In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored between 20 Sep and 19 Oct, refreshed nightly.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
The Last 30 Days in BBQ
The recap: every contest scored, every story, every board
Inside
The Stories
By invitation only
B's Que won American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest, best of 158 invited teams; MUNNY'S STOVE took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 709.6916
- 3 invitationals in 30 days
- not in the power rating
Score of the month
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
Dr. Squealgood BBQ put up 712.0000 at Shawnee Great Grillers — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
SMOKIN' OUTLAWS took 2 Grand Championships in the last 30 days.
They will not let it go
Smoking Butcher won Fossalta is on Fire BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) again — 3 straight editions of this contest.
- 2025–2026
- field of 28
First one ever
The Swine Doctor's BBQ won their first Grand Championship at First State BBQ Bash, in their 76th contest in the data.
- 25 Sep
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 10% chance
Dirty Shirt BBQ won Keystone Classic Cookoff over top-rated CHUNKY BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 116 perfect 180s were handed out in the last 30 days.
- Chicken ×35
- Pork ×33
- Pork Ribs ×26
- Brisket ×22
Closest call
B'S QUE edged MUNNY'S STOVE by 0.0116 at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest.
- Master Series
Back on top
Mispillion Meat Works won First State BBQ Bash — their first Grand Championship since June 2023, after 29 contests without one.
- last won June 2023
- 29 contests in between
Contest record
SMELLAQUE put up 709.7144 at Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) — the best overall in 6 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 703.4056.
- old record 703.4056
- 5 earlier editions
Near sweep
SMOKIN' OUTLAWS won 3 of 4 meats at Smoke on the Water (chicken, pork ribs and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork Ribs
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
Hot Thang gained 47 rating points across 3 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 3 contests
- now #1481 overall
State champions crowned
13 state championships were decided in the last 30 days. The biggest, Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard (71 teams), went to 1Bite Stand.
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Delaware
- Missouri
- Iowa
- Tennessee
Best debut
There's No Place Like finished 1st at La Belle MO Show Me BBQ Showdown — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 186 new teams in 30 days
- field of 33
Best in the backyard
Big Fluff BBQ put up 356.5600 on the Backyard board at WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 8 Backyard boards in 30 days
- won it
Biggest blowout
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ won Smoke on the Sound by 14.8680 points over Alderfire BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 17
Biggest field
American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest drew 360 teams, and Smokey Bey's Barbecue won it.
- Kansas City, KS
Milestone
SLAPS BBQ cooked their 350th contest on record at Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY), with 49 Grand Championships along the way.
- 49 GCs along the way
Road warriors
BrewsCue cooked 8 contests in the last 30 days — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 7th
Won without a meat
Smokey Bey's Barbecue won American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 7th.
- field of 360
New on the calendar
All American BBQ Cook-Off (Day 1) ran for the first time on record, drawing 35 teams, and Gettin' Basted won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in 30 days
- Sunland Park, NM
Always the reserve
Hot Thang finished second overall 2 times in the last 30 days without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
7 sanctioned contests were cooked on 25 Sep alone.
- 25 Sep
Rep of the month
Larry Voth repped 7 contests in the last 30 days — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×35 💯 | With a 180 Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×26 💯 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC Big BBQ Bash |
180 |
| Pork ×33 💯 | Three Stooges Barbecue Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard |
180 |
| Brisket ×22 💯 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ Smoke on the Sound |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 92 more in the last 30 days.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | 30 days |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Thang No. 1,481 in the power rankings |
1,566 | +47 |
| The Pitfather BBQ No. 482 in the power rankings |
1,681 | +38 |
| Brinkerhoff BBQ No. 207 in the power rankings |
1,754 | +32 |
| SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS No. 762 in the power rankings |
