In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in May 2019 — 1 May to 31 May.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
May 2019 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
MAN MEAT BBQ put up 713.7372 at Grasshopper '19 — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
BOOMERANG BBQ took 3 Grand Championships in May 2019.
First one ever
PULLIN' MY MONEY MUSCLE won their first Grand Championship at BBQ Jamboree (Day 1), in their 55th contest in the data.
- 3 May
By invitation only
BUNCH OF SWINES won Brew N Q Invitational, best of 26 invited teams; UNCLE TONY'S COCKNEY Q took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 679.9772
- 2 invitationals in May 2019
- not in the power rating
Title defended
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ won Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2018–2019
- field of 36
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 7% chance
The Smoking J's won Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship over top-rated BIG POPPA SMOKERS as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 44 perfect 180s were handed out in May 2019.
- Pork ×14
- Brisket ×12
- Chicken ×11
- Pork Ribs ×7
Closest call
The Pig's Pajamas edged SMELLAQUE by 0.0000 at Capital BBQ Festival.
- Master Series
Back on top
DAD'S GRILLIN CREW won Esperanza Bonanza BBQ Blitz — their first Grand Championship since October 2016, after 28 contests without one.
- last won October 2016
- 28 contests in between
Contest record
SAUCE THIS BBQ put up 704.5488 at BBQ Jamboree (Day 2) — the best overall in 6 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 695.9772.
- old record 695.9772
- 5 earlier editions
Near sweep
MAN MEAT BBQ won 3 of 4 meats at Grasshopper '19 (chicken, pork ribs and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork Ribs
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
THE BBQ BUS gained 52 rating points across 6 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 6 contests
- now #195 overall
State champions crowned
54 state championships were decided in May 2019. The biggest, Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival (72 teams), went to UNDER THE RADAR - TN.
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Missouri
- Alabama
- Kansas
- California
Best debut
5TH GEAR BBQ finished 1st at 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 475 new teams in May 2019
- field of 16
Best in the backyard
Kiss My Rack-3 put up 354.8572 on the Backyard board at Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 11 Backyard boards in May 2019
- won it
Biggest blowout
Under the Radar won Honeybee BBQ Competition by 19.4972 points over Q-INATOR! — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 22
Biggest field
Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival drew 72 teams, and UNDER THE RADAR - TN won it.
- Evans, GA
Milestone
GREY STREET BBQ cooked their 100th contest on record at Rockin BBQ, with 20 Grand Championships along the way.
- 20 GCs along the way
Road warriors
BOOMERANG BBQ cooked 7 contests in May 2019 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 3 GCs
Won without a meat
T-N-T Que Crew won Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 3rd.
- field of 56
New on the calendar
Minnesota in May ran for the first time on record, drawing 57 teams, and Totally Sauced won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in May 2019
Always the reserve
Fergolicious BBQ finished second overall 2 times in May 2019 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 2 contests
Busiest weekend
14 sanctioned contests were cooked on 31 May alone.
- 31 May
Rep of the month
Julie Poe repped 4 contests in May 2019 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAN MEAT BBQ Grasshopper '19 |
713.7372 |
| 2 | Rio Valley Meat BBQ Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 2) |
707.9884 |
| 3 | SLAPS BBQ Grasshopper '19 |
706.2400 |
| 4 | B-S BBQ OUTLAWS Masters in May Day 2 |
704.5716 |
| 5 | SAUCE THIS BBQ BBQ Jamboree (Day 2) |
704.5488 |
| 6 | BOOMERANG BBQ Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) |
703.9656 |
| 7 | GETTIN' BASTED Grasshopper '19 |
703.4172 |
| 8 | 2 DRUNK 2 QUE Grasshopper '19 |
703.4172 |
| 9 | DAD'S GRILLIN CREW Esperanza Bonanza BBQ Blitz |
702.8344 |
| 10 | Burnin and Lootin The Best Dam Barbeque |
702.8112 |
| 11 | Fergolicious BBQ Esperanza Bonanza BBQ Blitz |
702.2628 |
| 12 | ONE MAN PITS 4th Annual Southern Sate BBQ Cook-off |
702.2628 |
| 13 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ Gettysburg BBQ Festival Day 2 |
702.2516 |
| 14 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q Grasshopper '19 |
701.6800 |
| 15 | BOOMERANG BBQ Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 2) |
701.6800 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×11 💯 | Q-BONES BBQ Esperanza Bonanza BBQ Blitz |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×7 💯 | South Pork The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
180 |
| Pork ×14 💯 | HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ 7th Annual Show Low BBQ Throw down |
180 |
| Brisket ×12 💯 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 20 more in May 2019.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | May 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| THE BBQ BUS No. 195 in the power rankings |
