Cruisin' and BBQin'
2026-07-31 – 2026-08-01 · Hampton, IA · 📍 1383 140th Street · State championship
Reps: CINDY JUHL, TOM JUHL · Prize money: $9,750.00
Grand Champion: Smokey D's Wannabees (699.9660) · 26 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Dry 2 Da Bone
Entries
26
6 judged meats
Top score
699.9660
Winning margin
0.0232
GC over RC
Field average
674.75
median 684.77
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
686.7428
10th place overall
Field spread
217.7600
winner to last place
Prize money
$9,750.00
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 48%
beats 52% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
39%
of the 41 teams with a home region came from outside IA
Came back for more
50%
9 of 18 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.4 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1575
avg power rating going in · stronger than 77% of contests
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0232 points — closer than 96% of every championship in the data.
📸 Photo finishes
Master Series — Chicken places 1–2: Oh Nutz! and Dry 2 Da Bone tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 5–6: BUCKSHOT BBQ and Don't Tread on Meat tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: Don't Tread on Meat and Never Easy BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Wag's Backwoods BBQ (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 17-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-22 | Hampton, IA | 1383 140th Street | 18 | 703.9544 | Wag's Backwoods BBQ | Poppa Pig |
| 2026-07-31 ← this one | Hampton, IA | 1383 140th Street | 26 | 699.9660 | Smokey D's Wannabees | Dry 2 Da Bone |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 174.8572 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 176.5600 | 173.7144 |
| Master Series — Pork | 177.7028 | 176.0116 | 171.9772 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 170.8228 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 175.4172 | 170.8572 | 166.8572 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 176.0000 | 172.5600 | 166.2284 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 699.9660 · median 684.7658
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokey D's Wannabees | |
| 2 | Dry 2 Da Bone | |
| 3 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 4 | Oh Nutz! | |
| 5 | When Pigs Die | |
| 6 | Shiggin and Grinnin | |
| 7 | Hot Daddy's BBQ | |
| 8 | Iowa Smokey D's | |
| 9 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 10 | Lucky 19 Sauce Company | |
| 11 | Big Racks BBQ | |
| 12 | Big Smoak BBQ | |
| 13 | Don't Tread on Meat | |
| 14 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 15 | Machete Boys | |
| 16 | Bucknutz | |
| 17 | Wag's Backwoods BBQ | |
| 18 | Never Easy BBQ | |
| 19 | BUCKSHOT BBQ | |
| 20 | Team Crawford | |
| 21 | Smokehouse 72 | |
| 22 | Barefoot BBQ | |
| 23 | Smokers Purgatory | |
| 24 | 4 Mile Smoking Crew | |
| 25 | Copper & Coals Barbeque | |
| 26 | Shell Rock Smokers |
Chicken
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 173.1142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oh Nutz! | |
| 2 | Dry 2 Da Bone | |
| 3 | Smokey D's Wannabees | |
| 4 | Big Racks BBQ | |
| 5 | BUCKSHOT BBQ | |
| 6 | Don't Tread on Meat | |
| 7 | Never Easy BBQ | |
| 8 | Hot Daddy's BBQ | |
| 9 | Shiggin and Grinnin | |
| 10 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 11 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 12 | Iowa Smokey D's | |
| 13 | Wag's Backwoods BBQ | |
| 14 | Smokehouse 72 | |
| 15 | Lucky 19 Sauce Company | |
| 16 | Big Smoak BBQ | |
| 17 | Team Crawford | |
| 18 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 19 | When Pigs Die | |
| 20 | Machete Boys | |
| 21 | Smokers Purgatory | |
| 22 | Copper & Coals Barbeque | |
| 23 | Barefoot BBQ | |
| 24 | Bucknutz | |
| 25 | 4 Mile Smoking Crew | |
| 26 | Shell Rock Smokers |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 177.7144 · median 172.5486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 2 | Hot Daddy's BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokehouse 72 | |
