Aug 28–29, 2026 · Paola, KS · 📍 City Square · State championship
Reps: Forrest Bruce, Larry Hadley · Prize money: $4,500
Wood Hook BBQ won Grand Champion at the East Central State BBQ Cookoff - Paola Roots Festival on August 28, 2026 in Paola, KS at City Square, scoring 702.8228 in a field of 31 teams. GO PIG OR GO HOME took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.1088. Category winners: Chicken — Wood Hook BBQ (177.7372); Pork Ribs — Poppin Smoke BBQ (178.8572); Pork — GO PIG OR GO HOME (180.0000); Brisket — Kermit's Ex (179.4400).
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.
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 77 times in 100
WOOD HOOK BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, JANKY LEG BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 23-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
Chicken places 4–5: Can Country Outlaw BBQ and Old Style BBQ tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: GO PIG OR GO HOME and Janky Leg BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: Janky Leg BBQ and B&C Smokers tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Wood Hook BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 7th.
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7372 | 173.7028 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 173.7144 |
| Pork | 180 | 175.4172 | 171.4172 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 175.4056 | 170.8228 |
31 entries · top 702.8228 · median 678.7084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 2 | GO PIG OR GO HOME | |
| 3 | Janky Leg BBQ | |
| 4 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 5 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 6 | Kermit's Ex | |
| 7 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 8 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 9 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 10 | Razorracks BBQ | |
| 11 | B&C Smokers | |
| 12 | Aporkcalypse | |
| 13 | Poppin Smoke BBQ | |
| 14 | Smoke Wurx BBQ | |
| 15 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 16 | Slaughter House | |
| 17 | Beaux Hawg BBQ | |
| 18 | On The Brink | |
| 19 | Fade Strong BBQ | |
| 20 | Shark Q | |
| 21 | Old Style BBQ | |
| 22 | Buds Boys | |
| 23 | Broken BBQ | |
| 24 | Gomer & Barney BBQ | |
| 25 | Rocks Famous BBQ | |
| 26 | Lazy K BBQ Team | |
| 27 | KC Fine Swine | |
| 28 | Hedge Row Smokers | |
| 29 | Making BBQ Great Again | |
| 30 | Two Fat Guys Burnin' Meat | |
| 31 | Royal Smoke |
31 entries · top 177.7372 · median 170.8112
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 2 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 3 | Aporkcalypse | |
| 4 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 5 | Old Style BBQ | |
| 6 | Razorracks BBQ | |
| 7 | Poppin Smoke BBQ | |
| 8 | GO PIG OR GO HOME | |
| 9 | Janky Leg BBQ | |
| 10 | B&C Smokers | |
| 11 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 12 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 13 | Slaughter House | |
| 14 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 15 | On The Brink | |
| 16 | Kermit's Ex | |
| 17 | Broken BBQ | |
| 18 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 19 | Smoke Wurx BBQ | |
| 20 | Buds Boys | |
| 21 | Shark Q | |
| 22 | Rocks Famous BBQ | |
| 23 | Beaux Hawg BBQ | |
| 24 | Fade Strong BBQ | |
| 25 | Lazy K BBQ Team | |
| 26 | Gomer & Barney BBQ | |
| 27 | Royal Smoke | |
| 28 | Making BBQ Great Again | |
| 29 | Hedge Row Smokers | |
| 30 | KC Fine Swine | |
| 31 | Two Fat Guys Burnin' Meat |
30 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8344
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poppin Smoke BBQ | |
| 2 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 3 | Fade Strong BBQ | |
| 4 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 5 | Shark Q | |
| 6 | Beaux Hawg BBQ | |
| 7 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 8 | Razorracks BBQ | |
| 9 | B&C Smokers | |
| 10 | Janky Leg BBQ | |
| 11 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 12 | GO PIG OR GO HOME | |
| 13 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 14 | On The Brink | |
| 15 | Slaughter House | |
| 16 | Kermit's Ex | |
| 17 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 18 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 19 | Aporkcalypse | |
| 20 | Buds Boys | |
| 21 | Gomer & Barney BBQ | |
| 22 | Old Style BBQ | |
| 23 | Smoke Wurx BBQ | |
| 24 | KC Fine Swine | |
| 25 | Rocks Famous BBQ | |
| 26 | Broken BBQ | |
| 27 | Lazy K BBQ Team | |
| 28 | Hedge Row Smokers | |
| 29 | Two Fat Guys Burnin' Meat | |
| 30 | Making BBQ Great Again |
30 entries · top 180 · median 169.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GO PIG OR GO HOME | |
| 2 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 3 | Janky Leg BBQ | |
| 4 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 5 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 6 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 7 | Razorracks BBQ | |
| 8 | Kermit's Ex | |
| 9 | Smoke Wurx BBQ | |
| 10 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 11 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 12 | B&C Smokers | |
| 13 | Aporkcalypse | |
| 14 | Buds Boys | |
| 15 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 16 | Beaux Hawg BBQ | |
| 17 | Slaughter House | |
| 18 | Poppin Smoke BBQ | |
| 19 | On The Brink | |
| 20 | Making BBQ Great Again | |
| 21 | Shark Q | |
| 22 | Old Style BBQ | |
| 23 | Fade Strong BBQ | |
| 24 | Lazy K BBQ Team | |
| 25 | Hedge Row Smokers | |
| 26 | Broken BBQ | |
| 27 | Rocks Famous BBQ | |
| 28 | Gomer & Barney BBQ | |
| 29 | Two Fat Guys Burnin' Meat | |
| 30 | KC Fine Swine |
30 entries · top 179.4400 · median 167.1028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kermit's Ex | |
| 2 | Smoke Wurx BBQ | |
| 3 | Bushwood BBQ | |
| 4 | Keep Calm and Sauce On | |
| 5 | Aporkcalypse | |
| 6 | Man Meat BBQ | |
| 7 | Wood Hook BBQ | |
| 8 | GO PIG OR GO HOME | |
| 9 | Janky Leg BBQ | |
| 10 | B&C Smokers | |
| 11 | Can Country Outlaw BBQ | |
| 12 | Fade Strong BBQ | |
| 13 | Razorracks BBQ | |
| 14 | Mission Imporkable | |
| 15 | Slaughter House | |
| 16 | Stewey Magoos BBQ | |
| 17 | Poppin Smoke BBQ | |
| 18 | Gomer & Barney BBQ | |
| 19 | Beaux Hawg BBQ | |
| 20 | Shark Q | |
| 21 | Broken BBQ | |
| 22 | KC Fine Swine | |
| 23 | On The Brink | |
| 24 | Two Fat Guys Burnin' Meat | |
| 25 | Old Style BBQ | |
| 26 | Making BBQ Great Again | |
| 27 | Buds Boys | |
| 28 | Hedge Row Smokers | |
| 29 | Rocks Famous BBQ | |
| 30 | Lazy K BBQ Team |
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.
13 entries · top 180 · median 169.6916 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beaux Hawg BBQ | |
| 2 | Fade Strong BBQ | |
| 3 | Shark Q | |
| 4 | Old Style BBQ | |
| 5 | Making BBQ Great Again | |
| 6 | KC Fine Swine | |
| 7 | Aporkcalypse | |
| 8 | Hedge Row Smokers | |
| 9 | Rocks Famous BBQ | |
| 10 | Smoke Wurx BBQ | |
| 11 | B&C Smokers | |
| 12 | Lazy K BBQ Team | |
| 13 | Poppin Smoke BBQ |