Shenandoah ShenDig
2026-07-17 – 2026-07-18 · Shenandoah, IA · 📍 709 S. Fremont Street · State championship
Reps: EUGENE WICKHAM, SARAH WICKHAM · Prize money: $7,000.00
Grand Champion: SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES (703.9544) · 28 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 HOT DADDY'S BBQ
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Perfect 180s
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Came back for more
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5604 points — closer than 90% of every championship in the data.
🔥 A day of perfect scores
5 perfect 180s were scored at this contest.
🧹 A double category winner
HOME FARM BBQ won Pork, Brisket — a double.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 2–3: MACHETE BOYS BBQ and SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: HOT DADDY'S BBQ and NEVER EASY BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ and SHIGGIN & GRINNIN tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Low Eye Que (won 2025).
🃏 An upset on the books
SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES came in rated below the field's top team, HOT DADDY'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 15-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-21 | Shenandoah, IA | 701 S. Fremont Street | 37 | 702.7884 | Hot Daddy's Barbeque | RAILYARD BBQ |
| 2025-07-18 | Shenandoah, IA | 709 S. Fremont Street | 30 | 707.3944 | Low Eye Que | HOT DADDY'S BBQ |
| 2026-07-17 ← this one | Shenandoah, IA | 709 S. Fremont Street | 28 | 703.9544 | SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES | HOT DADDY'S BBQ |
| 2026-07-17 | Shenandoah, IA | 709 S. Fremont Street | 17 | 178.2972 | BBQ Pit Bros | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 177.7028 | 174.8456 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 176.5600 | 175.4056 |
| Pork | 180.0000 | 176.5716 | 174.8572 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 174.2744 | 171.9772 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 703.9544 · median 687.0570
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES | |
| 2 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 3 | NEVER EASY BBQ | |
| 4 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 5 | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 6 | BBQ Pit Bros | |
| 7 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 8 | Smokin Suckers | |
| 9 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 10 | There's No Place Like Smoke | |
| 11 | Low Eye Que | |
| 12 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 13 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 14 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 15 | Bucknutz BBQ | |
| 16 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 18 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 19 | HELPING U BBQ | |
| 20 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 21 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 22 | GRILLIN' GRINDES | |
| 23 | BUCKSHOTBBQ | |
| 24 | Sweet Smokin' Jones BBQ | |
| 25 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 26 | Marv's Doublechin BBQ | |
| 27 | Savory Smoke | |
| 28 | Forged Brothers BBQ |
Chicken
28 entries · top 180.0000 · median 172.8284 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | There's No Place Like Smoke | |
| 2 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES | |
| 4 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 5 | NEVER EASY BBQ | |
| 6 | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 7 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 8 | Smokin Suckers | |
| 9 | Low Eye Que | |
| 10 | Bucknutz BBQ | |
| 11 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 12 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 13 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 14 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 15 | BBQ Pit Bros | |
| 16 | GRILLIN' GRINDES | |
| 17 | Savory Smoke | |
| 18 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 19 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 20 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 21 | BUCKSHOTBBQ | |
| 22 | Marv's Doublechin BBQ | |
| 23 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 24 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 25 | HELPING U BBQ | |
| 26 | Sweet Smokin' Jones BBQ | |
| 27 | Forged Brothers BBQ | |
| 28 | On The Brink BBQ |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 177.7144 · median 170.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEVER EASY BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 3 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 4 | Smokin Suckers | |
| 5 | Bucknutz BBQ | |
| 6 | BBQ Pit Bros | |
| 7 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 8 | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 9 | SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES | |
| 10 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 11 | HELPING U BBQ | |
| 12 | GRILLIN' GRINDES | |
| 13 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 14 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 15 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 16 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 18 | BUCKSHOTBBQ | |
| 19 | Low Eye Que | |
| 20 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 21 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 22 | There's No Place Like Smoke | |
| 23 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 24 | Sweet Smokin' Jones BBQ | |
| 25 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 26 | Marv's Doublechin BBQ | |
| 27 | Savory Smoke | |
| 28 | Forged Brothers BBQ |
Pork
28 entries · top 180.0000 · median 172.5486 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 2 | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 3 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 4 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 5 | BBQ Pit Bros | |
| 6 | SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES | |
| 7 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 8 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 9 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 10 | HELPING U BBQ | |
| 11 | NEVER EASY BBQ | |
| 12 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 14 | Smokin Suckers | |
| 15 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 16 | There's No Place Like Smoke | |
| 17 | GRILLIN' GRINDES | |
| 18 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 19 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 20 | Low Eye Que | |
| 21 | Sweet Smokin' Jones BBQ | |
| 22 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 23 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 24 | Bucknutz BBQ | |
| 25 | Marv's Doublechin BBQ | |
| 26 | BUCKSHOTBBQ | |
| 27 | Savory Smoke | |
| 28 | Forged Brothers BBQ |
Brisket
28 entries · top 176.5600 · median 169.6742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 2 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | |
| 3 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 4 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 5 | BUCKSHOTBBQ | |
| 6 | Low Eye Que | |
| 7 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 8 | SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES | |
| 9 | NEVER EASY BBQ | |
| 10 | BBQ Pit Bros | |
| 11 | Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ | |
| 12 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 13 | Bucknutz BBQ | |
| 14 | There's No Place Like Smoke | |
| 15 | SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | |
| 16 | TEAM CRAWFORD | |
| 17 | Sweet Smokin' Jones BBQ | |
| 18 | Smokin Suckers | |
| 19 | HELPING U BBQ | |
| 20 | TEAM BREW & QUE | |
| 21 | IN DEEP SAUCE | |
| 22 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 23 | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ | |
| 24 | Marv's Doublechin BBQ | |
| 25 | GRILLIN' GRINDES | |
| 26 | On The Brink BBQ | |
| 27 | Forged Brothers BBQ | |
| 28 | Savory Smoke |