Jun 26–28, 2026 · Washington, DC · 📍 Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW · State championship
Reps: Alex Jr Brown, Bill Jones · Prize money: $19,400
Titans of BBQ won Grand Champion at the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle on June 26, 2026 in Washington, DC at Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW, scoring 703.3828 in a field of 31 teams. SWEET BELLY'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.1200. Category winners: Chicken — Titans of BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Top Gun Barbecue (180.0000); Pork — ELJEFE SMOKE (180.0000); Brisket — Titans of BBQ (180.0000). This is the 11th of 14 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Smokecraft - MD; the next was held in 2026.
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, 2016 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.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 94 times in 100
Titans of BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 6-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
This was Titans of BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 31st tracked contest.
5 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
2 of 12 tracked editions
APORKALYPSE NOW has won this contest 2 times across its 12 tracked editions.
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 2.8688 points.
Stronger than 92% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1636 power rating going in — stronger than 92% of every contest tracked.
Chicken places 1–2: Titans of BBQ and BLUE EYED BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: ALL FIRED UP BBQ and WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ and SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Titans of BBQ won Chicken, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
Titans of BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 25th.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Mispillion Meat Works (won 2023), Good Googly Goo BBQ (won 2024), 3 Eyz BBQ (won 2025), Smokecraft - MD (won 2025).
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 2016 | Washington, DC | Pennsylvania Ave | 35 | 690.2400 | APORKALYPSE NOW | BULL RUSH BBQ |
| Jun 24, 2017 | Washington, DC | Pennsylvania Ave NW | 33 | 708.5372 | APORKALYPSE NOW | ALQUEMY - VA |
| Jun 23, 2018 | Washington, DC | Pennsylvania Ave NW | 42 | 704.5944 | SERIAL GRILLER | COOL SMOKE |
| Jun 25, 2022 | Washington, DC | Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW | 32 | 706.8228 | CHUNKY BBQ | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 24, 2023 | Washington, DC | Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW | 29 | 702.2400 | Mispillion Meat Works | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT |
| Jun 24, 2023 | Washington, DC | Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW | 26 | 177.1428 | OPTIMUS SWINE | — |
| Jun 24, 2023 | Washington, DC | Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW | 27 | 177.7372 | UNCLE PIG'S BARBEQUE PIT | — |
| Jun 22, 2024 | Washington, DC | Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW | 36 | 704.0116 | Good Googly Goo BBQ | The Fat is Where It's At |
| Jun 21, 2025 | Washington, DC | Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW | 26 | 707.3944 | 3 Eyz BBQ | BLUE & GRAY BBQ |
| Jun 21, 2025 | Washington, DC | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 21, 2025 | Washington, DC | Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW | 24 | 180 | Smokecraft - MD | — |
| Jun 26, 2026 ← this one | Washington, DC | Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW | 31 | 703.3828 | Titans of BBQ | SWEET BELLY'S BBQ |
| Jun 27, 2026 | Washington, DC | Historic Pennsylvania Ave. NW | 28 | 178.8572 | Smoked & Furious | — |
| Jun 25, 2027 | Washington, DC | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2027 | Washington, DC | — | — | — | — | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 177.1428 | 175.4172 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 177.1544 | 174.8456 |
| Pork | 180 | 177.7028 | 175.4172 |
| Brisket | 180 | 177.7028 | 173.1544 |
31 entries · top 703.3828 · median 689.6224
31 entries · top 180 · median 171.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
31 entries · top 180 · median 172.5484 · 🔥 perfect 180
31 entries · top 180 · median 173.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
31 entries · top 180 · median 172 · 🔥 perfect 180
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.
28 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2914
28 entries · top 180 · median 172.8342 · 🔥 perfect 180