Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship
2026-07-24 – 2026-07-25 · Gardner, KS · 📍 136 E. Washington St. · State championship
Reps: DAVE ROGERS, FORREST BRUCE · Prize money: $5,000.00
Grand Champion: JDQ BBQ (702.8344) · 29 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Blind Fox BBQ
Entries
29
4 judged meats
Top score
702.8344
Winning margin
2.9032
GC over RC
Field average
671.92
median 679.91
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
685.0628
10th place overall
Field spread
117.2572
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,000.00
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 34%
beats 66% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
21%
of the 29 teams with a home region came from outside KS
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.64 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1567
avg power rating going in · stronger than 71% of contests
Storylines
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 2–3: JDQ BBQ and Dr. Squealgood BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Parrothead Smokers and Meat Candy Q tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: Harold's Hot Meat Smokers and Black Sail BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🃏 An upset on the books
JDQ BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, Meat Candy Q, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 29-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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 177.7028 | 173.7144 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 173.1200 | 170.8344 |
| Pork | 180.0000 | 175.4056 | 172.5484 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 173.1084 | 169.6916 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 702.8344 · median 679.9088
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JDQ BBQ | |
| 2 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 3 | Parts R Smokin | |
| 4 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 5 | Dr. Squealgood BBQ | |
| 6 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 7 | Smoke-n-Magic | |
| 8 | Love 2 Q | |
| 9 | Bocephus BBQ | |
| 10 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 11 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 12 | Harold's Hot Meat Smokers | |
| 13 | GEO SMOKERS | |
| 14 | Black Sail BBQ | |
| 15 | Slaughter House BBQ | |
| 16 | Parrothead Smokers | |
| 17 | Bad influence BBQ-Mo | |
| 18 | Pine Tar BBQ | |
| 19 | Bald Beauties BBQ | |
| 20 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 21 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 22 | LL BBQ | |
| 23 | Thump & Strum BBQ | |
| 24 | Smoke Me Tender BBQ | |
| 25 | Winged Swine | |
| 26 | Pit Crew BBQ | |
| 27 | Smoke Team Six | |
| 28 | Buccaneer BBQ | |
| 29 | MCS |
Chicken
29 entries · top 180.0000 · median 171.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bocephus BBQ | |
| 2 | JDQ BBQ | |
| 3 | Dr. Squealgood BBQ | |
| 4 | Slaughter House BBQ | |
| 5 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 6 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 7 | Parrothead Smokers | |
| 8 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 9 | Parts R Smokin | |
| 10 | Smoke Me Tender BBQ | |
| 11 | Smoke-n-Magic | |
| 12 | GEO SMOKERS | |
| 13 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 14 | Bald Beauties BBQ | |
| 15 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 16 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 17 | Pine Tar BBQ | |
| 18 | Harold's Hot Meat Smokers | |
| 19 | Love 2 Q | |
| 20 | LL BBQ | |
| 21 | Pit Crew BBQ | |
| 22 | Black Sail BBQ | |
| 23 | Winged Swine | |
| 24 | Bad influence BBQ-Mo | |
| 25 | Buccaneer BBQ | |
| 26 | Smoke Team Six | |
| 27 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 28 | Thump & Strum BBQ | |
| 29 | MCS |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 2 | JDQ BBQ | |
| 3 | Parts R Smokin | |
| 4 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 5 | Harold's Hot Meat Smokers | |
| 6 | Black Sail BBQ | |
| 7 | LL BBQ | |
| 8 | Dr. Squealgood BBQ | |
| 9 | Bocephus BBQ | |
| 10 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 11 | Bald Beauties BBQ | |
| 12 | Smoke-n-Magic | |
| 13 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 14 | Pine Tar BBQ | |
| 15 | Love 2 Q | |
| 16 | Slaughter House BBQ | |
| 17 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 18 | Bad influence BBQ-Mo | |
| 19 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 20 | GEO SMOKERS | |
| 21 | Smoke Me Tender BBQ | |
| 22 | Parrothead Smokers | |
| 23 | Thump & Strum BBQ | |
| 24 | Smoke Team Six | |
| 25 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 26 | Pit Crew BBQ | |
| 27 | Winged Swine | |
| 28 | Buccaneer BBQ | |
| 29 | MCS |
Pork
29 entries · top 180.0000 · median 167.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 2 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 3 | Bad influence BBQ-Mo | |
| 4 | Parts R Smokin | |
| 5 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 6 | JDQ BBQ | |
| 7 | Winged Swine | |
| 8 | Harold's Hot Meat Smokers | |
| 9 | Smoke-n-Magic | |
| 10 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 11 | Love 2 Q | |
| 12 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 13 | GEO SMOKERS | |
| 14 | Thump & Strum BBQ | |
| 15 | Parrothead Smokers | |
| 16 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 17 | Smoke Me Tender BBQ | |
| 18 | Bald Beauties BBQ | |
| 19 | Slaughter House BBQ | |
| 20 | Dr. Squealgood BBQ | |
| 21 | Pine Tar BBQ | |
| 22 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 23 | Bocephus BBQ | |
| 24 | Black Sail BBQ | |
| 25 | Pit Crew BBQ | |
| 26 | Buccaneer BBQ | |
| 27 | LL BBQ | |
| 28 | MCS | |
| 29 | Smoke Team Six |
Brisket
29 entries · top 177.7028 · median 168.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Sail BBQ | |
| 2 | Blind Fox BBQ | |
| 3 | Love 2 Q | |
| 4 | JDQ BBQ | |
| 5 | Smoke-n-Magic | |
| 6 | Dr. Squealgood BBQ | |
| 7 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 8 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 9 | GEO SMOKERS | |
| 10 | Parts R Smokin | |
| 11 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 12 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 13 | Smoke Team Six | |
| 14 | Pine Tar BBQ | |
| 15 | Parrothead Smokers | |
| 16 | Bocephus BBQ | |
| 17 | Bad influence BBQ-Mo | |
| 18 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 19 | Slaughter House BBQ | |
| 20 | Harold's Hot Meat Smokers | |
| 21 | Winged Swine | |
| 22 | Thump & Strum BBQ | |
| 23 | Bald Beauties BBQ | |
| 24 | RED OAK BBQ | |
| 25 | LL BBQ | |
| 26 | Pit Crew BBQ | |
| 27 | MCS | |
| 28 | Buccaneer BBQ | |
| 29 | Smoke Me Tender BBQ |