Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
SLAPS BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 12th
- Brisket 3rd
Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 2026
Apr 24–25, 2026 · Sugar Creek, MO · 📍 11520 Putnam · State championship
Reps: Bunny Tuttle, Rich Tuttle · Prize money: $7,740
SLAPS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest on April 24, 2026 in Sugar Creek, MO at 11520 Putnam, scoring 699.9772 in a field of 28 teams. Squealin N Dealin BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.0628. Category winners: Chicken — Barking Dog BBQ (177.7144); Pork Ribs — BALD BEAUTIES BBQ (178.2972); Pork — OnlyCans Competition BBQ (176.5600); Brisket — Stewey Magoos BBQ (177.1544). This is the 6th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by FINGER LEIKAM GOOD.
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.
509.07
median 679.31
699.98 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.71
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 176.56
- Brisket 177.15
143.35
178.30
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2019 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
28
4 judged meats
Top score
699.9772
Winning margin
6.9144
GC over RC
Field average
670.20
509.07699.98
median 679.31 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
2.2628 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
686.8000
509.07699.98
10th place overall
Field spread
190.9032
winner to last place
Prize money
$7,740
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 33%
beats 67% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
40%
16 of 40 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.87 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,621
avg power rating going in · stronger than 88% of contests
Storylines (3 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: Stewey Magoos BBQ and B 3 BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: B 3 BBQ and BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: PARROTHEAD SMOKERS and UNFAMOUS DAVE'S tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Wabash BBQ (won 2024), FINGER LEIKAM GOOD (won 2025).
- Wabash BBQ · 2024
- FINGER LEIKAM GOOD · 2025
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 26, 2019 | Sugar Creek, MO | 11520 Putman | 42 | 696.5028 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | SLAPS BBQ |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Sugar Creek, MO | 11520 Putnam | 27 | 699.9544 | HEAVY SMOKE BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
| Apr 22, 2022 | Sugar Creek, MO | 11520 Putnam | 35 | 703.3828 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | AMERICAN FIRE BBQ |
| Apr 22, 2022 | Sugar Creek, MO | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 26, 2024 | Sugar Creek, MO | 11520 Putnam | 44 | 703.9544 | Wabash BBQ | Mulkey's BBQ |
| Apr 25, 2025 | Sugar Creek, MO | 11520 Putnam | 40 | 703.3828 | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS |
| Apr 24, 2026 ← this one | Sugar Creek, MO | 11520 Putnam | 28 | 699.9772 | SLAPS BBQ | Squealin N Dealin BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 171.9888 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 174.2628 | 171.9772 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 174.2972 | 173.1544 |
| Brisket | 177.1544 | 174.8456 | 172.5484 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 699.9772 · median 679.3144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 2 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ | |
| 3 | WOOD HOOK BBQ | |
| 4 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 5 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 6 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 7 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 8 | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | |
| 9 | Barking Dog BBQ | |
| 10 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 11 | B 3 BBQ | |
| 12 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 13 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 14 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | |
| 15 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 16 | OnlyCans Competition BBQ | |
| 17 | STL-High on the Hog | |
| 18 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 19 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 20 | BALD BEAUTIES BBQ | |
| 21 | HevyQue BBQ | |
| 22 | Smoke 'n Magic | |
| 23 | SOFA KING SWEET BBQ | |
| 24 | PANCHO, CISCO, THE KID & CO | |
| 25 | DOUBLE DUN RANCH BBQ | |
| 26 | HI-TECH SMOKERS | |
| 27 | PORK QUE | |
| 28 | Drumline BBQ |
Chicken
28 entries · top 177.7144 · median 170.2686
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barking Dog BBQ | |
| 2 | Drumline BBQ | |
| 3 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 4 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 5 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 6 | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | |
| 7 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 8 | B 3 BBQ | |
| 9 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | |
| 10 | HevyQue BBQ | |
| 11 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ | |
| 12 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 13 | STL-High on the Hog | |
| 14 | DOUBLE DUN RANCH BBQ | |
| 15 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 16 | WOOD HOOK BBQ | |
| 17 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 18 | OnlyCans Competition BBQ | |
| 19 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 20 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 21 | SOFA KING SWEET BBQ | |
| 22 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 23 | PANCHO, CISCO, THE KID & CO | |
| 24 | BALD BEAUTIES BBQ | |
| 25 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 26 | Smoke 'n Magic | |
| 27 | HI-TECH SMOKERS | |
| 28 | PORK QUE |
Pork Ribs
27 entries · top 178.2972 · median 170.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BALD BEAUTIES BBQ | |
| 2 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 3 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 4 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 5 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 6 | B 3 BBQ | |
| 7 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ | |
| 8 | WOOD HOOK BBQ | |
| 9 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 10 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 11 | Barking Dog BBQ | |
| 12 | STL-High on the Hog | |
| 13 | OnlyCans Competition BBQ | |
| 14 | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | |
| 15 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 16 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | |
| 17 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 18 | DOUBLE DUN RANCH BBQ | |
| 19 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 20 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 21 | Smoke 'n Magic | |
| 22 | PANCHO, CISCO, THE KID & CO | |
| 23 | HevyQue BBQ | |
| 24 | SOFA KING SWEET BBQ | |
| 25 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 26 | PORK QUE | |
| 27 | HI-TECH SMOKERS |
Pork
28 entries · top 176.5600 · median 171.6914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OnlyCans Competition BBQ | |
| 2 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 3 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 4 | HevyQue BBQ | |
| 5 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 6 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 7 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ | |
| 8 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 9 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 10 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 11 | WOOD HOOK BBQ | |
| 12 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 13 | Barking Dog BBQ | |
| 14 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 15 | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | |
| 16 | B 3 BBQ | |
| 17 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | |
| 18 | PANCHO, CISCO, THE KID & CO | |
| 19 | Smoke 'n Magic | |
| 20 | STL-High on the Hog | |
| 21 | Drumline BBQ | |
| 22 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 23 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 24 | SOFA KING SWEET BBQ | |
| 25 | HI-TECH SMOKERS | |
| 26 | BALD BEAUTIES BBQ | |
| 27 | DOUBLE DUN RANCH BBQ | |
| 28 | PORK QUE |
Brisket
28 entries · top 177.1544 · median 168.2570
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 2 | WOOD HOOK BBQ | |
| 3 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 4 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | |
| 5 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ | |
| 6 | FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | |
| 7 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 8 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 9 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 10 | MAN MEAT BBQ | |
| 11 | Smoke 'n Magic | |
| 12 | STL-High on the Hog | |
| 13 | B 3 BBQ | |
| 14 | Go Pig or Go Home | |
| 15 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 16 | BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | |
| 17 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 18 | UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | |
| 19 | Drumline BBQ | |
| 20 | Barking Dog BBQ | |
| 21 | BALD BEAUTIES BBQ | |
| 22 | SOFA KING SWEET BBQ | |
| 23 | OnlyCans Competition BBQ | |
| 24 | HI-TECH SMOKERS | |
| 25 | HevyQue BBQ | |
| 26 | DOUBLE DUN RANCH BBQ | |
| 27 | PANCHO, CISCO, THE KID & CO | |
| 28 | PORK QUE |