In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in October 2015 — 1 Oct to 31 Oct.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
October 2015 in BBQ
The recap: every contest scored, every story, every board
Inside
The Stories
By invitation only
THE SMOKING HILLS won 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational, best of 187 invited teams; PELLET ENVY took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 707.9888
- 2 invitationals in Oct 2015
- not in the power rating
Score of the month
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
BURNT FINGER BBQ put up 710.2860 at Cookin on the Kaw — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
THE PIT CREW GA took 2 Grand Championships in October 2015.
First one ever
Bald Hawg BBQ won their first Grand Championship at Hillbilly Hog BBQ Throwdown & Fall Festival, in their 39th contest in the data.
- 23 Oct
Title defended
GETTIN' SAUCED won Border War BBQ again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2014–2015
- field of 35
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 13% chance
Cool Smoke won Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) over top-rated IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 52 perfect 180s were handed out in October 2015.
- Chicken ×14
- Pork ×14
- Brisket ×14
- Pork Ribs ×10
Closest call
FINN'S FINEST BBQ edged BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD by 0.0688 at Boo B Que By the Sea.
- Master Series
Biggest riser
J & B'S BBQ gained 36 rating points across 3 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 3 contests
- now #436 overall
Best debut
Just Ribn' & Porkin Fun finished 4th at Holmes Drywall BBQ Cookoff 2015 (BACKYARD-INVITATIONAL) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 422 new teams in Oct 2015
- field of 12
Biggest blowout
JO-BAWB'S BBQ won Smoke on the Water by 20.6056 points over Boxer Q BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 33
Biggest field
36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open drew 606 teams, and GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA won it.
- Kansas City, MO
Milestone
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ cooked their 100th contest on record at Balloons Bikes Blues and Barbeque, with 27 Grand Championships along the way.
- 27 GCs along the way
Road warriors
Smoke-A-Holics cooked 6 contests in October 2015 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 5th
Won without a meat
THE SMOKING HILLS won 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 3rd.
- field of 187
New on the calendar
36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open ran for the first time on record, drawing 606 teams, and GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Oct 2015
- Kansas City, MO
Always the reserve
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM finished second overall 2 times in October 2015 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 5 contests
Busiest weekend
16 sanctioned contests were cooked on 9 Oct alone.
- 9 Oct
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×14 💯 | BEAN BANDITS Hog Wild BBQ Festival |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×10 💯 | WILD BOAR SMOKERS Hog Wild BBQ Festival |
180 |
| Pork ×14 💯 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational |
180 |
| Brisket ×14 💯 | CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 28 more in October 2015.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Oct 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| J & B'S BBQ No. 436 in the power rankings |
1,691 | +36 |
| THE PIT CREW GA No. 806 in the power rankings |
1,627 | +35 |
| Cool Smoke No. 272 in the power rankings |
1,731 | +29 |
| LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER No. 435 in the power rankings |
1,691 | +28 |
| ATLANTA BBQ STORE No. 343 in the power rankings |
1,713 | +28 |
| GUZZY-Q No. 2,331 in the power rankings |
1,526 | +28 |
| SAUCE THIS BBQ No. 93 in the power rankings |
1,812 | +28 |
| DANTE'S INFERNO No. 623 in the power rankings |
1,655 | +27 |
| 913 BBQ No. 36 in the power rankings |
1,858 | +27 |
| GREY STREET BBQ No. 5 in the power rankings |
1,943 | +26 |
| Burnin and Lootin No. 42 in the power rankings |
1,855 | -22 |
| Rocks Money Pit BBQ No. 513 in the power rankings |
1,674 | -23 |
| Willingham's No. 3,199 in the power rankings |
1,501 | -24 |
| Big D's BBQ No. 2,772 in the power rankings |
1,512 | -27 |
| MONTY PIGTHON & THE HOLY GRILL No. 1,130 in the power rankings |
1,592 | -27 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke-A-Holics | 6 | — | 5 |
| BUTCHER BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| JO-BAWB'S BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Organizer Portal | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SMOKE ON THIS | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| ATLANTA BBQ STORE | 5 | — | 2 |
| BUFFALO'S BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| HICKORY PRIME | 5 | — | 2 |
| SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | 5 | — | 2 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 5 | — | 3 |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 5 | — | 3 |
| CLARK CREW BBQ | 5 | — | 4 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 5 | 656 |
| Georgia | 5 | 175 |
| Kansas | 5 | 157 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 162 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 115 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 109 |
| Arkansas | 3 | 98 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 76 |
| California | 2 | 124 |
| Ohio | 2 | 100 |
| Illinois | 2 | 79 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 66 |
| Texas | 2 | 63 |
| Delaware | 1 | 65 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 57 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 46 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 44 |
| Virginia | 1 | 37 |
| Nevada | 1 | 34 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 26 |
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| American Royal Invitational Oct 2, 2015 · Kansas City, MO |
187 | THE SMOKING HILLS |
| Holmes Drywall BBQ Cookoff Oct 14, 2015 · Kansas City, MO |
12 | B TEAM BBQ MO |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
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Every contest scored (52 in October 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.