Smoke in the Mitten
2026-05-01 – 2026-05-02 · Westland, MI · 📍 Bova VFW 9885 · State championship
Reps: BECKY DRUETZLER, DAVE DRUETZLER · Prize money: $7,300.00
Grand Champion: Shiggin Aint Easy (697.0740) · 34 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 WE WILL ROCK QUE
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Shiggin aint easy took the Grand Championship home to IN.
🧹 A double category winner
Shiggin aint easy won Pork, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
📸 Photo finishes
Pork Ribs places 4–5: M R BBQ and Cotton BBQ tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: Thin Blue BBQ edged KEVLAR BBQ by 0.0112. Pork places 4–5: Team Cookie edged THUNDER HOG BBQ by 0.0112.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: iBQ'n (won 2025).
🃏 An upset on the books
Shiggin aint easy came in rated below the field's top team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-09 | Westland, MI | Bova VFW 9885 | 26 | 700.5256 | iBQ'n | TIRE SMOKE BBQ |
| 2025-05-09 | Westland, MI | Bova VFW 9885 | 21 | 180.0000 | Full Belly BBQ | — |
| 2026-05-01 ← this one | Westland, MI | Bova VFW 9885 | 34 | 697.0740 | Shiggin Aint Easy | WE WILL ROCK QUE |
| 2026-05-01 | Westland, MI | Bova VFW 9885 | 24 | 177.7144 | BO-B-Q | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 173.1200 | 171.4056 |
| Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 174.8572 | 173.1084 |
| Pork | 176.0000 | 172.5716 | 170.8228 |
| Brisket | 177.1428 | 172.5828 | 170.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
34 entries · top 697.0740 · median 673.0626
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 2 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 3 | Team Cookie | |
| 4 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 5 | Take It Easy BBQ | |
| 6 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 7 | BooyaQ | |
| 8 | iBQ'n | |
| 9 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 10 | DB BBQ | |
| 11 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 12 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 13 | M R BBQ | |
| 14 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 15 | A&R Barbeque | |
| 16 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 17 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 18 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 19 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 20 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 21 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 22 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 23 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 24 | Feathered Fire | |
| 25 | Q-JITSU | |
| 26 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 27 | Smokin In The D | |
| 28 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 29 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 30 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 31 | Smoke Wagon BBQ KY | |
| 32 | Overcurrent BBQ | |
| 33 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 34 | Drum Smoke BBQ |
Chicken
34 entries · top 180.0000 · median 168.8456 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Cookie | |
| 2 | Take It Easy BBQ | |
| 3 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 4 | Feathered Fire | |
| 5 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 6 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 7 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 8 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 9 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 10 | BooyaQ | |
| 11 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 12 | iBQ'n | |
| 13 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 14 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 15 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 16 | A&R Barbeque | |
| 17 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 18 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 19 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 20 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 21 | Q-JITSU | |
| 22 | DB BBQ | |
| 23 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 24 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 25 | Overcurrent BBQ | |
| 26 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 27 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 28 | Smokin In The D | |
| 29 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 30 | M R BBQ | |
| 31 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 32 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 33 | Smoke Wagon BBQ KY | |
| 34 | Drum Smoke BBQ |
Pork Ribs
34 entries · top 180.0000 · median 168.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 2 | A&R Barbeque | |
| 3 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 4 | M R BBQ | |
| 5 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 6 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 7 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 8 | Team Cookie | |
| 9 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 10 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 11 | DB BBQ | |
| 12 | Smokin In The D | |
| 13 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 14 | Take It Easy BBQ | |
| 15 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 16 | iBQ'n | |
| 17 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 18 | BooyaQ | |
| 19 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 20 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 21 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 22 | Feathered Fire | |
| 23 | Smoke Wagon BBQ KY | |
| 24 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 25 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 26 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 27 | Q-JITSU | |
| 28 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 29 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 30 | Overcurrent BBQ | |
| 31 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 32 | Drum Smoke BBQ | |
| 33 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 34 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ |
Pork
34 entries · top 176.0000 · median 166.8456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 2 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 3 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 4 | Team Cookie | |
| 5 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 6 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 7 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 8 | BooyaQ | |
| 9 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 10 | DB BBQ | |
| 11 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 12 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 13 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 14 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 15 | iBQ'n | |
| 16 | M R BBQ | |
| 17 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 18 | Q-JITSU | |
| 19 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 20 | A&R Barbeque | |
| 21 | Take It Easy BBQ | |
| 22 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 23 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 24 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 25 | Smokin In The D | |
| 26 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 27 | Drum Smoke BBQ | |
| 28 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 29 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 30 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 31 | Smoke Wagon BBQ KY | |
| 32 | Overcurrent BBQ | |
| 33 | Feathered Fire | |
| 34 | BO B Q BBQ |
Brisket
34 entries · top 177.1428 · median 166.2572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 2 | WE WILL ROCK QUE | |
| 3 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 4 | M R BBQ | |
| 5 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 6 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 7 | iBQ'n | |
| 8 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 9 | THUNDER HOG BBQ | |
| 10 | Sailor Nicks BBQ | |
| 11 | BooyaQ | |
| 12 | BBQ Maestros | |
| 13 | DB BBQ | |
| 14 | Take It Easy BBQ | |
| 15 | B&R SMOKE | |
| 16 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 17 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 18 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 19 | Smoke Wagon BBQ KY | |
| 20 | Bleacher Bums BBQ | |
| 21 | Drum Smoke BBQ | |
| 22 | Q-JITSU | |
| 23 | A&R Barbeque | |
| 24 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 25 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 26 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 27 | Team Cookie | |
| 28 | Feathered Fire | |
| 29 | Overcurrent BBQ | |
| 30 | BIG GUYS Q | |
| 31 | Smokin In The D | |
| 32 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 33 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 34 | PapaDads BBQ |
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 — Dessert
11 entries · top 180.0000 · median 176.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 2 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 3 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 4 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 5 | Thin Blue BBQ | |
| 6 | Smokin' Bugatti BBQ | |
| 7 | Smoke Wagon BBQ KY | |
| 8 | Overcurrent BBQ | |
| 9 | DAT'S BBQ | |
| 10 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 11 | Team Cookie |