May 9–10, 2025 · Westland, MI · 📍 Bova VFW 9885 · State championship
Reps: Kent Schuetz, Rachel Schuetz · Prize money: $6,100
iBQ'n won Grand Champion at the Smoke in the Mitten on May 9, 2025 in Westland, MI at Bova VFW 9885, scoring 700.5256 in a field of 26 teams. TIRE SMOKE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.0396. Category winners: Chicken — Sailor Nicks BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Q-JITSU (177.7028); Pork — iBQ'n (177.7372); Brisket — Shiggin aint easy (178.8572). This is the 1st of 4 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2025.
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.
What it has taken to win here, 2025 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Chicken places 1–2: Sailor Nicks BBQ and iBQ'n tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: TIRE SMOKE BBQ and BooyaQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: Sailor Nicks BBQ and THE BBQ BUS tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
iBQ'n took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 16th.
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2025 ← this one | Westland, MI | Bova VFW 9885 | 26 | 700.5256 | iBQ'n | TIRE SMOKE BBQ |
| May 9, 2025 | Westland, MI | Bova VFW 9885 | 21 | 180 | Full Belly BBQ | — |
| May 1, 2026 | Westland, MI | Bova VFW 9885 | 34 | 697.0740 | Shiggin Aint Easy | WE WILL ROCK QUE |
| May 1, 2026 | Westland, MI | Bova VFW 9885 | 24 | 177.7144 | BO-B-Q | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 177.7028 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 174.2628 | 169.6916 |
| Pork | 177.7372 | 174.8456 | 170.8228 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 173.1428 | 171.9656 |
26 entries · top 700.5256 · median 678.1712
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | iBQ'n | |
| 2 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 3 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 4 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 5 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 6 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 7 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 8 | BooyaQ | |
| 9 | Backdraft BBQ | |
| 10 | M R BBQ | |
| 11 | Buckeye Flavor | |
| 12 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 13 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 14 | Q-JITSU | |
| 15 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 16 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 17 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 18 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 19 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 20 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 21 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 22 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 23 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 24 | SUCKA BONE BBQ TEAM | |
| 25 | Drum Smoke BBQ | |
| 26 | On The Brink Barbecue |
26 entries · top 180 · median 170.5428 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 2 | iBQ'n | |
| 3 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 4 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 5 | BooyaQ | |
| 6 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 7 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 8 | M R BBQ | |
| 9 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 10 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 11 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 12 | Backdraft BBQ | |
| 13 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 14 | Buckeye Flavor | |
| 15 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 16 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 17 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 18 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 19 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 20 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 21 | Q-JITSU | |
| 22 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 23 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 24 | On The Brink Barbecue | |
| 25 | SUCKA BONE BBQ TEAM | |
| 26 | Drum Smoke BBQ |
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q-JITSU | |
| 2 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 3 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 4 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 5 | iBQ'n | |
| 6 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 7 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 8 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 9 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 10 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 12 | M R BBQ | |
| 13 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 14 | Backdraft BBQ | |
| 15 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 16 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 17 | Buckeye Flavor | |
| 18 | BooyaQ | |
| 19 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 20 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 21 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 22 | SUCKA BONE BBQ TEAM | |
| 23 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 24 | Drum Smoke BBQ | |
| 25 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 26 | On The Brink Barbecue |
26 entries · top 177.7372 · median 169.6914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | iBQ'n | |
| 2 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 3 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 4 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 5 | M R BBQ | |
| 6 | Buckeye Flavor | |
| 7 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 8 | Backdraft BBQ | |
| 9 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 10 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 11 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 12 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 13 | BooyaQ | |
| 14 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 15 | SUCKA BONE BBQ TEAM | |
| 16 | Q-JITSU | |
| 17 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 18 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 19 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 20 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 21 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 22 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 23 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 24 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 25 | Drum Smoke BBQ | |
| 26 | On The Brink Barbecue |
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.4000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 2 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 3 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 4 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 5 | Backdraft BBQ | |
| 6 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 7 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 8 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 9 | BooyaQ | |
| 10 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 11 | Buckeye Flavor | |
| 12 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 13 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 14 | Sky High BBQ | |
| 15 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 16 | iBQ'n | |
| 17 | Q-JITSU | |
| 18 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 19 | Drum Smoke BBQ | |
| 20 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | |
| 21 | M R BBQ | |
| 22 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 23 | MEAN MOE'S BBQ | |
| 24 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 25 | SUCKA BONE BBQ TEAM | |
| 26 | On The Brink Barbecue |
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.
7 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.1428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 2 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 3 | Buckeye Flavor | |
| 4 | Feathered Fire | |
| 5 | SUCKA BONE BBQ TEAM | |
| 6 | On The Brink Barbecue | |
| 7 | iBQ'n |