In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in May 2014 — 1 May to 31 May.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
May 2014 in BBQ
The recap: every contest scored, every story, every board
Inside
The Stories
Score of the month
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE put up 706.2512 at Smokelawn — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
K.C. CAN CREW took 3 Grand Championships in May 2014.
First one ever
SMOKERS WILD won their first Grand Championship at Grand Lake BBQ Festival, in their 26th contest in the data.
- 16 May
Title defended
SMOKIN TRIGGERS won Royal Gorge Holy Smoke BBQ Showdown again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2013–2014
- field of 34
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 17% chance
MOTLEY QUE CREW won Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass over top-rated WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 32 perfect 180s were handed out in May 2014.
- Chicken ×11
- Pork ×10
- Brisket ×7
- Pork Ribs ×4
Closest call
ABLE ACRES BBQ edged Pappy Q by 0.0116 at Buckeye State BBQ Championship.
- Master Series
Biggest riser
BUBBA-Q'S gained 56 rating points across 5 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 5 contests
- now #608 overall
State champion
PALMETTO SMOKEHOUSE won Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier), a state championship, against a field of 42.
- Georgia
Best debut
Gone Fish-n finished 1st at Nassau Bahamas Smokin' Hot BBQ — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 672 new teams in May 2014
- field of 24
Biggest blowout
A Boy & His BBQ won Minnesota in May by 21.2344 points over SPITFIRE — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 58
Biggest field
Sugar Mound BBQ Festival drew 87 teams, and SMOKE THIS BBQ MO won it.
- Mound City, KS
Road warriors
SPITFIRE cooked 6 contests in May 2014 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 2nd
Won without a meat
SMOKE THIS BBQ MO won Sugar Mound BBQ Festival without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 87
New on the calendar
Sugar Mound BBQ Festival ran for the first time on record, drawing 87 teams, and SMOKE THIS BBQ MO won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in May 2014
- Mound City, KS
Always the reserve
THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ finished second overall 4 times in May 2014 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 5 contests
Busiest weekend
17 sanctioned contests were cooked on 2 May alone.
- 2 May
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE Smokelawn |
706.2512 |
| 2 | TRUEBUD BBQ Smokin' in the Junction |
705.1544 |
| 3 | SMOKIN TRIGGERS Royal Gorge Holy Smoke BBQ Showdown |
704.5944 |
| 4 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N Roman Roast on the River (SBBQA) |
704 |
| 5 | SMOKERS WILD Grand Lake BBQ Festival |
702.8116 |
| 6 | Pig Time BBQ The WhistleStop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (JUDGES SIGN UP STARTS DECEMBER 2, 2013) |
702.2400 |
| 7 | YELLOW RIVER BBQ Smokin' On The Water |
701.7372 |
| 8 | BUTCHER BBQ Boots & BBQ Festival |
701.6800 |
| 9 | SWIGGIN PIG Sam's Club National BBQ Tour |
700.0232 |
| 10 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ Royal Gorge Holy Smoke BBQ Showdown |
699.4172 |
| 11 | LUCKY'S Q Smokin in Steele |
699.4056 |
| 12 | TEMPLETON RYE WOODFELLAS Smokin' in the Junction |
699.3944 |
| 13 | One2BBQ Smokin' On The Water |
698.8688 |
| 14 | TENACIOUS Q Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff |
698.8000 |
| 15 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ Sam's Club National BBQ Tour |
698.7884 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×11 💯 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN The WhistleStop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (JUDGES SIGN UP STARTS DECEMBER 2, 2013) |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×4 💯 | One2BBQ Smokin' On The Water |
180 |
| Pork ×10 💯 | CLARK CREW BBQ Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival |
180 |
| Brisket ×7 💯 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ 2nd Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 8 more in May 2014.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | May 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| BUBBA-Q'S No. 608 in the power rankings |
1,658 | +56 |
| Under the Radar No. 24 in the power rankings |
1,870 | +45 |
| Smoke-A-Holics No. 1,038 in the power rankings |
1,601 | +43 |
| BIG BUTTS NEED RUBBIN TOO No. 621 in the power rankings |
1,656 | +40 |
| All Sauced Up No. 6,215 in the power rankings |
1,420 | +37 |
| K.C. CAN CREW No. 208 in the power rankings |
1,754 | +37 |
| SMOKE THIS BBQ MO No. 339 in the power rankings |
1,713 | +35 |
| FAT, DRUNK & STUPID No. 117 in the power rankings |
1,799 | +35 |
| OLD PLANTATION BBQ No. 228 in the power rankings |
1,749 | +34 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ No. 1 in the power rankings |
1,980 | +33 |
| PIG APPROVED BBQ No. 5,536 in the power rankings |
1,450 | -25 |
| KNUCKLEHEADS BAR AND GRILL BBQ | 1,449 | -26 |
| 303 BBQ No. 1,280 in the power rankings |
1,581 | -26 |
| Jack's Beef Delight & BBQ No. 5,279 in the power rankings |
1,456 | -29 |
| SMOKIN DEEZE THAANGS No. 5,911 in the power rankings |
1,439 | -40 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPITFIRE | 6 | — | 2 |
| Smoke-A-Holics | 6 | — | 3 |
| QUAU | 6 | — | 4 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| OLD PLANTATION BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| JAESTAR BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| WHISKEY PIT BBQ COMPANY | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| BUBBA-Q'S | 5 | — | 2 |
| Organizer Portal | 5 | — | 2 |
| THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | 5 | — | 2 |
| LOTTA BULL BBQ | 5 | — | 3 |
| MIKE | 5 | — | 4 |
| SMOKE ON THIS | 5 | — | 6 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 8 | 258 |
| Kansas | 5 | 200 |
| Georgia | 4 | 181 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 153 |
| California | 4 | 150 |
| Maryland | 3 | 131 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 116 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 80 |
| Virginia | 2 | 121 |
| Alabama | 2 | 107 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 102 |
| Illinois | 2 | 75 |
| Iowa | 2 | 62 |
| Colorado | 2 | 51 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 49 |
| Nevada | 2 | 48 |
| New York | 1 | 153 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 80 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 62 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 53 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar Mound BBQ Festival Mound City, KS |
87 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO |
| Roc City Rib Fest Rochester, NY |
86 | Priorville |
| Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival Bixby, OK |
80 | WHISKEY PIT BBQ COMPANY |
| Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Bluegrass Festival (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) Evans, GA |
65 | OLD PLANTATION BBQ |
| The WhistleStop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (JUDGES SIGN UP STARTS DECEMBER 2, 2013) Huntsville, AL |
62 | Pig Time BBQ |
| West Coast BBQ Classic Long Beach, CA |
59 | JET COATINGS - MONKEY STYLE |
| Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN |
58 | A BOY & HIS BBQ |
| Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO |
57 | K.C. CAN CREW |
| Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship Bakersfield, CA |
56 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ |
| Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN |
56 | MOTLEY QUE CREW |
| Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition Green Lane, PA |
54 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| The Rotary Club of West Knoxville - Rocky Top Hummin' & Strummin' BBQ Cook-Off Knoxville, TN |
48 | OLD PLANTATION BBQ |
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Every contest scored (66 in May 2014)
The Archive
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2026 (338 contests) · the 2026 season in review
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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.