| 4 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 5 | Smokey D's Wannabees | |
| 6 | Shiggin and Grinnin | |
| 7 | When Pigs Die | |
| 8 | Machete Boys | |
| 9 | Oh Nutz! | |
| 10 | Dry 2 Da Bone | |
| 11 | Bucknutz | |
| 12 | Don't Tread on Meat | |
| 13 | Never Easy BBQ | |
| 14 | Iowa Smokey D's | |
| 15 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 16 | Big Smoak BBQ | |
| 17 | Shell Rock Smokers | |
| 18 | BUCKSHOT BBQ | |
| 19 | Wag's Backwoods BBQ | |
| 20 | Barefoot BBQ | |
| 21 | Big Racks BBQ | |
| 22 | Lucky 19 Sauce Company | |
| 23 | Smokers Purgatory | |
| 24 | Team Crawford | |
| 25 | Copper & Coals Barbeque | |
| 26 | 4 Mile Smoking Crew |
Pork
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 171.6914
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucky 19 Sauce Company | |
| 2 | Hot Daddy's BBQ | |
| 3 | Big Racks BBQ | |
| 4 | Shiggin and Grinnin | |
| 5 | Iowa Smokey D's | |
| 6 | Smokers Purgatory | |
| 7 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 8 | When Pigs Die | |
| 9 | Machete Boys | |
| 10 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 11 | Dry 2 Da Bone | |
| 12 | Big Smoak BBQ | |
| 13 | Wag's Backwoods BBQ | |
| 14 | Oh Nutz! | |
| 15 | Smokey D's Wannabees | |
| 16 | Bucknutz | |
| 17 | Team Crawford | |
| 18 | BUCKSHOT BBQ | |
| 19 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 20 | Don't Tread on Meat | |
| 21 | Smokehouse 72 | |
| 22 | Never Easy BBQ | |
| 23 | Barefoot BBQ | |
| 24 | 4 Mile Smoking Crew | |
| 25 | Copper & Coals Barbeque | |
| 26 | Shell Rock Smokers |
Brisket
25 entries · top 177.7144 · median 168.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | When Pigs Die | |
| 2 | Dry 2 Da Bone | |
| 3 | Bucknutz | |
| 4 | Smokey D's Wannabees | |
| 5 | Big Smoak BBQ | |
| 6 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 7 | Barefoot BBQ | |
| 8 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 9 | Team Crawford | |
| 10 | Lucky 19 Sauce Company | |
| 11 | Oh Nutz! | |
| 12 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 13 | Don't Tread on Meat | |
| 14 | Wag's Backwoods BBQ | |
| 15 | Iowa Smokey D's | |
| 16 | Machete Boys | |
| 17 | Shiggin and Grinnin | |
| 18 | 4 Mile Smoking Crew | |
| 19 | Never Easy BBQ | |
| 20 | BUCKSHOT BBQ | |
| 21 | Big Racks BBQ | |
| 22 | Hot Daddy's BBQ | |
| 23 | Smokers Purgatory | |
| 24 | Smokehouse 72 | |
| 25 | Copper & Coals Barbeque |
Backyard Series
Overall
15 entries · top 350.8572 · median 337.6456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fender Bender BBQ | |
| 2 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokey Bros BBQ | |
| 4 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 5 | East Bow Que | |
| 6 | Family Tradition | |
| 7 | McDonald Family BBQ | |
| 8 | Smokey GQ | |
| 9 | Smoke N Poke BBQ | |
| 10 | Chester's Twisted Que | |
| 11 | Dawg's BBQ | |
| 12 | By Grace & Fire | |
| 13 | J & K Smokin' BBQ | |
| 14 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 15 | Ring Neck |
Chicken
15 entries · top 175.4172 · median 168.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fender Bender BBQ | |
| 2 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 3 | McDonald Family BBQ | |
| 4 | Smokey GQ | |
| 5 | Dawg's BBQ | |
| 6 | East Bow Que | |
| 7 | Family Tradition | |
| 8 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 9 | Smokey Bros BBQ | |
| 10 | By Grace & Fire | |
| 11 | Smoke N Poke BBQ | |
| 12 | Chester's Twisted Que | |
| 13 | J & K Smokin' BBQ | |
| 14 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 15 | Ring Neck |
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 176.0000 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokey Bros BBQ | |
| 2 | Fender Bender BBQ | |
| 3 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 4 | Chester's Twisted Que | |
| 5 | Smoke N Poke BBQ | |
| 6 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 7 | Family Tradition | |
| 8 | East Bow Que | |
| 9 | Jessi James Smoking Guns BBQ | |
| 10 | By Grace & Fire | |
| 11 | Smokey GQ | |
| 12 | McDonald Family BBQ | |
| 13 | J & K Smokin' BBQ | |
| 14 | Dawg's BBQ | |
| 15 | Ring Neck |