In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in May 2021 — 1 May to 31 May.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
May 2021 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
RAZORRACKS put up 706.8228 at Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
REDMULE'S BBQ took 2 Grand Championships in May 2021.
First one ever
SMOKE-N-PEPPERS won their first Grand Championship at Rockin' BBQ - Day 2, in their 66th contest in the data.
- 15 May
Title defended
CLARK CREW BBQ won City Of Springs BBQ Championship again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2019–2021
- field of 14
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 11% chance
MUDVILLE BBQ won Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships over top-rated BIG POPPA SMOKERS as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 24 perfect 180s were handed out in May 2021.
- Chicken ×11
- Pork ×10
- Pork Ribs ×2
- Brisket ×1
Closest call
LC BBQ edged CHICKEN FRIED BBQ by 0.0228 at Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1).
- Master Series
Back on top
ELITE BBQ SMOKERS won Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF — their first Grand Championship since May 2017, after 82 contests without one.
- last won May 2017
- 82 contests in between
Contest record
ELITE BBQ SMOKERS put up 694.2288 at Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF — the best overall in 7 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 692.4800.
- old record 692.4800
- 6 earlier editions
Biggest riser
LC BBQ gained 52 rating points across 6 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 6 contests
- now #141 overall
State champions crowned
24 state championships were decided in May 2021. The biggest, Minnesota in May (60 teams), went to Hogline.
- Minnesota
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Nebraska
- Illinois
- Georgia
Best debut
Gladiolas BBQ finished 1st at Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 151 new teams in May 2021
- field of 33
Best in the backyard
PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q put up 356.5828 on the Backyard board at Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 6 Backyard boards in May 2021
- won it
Biggest blowout
THE BBQ BUS won Route 66 Smoke Out by 18.2856 points over BIG "E" BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 44
Biggest field
Minnesota in May drew 60 teams, and Hogline won it.
- Cambridge, MN
Milestone
WILD HOGS BBQ cooked their 100th contest on record at Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1), with 1 Grand Championship along the way.
- 1 GC along the way
Road warriors
MAN MEAT BBQ cooked 8 contests in May 2021 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 2nd
Won without a meat
RAZORRACKS won Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 53
New on the calendar
Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival ran for the first time on record, drawing 53 teams, and Razorracks won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in May 2021
- Bixby, OK
Busiest weekend
8 sanctioned contests were cooked on 1 May alone.
- 1 May
Rep of the month
Bunny Tuttle repped 8 contests in May 2021 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RAZORRACKS Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival |
706.8228 |
| 2 | THE BBQ BUS Smoke on the Water |
706.2400 |
| 3 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS BBQ, Boots & Brew |
706.2284 |
| 4 | MUDVILLE BBQ Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships |
705.1316 |
| 5 | SLAPS BBQ Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival |
704.5256 |
| 6 | Petie's Smokin Pits BBQ Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival |
704.5256 |
| 7 | THE BBQ BUS Route 66 Smoke Out |
703.4172 |
| 8 | CLARK CREW BBQ City Of Springs BBQ Championship |
703.3712 |
| 9 | CHUNKY BBQ Smokin' on the Buffalo BBQ Brawl - Day 2 |
701.7376 |
| 10 | SLAPS BBQ Columbia Elks BBQ Cookoff |
701.6800 |
| 11 | REDMULE'S BBQ GA - BBQ Shoot Out Day 2 |
700.4912 |
| 12 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships |
699.4172 |
| 13 | 4 LEGS UP BBQ Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival |
699.3944 |
| 14 | HIGH i QUE 9th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition |
698.8456 |
| 15 | UNCLE BC'S Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival |
698.8344 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×11 💯 | CLARK CREW BBQ City Of Springs BBQ Championship |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×2 💯 | ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ GA - BBQ Shoot Out Day 2 |
180 |
| Pork ×10 💯 | THE BBQ BUS Smoke on the Water |
180 |
