In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in January 2019.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
The Smoke Ring
Competition Barbecue’s Paper of Record
The Index
- Grand Champions A2
- The Month in Brief A3
- Perfect Scores A5
- Ratings Market A6
- New to the Circuit A8
- Box Scores B1
- Complete Results B4
- Back Issues C4
Score of the month
Accutech BBQ Turns In the Month’s Best Card
700.5028 out of 720 at Lakeland Pig Festival — the highest Master overall scored in January 2019.
top 2% of every Master overall ever scored
LAKELAND, Fla. — Accutech BBQ put up 700.5028 at Lakeland Pig Festival — the highest overall of the month.
Across January 2019, 5 sanctioned contests were scored, across 5 states and provinces, drawing 309 teams to the turn-in table. Judges made 240 top-ten calls and handed out 3 perfect 180s. 68 teams appear in the record for the first time. The full standings run on B1.
Every Grand Championship in this edition — 5 in all.
First one ever
Accutech BBQ Wins Its First, on the 14th Try
A first Grand Championship at Lakeland Pig Festival, after 14 contests in the record.
14th contest — and their first GC
LAKELAND, Fla. — Accutech BBQ won their first Grand Championship at Lakeland Pig Festival, in their 14th contest in the data.
Title defended
GETTIN' BASTED Defends Its Title at National Western BBQ Throwdown
Back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest — 2018 and 2019.
2 in a row wins at this contest
DENVER, Colo. — GETTIN' BASTED won National Western BBQ Throwdown again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
Upset of the month
The Long Shot Comes In at Lakeland Pig Festival
The ratings gave Accutech BBQ a 16% chance, with WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS the team to beat.
16-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings
LAKELAND, Fla. — Accutech BBQ won Lakeland Pig Festival over top-rated WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS as the ratings underdog.
Also in Jan 2019
Judges Hand Out Three Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 3 perfect 180s were handed out in January 2019.
Decided by 1.0624 Points
LADY OF Q edged 2LiveQ by 1.0624 at The Golden State Battle.
LADY OF Q Back on Top After Two Years
LADY OF Q won The Golden State Battle — their first Grand Championship since February 2016, after 34 contests without one.
SMELL OUR BUTTS BAR-B-Q Climbs 19 Rating Points
SMELL OUR BUTTS BAR-B-Q gained 19 rating points across 1 contest — the biggest climb of the month.
Four State Champions Crowned
4 state championships were decided in January 2019. The biggest, Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge (63 teams), went to 4 LEGS UP BBQ.
First Time Out, LUNA SMOKE - Italy Takes 6th
LUNA SMOKE - Italy finished 6th at W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
HOT WACHULA'S Runs Away With W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
HOT WACHULA'S won W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest by 7.5084 points over GECKO BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
63 Teams Roll Into Bullhead City
Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge drew 63 teams, and 4 LEGS UP BBQ won it.
BIG POPPA SMOKERS Cooks Its 150th Contest
BIG POPPA SMOKERS cooked their 150th contest on record at Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge, with 33 Grand Championships along the way.
4 LEGS UP BBQ Wins Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Without Winning a Meat
4 LEGS UP BBQ won Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 3rd.
A New Contest Opens in Santa Ynez
The Golden State Battle ran for the first time on record, drawing 48 teams, and Lady of Q won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
Perfect 180s
3 perfect scores — six judges, every card a nine.
- Pork 2LiveQ The Golden State Battle · Jan. 25
- Chicken Accutech BBQ Lakeland Pig Festival · Jan. 25
- Chicken MASTERS OF FIRE W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest · Jan. 19
The Ratings Market Power rating and the move over Jan 2019; # is the team’s place in the power rankings
| Team | Rating | Chg. |
|---|---|---|
| SMELL OUR BUTTS BAR-B-Q #1,617 | 1,557 | ▲ 19 |
| UNCLE JOHNS PRIDE #2,258 | 1,529 | ▲ 18 |
| 2LiveQ #809 | 1,627 | ▲ 17 |
| PODUNK PORKERS BBQ | 1,533 | ▲ 17 |
| The Rusty Pig #2,043 | 1,537 | ▲ 16 |
| BURNIN BELLIES #1,076 | 1,597 | ▲ 16 |
| Barely Sober BBQ #1,311 | 1,579 | ▲ 16 |
| PORTLY FELLAS BBQ #1,057 | 1,599 | ▲ 15 |
| Team | Rating | Chg. |
|---|---|---|
| Burnin' Buttz | 1,536 | ▲ 15 |
| AMERICAN HEROES BBQ #260 | 1,737 | ▲ 15 |
| Gilbert's Rig King Dirty South | 1,486 | ▼ 15 |
| THE BARKTENDERS #1,245 | 1,583 | ▼ 17 |
| FU MAN QUE CREW #1,403 | 1,571 | ▼ 17 |
| WILD HOGS BBQ #3,271 | 1,499 | ▼ 18 |
| Rooftop BBQ #114 | 1,800 | ▼ 24 |
Full power rankings → · Ratings move only on rated contests; invitationals and non-points events are excluded.
