In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in May 2018 — 1 May to 31 May.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
May 2018 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 710.2972 at 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
GREY STREET BBQ took 3 Grand Championships in May 2018.
First one ever
SCOTTS BBQ SHACK won their first Grand Championship at Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q, in their 44th contest in the data.
- 4 May
By invitation only
IQ - NETHERLANDS won Brew N Q (INVITATIONAL), best of 24 invited teams; SMOKE AND FIRE took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 690.9032
- 2 invitationals in May 2018
- not in the power rating
Title defended
Smoke Me Silly won The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2017–2018
- field of 61
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 6% chance
SQUAT AND GOBBLE BARBEQUE won Best Dam Barbeque over top-rated BIG POPPA SMOKERS as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 36 perfect 180s were handed out in May 2018.
- Chicken ×14
- Pork ×11
- Brisket ×6
- Pork Ribs ×5
Closest call
DIRT ROAD BBQ edged CAVEMAN CUISINE by 0.0000 at Shepherd's Smokin Summer Kick Off.
- Master Series
Back on top
THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ won City of Show Low's 6th Annual BBQ Throwdown — their first Grand Championship since October 2013, after 65 contests without one.
- last won October 2013
- 65 contests in between
Contest record
BOOMERANG BBQ put up 706.8572 at Grand Lake BBQ & Festival — the best overall in 5 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 704.5372.
- old record 704.5372
- 4 earlier editions
Near sweep
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ won 3 of 4 meats at Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship (chicken, pork and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
KANAK ATTACK gained 45 rating points across 4 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 4 contests
- now #980 overall
State champions crowned
2 state championships were decided in May 2018. The biggest, Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF (42 teams), went to MAYA JANE BBQ CO..
- Georgia
- Ohio
Best debut
Eggspert BBQ Minnesota finished 1st at Minnesota in May — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 285 new teams in May 2018
- field of 70
Biggest blowout
SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS won BBQ in The Valley by 19.4056 points over Priorville BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 25
Biggest field
Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival drew 72 teams, and THE SPECIALISTS won it.
- Evans, GA
Milestone
THE SMOKING HILLS cooked their 150th contest on record at Brew, Blues, & Bar-B-Q, with 14 Grand Championships along the way.
- 14 GCs along the way
Road warriors
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE cooked 7 contests in May 2018 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 2nd
Won without a meat
EVIL MONKEY BBQ won Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 4th.
- field of 68
New on the calendar
Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition ran for the first time on record, drawing 60 teams, and BBQ+ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in May 2018
- Hoofddorp , 2314CG
Always the reserve
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ finished second overall 2 times in May 2018 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 4 contests
Busiest weekend
14 sanctioned contests were cooked on 4 May alone.
- 4 May
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×14 💯 | 1709 BBQ The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×5 💯 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
180 |
| Pork ×11 💯 | DEAD BIRD BBQ Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival |
180 |
| Brisket ×6 💯 | Organizer Portal The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 12 more in May 2018.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | May 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| KANAK ATTACK No. 980 in the power rankings |
1,608 | +45 |
| BOOMERANG BBQ No. 9 in the power rankings |
1,922 | +40 |
| PARKSTAD SMOKERS No. 255 in the power rankings |
1,739 | +39 |
| 270 SMOKERS No. 177 in the power rankings |
1,766 | +34 |
| STILL WORKIN' ON IT BBQ No. 1,437 in the power rankings |
1,569 | +29 |
| WHEN PIGS DIE No. 625 in the power rankings |
1,655 | +28 |
| CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE No. 442 in the power rankings |
1,689 | +28 |
| SMOKE AND FIRE No. 930 in the power rankings |
1,613 | +27 |
| FIREHOUSE BAR-B-QUE No. 2,297 in the power rankings |
1,527 | +27 |
| Carrol Lou's Smokehouse No. 393 in the power rankings |
1,700 | +26 |
| Backwoods BBQ No. 1,059 in the power rankings |
1,599 | -24 |
| BIG DADDY OOWEE SMOKIN BONES BBQ No. 6,487 in the power rankings |
1,315 | -24 |
| QUAU No. 932 in the power rankings |
1,613 | -24 |
| SIN CIRCLE BBQ No. 494 in the power rankings |
1,678 | -25 |
| MASON'S FAT HAWG BBQ | 1,470 | -25 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 7 | — | 2 |
| BUNCH OF SWINES | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Rogue Hog BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| UNCLE TONY'S COCKNEY Q | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| CONTAGIOUS Q | 6 | — | 3 |
| LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW | 6 | — | 3 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 6 | — | 4 |
| ROKENDE REGAHS | 6 | — | 6 |
| BOOMERANG BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| IQ - NETHERLANDS | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| DIRT ROAD BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| PORKY BUTTS BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| BIG "E" BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| SOUTHERN DUTCH BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 5 | 179 |
| Georgia | 4 | 178 |
| Kansas | 4 | 123 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 96 |
| Illinois | 3 | 88 |
| Virginia | 3 | 68 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 67 |
| Alabama | 2 | 141 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 87 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 78 |
| California | 2 | 73 |
| Indiana | 2 | 57 |
| New York | 2 | 47 |
| Colorado | 2 | 38 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 70 |
| Arizona | 1 | 52 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 48 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 44 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 42 |
| Iowa | 1 | 39 |
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| Brew N Q May 25, 2018 · Burton Upon Trent, United Kingdom |
24 | IQ - NETHERLANDS |
| UMB Smokin' Vault May 4, 2018 · Kansas City, MO |
14 | DRUM DADDY BBQ |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition Hoofddorp, Netherlands |
60 | BBQ+ |
| The Grasshopper '18 (formerly Kansas 10x10) (JUDGES FULL) De Soto, KS |
56 | HIGH i QUE II |
| City of Show Low's 6th Annual BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ |
52 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ |
| Shepherd's Smokin Summer Kick Off Branson, MO |
50 | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| BBQ Jamboree Double Day 1 Fredericksburg, VA |
45 | SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA |
| 7th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE |
42 | PORKY BUTTS BBQ |
| Roman Roast on the River Rome, GA |
39 | DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS |
| BBQ Jamboree Double Day 2 Fredericksburg, VA |
38 | SAUCE THIS BBQ |
| Beer Fries & BBQ V (Day1) Hasselt, Belgium |
37 | IQ - NETHERLANDS |
| 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort Platte City, MO |
37 | GETTIN' BASTED |
| Gettysburg BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Gettysburg, PA |
35 | BONE TO BARK BBQ |
| PigMania Lima State Championship BBQ & Music Festival Lima, OH |
32 | GREY STREET BBQ |
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Every contest scored (65 in May 2018)
The Archive
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2026 (338 contests) · the 2026 season in review
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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.