1,632 | +28 |
| TRIPLE B BBQ No. 2,948 in the power rankings |
1,507 | +28 |
| RIO VALLEY MEAT No. 874 in the power rankings |
1,619 | +28 |
| SMOKIN' OUTLAWS No. 246 in the power rankings |
1,743 | +27 |
| Can Do BBQ No. 1,670 in the power rankings |
1,554 | +26 |
| Eleven Thirteen Q No. 751 in the power rankings |
1,634 | +26 |
| AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW No. 556 in the power rankings |
1,668 | +25 |
| SAUCE THIS BBQ No. 93 in the power rankings |
1,812 | -19 |
| DM's BBQ | 1,479 | -21 |
| ChessieQ No. 4,392 in the power rankings |
1,475 | -21 |
| SadieQ No. 4,032 in the power rankings |
1,483 | -23 |
| All About the Wood No. 943 in the power rankings |
1,611 | -26 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrewsCue | 8 | — | 7 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Brinkerhoff BBQ | 7 | — | 2 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| BBQ Hot Yard | 6 | — | 3 |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 6 | — | 3 |
| LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | 6 | — | 5 |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 6 | — | 5 |
| Castiron Cookers | 6 | — | 17 |
| SMOKIN' OUTLAWS | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| B'S QUE | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 5 | — | 3 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Voth | 7 | 2 |
| Lynda Voth | 7 | 2 |
| Dave Rogers | 6 | 2 |
| Eugene Wickham | 6 | 2 |
| Peg Rogers | 6 | 2 |
| Sarah Wickham | 6 | 2 |
| David Dyche | 5 | 2 |
| Jo Dyche | 5 | 2 |
| Larry Hadley | 5 | 1 |
| Bill Jones | 4 | 2 |
| Forrest Bruce | 4 | 1 |
| John Scharffbillig | 4 | 1 |
| Julie Poe | 3 | 2 |
| Michael Santiago | 3 | 1 |
| Rhonda Santiago | 3 | 1 |
| Alex Jr Brown | 2 | 1 |
| Andreas Schnoell | 2 | — |
| Carol Bigler | 2 | 2 |
| Carolyn Wells | 2 | 2 |
| Clara Williams | 2 | 2 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 6 | 489 |
| Missouri | 5 | 104 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 125 |
| Maryland | 2 | 83 |
| Delaware | 2 | 55 |
| New Mexico | 2 | 38 |
| Washington | 2 | 27 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 19 |
| Illinois | 1 | 71 |
| Alabama | 1 | 46 |
| Georgia | 1 | 38 |
| Iowa | 1 | 31 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 25 |
| Indiana | 1 | 20 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| American Royal Invitational Sep 30, 2026 · Kansas City, KS |
158 | B's Que |
| Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Oct 9, 2026 · Lynchburg, TN |
99 | SmellaQue |
| Royal Oak Invitational Oct 15, 2026 · Roswell, GA |
38 | Crossed Rifles BBQ |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| All American BBQ Cook-Off (Day 1) Sunland Park, NM |
35 | Gettin' Basted |
| Big BBQ Bash Townsend, TN |
30 | Alpine Smoke Works |
| Keystone Classic Cookoff Harrisburg, PA |
25 | Dirty Shirt BBQ |
| The United Rentals Big Blue BBQ at Union Station Kansas City, MO |
20 | Poppin Smoke BBQ |
| Sandhills Smoke Show BBQ North Platte, NE |
19 | Smokin' Outlaws |
| Gladfest Smokefest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Gladstone, MO |
19 | Sauced and Smoked DBQ |
| Octoberfest (BACKYARD ONLY) Argos, IN |
19 | Holy Cow |
| Smoke on the Sound Redmond, WA |
17 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ |
| The MoCo Smoke Show Silver Spring, MD |
15 | Country Boys BBQ |
| I Love Smoky Exhibition and BBQ Competition Szerencs, Hungary |
14 | Beaver Field BBQ |
| I Love Smoky Exhibition and BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) Szerencs, Hungary |
13 | BBQ Hot Yard |
| Sandhills Smoke Show BBQ (ONE MEAT RIBS) North Platte, NE |
9 | Smokin Outlaws |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (33 in the last 30 days)
Next 30 days: 17 contests on the calendar across 11 states and provinces, and 3 certified judge classes — what’s on this weekend → · map what’s in driving range → · the judge classes → · put it all in your calendar →
The Archive
Every month with scored results, back to the start of the data. Subscribe to the monthly feed and each one lands as it closes.
2026 (338 contests) · the 2026 season in review
2025 (386 contests) · the 2025 season in review
2024 (343 contests) · the 2024 season in review
2023 (376 contests) · the 2023 season in review
2022 (376 contests) · the 2022 season in review
2021 (310 contests) · the 2021 season in review
2020 (134 contests) · the 2020 season in review
2019 (430 contests) · the 2019 season in review
2018 (480 contests) · the 2018 season in review
2017 (517 contests) · the 2017 season in review
2016 (505 contests) · the 2016 season in review
2015 (494 contests) · the 2015 season in review
2014 (469 contests) · the 2014 season in review
2013 (436 contests) · the 2013 season in review
2012 (1 contest) · the 2012 season in review
Every figure here is computed from the public results at kcbs.us, refreshed nightly. The Smoke Ring is not a publication of the Kansas City Barbeque Society.