In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in February 2025.
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
- The Backyard A7
- New to the Circuit A8
- Box Scores B1
- Complete Results B4
- Back Issues C4
Score of the month
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS Turns In the Month’s Best Card
704.5372 out of 720 at Grills Gone Wild — the highest Master overall scored in February 2025.
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
DAVENPORT, Fla. — FRED VEGAS SMOKERS put up 704.5372 at Grills Gone Wild — the highest overall of the month.
Across February 2025, 5 sanctioned contests were scored, across 4 states and provinces, drawing 135 teams to the turn-in table. Judges made 255 top-ten calls and handed out 10 perfect 180s. 6 teams appear in the record for the first time. The full standings run on B1.
Every Grand Championship in this edition — 5 in all.
Hottest hand
Two Grand Championships in Feb 2025 for FRED VEGAS SMOKERS
Nobody else in the field ran a hotter hand.
2× Grand Championships
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS took 2 Grand Championships in February 2025.
First one ever
Menke Boys BBQ Wins Its First, on the 47th Try
A first Grand Championship at Ribs on the Ridge, after 47 contests in the record.
47th contest — and their first GC
HAINES CITY, Fla. — Menke Boys BBQ won their first Grand Championship at Ribs on the Ridge, in their 47th contest in the data.
Upset of the month
The Long Shot Comes In at Best in the Southwest
The ratings gave STEVO'S BBQ TEAM a 15% chance, with GETTIN' BASTED the team to beat.
15-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings
YUMA, Ariz. — STEVO'S BBQ TEAM won Best in the Southwest over top-rated GETTIN' BASTED as the ratings underdog.
Also in Feb 2025
Judges Hand Out Ten Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 10 perfect 180s were handed out in February 2025.
Decided by 1.0968 Points
Menke Boys BBQ edged GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ by 1.0968 at Ribs on the Ridge.
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS Back on Top After Two Years
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS won Grills Gone Wild — their first Grand Championship since February 2023, after 46 contests without one.
Powered by Smoke Climbs 20 Rating Points
Powered by Smoke gained 20 rating points across 2 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
Five State Champions Crowned
5 state championships were decided in February 2025. The biggest, Fire on Ice BBQ Championship (42 teams), went to Shiggin & Grinnin.
First Time Out, Playa Famous BBQ Takes 8th
Playa Famous BBQ finished 8th at Ribs on the Ridge — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
Dogpatch Q Tops the Backyard Board at Ribs on the Ridge
Dogpatch Q put up 349.6800 on the Backyard board at Ribs on the Ridge — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN Runs Away With Fire on Ice BBQ Championship
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN won Fire on Ice BBQ Championship by 6.3312 points over BIGG SMOAK BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
42 Teams Roll Into Onamia
Fire on Ice BBQ Championship drew 42 teams, and Shiggin & Grinnin won it.
DRY 2 DA BONE Cooks Its 100th Contest
DRY 2 DA BONE cooked their 100th contest on record at Best in the Southwest, with 5 Grand Championships along the way.
Nobody Hauled Further Than FRED VEGAS SMOKERS
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS cooked 3 contests in February 2025 — nobody hauled the rig further.
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS Wins Mission Farms - King of the Farm Without Winning a Meat
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS won Mission Farms - King of the Farm without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 3rd.
A New Contest Opens in Onamia
Fire on Ice BBQ Championship ran for the first time on record, drawing 42 teams, and Shiggin & Grinnin won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
Jeanne Titus Works Two Contests
Jeanne Titus repped 2 contests in February 2025 — somebody has to run the table.
Perfect 180s
10 perfect scores — six judges, every card a nine.
- Pork BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC Mission Farms - King of the Farm · Feb. 28
- Brisket B' Mackin BBQ Best in the Southwest · Feb. 21
- Pork Meat Candy Q Best in the Southwest · Feb. 21
- Pork Ribs STEVO'S BBQ TEAM Best in the Southwest · Feb. 21
- Chicken Accutech BBQ Ribs on the Ridge · Feb. 14
- Chicken Dogpatch Q Ribs on the Ridge · Feb. 14
- Pork Going Yard BBQ Ribs on the Ridge · Feb. 14
- Brisket Menke Boys BBQ Ribs on the Ridge · Feb. 14
- Chicken Sloppy Hogs Ribs on the Ridge · Feb. 14
- Chicken JANKY LEG BBQ Grills Gone Wild · Feb. 7
The Ratings Market Power rating and the move over Feb 2025; # is the team’s place in the power rankings
| Team | Rating | Chg. |
|---|---|---|
| Powered by Smoke #1,889 | 1,544 | ▲ 20 |
| Amped Up #2,032 | 1,537 | ▲ 20 |
| Dogpatch Q #259 | 1,737 | ▲ 20 |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS #205 | 1,754 | ▲ 17 |
| STEVO'S BBQ TEAM #349 | 1,712 | ▲ 15 |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ #106 | 1,804 | ▲ 15 |
| Menke Boys BBQ #1,224 | 1,585 | ▲ 14 |
| PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO. #1,797 | 1,548 | ▲ 14 |
| Team | Rating | Chg. |
|---|---|---|
| Still Workin' On It #1,104 | 1,594 | ▲ 14 |
| Smokin Big #5,294 | 1,456 | ▲ 13 |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ #530 | 1,671 | ▼ 12 |
| Smokin-N-Pokin #6,004 | 1,434 | ▼ 13 |
| Mad Dog BBQ #933 | 1,612 | ▼ 15 |
| Accutech BBQ #903 | 1,616 | ▼ 23 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ #57 | 1,840 | ▼ 27 |
Full power rankings → · Ratings move only on rated contests; invitationals and non-points events are excluded.
