The American Royal edition
Every team, every meat and every score from the 2022 American Royal Invitational.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
The Smoke Ring
Competition Barbecue’s Paper of Record
The Index
- The Champions A2
- American Royal 2022 in Brief A3
- Meat by Meat A4
- Perfect 180s A5
- Final Standings B1
- The Record Book B2
- Back Issues C1
The 2022 American Royal Invitational
The 2022 American Royal Invitational
QUE U Wins the American Royal on Debut
Their 711.9656 beats Bushmaster BBQ by 5.7028 points, in a field of 249 invited teams.
The highest winning score of 9 American Royals on record
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — QUE U won the 2022 American Royal Invitational in Kansas City, Kan., with 711.9656 out of 720, 5.7028 points clear of Bushmaster BBQ, the reserve grand champion. 249 teams were invited.
It was their 1st American Royal. The win was their 5th Grand Championship of 2022. On the way they finished 23rd in chicken, 50th in pork ribs, 4th in pork and 7th in brisket.
The meats went to THE BBQ BUS in chicken (180), MUTTLEY CREW BBQ in pork ribs (178.8572), GETTIN' BASTED in pork (180) and TINY E BBQ in brisket (180).
The winning score is the highest of the 9 American Royals on record. The field included seven past champions and 99 teams at their first American Royal. Judges handed out 16 perfect 180s. The full standings run on B1.
Every American Royal on record to 2022, newest first. Each year has an edition of its own.
The defending champion
Defending Champion TRIPLE H BBQ Finishes 29th
The 2021 winner falls out of the top ten.
29th of 249, after winning in 2021
TRIPLE H BBQ won the American Royal in 2021 and finished 29th this time, with 695.9312.
Perfect scores
16 Perfect 180s at the American Royal
Six judges, every card a nine.
16 perfect 180s
THE BBQ BUS in chicken, ACES HIGH BBQ in chicken, SMOKE THIS BBQ MO in chicken, Sharpe's Woodshed in chicken, SURE SHOT BBQ in chicken, GETTIN' BASTED in pork, THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ in pork, SMOKE THIS BBQ MO in pork and 8 more scored a perfect 180.
The field
The Biggest Field in American Royal History
249 teams were invited in 2022, against 185 in 2021.
249 teams invited
249 teams cooked the American Royal in 2022, the most of the 9 on record.
Also at the 2022 American Royal
Seven Past Champions Come Up Short
TRIPLE H BBQ (won 2021) finished 29th, THE SMOKING HILLS (won 2015) finished 66th, BUNCH OF SWINES (won 2018) finished 120th, 913 BBQ (won 2016) finished 129th, SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA (won 2014) finished 136th, CLARK CREW BBQ (won 2017) finished 151st and MUDVILLE BBQ (won 2019) finished 172nd.
NECTAR OF THE HOGS Climbs From 137th to 8th
NECTAR OF THE HOGS finished 8th, up from 137th in 2021: the most places gained by any team that cooked both.
DIRT ROAD BBQ Cooks Their 9th American Royal
DIRT ROAD BBQ has cooked 9 of the 9 American Royals on record, starting in 2013 with a best finish of 2nd, and finished 6th this year.
Chicken
The top ten, out of 180 · 5 perfect 180s
| Pl. | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE BBQ BUS | 180† |
| 2 | ACES HIGH BBQ | 180† |
| 3 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | 180† |
| 4 | Sharpe's Woodshed | 180† |
| 5 | SURE SHOT BBQ | 180† |
| 6 | SMOKING BUTT HEADS | 179.4400 |
| 7 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | 178.8800 |
| 8 | INSANE SWINE BBQ | 178.8800 |
| 9 | PARTS 'R' SMOKIN | 178.8572 |
| 10 | CODE 3 SPICES | 178.8572 |
Pork Ribs
The top ten, out of 180
| Pl. | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 178.8572 |
| 2 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 178.8572 |
| 3 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 178.8572 |
| 4 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | 178.8572 |
| 5 | THE BBQ BUS | 178.3200 |
| 6 | GOOD SMOKE BBQ | 178.2972 |
| 7 | Bushmaster BBQ | 178.2972 |
| 8 | BULL CREEK BBQ | 178.2972 |
| 9 | THE SMOKING HILLS | 177.7372 |
| 10 | WHEN PIGS DIE | 177.7372 |
Pork
The top ten, out of 180 · 4 perfect 180s
| Pl. | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GETTIN' BASTED | 180† |
| 2 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | 180† |
| 3 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | 180† |
| 4 | QUE U | 180† |
| 5 | YSB BBQ | 179.4400 |
| 6 | STEEL SMOKE | 179.4400 |
| 7 | SMOKE SHOWIN | 179.4400 |
| 8 | WHOLEY SMOKED COOKERS | 178.8800 |
| 9 | WARPIG BBQ & SAUSAGE CO. | 178.8572 |
| 10 | DIRT ROAD BBQ | 178.8572 |
Brisket
The top ten, out of 180 · 7 perfect 180s
| Pl. | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TINY E BBQ | 180† |
| 2 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 180† |
| 3 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS | 180† |
| 4 | The Boys in Que | 180† |
| 5 | Bushmaster BBQ | 180† |
| 6 | WOOD HOOK BBQ | 180† |
| 7 | QUE U | 180† |
| 8 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | 177.7144 |
| 9 | Kith n' Kin | 177.7028 |
| 10 | INSANE SWINE BBQ | 177.7028 |
16 perfect scores — six judges, every card a nine.
