In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in September 2018 — 1 Sep to 30 Sep.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
September 2018 in BBQ
The recap: every contest scored, every story, every board
Inside
The Stories
By invitation only
BUNCH OF SWINES won 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL), best of 164 invited teams; ONE2BBQ took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 705.1200
- not in the power rating
Score of the month
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ put up 712.5600 at Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
BIG "E" BBQ took 2 Grand Championships in September 2018.
They will not let it go
Under the Radar won Smoke in the Valley again — 3 straight editions of this contest.
- 2016–2018
- field of 12
First one ever
ACES HIGH BBQ won their first Grand Championship at KTD Smokin ' Gobbler Cook-Off, in their 44th contest in the data.
- 14 Sep
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 7% chance
SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ won Colorado Pork & Hops Challenge over top-rated BIG POPPA SMOKERS as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 38 perfect 180s were handed out in September 2018.
- Brisket ×15
- Chicken ×12
- Pork Ribs ×6
- Pork ×5
Closest call
White Squirrel BBQ edged BUNCH OF SWINES by 0.0684 at Smoke on the Quiet Waters.
- Master Series
Back on top
GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS won Big Muddy Brew N Que — their first Grand Championship since August 2013, after 56 contests without one.
- last won August 2013
- 56 contests in between
Contest record
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ put up 686.8000 at Smoke in the Park — the best overall in 4 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 686.2744.
- old record 686.2744
- 3 earlier editions
Near sweep
GETTIN' BASTED won 3 of 4 meats at International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN (JUDGES FULL) (chicken, pork and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
Fat&Dumb BBQ gained 41 rating points across 4 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 4 contests
- now #906 overall
State champions crowned
3 state championships were decided in September 2018. The biggest, Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque (107 teams), went to 913 BBQ.
- Kansas
- California
- Virginia
Best debut
HEATBEADS ALL STARS finished 1st at DE Bortoli Woodfired BBQ Championship — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 375 new teams in Sep 2018
- field of 24
Biggest blowout
BIG "E" BBQ won The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com by 20.1260 points over BIG BROTHERS BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 28
Biggest field
39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) drew 467 teams, and IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ won it.
- Kansas City, KS
Milestone
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ cooked their 200th contest on record at 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL), with 32 Grand Championships along the way.
- 32 GCs along the way
Road warriors
GETTIN' BASTED cooked 6 contests in September 2018 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 2 GCs
Won without a meat
BUNCH OF SWINES won 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 164
New on the calendar
39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) ran for the first time on record, drawing 164 teams, and BUNCH OF SWINES won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Sep 2018
- Kansas City, KS
Always the reserve
BIG BROTHERS BBQ finished second overall 2 times in September 2018 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 2 contests
Busiest weekend
12 sanctioned contests were cooked on 7 Sep alone.
- 7 Sep
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×12 💯 | LOCAL YOKELS BBQ Smoke On The Ohio (JUDGES FULL) |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×6 💯 | PORKY MCBEEF AND THE CLUCKERS Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out |
180 |
| Pork ×5 💯 | THE SMOKING HILLS Hog Wild West BBQ Contest |
180 |
| Brisket ×15 💯 | HEATBEADS ALL STARS DE Bortoli Woodfired BBQ Championship |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 14 more in September 2018.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Sep 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Fat&Dumb BBQ No. 906 in the power rankings |
1,616 | +41 |
| UNFAMOUS DAVE'S No. 1,424 in the power rankings |
1,570 | +38 |
| WHO DAT BBQ No. 523 in the power rankings |
1,672 | +34 |
| Backcorner BBQ No. 131 in the power rankings |
1,786 | +33 |
| SMOKE MONSTER BBQ No. 97 in the power rankings |
1,811 | +30 |
| RICHIE Z's No. 732 in the power rankings |
1,636 | +30 |
| TENATIOUS TIMS OUTLAW BBQ No. 1,906 in the power rankings |
1,543 | +29 |
| HEATH RILES BBQ No. 670 in the power rankings |
1,646 | +28 |
| MORT'S MEAT MAFIA No. 2,849 in the power rankings |
1,510 | +28 |
| GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS No. 846 in the power rankings |
1,623 | +27 |
| BBQ Brothers No. 5,149 in the power rankings |
1,460 | -22 |
| SAUCED! BBQ TEAM No. 20 in the power rankings |
1,874 | -22 |
| ELITE BBQ SMOKERS No. 438 in the power rankings |
1,690 | -24 |
| TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI No. 85 in the power rankings |
1,815 | -24 |
| E.T.'S BBQ No. 5,543 in the power rankings |
1,450 | -27 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| GETTIN' BASTED | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| BOOMERANG BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| SLAPS BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| THE SMOKING HILLS | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| TIMBONE BARBECUE | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| DIRT ROAD BBQ | 6 | — | 2 |
| B-S BBQ OUTLAWS | 6 | — | 3 |
| BUNCH OF SWINES | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 913 BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| FIRE DANCER BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| HOT WACHULA'S | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 5 | — | 3 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 6 | 627 |
| Missouri | 4 | 116 |
| Arkansas | 3 | 106 |
| Illinois | 3 | 88 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 68 |
| California | 2 | 83 |
| New York | 2 | 78 |
| Georgia | 2 | 71 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 65 |
| Michigan | 2 | 61 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 61 |
| Virginia | 2 | 58 |
| Iowa | 2 | 53 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 42 |
| Indiana | 2 | 36 |
| Alabama | 1 | 63 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 43 |
| Arizona | 1 | 40 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 40 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 36 |
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| American Royal Invitational Sep 14, 2018 · Kansas City, KS |
164 | BUNCH OF SWINES |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) Kansas City, KS |
164 | BUNCH OF SWINES |
| 5th Ruhrpott BBQ 2018 Waltrop, Germany |
73 | BBQ WIESEL |
| Jonesboro Downtown BBQ Festival Jonesboro, AR |
45 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| 2nd International Suydersee BBQ Contest Zeewolde Flevoland, Netherlands |
44 | IQ - NETHERLANDS |
| 4th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA |
43 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN |
| Smithfield BBQ Classic Richmond, VA |
41 | RIO VALLEY MEAT BBQ |
| Farm Meat De Vaartse Hoeve BBQ Contest Dongen, Netherlands |
40 | BBQ+ |
| America's Finest BBQ State Championship San Diego, CA |
40 | JET COATINGS - MONKEY STYLE |
| Mazatzal Grill Masters BBQ competition & Testicle Festival Payson, AZ |
40 | RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ |
| Green Mountain BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Randolph, VT |
33 | MILLER'S BACKYARD BBQ |
| Riverfest BBQ and Music Festival Decatur, AL |
32 | JIGGY PIGGY |
| Perimeter Community BBQ & Festival Atlanta, GA |
31 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ |
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Every contest scored (69 in September 2018)
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.