Smoke | |
| 20 | Smokeritaville | |
| 21 | Shell Rock Smokers | |
| 22 | Bourbon Barrel Smokers | |
| 23 | T'S SMOKIN PIT | |
| 24 | Big Fork BBQ | |
| 25 | No Butts About It | |
| 26 | Naked Wings | |
| 27 | ALMOST FLAMOUS BARBEQUE | |
| 28 | SMF | |
| 29 | Ribs for Her Pleasure | |
| 30 | Ultimate Flippin Grillers | |
| 31 | Smokers Anonymous | |
| 32 | Porkatory | |
| 33 | HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | |
| 34 | Smokin' Beaver BBQ | |
| 35 | Whisky Pit | |
| 36 | BALD BEAUTIES BBQ | |
| 37 | Velvet Swine | |
| 38 | Legendary BBQ | |
| 39 | SMOKING JOE'S BARBERQ | |
| 40 | Evening Wood | |
| 41 | Broken Bottle BBQ |