Sep 17–18, 2021 · Denison, IA · 📍 Broadway and Main · State championship
Reps: Dena Milhous, Ron Milhous · Prize money: $14,500
HOT DADDY'S BBQ won Grand Champion at the Tri City BBQ Fest on September 17, 2021 in Denison, IA at Broadway and Main, scoring 697.6572 in a field of 20 teams. SPITFIRE took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.7656. Category winners: Chicken — BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG (176.5716); Pork Ribs — Sweet Smokin Jones (174.2744); Pork — SPITFIRE (178.8572); Brisket — SPITFIRE (177.7028). This is the 7th of 12 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by Timbone Barbecue; the next was held in 2022.
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, 2014 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 68 times in 100
HOT DADDY'S BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, SPITFIRE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 32-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
HOT DADDY'S BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
This was Hot Daddys BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 39th tracked contest.
2 of 12 tracked editions
TIMBONE BARBECUE has won this contest 2 times across its 12 tracked editions.
Pork Ribs places 1–2: Sweet Smokin Jones and PARROTHEAD SMOKERS tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: Phoenix BBQ and 2 CASE BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 8–9: T-Rex BBQ and BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
SPITFIRE won Pork, Brisket — a double.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: SPITFIRE (won 2017).
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2014 | Denison, IA | Denison, IA 51442 | 21 | 691.3940 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | PIGSKIN BBQ |
| Sep 18, 2015 | Denison, IA | Denison, IA 51442 | 18 | 690.7884 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | BIG T'Z Q CRU |
| Sep 16, 2016 | Denison, IA | Broodway & Main | 34 | 701.6800 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 37 | 702.3204 | SPITFIRE | LUCKY'S Q |
| Sep 21, 2018 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 27 | 687.9888 | TIMBONE BARBECUE | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| Sep 20, 2019 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 34 | 690.7540 | Timbone Barbecue | SPITFIRE |
| Sep 17, 2021 ← this one | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 20 | 697.6572 | Hot Daddys BBQ | SPITFIRE |
| Sep 16, 2022 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 25 | 693.1316 | Parrothead Smokers SD | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| Sep 15, 2023 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 32 | 703.3712 | Last Call Heros BBQ | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 30 | 700.4912 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 26 | 703.4060 | Shiggin & Grinnin | Good Grefe! |
| Sep 18, 2026 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 26 | 702.2400 | Grillin' Grindes | Home Farm BBQ |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5716 | 174.2628 | 170.8344 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 170.8572 | 166.2972 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 171.4400 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 176 | 171.4056 |
20 entries · top 697.6572 · median 681.0570
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 2 | SPITFIRE | |
| 3 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 4 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 5 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 6 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 7 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 8 | Phoenix BBQ | |
| 9 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 10 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 11 | Grillin Grinde's | |
| 12 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 13 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 14 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 15 | Bergey Boys Blazing BBQ | |
| 16 | Sweet Smokin Jones | |
| 17 | Smokin B's | |
| 18 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 19 | SMOKE DOCTOR | |
| 20 | Grill Em All |
20 entries · top 176.5716 · median 170.2572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 2 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 3 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 4 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 5 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 6 | SPITFIRE | |
| 7 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 8 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 9 | Smokin B's | |
| 10 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 11 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 12 | Phoenix BBQ | |
| 13 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 14 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 15 | Bergey Boys Blazing BBQ | |
| 16 | Grill Em All | |
| 17 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 18 | SMOKE DOCTOR | |
| 19 | Grillin Grinde's | |
| 20 | Sweet Smokin Jones |
20 entries · top 174.2744 · median 166.2686
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweet Smokin Jones | |
| 2 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 3 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 4 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 5 | Grillin Grinde's | |
| 6 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 8 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 9 | Phoenix BBQ | |
| 10 | Bergey Boys Blazing BBQ | |
| 11 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 12 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 13 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 14 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 15 | SPITFIRE | |
| 16 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 17 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 18 | SMOKE DOCTOR | |
| 19 | Smokin B's | |
| 20 | Grill Em All |
20 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.1314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SPITFIRE | |
| 2 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 3 | Phoenix BBQ | |
| 4 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 5 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 6 | Bergey Boys Blazing BBQ | |
| 7 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 8 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 9 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 10 | Grillin Grinde's | |
| 11 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 12 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 13 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 14 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 15 | Sweet Smokin Jones | |
| 16 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 17 | Grill Em All | |
| 18 | Smokin B's | |
| 19 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 20 | SMOKE DOCTOR |
20 entries · top 177.7028 · median 171.4056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SPITFIRE | |
| 2 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 3 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 4 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 5 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 6 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 7 | Grillin Grinde's | |
| 8 | T-Rex BBQ | |
| 9 | BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | |
| 10 | SMOKEHOUSE 72 | |
| 11 | Phoenix BBQ | |
| 12 | Smokin B's | |
| 13 | LUSCIOUS LOINS BBQ | |
| 14 | Bergey Boys Blazing BBQ | |
| 15 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 16 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 17 | PIG IN A PIT | |
| 18 | Grill Em All | |
| 19 | Sweet Smokin Jones | |
| 20 | SMOKE DOCTOR |
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.
12 entries · top 174.2972 · median 164.5430
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokin B's | |
| 2 | HOME FARM BBQ | |
| 3 | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | |
| 4 | Bigfoot BBQ | |
| 5 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | |
| 6 | MACHETE BOYS BBQ | |
| 7 | Grill Em All | |
| 8 | WHEN PIGS DIE | |
| 9 | GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | |
| 10 | Phoenix BBQ | |
| 11 | 2 CASE BBQ | |
| 12 | PIG IN A PIT |