In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in March 2020 — 1 Mar to 31 Mar.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
March 2020 in BBQ
The recap: every contest scored, every story, every board
Inside
The Stories
Score of the month
top 3% of every Master overall ever scored
Heavy Smoke BBQ put up 697.1200 at 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship — the highest overall of the month.
First one ever
Hickory Hangover won their first Grand Championship at Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY), in their 21st contest in the data.
- 6 Mar
Title defended
Pig-Chicka-Cow-Cow won Fire it up Frostproof! again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2019–2020
- field of 32
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 19% chance
Heavy Smoke BBQ won 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship over top-rated BOOMERANG BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 6 perfect 180s were handed out in March 2020.
- Chicken ×3
- Pork ×2
- Pork Ribs ×1
Closest call
Heavy Smoke BBQ edged ALL FORKED UP FOR Q by 0.0000 at 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship.
- Master Series
Biggest riser
FALLOUT BBQ gained 21 rating points across 1 contest — the biggest climb of the month.
- 1 contest
- now #905 overall
State champions crowned
4 state championships were decided in March 2020. The biggest, 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship (68 teams), went to Heavy Smoke BBQ.
- Kansas
- Georgia
- Florida
- South Carolina
Best debut
Faantasy Q finished 2nd at Fire it up Frostproof! — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 45 new teams in Mar 2020
- field of 32
Best in the backyard
Hickory Hangover put up 353.1200 on the Backyard board at Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 3 Backyard boards in Mar 2020
- won it
Biggest field
2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship drew 68 teams, and Heavy Smoke BBQ won it.
- Olathe, KS
Won without a meat
Heavy Smoke BBQ won 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 68
New on the calendar
2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship ran for the first time on record, drawing 68 teams, and Heavy Smoke BBQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 3 first editions in Mar 2020
- Olathe, KS
Busiest weekend
3 sanctioned contests were cooked on 6 Mar alone.
- 6 Mar
Rep of the month
Carol Bigler repped 2 contests in March 2020 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heavy Smoke BBQ 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
697.1200 |
| 2 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
697.1200 |
| 3 | MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
697.1088 |
| 4 | 913 BBQ 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
695.9428 |
| 5 | Pig-Chicka-Cow-Cow Fire it up Frostproof! |
695.3944 |
| 6 | MAN MEAT BBQ 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
694.8000 |
| 7 | PALMETTO PITMASTERS Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show |
694.8000 |
| 8 | HIGH i QUE 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
694.2288 |
| 9 | Faantasy Q Fire it up Frostproof! |
693.0856 |
| 10 | Angry Jack BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
693.0624 |
| 11 | MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
692.6172 |
| 12 | FALLOUT BBQ Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show |
692.5484 |
| 13 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
692.4568 |
| 14 | iBQ'n Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
691.9200 |
| 15 | Under the Radar Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
689.6684 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×3 💯 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×1 💯 | BOOMERANG BBQ 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
180 |
| Pork ×2 💯 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
180 |
| Brisket | J & B'S BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
179.4400 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
| Team | Category | Contest |
|---|---|---|
| BALLS OUT BBQ | Chicken | Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show |
| BOOMERANG BBQ | Pork Ribs | 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | Chicken | 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
| MAD MUTT'S BBQ | Chicken | 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | Pork | 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
| SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | Pork | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Mar 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| FALLOUT BBQ No. 905 in the power rankings |
1,616 | +21 |
| Gardenvalley Smokers No. 1,232 in the power rankings |
1,584 | +18 |
| NA-DA-BONE BBQ No. 5,719 in the power rankings |
1,445 | +17 |
| ROLLIN KOLBZ No. 1,217 in the power rankings |
1,586 | +17 |
| Faantasy Q | 1,517 | +17 |
| Geaux 2 bbq No. 1,842 in the power rankings |
1,546 | +17 |
| SOUTHERN COMFORT BBQ No. 944 in the power rankings |
1,611 | +16 |
| THR BBQ Team | 1,516 | +16 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ No. 470 in the power rankings |
1,684 | +16 |
| CHATTER BOX CAFE | 1,529 | +15 |
| River City Pit Crew | 1,477 | -15 |
| Wind Creek BBQ | 1,484 | -16 |
| Pot's BBQ No. 540 in the power rankings |
1,670 | -16 |
| Bald Hawg BBQ No. 332 in the power rankings |
1,716 | -17 |
| #MIDNIGHT SMOKERS No. 1,079 in the power rankings |
1,597 | -19 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| PALMETTO PITMASTERS | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| LEE LA Q | 2 | — | 2 |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 2 | — | 8 |
| B-S BBQ OUTLAWS | 2 | — | 9 |
| Bald Hawg BBQ | 2 | — | 10 |
| SOUTHERN Q COMPETITION COOK TEAM | 2 | — | 23 |
| Angry Jack BBQ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gardenvalley Smokers | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hickory Hangover | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Pig-Chicka-Cow-Cow | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| SNEAKY_CREEK_BBQ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 LEGS UP BBQ | 1 | — | 2 |
| ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | 1 | — | 2 |
| FALLOUT BBQ | 1 | — | 2 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Carol Bigler | 2 | 1 |
| Ian Schmidt | 2 | 1 |
| Julie Poe | 2 | 1 |
| Randy G Bigler | 2 | 1 |
| Alan Rothrock | 1 | 1 |
| Don Muller | 1 | 1 |
| Doug Reid | 1 | 1 |
| Forrest Bruce | 1 | 1 |
| Io Team | 1 | — |
| Janet Appleton | 1 | 1 |
| Julie Cook | 1 | 1 |
| Karina Rumens | 1 | — |
| Larry Hadley | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Lake | 1 | 1 |
| Nancy Muller | 1 | 1 |
| Peg Rogers | 1 | 1 |
| Rusty Cook | 1 | 1 |
| Sam Appleton | 1 | 1 |
| Theresa Lake | 1 | 1 |
| Wayne Harper | 1 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 | 54 |
| Georgia | 1 | 95 |
| Kansas | 1 | 68 |
| Florida | 1 | 32 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 29 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship Olathe, KS |
68 | Heavy Smoke BBQ |
| Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show Darlington, SC |
29 | Palmetto Pitmasters |
| Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Foley, AL |
23 | Sneaky Creeek |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (6 in March 2020)
| Contest | Grand Champion | score |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship Mar 13, 2020 · Olathe, KS · 68 teams |
Heavy Smoke BBQ RC: ALL FORKED UP FOR Q |
697.1200 |
| Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show Mar 13, 2020 · Darlington, SC · 29 teams |
Palmetto Pitmasters RC: FALLOUT BBQ |
694.8000 |
| Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Mar 13, 2020 · Foley, AL · 23 teams |
Sneaky Creeek | 513.0628 |
| Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Mar 6, 2020 · Lawrenceville, GA · 61 teams |
ANGRY JACK BBQ RC: 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
693.0624 |
| Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Mar 6, 2020 · Hartselle, AL · 32 teams |
Hickory Hangover | 353.1200 |
| Fire it up Frostproof! Mar 6, 2020 · Frostproof, FL · 32 teams |
Pig-Chicka-Cow-Cow RC: Faantasy Q |
695.3944 |
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.