In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in September 2016 — 1 Sep to 30 Sep.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
September 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
VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY put up 712.5944 at Smoking in the Golden Valley — the highest overall of the month.
Clean sweep
VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY won every meat at Smoking in the Golden Valley — chicken, ribs, pork and brisket.
- Chicken
- Pork Ribs
- Pork
- Brisket
- and the GC
Hottest hand
GREY STREET BBQ took 3 Grand Championships in September 2016.
First one ever
SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS won their first Grand Championship at Jim Beam BBQ Classic, in their 27th contest in the data.
- 30 Sep
Title defended
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE won Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2015–2016
- field of 111
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 11% chance
Top Gun Barbecue won Que by the Sea over top-rated 3 EYZ BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 45 perfect 180s were handed out in September 2016.
- Brisket ×17
- Chicken ×11
- Pork ×10
- Pork Ribs ×7
Closest call
JO-BAWB'S BBQ edged 4 LEGS UP BBQ by 0.0228 at Jammin' in JC BBQ Contest.
- Master Series
Back on top
THE BBQ GURU won Philadelphia's Inaugural Fire Up HOPE — their first Grand Championship since August 2013, after 42 contests without one.
- last won August 2013
- 42 contests in between
Contest record
LUCKY'S Q put up 705.7144 at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) — the best overall in 5 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 694.8344.
- old record 694.8344
- 4 earlier editions
Biggest riser
SMOKING BUTT HEADS gained 40 rating points across 5 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 5 contests
- now #197 overall
State champions crowned
2 state championships were decided in September 2016. The biggest, Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship (111 teams), went to BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE.
- Kansas
- Virginia
Best debut
TWISTED BLUE SMOKE finished 3rd at Rock'n Brews & BBQ Festival — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 443 new teams in Sep 2016
- field of 25
Biggest blowout
THE BASIC BBQ TEAM won Nostrano Garlic Festival Presents: Great Maine BBQ Challenge at Smuggler's Den Campground by 22.3888 points over SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 20
Biggest field
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship drew 111 teams, and BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE won it.
- Shawnee, KS
Milestone
CLARK CREW BBQ cooked their 100th contest on record at Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off, with 27 Grand Championships along the way.
- 27 GCs along the way
Road warriors
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC cooked 5 contests in September 2016 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 3 GCs
Won without a meat
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE won Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 3rd.
- field of 111
New on the calendar
Independence Fire & Ice BBQ ran for the first time on record, drawing 76 teams, and PORKY BUTTS BBQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Sep 2016
- Independence, MO
Always the reserve
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA finished second overall 2 times in September 2016 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 2 contests
Busiest weekend
15 sanctioned contests were cooked on 16 Sep alone.
- 16 Sep
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY Smoking in the Golden Valley |
712.5944 |
| 2 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship |
711.9772 |
| 3 | ATLANTA BBQ STORE Rock'n Ribville (GBC Qualifier) |
709.7144 |
| 4 | GREY STREET BBQ Bands & BBQ at the Point |
707.9772 |
| 5 | IQ - NETHERLANDS Farm Meat |
707.4516 |
| 6 | Pot's BBQ Rock'n Ribville (GBC Qualifier) |
707.3828 |
| 7 | LUCKY'S Q Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) |
705.7144 |
| 8 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC Butts and Beans BBQ Challenge |
705.6916 |
| 9 | GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE Rock'n Brews & BBQ Festival |
704.0116 |
| 10 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ Bikes Blues and BBQ |
703.9656 |
| 11 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ Independence Fire & Ice BBQ |
703.4056 |
| 12 | LUCKY'S Q Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship |
703.3944 |
| 13 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out |
703.3940 |
| 14 | THE UNIVERSITY OF QUE The Tony Stone Cookeville Cookoff |
703.3828 |
| 15 | Chairman of the Boar The Tony Stone Cookeville Cookoff |
702.8460 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×11 💯 | CAMP-BELL BBQ The Tony Stone Cookeville Cookoff |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×7 💯 | Organizer Portal Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest |
180 |
| Pork ×10 💯 | WeQ4U Homecoming 2016 |
180 |
| Brisket ×17 💯 | WICHITA SWINEMEN Derby BBQ Festival |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 21 more in September 2016.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Sep 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| SMOKING BUTT HEADS No. 197 in the power rankings |
1,758 | +40 |
| Totally Sauced No. 226 in the power rankings |
1,749 | +39 |
| White Squirrel BBQ No. 82 in the power rankings |
1,816 | +39 |
| TWISTED-Q No. 993 in the power rankings |
1,606 | +38 |
| SKUNK RIVER BBQ No. 155 in the power rankings |
1,776 | +36 |
| GREY STREET BBQ No. 5 in the power rankings |
1,943 | +31 |
| SMOKIN' BUTTS No. 3,556 in the power rankings |
1,492 | +31 |
| THUMP & STRUM BBQ No. 335 in the power rankings |
1,715 | +30 |
| JAESTAR BBQ No. 22 in the power rankings |
1,874 | +30 |
| PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ No. 1,462 in the power rankings |
1,567 | +29 |
| Boxer Q BBQ No. 725 in the power rankings |
1,637 | -20 |
| HICKORY PRIME No. 192 in the power rankings |
1,759 | -20 |
| Showtime BBQ | 1,479 | -21 |
| BUTTRUB.COM No. 1,562 in the power rankings |
1,561 | -23 |
| GETTIN' BASTED No. 11 in the power rankings |
1,921 | -24 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| BUTCHER BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| CONTAGIOUS Q | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| DIRT ROAD BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| JAESTAR BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| PORKY BUTTS BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| SLAPS BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| SMOKE ON THIS | 5 | — | 2 |
| THE SMOKING HILLS | 5 | — | 2 |
| BOOTYQUE | 5 | — | 3 |
| HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | 5 | — | 3 |
| SMOKING BUTT HEADS | 5 | — | 3 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 8 | 250 |
| Arkansas | 5 | 170 |
| Kansas | 4 | 252 |
| North Carolina | 4 | 130 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | 113 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 101 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 92 |
| Virginia | 3 | 69 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 64 |
| Alabama | 2 | 104 |
| California | 2 | 96 |
| Illinois | 2 | 87 |
| New York | 2 | 80 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 76 |
| New Jersey | 2 | 74 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 65 |
| Georgia | 2 | 59 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 59 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 49 |
| Indiana | 2 | 42 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO |
76 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ |
| 3rd Ruhrpott BBQ 2016 Waltrop NRW, Germany |
67 | BUNCH OF SWINES |
| Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff Murphysboro, IL |
64 | ONE2BBQ |
| 2nd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA |
61 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ |
| Ointoberfest BBQ Cookoff Clarence, NY |
54 | Priorville BBQ |
| Colorado Pork & Hops Challenge Grand Junction, CO |
49 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE |
45 | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival Jonesboro, AR |
44 | TRIPLE 5 COMPETITION BBQ |
| Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off Ponca City, OK |
43 | BUTCHER BBQ |
| Bikes Blues and BBQ Fayetteville, AR |
43 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ |
| Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL |
41 | JIGGY PIGGY |
| Red White and Que Cresskill, NJ |
41 | INSANE SWINE BBQ |
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Every contest scored (79 in September 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.