In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in May 2016 — 1 May to 31 May.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
May 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
BIG POPPA SMOKERS put up 706.8228 at Best Dam Barbecue — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
CLARK CREW BBQ took 3 Grand Championships in May 2016.
First one ever
WILD BUNCH BUTT BURNERS won their first Grand Championship at The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ, in their 43rd contest in the data.
- 6 May
By invitation only
KC SMOKIN' SPORTS won UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitors Invitational Series), best of 24 invited teams; SMOKER BANDITS took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 669.6116
- not in the power rating
Title defended
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Red, White & BBQ (Day 2) again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- field of 55
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 10% chance
CARTER-QUE-ING won Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier) over top-rated CLARK CREW BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 48 perfect 180s were handed out in May 2016.
- Chicken ×16
- Brisket ×14
- Pork Ribs ×9
- Pork ×9
Closest call
HICKORY PRIME edged WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ by 0.0340 at Chesapeake Jubilee.
- Master Series
Back on top
Theslabs.com won 2016 Smokin in the Wood BBQ Competition — their first Grand Championship since June 2013, after 70 contests without one.
- last won June 2013
- 70 contests in between
Contest record
3 EYZ BBQ put up 695.9772 at BBQ Jamboree — the best overall in 4 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 688.5028.
- old record 688.5028
- 3 earlier editions
Near sweep
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won 3 of 4 meats at Red, White & BBQ (Day 1) (chicken, pork ribs and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork Ribs
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
CRIMSON Q gained 43 rating points across 3 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 3 contests
- now #863 overall
State champion
SMOKE CENTRAL BBQ won Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier), a state championship, against a field of 41.
- Georgia
Best debut
KC SMOKIN' SPORTS finished 1st at UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitors Invitational Series) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 339 new teams in May 2016
- field of 24
Biggest blowout
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won Red, White & BBQ (Day 1) by 21.2000 points over WOODWARD BARBEQUE — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 42
Biggest field
Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival drew 83 teams, and UNCLE BC'S won it.
- Bixby, OK
Milestone
Smoke-A-Holics cooked their 100th contest on record at Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q, with 7 Grand Championships along the way.
- 7 GCs along the way
Road warriors
Smoke-A-Holics cooked 7 contests in May 2016 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 4th
Won without a meat
UNCLE BC'S won Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 83
New on the calendar
Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival ran for the first time on record, drawing 83 teams, and UNCLE BC'S won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in May 2016
- Bixby, OK
Always the reserve
Organizer Portal finished second overall 3 times in May 2016 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 4 contests
Busiest weekend
16 sanctioned contests were cooked on 6 May alone.
- 6 May
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS Best Dam Barbecue |
706.8228 |
| 2 | CHECKERED PIG Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass |
706.2628 |
| 3 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ The National BBQ Cup (Day 2) |
705.1432 |
| 4 | MUSIC CITY BBQ Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cookoff |
705.1316 |
| 5 | CLARK CREW BBQ Grand Lake BBQ & Festival |
704.5372 |
| 6 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ The National BBQ Cup (Day 2) |
703.9428 |
| 7 | LITTLE PIG TOWN BBQ Grand Lake BBQ & Festival |
703.3944 |
| 8 | South Pork The National BBQ Cup (Day 1) |
703.3712 |
| 9 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM Jiggy With the Piggy |
702.8916 |
| 10 | OKIEQ Grand Lake BBQ & Festival |
702.7884 |
| 11 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ Red, White & BBQ (Day 1) |
702.2744 |
| 12 | Organizer Portal Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cookoff |
702.2516 |
| 13 | JIGGY PIGGY Barber Q Battle |
701.6916 |
| 14 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ The National BBQ Cup (Day 2) |
701.6916 |
| 15 | WILD BUNCH BUTT BURNERS The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
701.6800 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×16 💯 | LUCKY'S Q Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×9 💯 | LADY OF Q Jiggy With the Piggy |
180 |
| Pork ×9 💯 | IT'S A LEAGUE GAME, SMOKEY Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival |
180 |
| Brisket ×14 💯 | Prime BBQ Jiggy With the Piggy |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 24 more in May 2016.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | May 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| CRIMSON Q No. 863 in the power rankings |
1,620 | +43 |
| PORKY BUTTS BBQ No. 18 in the power rankings |
1,879 | +42 |
| VICTORY LANE BBQ No. 62 in the power rankings |
1,836 | +41 |
| ASTRO PIGS BBQ No. 2,544 in the power rankings |
1,519 | +35 |
| CARTER-QUE-ING No. 1,888 in the power rankings |
1,544 | +32 |
| K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ No. 1,324 in the power rankings |
1,578 | +31 |
| CONTAGIOUS Q No. 133 in the power rankings |
1,785 | +31 |
| OKIEQ No. 163 in the power rankings |
1,774 | +31 |
| UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ No. 534 in the power rankings |
1,671 | +31 |
| BIG "E" BBQ No. 80 in the power rankings |
1,818 | +30 |
| BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE No. 5,903 in the power rankings |
1,439 | -20 |
| Extra Mile BBQ No. 947 in the power rankings |
1,611 | -23 |
| Kickin Ash No. 6,290 in the power rankings |
1,412 | -23 |
| CHEROKEE CASINO WEST SILOAM SPRINGS No. 5,827 in the power rankings |
1,441 | -23 |
| Tig's Brew 'N' Que No. 6,319 in the power rankings |
1,407 | -34 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke-A-Holics | 7 | — | 4 |
| PORKY BUTTS BBQ | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| CHECKERED PIG | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| South Pork | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| WOODWARD BARBEQUE | 5 | — | 2 |
| BUTCHER BBQ | 5 | — | 3 |
| QUAU | 5 | — | 3 |
| THE SMOKING HILLS | 5 | — | 3 |
| YELLOW RIVER BBQ | 5 | — | 4 |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 5 | — | 6 |
| CLARK CREW BBQ | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Bonemaker Outdoors | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 8 | 258 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 136 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 123 |
| Georgia | 3 | 138 |
| Virginia | 3 | 130 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 123 |
| Illinois | 3 | 87 |
| Alabama | 2 | 160 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 96 |
| New York | 2 | 89 |
| Kansas | 2 | 72 |
| Nevada | 2 | 63 |
| Indiana | 2 | 56 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 44 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 71 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 1 | 65 |
| Maryland | 1 | 51 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 47 |
| California | 1 | 44 |
| Oregon | 1 | 43 |
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| UMB Smokin' Vault May 6, 2016 · Kansas City, MO |
24 | KC SMOKIN' SPORTS |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival Bixby, OK |
83 | UNCLE BC'S |
| Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC |
76 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
| Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier) Evans, GA |
66 | CARTER-QUE-ING |
| 21st Annual Platte City BBQ Cook-off At Basswood Resort Platte City, MO |
51 | VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY |
| The National BBQ Cup (Day 1) Nashville, TN |
51 | SOUTH PORK |
| 5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition Valley, NE |
42 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ |
| Red, White & BBQ (Day 1) Westmont, IL |
42 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| Beers, Fries & BBQ III - The Belgian Championship Low & Slow BBQ Hasselt, Belgium |
40 | BUNCH OF SWINES |
| 4th Annual BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ |
39 | BAD BOYZ BBQ |
| Smokin' for Garrett Boonville, IN |
35 | ONE2BBQ |
| Smokin Q at Lynnwood Ranch Aldersyde, Alberta Canada, Canada |
34 | ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ |
| Wild West BBQ Cook Off Lamar, CO |
33 | CLARK CREW BBQ |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (63 in May 2016)
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.