2021-09-17 – 2021-09-18 · Denison, IA · 📍 Broadway and Main · State championship
Reps: DENA MILHOUS, RON MILHOUS · Prize money: $14,500.00
Grand Champion: Hot Daddys BBQ (697.6572) · 20 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 SPITFIRE
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 2025 — 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 11 tracked editions
TIMBONE BARBECUE has won this contest 2 times across its 11 tracked editions.
Master Series — Pork Ribs places 1–2: Sweet Smokin Jones and PARROTHEAD SMOKERS tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 3–4: Phoenix BBQ and 2 CASE BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — 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).
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-09-19 | Denison, IA | Denison, IA 51442 | 21 | 691.3940 | BIG T'Z Q CRU | PIGSKIN BBQ |
| 2015-09-18 | Denison, IA | Denison, IA 51442 | 18 | 690.7884 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ | BIG T'Z Q CRU |
| 2016-09-16 | Denison, IA | Broodway & Main | 34 | 701.6800 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA |
| 2017-09-22 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 37 | 702.3204 | SPITFIRE | LUCKY'S Q |
| 2018-09-21 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 27 | 687.9888 | TIMBONE BARBECUE | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| 2019-09-20 | Denison, IA | Broadway & Main St. (Historic Uptown Denison) | 34 | 690.7540 | Timbone Barbecue | SPITFIRE |
| 2021-09-17 ← this one | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 20 | 697.6572 | Hot Daddys BBQ | SPITFIRE |
| 2022-09-16 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 25 | 693.1316 | Parrothead Smokers SD | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| 2023-09-15 | Denison, IA | Broadway and Main | 32 | 703.3712 | Last Call Heros BBQ | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
| 2024-09-20 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 30 | 700.4912 | HOT DADDY'S BBQ | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| 2025-09-19 | Denison, IA | 109 N. Main | 26 | 703.4060 | Shiggin & Grinnin | Good Grefe! |
| 2026-09-18 | Denison, IA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 176.5716 | 174.2628 | 170.8344 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 174.2744 | 170.8572 | 166.2972 |
| Master Series — Pork | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 171.4400 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 177.7028 | 176.0000 | 171.4056 |
| Ancillary — Pork | 174.2972 | 164.5716 | 161.6800 |
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 |
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 |