New to the Circuit First appearance anywhere in the record — the figure is their best finish
- 6th LUNA SMOKE - Italy W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
- 7th Five Tool Que Lakeland Pig Festival
- 8th Bubba smokin Q Lakeland Pig Festival
- 8th SMOKIN' HOT BBQ TEAM - IT W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
- 11th Smokin On The Porch Lakeland Pig Festival
- 19th The Ring of Fire BBQ Co. Lakeland Pig Festival
- 20th LB-Q Lakeland Pig Festival
- 21st District of Grillers-Xtreme BBQ Team W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
- 23rd Nuts & Butts Lakeland Pig Festival
- 25th RICKY P'S MEAT CANDY BBQ CO Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
- 26th TREmendous-Q Lakeland Pig Festival
- 27th BBQ Grillfreunde Vinschgau W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
- 30th Tactigrill W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
- 30th Transwest Smokers National Western BBQ Throwdown
- 34th Good Shepherd Slaughterhouse Lakeland Pig Festival
- 35th Fattmans Outlaw BBQ Lakeland Pig Festival
- 36th Mother Truckers Lakeland Pig Festival
- 39th Beards and Butts BBQ Lakeland Pig Festival
What a first season usually looks like → · 1 contest also ran for the first time on record: The Golden State Battle.
Best of Each Meat
Both series, out of 180
| Meat | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken†2 | MASTERS OF FIRE W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest |
180 |
| Pork Ribs | Accutech BBQ Lakeland Pig Festival |
178.8572 |
| Pork† | 2LiveQ The Golden State Battle |
180 |
| Brisket | JACK'S OLD SOUTH Lakeland Pig Festival |
179.4400 |
† a perfect 180 was scored in this category during the edition.
Who Showed Up
Contests · Grand Championships · best overall finish
| Team | C | GC | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOT WACHULA'S | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| BIG POPPA SMOKERS | 2 | — | 3 |
| SHIG NINJA BBQ | 2 | — | 3 |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | 2 | — | 4 |
| RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ | 2 | — | 6 |
| B-S BBQ OUTLAWS | 2 | — | 8 |
| Big Daddy's Backyard BBQ | 2 | — | 11 |
| Old Town Franklin BBQ | 2 | — | 11 |
| Smokin it Up BBQ | 2 | — | 13 |
| KISS MY RACK | 2 | — | 15 |
| GRILLIN' BEAVERS | 2 | — | 16 |
| SMOKERS PURGATORY | 2 | — | 16 |
| WILD HOGS BBQ | 2 | — | 20 |
| NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | 2 | — | 24 |
| BLUE EYED BBQ | 2 | — | 38 |
Where They Cooked
Contests · teams
| State/Prov. | C | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 1 | 145 |
| Arizona | 1 | 63 |
| California | 1 | 49 |
| Colorado | 1 | 38 |
| BZ | 1 | 30 |
Every sanctioned contest scored in this edition — 5 in all, newest first. Click a column head to sort; click a row for the contest.
| Contest | Grand Champion | High score |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Pig Festival Jan. 25 · Lakeland, Fla. · 58 teams |
Accutech BBQ | 700.5028 |
| The Golden State Battle Jan. 25 · Santa Ynez, Calif. · 48 teams |
Lady of Q | 693.5996 |
| W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest Jan. 19 · Rein in Taufers, BZ · 30 teams |
Hot Wachula's | 696.5828 |
| Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Jan. 18 · Bullhead City, Ariz. · 63 teams |
4 LEGS UP BBQ | 696.5256 |
| National Western BBQ Throwdown Jan. 11 · Denver, Colo. · 38 teams |
Gettin' Basted | 691.9084 |
Contests Advertised
- Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) — Friday, Oct. 23. West Creek, N.J. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) — Friday, Oct. 23. West Creek, N.J. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition — Friday, Oct. 23. Vidalia, La. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild — Friday, Oct. 23. Branson, Mo. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- The Butcher's Smoke & Flames Barbeque Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) — Friday, Oct. 23. Cullman, Ala. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Foothills Smoke-Off Challenge — Friday, Oct. 23. Lenoir, N.C. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) — Saturday, Oct. 24. West Creek, N.J. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
- Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) — Saturday, Oct. 24. West Creek, N.J. Entries through the organizer; sanctioned by KCBS.
Map what is in driving range → · subscribe to the calendar → · the judging notices → · the whole calendar →
Every month with scored results, back to the start of the record. ← December 2018 February 2019 → Latest edition
Seasons in review: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 · 2018 · 2017 · 2016 · 2015 · 2014 · 2013 · 2012