In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in May 2015 — 1 May to 31 May.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
May 2015 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
WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS put up 712.5716 at The Rotary Club of Bearden - Que Fest — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
Organizer Portal took 3 Grand Championships in May 2015.
First one ever
THUMP & STRUM BBQ won their first Grand Championship at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour, in their 34th contest in the data.
- 8 May
Title defended
CHECKERED PIG won Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2014–2015
- field of 74
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 12% chance
Q-FACTOR won Sevierville Bloomin' BBQ and Bluegrass Festival over top-rated WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 61 perfect 180s were handed out in May 2015.
- Chicken ×26
- Brisket ×19
- Pork ×9
- Pork Ribs ×7
Closest call
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS edged OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ by 0.0116 at BBQ in the Bluffs.
- Master Series
Contest record
A FINE SWINE put up 692.6172 at Red, White and BBQ (Day 2) — the best overall in 4 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 683.4628.
- old record 683.4628
- 3 earlier editions
Near sweep
THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS won 3 of 4 meats at Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) (chicken, pork ribs and pork), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork Ribs
- Pork
- and the GC
Biggest riser
TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI gained 53 rating points across 6 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 6 contests
- now #85 overall
State champion
YES, DEAR BBQ won Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier), a state championship, against a field of 39.
- Georgia
Best debut
Bone Daddy's Mystic BBQ Crewe finished 1st at UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 621 new teams in May 2015
- field of 23
Biggest blowout
3 EYZ BBQ won Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival by 23.5200 points over CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 64
Biggest field
Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival drew 81 teams, and OKIEQ won it.
- Bixby, OK
Road warriors
Smoke-A-Holics cooked 8 contests in May 2015 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 1 GC
Won without a meat
OKIEQ won Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 3rd.
- field of 81
New on the calendar
Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival ran for the first time on record, drawing 81 teams, and OKIEQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in May 2015
- Bixby, OK
Always the reserve
SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC finished second overall 2 times in May 2015 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
17 sanctioned contests were cooked on 29 May alone.
- 29 May
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×26 💯 | CAVEMAN CUISINE Brews, Blues & Bar-B-Q Cookoff |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×7 💯 | BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX Apple Blossom BBQ Contest |
180 |
| Pork ×9 💯 | South Pork The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
180 |
| Brisket ×19 💯 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ Show Low BBQ Throwdown |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 37 more in May 2015.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | May 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI No. 85 in the power rankings |
1,815 | +53 |
| TRUCKY'S TRUE BLU BBQ'UE No. 606 in the power rankings |
1,658 | +52 |
| 5 FINGER BBQ No. 816 in the power rankings |
1,626 | +41 |
| 2 WORTHLESS NUTS, NATURAL BORN GRILLERS No. 1,081 in the power rankings |
1,597 | +40 |
| SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ No. 64 in the power rankings |
1,834 | +40 |
| SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC No. 525 in the power rankings |
1,672 | +39 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE No. 89 in the power rankings |
1,813 | +39 |
| BIG "E" BBQ No. 80 in the power rankings |
1,818 | +38 |
| OKIEQ No. 163 in the power rankings |
1,774 | +36 |
| MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ No. 119 in the power rankings |
1,796 | +35 |
| WOBBLY HOGS BBQ No. 4,761 in the power rankings |
1,468 | -23 |
| BOURBON BOYS BBQ No. 4,779 in the power rankings |
1,468 | -23 |
| KAMPING GATOR BBQ No. 5,845 in the power rankings |
1,441 | -24 |
| BATTLEGROUND BBQ No. 5,918 in the power rankings |
1,439 | -25 |
| WETTELS ON FIRE No. 3,928 in the power rankings |
1,485 | -28 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke-A-Holics | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| YELLOW RIVER BBQ | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| HISTORIC BBQ | 7 | — | 4 |
| CLARK CREW BBQ | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Organizer Portal | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Serial Griller | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| iBQ'n | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| HICKORY PRIME | 6 | — | 2 |
| QUAU | 6 | — | 3 |
| THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ | 6 | — | 3 |
| Its 5 Oclock Somewhere | 6 | — | 4 |
| QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | 6 | — | 4 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 10 | 324 |
| Kansas | 5 | 198 |
| Alabama | 4 | 208 |
| California | 4 | 191 |
| Georgia | 4 | 184 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 125 |
| Illinois | 4 | 101 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | 80 |
| Maryland | 3 | 120 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 110 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 106 |
| Colorado | 3 | 70 |
| Indiana | 3 | 61 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 95 |
| Virginia | 2 | 93 |
| New York | 2 | 87 |
| Nevada | 2 | 70 |
| Iowa | 2 | 63 |
| Ohio | 2 | 55 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 74 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival Bixby, OK |
81 | OKIEQ |
| Horse Town Brew n Que Festival Norco, CA |
75 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ |
| Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que (GBC Qualifier) Evans, GA |
65 | CLARK CREW BBQ |
| Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD |
64 | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Minnesota in May St. Paul, MN |
60 | SPITFIRE |
| Smokin' in Steel Owatonna, MN |
60 | DRY 2 DA BONE |
| The Masters In May Appleton, WI |
57 | iBQ'n@TheBBQSuperStore.com |
| Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition & Festival Green Lane, PA |
57 | BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ |
| Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship Bakersfield, CA |
53 | KNOCK UR SOX OFF BBQ |
| 20th Annual Platte City BBQ Cook-Off Platte City, MO |
51 | R BUTTS R SMOKIN |
| Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ Fest Swanzey, NH |
49 | STUBBORN BULL BBQ |
| The Masters In May - The Classic Appleton, WI |
47 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (80 in May 2015)
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.