| Brisket ×1 💯 | THE BBQ BUS Route 66 Smoke Out |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | May 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| LC BBQ No. 141 in the power rankings |
1,782 | +52 |
| REDMULE'S BBQ No. 334 in the power rankings |
1,715 | +44 |
| Up From The Pits BBQ No. 631 in the power rankings |
1,655 | +40 |
| SMOKE-N-PEPPERS No. 214 in the power rankings |
1,752 | +33 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ No. 307 in the power rankings |
1,723 | +32 |
| FALLOUT BBQ No. 905 in the power rankings |
1,616 | +29 |
| Ztop BBQ No. 1,722 in the power rankings |
1,551 | +29 |
| THE BBQ BUS No. 195 in the power rankings |
1,758 | +28 |
| CHICKEN FRIED BBQ No. 164 in the power rankings |
1,774 | +26 |
| MACHETE BOYS BBQ No. 481 in the power rankings |
1,681 | +25 |
| WE WILL ROCK QUE No. 405 in the power rankings |
1,698 | -24 |
| BAD HABIT BBQ No. 292 in the power rankings |
1,726 | -24 |
| Jim's Smokin Que BBQ Pittsburgh | 1,462 | -26 |
| Dogpatch Q No. 259 in the power rankings |
1,737 | -32 |
| LA PASADITA No. 542 in the power rankings |
1,670 | -33 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 8 | — | 2 |
| REDMULE'S BBQ | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| PIGGIN' WHISKEY O.G | 7 | — | 10 |
| LC BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| SLAPS BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | 6 | — | 5 |
| THE BBQ BUS | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | 5 | — | 2 |
| WHEN PIGS DIE | 5 | — | 5 |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 5 | — | 7 |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 5 | — | 15 |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Bunny Tuttle | 8 | 3 |
| Rich Tuttle | 8 | 3 |
| Doug Reid | 4 | 2 |
| Alan Rothrock | 3 | 2 |
| Karen Jane Williams | 3 | 2 |
| Ralph Williams | 3 | 2 |
| Alex Jr Brown | 2 | 1 |
| Becky Druetzler | 2 | 1 |
| Bill Jones | 2 | 1 |
| Carol Bigler | 2 | 2 |
| Cindy Juhl | 2 | 1 |
| Dave Druetzler | 2 | 1 |
| Debby Harwell | 2 | 1 |
| Don Harwell | 2 | 1 |
| Donna Young | 2 | 2 |
| Ed Young | 2 | 2 |
| Kim Collier | 2 | 1 |
| Mark Collier | 2 | 1 |
| Michael Santiago | 2 | 1 |
| Randy G Bigler | 2 | 2 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 4 | 75 |
| Nebraska | 4 | 55 |
| West Virginia | 4 | 43 |
| Georgia | 3 | 53 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 118 |
| Missouri | 2 | 71 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 61 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 60 |
| Texas | 2 | 51 |
| California | 2 | 43 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 61 |
| Illinois | 1 | 44 |
| Colorado | 1 | 35 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 31 |
| Nevada | 1 | 26 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 17 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) |
356.5828 |
| 2 | The Real Squeal BBQ Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) |
350.2744 |
| 3 | Kane's BBQ Twin Valley Fire and Smoke |
348.5484 |
| 4 | Hickory Hangover Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) |
348.5484 |
| 5 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) |
346.2284 |
| 6 | LEE LA Q Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) |
343.9544 |
| 7 | VETERAN PORK PULLERS Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) |
343.9428 |
| 8 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) |
342.2628 |
| 9 | DAD BOD BARBEQUE Minnesota in May |
342.2400 |
| 10 | UGLY BABY BBQ Minnesota in May |
341.1544 |
| 11 | Small Town Girl Barbecue Minnesota in May |
340.5944 |
| 12 | Wrecking Crew BBQ Minnesota in May |
340.5488 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival Bixby, OK |
53 | Razorracks |
| 9th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE |
46 | HIGH i QUE |
| Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 Warsaw, IN |
41 | THUNDER HOG BBQ |
| Columbia Elks BBQ Cookoff Columbia, MO |
39 | Slaps |
| Rockin' BBQ - Day 2 Warsaw, IN |
39 | SMOKE-N-PEPPERS |
| 39th Annual Kennett Jaycees Show Me State BBQ Cook Off Kennett, MO |
32 | Qbones |
| Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 - One Meat Rib Contest Warsaw, IN |
32 | BROTHERS OF OHIO BBQ |
| Obion County Barbeque Cook Off Union City, TN |
31 | Hot Cole's BBQ |
| Minnesota in May - One Meat Contest - Ribs Cambridge, MN |
29 | Ash Kickin' BBQ |
| Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships Big Bear Lake, CA |
27 | Mudville BBQ |
| BBQ, Boots & Brew Perris, CA |
25 | Big Poppa Smokers |
| Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) Meridian, MS |
22 | PuckDaddy's Killer Q |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (33 in May 2021)
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.