In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in May 2017 — 1 May to 31 May.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
May 2017 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
GETTIN' BASTED put up 706.2972 at BBQ in the Bluffs — the highest overall of the month.
- a new contest record
Hottest hand
VICTORY SMOKERS took 2 Grand Championships in May 2017.
First one ever
WHO CARES BBQ won their first Grand Championship at BBQ Jamboree-Day 1 (JUDGES FULL), in their 50th contest in the data.
- 12 May
By invitation only
WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ won Brew N Q (INVITATIONAL), best of 26 invited teams; BRIGBOYS BBQ TEAM took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 684.0116
- 2 invitationals in May 2017
- not in the power rating
Title defended
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC won Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2016–2017
- field of 36
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 5% chance
BILLY RAY BBQ won RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1) over top-rated IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 36 perfect 180s were handed out in May 2017.
- Chicken ×13
- Brisket ×11
- Pork Ribs ×7
- Pork ×5
Closest call
BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW edged Killer B's BBQ by 0.0000 at Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF (GBC Qualifier).
- Master Series
Back on top
Hogline won Master In May-The Classic — their first Grand Championship since June 2014, after 39 contests without one.
- last won June 2014
- 39 contests in between
Near sweep
QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N won 3 of 4 meats at Roman Roast on the River (chicken, pork ribs and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork Ribs
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
BILLY RAY BBQ gained 68 rating points across 4 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 4 contests
- now #739 overall
State champion
BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW won Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF (GBC Qualifier), a state championship, against a field of 42.
- Georgia
Best debut
TRAIL BOSS BBQ finished 2nd at Colombia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 326 new teams in May 2017
- field of 18
Biggest blowout
ACK-QUE won Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival by 14.9604 points over Dr. Pearl's Medicinal Smoke BBQ Team — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 38
Biggest field
Jiggy With the Piggy drew 75 teams, and WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ won it.
- Kannapolis, NC
Milestone
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ cooked their 150th contest on record at Minnesota in May, with 42 Grand Championships along the way.
- 42 GCs along the way
Road warriors
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE cooked 6 contests in May 2017 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 2 GCs
Won without a meat
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ won Jiggy With the Piggy without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 75
New on the calendar
22nd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort ran for the first time on record, drawing 59 teams, and GONNA GET MESSY won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in May 2017
- Platte City, MO
Always the reserve
BUNCH OF SWINES finished second overall 2 times in May 2017 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
17 sanctioned contests were cooked on 5 May alone.
- 5 May
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GETTIN' BASTED BBQ in the Bluffs |
706.2972 |
| 2 | FAT BOYS BBQ - TEMPLE, TX Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival (JUDGES FULL) |
703.9888 |
| 3 | Organizer Portal The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
703.4404 |
| 4 | THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ Wild West BBQ Cook Off |
703.4400 |
| 5 | TNK BBQ Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival (JUDGES FULL) |
703.4172 |
| 6 | SMOKIN MO'S BBQ SoCal BBQ Bash and Expo (JUDGES FULL) |
703.4172 |
| 7 | CHECKERED PIG Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass |
702.2744 |
| 8 | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS Sam's Club National BBQ Tour |
701.7256 |
| 9 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass |
701.6912 |
| 10 | GILLY'S BBQ Sam's Club National BBQ Tour |
701.6800 |
| 11 | CLARK CREW BBQ Wild West BBQ Cook Off |
701.6568 |
| 12 | CLARK CREW BBQ Grand Lake BBQ & Festival |
701.1656 |
| 13 | SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE Sertoma 48 BBQ (JUDGESFULL) |
701.1084 |
| 14 | HOT COLE'S BBQ The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
701.0856 |