The Backyard Two meats, out of 360 — never against the Master board
The Backyard division was cooked at two contests in Feb 2025.
- 1 Dogpatch Q Ribs on the Ridge · Haines City, Fla. 349.6800
- 2 Dogpatch Q Grills Gone Wild · Davenport, Fla. 345.1200
- 3 Belly Bustin Bistro Ribs on the Ridge · Haines City, Fla. 344
- 4 Powered by Smoke Grills Gone Wild · Davenport, Fla. 335.3600
- 5 Amped Up Ribs on the Ridge · Haines City, Fla. 333.6800
- 6 TRICKY PIG Ribs on the Ridge · Haines City, Fla. 330.7884
- 7 Cool Guys BBQ Grills Gone Wild · Davenport, Fla. 330.7772
- 8 PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO. Grills Gone Wild · Davenport, Fla. 330.2288
- 9 Amped Up Grills Gone Wild · Davenport, Fla. 329.0744
- 10 Powered by Smoke Ribs on the Ridge · Haines City, Fla. 324.5028
The Backyard series in full → · Its own record board, its own champions and its own Team of the Year.
New to the Circuit First appearance anywhere in the record — the figure is their best finish
What a first season usually looks like → · 2 contests also ran for the first time on record: Fire on Ice BBQ Championship, Ribs on the Ridge.
Best of Each Meat
Both series, out of 180
| Meat | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken†4 | JANKY LEG BBQ Grills Gone Wild |
180 |
| Pork Ribs† | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM Best in the Southwest |
180 |
| Pork†3 | Going Yard BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
180 |
| Brisket†2 | Menke Boys BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
180 |
† a perfect 180 was scored in this category during the edition.
Who Showed Up
Contests · Grand Championships · best overall finish
| Team | C | GC | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Dogpatch Q | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Menke Boys BBQ | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 2 | — | 2 |
| Powered by Smoke | 2 | — | 2 |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 2 | — | 2 |
| Amped Up | 2 | — | 3 |
| Cool Guys BBQ | 2 | — | 3 |
| Going Yard BBQ | 2 | — | 3 |
| PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO. | 2 | — | 4 |
| Poppa Pig | 2 | — | 4 |
| K & E's Little Smokers | 2 | — | 6 |
| Sloppy Hogs | 2 | — | 6 |
| Mad Dog BBQ | 2 | — | 9 |
| Accutech BBQ | 2 | — | 10 |
Who Ran the Table
Contests worked · states & provinces
| Rep | C | St. |
|---|---|---|
| Jeanne Titus | 2 | 1 |
| Mike Garretson | 2 | 1 |
| Bryan Stewart | 1 | 1 |
| Carol Bigler | 1 | 1 |
| John Scharffbillig | 1 | 1 |
| Laurie Tweten | 1 | 1 |
| Luca Famigli | 1 | 1 |
| Michael Santiago | 1 | 1 |
| Noel Kay | 1 | 1 |
| Randy G Bigler | 1 | 1 |
| Rhonda Santiago | 1 | 1 |
| Roberto Sirok | 1 | 1 |
Where They Cooked
Contests · teams
| State/Prov. | C | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 2 | 41 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 42 |
| Arizona | 1 | 29 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 26 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mission Farms - King of the Farm Feb. 28 · Iron Station, N.C. · 26 teams |
Fred Vegas Smokers | 695.9084 |
| Fire on Ice BBQ Championship Feb. 21 · Onamia, Minn. · 42 teams |
Shiggin & Grinnin | 700.5600 |
| Best in the Southwest Feb. 21 · Yuma, Ariz. · 29 teams |
Stevo's BBQ Team | 698.2172 |
| Ribs on the Ridge Feb. 14 · Haines City, Fla. · 16 teams |
Menke Boys BBQ | 702.8000 |
| Grills Gone Wild Feb. 7 · Davenport, Fla. · 25 teams |
Fred Vegas Smokers | 704.5372 |
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.
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