- Chicken THE BBQ BUS
- Chicken ACES HIGH BBQ
- Chicken SMOKE THIS BBQ MO
- Chicken Sharpe's Woodshed
- Chicken SURE SHOT BBQ
- Pork GETTIN' BASTED
- Pork THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ
- Pork SMOKE THIS BBQ MO
- Pork QUE U
- Brisket TINY E BBQ
- Brisket SHIGGIN & GRINNIN
- Brisket NECTAR OF THE HOGS
- Brisket The Boys in Que
- Brisket Bushmaster BBQ
- Brisket WOOD HOOK BBQ
- Brisket QUE U
Every team on the 2022 board, 249 in all: the overall out of 720 and each meat’s place. ★ a past American Royal champion; ◆ a first American Royal. Click a column head to sort.
Every board, with the score charts, on the contest’s own page →
Every American Royal on record to 2022, the invitational itself only.
Highest Scores
Any finish, out of 720
- 1 QUE U2022 · 1st 711.9656
- 2 CLARK CREW BBQ2017 · 1st 708.5600
- 3 TRIPLE H BBQ2021 · 1st 708.5372
- 4 THE SMOKING HILLS2015 · 1st 707.9888
- 5 Bushmaster BBQ2022 · 2nd 706.2628
- 6 MUDVILLE BBQ2019 · 1st 706.2516
- 7 HOGLINE2017 · 2nd 706.2400
- 8 REDNECK SCIENTIFIC2017 · 3rd 705.1544
- 9 THE BBQ BUS2022 · 3rd 705.1428
- 10 KG Cookers BBQ2017 · 4th 705.1200
Most Titles
Grand Championships
- 1 QUE U2022 1
- 2 MUDVILLE BBQ2019 1
- 3 TRIPLE H BBQ2021 1
- 4 913 BBQ2016 1
- 5 BUNCH OF SWINES2018 1
- 6 COOL SMOKE2013 1
- 7 SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA2014 1
- 8 CLARK CREW BBQ2017 1
- 9 THE SMOKING HILLS2015 1
Most Appearances
American Royals cooked
- 1 CLARK CREW BBQ2013–2022 · best 1st 9
- 2 THE SMOKING HILLS2013–2022 · best 1st 9
- 3 DIRT ROAD BBQ2013–2022 · best 2nd 9
- 4 SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ2013–2022 · best 2nd 9
- 5 IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ2013–2022 · best 5th 9
- 6 SHIGGIN & GRINNIN2013–2022 · best 9th 9
- 7 GOOD SMOKE BBQ2013–2022 · best 11th 9
- 8 BIG POPPA SMOKERS2013–2022 · best 13th 9
- 9 SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA2014–2022 · best 1st 8
- 10 GETTIN' BASTED2014–2022 · best 2nd 8
Closest Finishes
Points between first and second
- 1 BUNCH OF SWINES2018, over ONE2BBQ 1.0968
- 2 SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA2014, over DIRT ROAD BBQ 1.1312
- 3 MUDVILLE BBQ2019, over GETTIN' BASTED 2.2744
- 4 CLARK CREW BBQ2017, over HOGLINE 2.3200
- 5 913 BBQ2016, over SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ 2.8340
- 6 TRIPLE H BBQ2021, over SIN CIRCLE BBQ 4.5488
- 7 QUE U2022, over Bushmaster BBQ 5.7028
- 8 COOL SMOKE2013, over T-MAC SMOKIN 6.2516
- 9 THE SMOKING HILLS2015, over PELLET ENVY 7.9888
Biggest Fields
Teams invited
- 1 2022won by QUE U 249
- 2 2015won by THE SMOKING HILLS 187
- 3 2021won by TRIPLE H BBQ 185
- 4 2016won by 913 BBQ 180
- 5 2013won by COOL SMOKE 174
- 6 2014won by SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA 165
- 7 2018won by BUNCH OF SWINES 164
- 8 2019won by MUDVILLE BBQ 135
- 9 2017won by CLARK CREW BBQ 129
Best First Appearances
Finish at a first invitation
- 1 QUE U2022 · of 249 1st
- 2 MUDVILLE BBQ2019 · of 135 1st
- 3 SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA2014 · of 165 1st
- 4 YSB BBQ2021 · of 185 3rd
- 5 T-N-T QUE CREW2019 · of 135 3rd
- 6 DR. NORDY'S BBQ2014 · of 165 3rd
- 7 KG Cookers BBQ2017 · of 129 4th
- 8 DIVINE SWINE2018 · of 164 4th
- 9 BOOM CHICKA COW COW2021 · of 185 4th
- 10 FIRE DANCER BBQ2016 · of 180 4th
Every American Royal on record has an edition of its own. ← 2021 2023 →
American Royal editions: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2019 · 2018 · 2017 · 2016 · 2015 · 2014 · 2013
The other invitationals: Jack Daniel’s · World Invitational · every invitational on record
The season: 2022 in review · the latest edition