In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in April 2016 — 1 Apr to 30 Apr.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
April 2016 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
DIRT ROAD BBQ put up 710.8460 at 8th Annual VFW Post 846 BBQ Challenge — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
APORKALYPSE NOW took 2 Grand Championships in April 2016.
First one ever
SMOKING BUTT HEADS won their first Grand Championship at Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off, in their 44th contest in the data.
- 22 Apr
Title defended
INSANE SWINE BBQ won Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2015–2016
- field of 39
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 11% chance
BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX won Cedar Fest BBQ over top-rated CLARK CREW BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 40 perfect 180s were handed out in April 2016.
- Pork ×13
- Chicken ×11
- Brisket ×9
- Pork Ribs ×7
Closest call
BIG BLUE QUE edged WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS by 0.0460 at High on the Hog Festival.
- Master Series
Back on top
MOKAN MEATHEADS won Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest — their first Grand Championship since May 2013, after 30 contests without one.
- last won May 2013
- 30 contests in between
Contest record
CLARK CREW BBQ put up 700.5144 at Smoke in the Spring — the best overall in 4 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 698.2516.
- old record 698.2516
- 3 earlier editions
Near sweep
WHISKEY BENT BBQ - FL won 3 of 4 meats at Downtown BBQ Throwdown (pork ribs, pork and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Pork Ribs
- Pork
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ gained 61 rating points across 4 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 4 contests
- now #534 overall
Best debut
All Up In Ya Belly finished 1st at Smoking Hot BBQ Nassau — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 400 new teams in Apr 2016
- field of 17
Biggest blowout
3 EYZ BBQ won The Ironman by 13.0968 points over Brown Liquor BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 54
Biggest field
Smoke in the Spring drew 109 teams, and CLARK CREW BBQ won it.
- Osage City, KS
Milestone
Organizer Portal cooked their 100th contest on record at High on the Hog Festival, with 16 Grand Championships along the way.
- 16 GCs along the way
Road warriors
Smoke-A-Holics cooked 8 contests in April 2016 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 1 GC
Won without a meat
CLARK CREW BBQ won Smoke in the Spring without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 109
New on the calendar
Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval ran for the first time on record, drawing 75 teams, and APORKALYPSE NOW won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Apr 2016
- Harrington, DE
Always the reserve
OKIEQ finished second overall 2 times in April 2016 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
10 sanctioned contests were cooked on 15 Apr alone.
- 15 Apr
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DIRT ROAD BBQ 8th Annual VFW Post 846 BBQ Challenge |
710.8460 |
| 2 | GETTIN' BASTED Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest |
709.6800 |
| 3 | KILLER HOGS Shelby Forest Spring Fest Smokin' In the Forest |
706.8800 |
| 4 | 913 BBQ 8th Annual VFW Post 846 BBQ Challenge |
706.8344 |
| 5 | JAMBO PITS Chillin & Grillin |
705.1776 |
| 6 | SMOKING BUTT HEADS Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off |
704.5828 |
| 7 | OKIEQ Chillin & Grillin |
704.5600 |
| 8 | Bonemaker Outdoors Morris Twister Days BBQ Competition |
704.5372 |
| 9 | VICTORY LANE BBQ Southaven Springfest |
704.5256 |
| 10 | R BUTTS R SMOKIN The G Town Smokin Showdown |
704.0344 |
| 11 | SLICKS BAR-B-QUE Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off |
703.9888 |
| 12 | Smoke-A-Holics Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ |
703.9540 |
| 13 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS The Ultimate BBQ showdown East vs West VII |
703.3944 |
| 14 | LUCKY'S Q Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full) |
702.8916 |
| 15 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM Smokin on the Water 2 |
701.7600 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×11 💯 | FIRE DANCER BBQ Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×7 💯 | GETTIN' BASTED Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest |
180 |
| Pork ×13 💯 | Smokin Hot J's Cedar Fest BBQ |
180 |
| Brisket ×9 💯 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 16 more in April 2016.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Apr 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ No. 534 in the power rankings |
1,671 | +61 |
| HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB No. 44 in the power rankings |
1,853 | +43 |
| JOUSTING PIGS BBQ No. 463 in the power rankings |
1,685 | +40 |
| Bonemaker Outdoors No. 512 in the power rankings |
1,674 | +38 |
| JAMBO PITS No. 789 in the power rankings |
1,629 | +36 |
| KOSMOSQ.COM No. 573 in the power rankings |
1,664 | +36 |
| LUCKY'S Q No. 26 in the power rankings |
1,868 | +35 |
| FIREHOUSE SMOKE No. 415 in the power rankings |
1,695 | +34 |
| HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ No. 38 in the power rankings |
1,857 | +33 |
| SMOKIN HOOSIERS No. 1,027 in the power rankings |
1,603 | +30 |
| IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ No. 413 in the power rankings |
1,695 | -24 |
| China Rainbow | 1,475 | -25 |
| SMOKE-N-PEPPERS No. 214 in the power rankings |
1,752 | -25 |
| SMOKE HOUND BBQ No. 1,105 in the power rankings |
1,594 | -26 |
| Smoke Wagon No. 6,333 in the power rankings |
1,405 | -29 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke-A-Holics | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| PELLET ENVY | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 LEGS UP BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| BOOTYQUE | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| J & B'S BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| KILLER HOGS | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SLAPS BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| HICKORY PRIME | 5 | — | 2 |
| BUTCHER BBQ | 5 | — | 4 |
| SMOKERS PURGATORY | 5 | — | 4 |
| SMOKE ON THIS | 5 | — | 6 |
| YELLOW RIVER BBQ | 5 | — | 8 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 5 | 216 |
| Missouri | 4 | 240 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 167 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 163 |
| California | 3 | 108 |
| Indiana | 3 | 89 |
| Texas | 2 | 104 |
| Georgia | 2 | 90 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 79 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 77 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 67 |
| Iowa | 2 | 46 |
| Florida | 2 | 45 |
| Delaware | 1 | 89 |
| Virginia | 1 | 79 |
| Alabama | 1 | 59 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 54 |
| Maryland | 1 | 41 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 39 |
| New York | 1 | 35 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval Harrington, DE |
75 | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| 5th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arciadia, CA |
72 | ROOFTOP BBQ |
| Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK |
63 | SMOKEAHOLICS |
| Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest Jackson, TN |
61 | GETTIN' BASTED |
| 8th Annual VFW Post 846 BBQ Challenge Overland Park, KS |
60 | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| Masters in May Appleton, WI |
59 | PELLET ENVY |
| Masters in May- The Classic Appleton, WI |
58 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC |
54 | SMOKING BUTT HEADS |
| The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake Smithville, MO |
53 | SLAPS BBQ |
| CCS Fest: CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition Indianapolis, IN |
49 | SMOKIN ACES@THEBBQSUPERSTORE.COM |
| 3rd Annual Pickin' N Pullin Lanexa, VA |
48 | APORKALYPSE NOW |
| Bynum School's Best of the Basin Midland, TX |
46 | CAN'T SMOKE THIS |
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Every contest scored (60 in April 2016)
The Archive
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2026 (338 contests) · the 2026 season in review
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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.