1,758 | +52 |
| QUE U No. 88 in the power rankings |
1,813 | +51 |
| 5TH GEAR BBQ No. 699 in the power rankings |
1,642 | +40 |
| FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY No. 96 in the power rankings |
1,811 | +36 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ No. 307 in the power rankings |
1,723 | +35 |
| Smokin Highwaymen No. 760 in the power rankings |
1,632 | +35 |
| BAD AZZ MULE BBQ No. 461 in the power rankings |
1,685 | +34 |
| Bacon Bash Texas No. 2,423 in the power rankings |
1,523 | +32 |
| CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE No. 442 in the power rankings |
1,689 | +31 |
| SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ No. 452 in the power rankings |
1,687 | +31 |
| THE PIT CREW GA No. 806 in the power rankings |
1,627 | -25 |
| Pappy's Legacy BBQ No. 3,848 in the power rankings |
1,486 | -25 |
| SMOKE ON THIS No. 175 in the power rankings |
1,767 | -26 |
| INSANE SWINE BBQ No. 37 in the power rankings |
1,857 | -27 |
| FASTLANE BBQ CREW No. 967 in the power rankings |
1,609 | -32 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOOMERANG BBQ | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| B-S BBQ OUTLAWS | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| Carrol Lou's Smokehouse | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| THE BBQ BUS | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| QUE U | 6 | — | 2 |
| CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE | 6 | — | 3 |
| BIG RAZ BBQ | 6 | — | 5 |
| SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS | 6 | — | 7 |
| Fat&Dumb BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | 5 | — | 3 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 5 | — | 3 |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 5 | — | 3 |
| 3 EYZ BBQ | 5 | — | 4 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Julie Poe | 4 | 2 |
| Kelly McIntosh | 4 | 2 |
| Robert McKee | 4 | 2 |
| William Gage | 4 | 1 |
| Dave Druetzler | 3 | 1 |
| Dave Rogers | 3 | 2 |
| Debra Gage | 3 | 1 |
| Don Lovely | 3 | 2 |
| Doug Reid | 3 | 2 |
| Ian Schmidt | 3 | 1 |
| Karen Jane Williams | 3 | 1 |
| Kathleen McIntosh | 3 | 2 |
| Leslie Lovely | 3 | 2 |
| Louise Weidner | 3 | 1 |
| Peg Rogers | 3 | 2 |
| Ralph Williams | 3 | 1 |
| Rusty Cook | 3 | 1 |
| Alex Jr Brown | 2 | 1 |
| Becky Druetzler | 2 | 1 |
| Charlie Brinza | 2 | 2 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| California | 7 | 161 |
| Kansas | 5 | 158 |
| Missouri | 5 | 158 |
| Georgia | 4 | 159 |
| Illinois | 4 | 149 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 97 |
| Texas | 3 | 87 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 84 |
| Indiana | 3 | 73 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 51 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 84 |
| Virginia | 2 | 39 |
| Massachusetts | 2 | 33 |
| Alabama | 1 | 123 |
| Arizona | 1 | 45 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 44 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 43 |
| Ontario | 1 | 43 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 40 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 39 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiss My Rack-3 Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) |
354.8572 |
| 2 | ZIPS BBQ Smokin' Bike Fest |
353.7144 |
| 3 | RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA Smokin' Bike Fest |
353.1200 |
| 4 | Sweet Willy’s BBQ Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL) |
350.2972 |
| 5 | TALLULAH FALLS PIT-VIPERS Smokin' Bike Fest |
343.9660 |
| 6 | SchwonnyQue Minnesota in May |
342.8800 |
| 7 | Uncle Redstone The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
342.3888 |
| 8 | HEAVY SMOKERS Smokin' Bike Fest |
342.2400 |
| 9 | Picture Me Smokin Red, White, and BBQ Day 1 |
341.1428 |
| 10 | Simply Smoked The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ |
340.5944 |
| 11 | BITE ME Smokin' Bike Fest |
340.5256 |
| 12 | THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY Minnesota in May |
340 |
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| Brew N Q Invitational May 24, 2019 · Leicestershire, United Kingdom |
26 | BUNCH OF SWINES |
| UMB Smokin Vault BBQ Contest May 3, 2019 · Kansas City, MO |
16 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota in May |
57 | Totally Sauced |
| Kelly Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ) Kansas City, MO |
56 | Boomerang BBQ |
| Grasshopper '19 DeSoto, KS |
53 | Man Meat BBQ |
| Beer,Fries & BBQ VI Kapermolenpark, Hasselt, Belgium |
49 | BBQ |
| Smoke on the Bricks Baldwin City, KS |
49 | Fat&Dumb BBQ |
| Red, White, and BBQ- Day 2 Westmont, IL |
48 | Scuffletown Smokers |
| 7th Annual Show Low BBQ Throw down Show Low, AZ |
45 | Hickory and Spice BBQ |
| Capital BBQ Festival Ottawa, ON |
43 | The Pig's Pajamas BBQ |
| Masters In May Day 1 Bancroft, WI |
42 | HOGLINE BBQ |
| Dr.George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITORS SERIES) Murfreesboro, TN |
41 | Smokin' Bandits BBQ |
| Masters in May Day 2 Bancroft, WI |
40 | B-S BBQ OUTLAWS |
| Red, White, and BBQ Day 1 Westmont, IL |
40 | Boomerang BBQ |
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Every contest scored (68 in May 2019)
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.