Wild West BBQ Cook-Off
2026-04-24 – 2026-04-25 · Lamar, CO · 📍 Willow Creek Park · State championship
Reps: BRIAN MOORE, MICHAEL WINTER · Prize money: $10,000.00
Grand Champion: BrewsCue (686.1828) · 27 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Brinkerhoff BBQ
Entries
27
4 judged meats
Top score
686.1828
Winning margin
3.3828
GC over RC
Field average
642.58
median 659.33
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
668.4112
10th place overall
Field spread
237.2228
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,000.00
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 91%
beats 9% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
26%
of the 27 teams with a home region came from outside CO
Came back for more
63%
19 of 30 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.58 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1544
avg power rating going in · stronger than 49% of contests
Storylines
👑 A dynasty in the making
Gettin' Basted has won this contest 3 times across its 10 tracked editions.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
BrewsCue took the Grand Championship home to KS.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 3–4: Q LIVE CREW and SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: Bull-B-Que and BrewsCue tied on 173.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Frank's BBQ Trading Post and HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-13 | Willow Creek Park | 33 | 692.5488 | CLARK CREW BBQ | BACKDRAFT BBQ | |
| 2017-05-12 | Willow Creek Park | 31 | 703.4400 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | CLARK CREW BBQ | |
| 2018-05-11 | Willow Creek Park | 26 | 680.5372 | BACKDRAFT BBQ | BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 2019-05-10 | Lamar, CO | Willow Creek Park | 28 | 691.4056 | Bushmaster BBQ | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS |
| 2021-05-07 | Lamar, CO | Willow Creek Park | 35 | 683.9428 | Gettin' Basted | BIG DADDY'S BACKYARD BBQ |
| 2022-05-06 | Lamar, CO | Willow Creek Park | 33 | 695.9772 | Rise N Swine | CLARK CREW BBQ |
| 2023-05-12 | Lamar, CO | Willow Creek Park | 30 | 702.8456 | Bushmaster BBQ | GETTIN' BASTED |
| 2024-05-10 | Lamar, CO | Willow Creek Park | 29 | 703.3828 | Gettin' Basted | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ |
| 2025-04-25 | Lamar, CO | Willow Creek Park | 30 | 691.9200 | Gettin' Basted | TEXAS SMOKE WHISPERER |
| 2026-04-24 ← this one | Lamar, CO | Willow Creek Park | 27 | 686.1828 | BrewsCue | Brinkerhoff BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.2628 | 173.1084 | 170.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.7028 | 170.2628 | 165.1316 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 174.2628 | 167.3944 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 169.7144 | 167.3712 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
27 entries · top 686.1828 · median 659.3260
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BrewsCue | |
| 2 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 3 | Bull-B-Que | |
| 4 | WYO SMOKE SHOW | |
| 5 | PETIE'S SMOKIN PITS BBQ | |
| 6 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 7 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 8 | Monarchbbq | |
| 9 | Smoked & Furious | |
| 10 | Chucho Q | |
| 11 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 13 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 14 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 15 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 16 | At Ease | |
| 17 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 18 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 19 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 20 | Diamond smoke shack | |
| 21 | 7K BBQ Co | |
| 22 | Great Shepherd BBQ | |
| 23 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 24 | CAMP RUN AMUK BBQ | |
| 25 | Jimmy L s | |
| 26 | Q LIVE CREW | |
| 27 | Karnivorous |
Chicken
26 entries · top 174.2628 · median 167.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WYO SMOKE SHOW | |
| 2 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 3 | Q LIVE CREW | |
| 4 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 5 | Bull-B-Que | |
| 6 | BrewsCue | |
| 7 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 8 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 9 | PETIE'S SMOKIN PITS BBQ | |
| 10 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 11 | Monarchbbq | |
| 12 | Great Shepherd BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 14 | Chucho Q | |
| 15 | 7K BBQ Co | |
| 16 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 17 | Diamond smoke shack | |
| 18 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 19 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 20 | Smoked & Furious | |
| 21 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 22 | Jimmy L s | |
| 23 | CAMP RUN AMUK BBQ | |
| 24 | At Ease | |
| 25 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 26 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ |
Pork Ribs
27 entries · top 173.7028 · median 163.9428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 2 | Bull-B-Que | |
| 3 | Smoked & Furious | |
| 4 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 5 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 6 | WYO SMOKE SHOW | |
| 7 | Monarchbbq | |
| 8 | Chucho Q | |
| 9 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 10 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 11 | Diamond smoke shack | |
| 12 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 13 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 14 | At Ease | |
| 15 | PETIE'S SMOKIN PITS BBQ | |
| 16 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 17 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 18 | BrewsCue | |
| 19 | 7K BBQ Co | |
| 20 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 21 | Q LIVE CREW | |
| 22 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 23 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 24 | CAMP RUN AMUK BBQ | |
| 25 | Karnivorous | |
| 26 | Great Shepherd BBQ | |
| 27 | Jimmy L s |
Pork
27 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.2400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chucho Q | |
| 2 | Q LIVE CREW | |
| 3 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 4 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 5 | At Ease | |
| 6 | BrewsCue | |
| 7 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 8 | Smoked & Furious | |
| 9 | PETIE'S SMOKIN PITS BBQ | |
| 10 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 11 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 12 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 13 | Monarchbbq | |
| 14 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 15 | 7K BBQ Co | |
| 16 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 17 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 18 | WYO SMOKE SHOW | |
| 19 | Diamond smoke shack | |
| 20 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 21 | Bull-B-Que | |
| 22 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 23 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 24 | Great Shepherd BBQ | |
| 25 | Jimmy L s | |
| 26 | Karnivorous | |
| 27 | CAMP RUN AMUK BBQ |
Brisket
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 163.6628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BrewsCue | |
| 2 | Hooligans Barbecue | |
| 3 | PETIE'S SMOKIN PITS BBQ | |
| 4 | BRACKEN RACKS BBQ | |
| 5 | Bull-B-Que | |
| 6 | Smoked & Furious | |
| 7 | Brinkerhoff BBQ | |
| 8 | HIGH DESERT HOLY SMOKE BBQ | |
| 9 | POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | |
| 10 | WYO SMOKE SHOW | |
| 11 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | |
| 12 | Monarchbbq | |
| 13 | PAPA'S PIT CREW | |
| 14 | At Ease | |
| 15 | ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | |
| 16 | Great Shepherd BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | |
| 18 | Chucho Q | |
| 19 | SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | |
| 20 | Frank's BBQ Trading Post | |
| 21 | Diamond smoke shack | |
| 22 | Jimmy L s | |
| 23 | Karnivorous | |
| 24 | CAMP RUN AMUK BBQ | |
| 25 | Ribbed For Your Pleasure | |
| 26 | 7K BBQ Co |