| 15 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ City of Show Low's 5th Annual BBQ Throwdown |
700.5372 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×13 💯 | BURNT FINGER BBQ Brew, Blues, & Bar-B-Q |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×7 💯 | GILLY'S BBQ Sam's Club National BBQ Tour |
180 |
| Pork ×5 💯 | FAT BOYS BBQ - TEMPLE, TX Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival (JUDGES FULL) |
180 |
| Brisket ×11 💯 | TEAM AMERICA City of Show Low's 5th Annual BBQ Throwdown |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 12 more in May 2017.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | May 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| BILLY RAY BBQ No. 739 in the power rankings |
1,636 | +68 |
| WICKED SMOKE BBQ No. 630 in the power rankings |
1,655 | +40 |
| SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS No. 128 in the power rankings |
1,788 | +39 |
| 3N1 Q No. 66 in the power rankings |
1,831 | +38 |
| TRUE SMOKE BBQ No. 313 in the power rankings |
1,722 | +31 |
| ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ No. 61 in the power rankings |
1,837 | +30 |
| PORKS & REC No. 1,613 in the power rankings |
1,557 | +30 |
| Sharpe's Woodshed No. 256 in the power rankings |
1,739 | +29 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE No. 89 in the power rankings |
1,813 | +29 |
| WHO CARES BBQ No. 216 in the power rankings |
1,752 | +29 |
| SERIAL GRILLAZ(NL) No. 2,765 in the power rankings |
1,512 | -23 |
| WOODWARD BARBEQUE No. 489 in the power rankings |
1,679 | -24 |
| THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ No. 13 in the power rankings |
1,902 | -25 |
| BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM No. 890 in the power rankings |
1,618 | -26 |
| THE REAL SMOKIN ACES No. 273 in the power rankings |
1,731 | -26 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| TRUE SMOKE BBQ | 6 | — | 2 |
| BIG "E" BBQ | 6 | — | 4 |
| BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | 6 | — | 9 |
| SPITFIRE | 6 | — | 13 |
| CLARK CREW BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| DIRT ROAD BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| GREY STREET BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| SMOKING BUTT HEADS | 5 | — | 3 |
| TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | 5 | — | 3 |
| LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW | 5 | — | 6 |
| THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | 5 | — | 9 |
| WOODWARD BARBEQUE | 5 | — | 9 |
| Mac Attack BBQ | 5 | — | 15 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 6 | 202 |
| Georgia | 4 | 173 |
| California | 3 | 130 |
| Virginia | 3 | 81 |
| Illinois | 3 | 76 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 69 |
| Indiana | 3 | 52 |
| Alabama | 2 | 170 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 97 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 90 |
| Kansas | 2 | 74 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 68 |
| Colorado | 2 | 57 |
| New York | 2 | 56 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 71 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 59 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 47 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 46 |
| Iowa | 1 | 39 |
| Maryland | 1 | 37 |
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| Brew N Q May 26, 2017 · Burton Upon Trent, United Kingdom |
26 | WHITE SQUIRREL BBQ |
| UMB Smokin' Vault May 5, 2017 · Kansas City, MO |
17 | SMOKER BANDITS |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| 22nd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort Platte City, MO |
59 | GONNA GET MESSY |
| The Masters In May (also Big Green Egg challenge) Appleton, WI |
56 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN |
| BBQ Jamboree-Day 1 (JUDGES FULL) Fredericksburg, VA |
54 | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke Morgantown, PA |
53 | DANTE'S INFERNO |
| Master In May-The Classic Appleton, WI |
50 | HOGLINE |
| Beer,Fries & BBQ IV Hasselt, Belgium |
50 | SOUTHERN DUTCH BBQ |
| 6th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE |
47 | 913 BBQ |
| SoCal BBQ Bash and Expo (JUDGES FULL) Pomona, CA |
46 | SMOKIN MO'S BBQ |
| BBQ Jamboree- Day 2 (JUDGES FULL) Fredericksburg, VA |
43 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE |
| RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1) Westmont, IL |
40 | BILLY RAY BBQ |
| Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest Crownsville, MD |
37 | ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ |
| Best Dam BBQ Boulder City, NV |
37 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
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Every contest scored (61 in May 2017)
The Archive
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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.