In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in August 2021 — 1 Aug to 31 Aug.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
August 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
MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ put up 711.4172 at Montana Pitmaster Classic — the highest overall of the month.
Clean sweep
SMELLAQUE won every meat at Porkapalooza BBQ Festival — chicken, ribs, pork and brisket.
- Chicken
- Pork Ribs
- Pork
- Brisket
- and the GC
Hottest hand
GETTIN' BASTED took 3 Grand Championships in August 2021.
First one ever
LOVE 2 Q won their first Grand Championship at Smokin on The Harbor, in their 83rd contest in the data.
- 20 Aug
Title defended
THE REAL SMOKIN ACES won Big Blue Barbecue again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2020–2021
- field of 30
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 6% chance
THE HOG MAFIA won Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ over top-rated GETTIN' BASTED as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 44 perfect 180s were handed out in August 2021.
- Pork ×21
- Chicken ×11
- Brisket ×8
- Pork Ribs ×4
Closest call
Angry Jack BBQ edged Stewbabys BBQ by 0.0112 at Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival.
- Master Series
Back on top
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA won Kora Kare For Kids Shriner's Ride-In and BBQ Competition — their first Grand Championship since August 2019, after 34 contests without one.
- last won August 2019
- 34 contests in between
Contest record
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ put up 694.8112 at New Holland Summer Fest — the best overall in 8 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 692.0000.
- old record 692.0000
- 7 earlier editions
Biggest riser
Red Rock Cafe gained 39 rating points across 3 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 3 contests
- now #2040 overall
State champions crowned
33 state championships were decided in August 2021. The biggest, Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (49 teams), went to The Hog Mafia.
- Alabama
- Kansas
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Indiana
- Colorado
Best debut
ZIP Q finished 1st at GOBS Que (DAY 1) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 260 new teams in Aug 2021
- field of 26
Best in the backyard
Furlongs Smoke & Seafood put up 354.8572 on the Backyard board at Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 12 Backyard boards in Aug 2021
- won it
Biggest blowout
SMELLAQUE won Porkapalooza BBQ Festival by 42.9944 points over ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 25
Biggest field
Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ drew 49 teams, and The Hog Mafia won it.
- Huntsville, AL
Milestone
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ cooked their 200th contest on record at Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 2, with 25 Grand Championships along the way.
- 25 GCs along the way
Road warriors
GETTIN' BASTED cooked 6 contests in August 2021 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 3 GCs
Won without a meat
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ won New Holland Summer Fest without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 44
New on the calendar
Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ ran for the first time on record, drawing 49 teams, and The Hog Mafia won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Aug 2021
- Huntsville, AL
Always the reserve
IQ - NETHERLANDS finished second overall 2 times in August 2021 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 2 contests
Busiest weekend
15 sanctioned contests were cooked on 20 Aug alone.
- 20 Aug
Rep of the month
Carol Bigler repped 4 contests in August 2021 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ Montana Pitmaster Classic |
711.4172 |
| 2 | DIRT ROAD BBQ Smoke on the Bricks |
710.8228 |
| 3 | GETTIN' BASTED SLV Beat the Heat BBQ |
709.7144 |
| 4 | CLARK CREW BBQ Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 2 |
709.1200 |
| 5 | FALLOUT BBQ Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - BARRGH-B-Q on the Beach Pirateland |
708.5372 |
| 6 | PARTS 'R' SMOKIN Laurie Hillbilly BBQ |
706.2972 |
| 7 | Heavy Smoke BBQ Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash |
705.1316 |
| 8 | GETTIN' BASTED BBQ & Fly in on the River - Day 2 |
705.0972 |
| 9 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN Great Americana BBQ Festival |
705.0972 |
| 10 | Texas Smoke Whisperer BBQ & Fly in on the River - Day 2 |
705.0740 |
| 11 | CHICKEN FRIED BBQ Roast-N-Boast |
703.9884 |
| 12 | REDMULE'S BBQ Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - BARRGH-B-Q on the Beach Pirateland |
703.9656 |
| 13 | SLAPS BBQ Hill City Wine Brew and BBQ Fest |
703.9312 |
| 14 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash |
703.4516 |
| 15 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ Roast-N-Boast |
703.4172 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×11 💯 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ Swine At the Shrine |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×4 💯 | ROLLIN KOLBZ Swine At the Shrine |
180 |
| Pork ×21 💯 | MAYA JANE BBQ CO. Swine At the Shrine |
180 |
| Brisket ×8 💯 | Cities Edge BBQ Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 2 |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 20 more in August 2021.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Aug 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Red Rock Cafe No. 2,040 in the power rankings |
1,537 | +39 |
| Furlongs Smoke & Seafood No. 169 in the power rankings |
1,771 | +39 |
| Optimus Swine No. 230 in the power rankings |
1,748 | +34 |
| Smoking Section No. 3,333 in the power rankings |
1,497 | +33 |
| Off The Rack BBQ No. 224 in the power rankings |
1,750 | +32 |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue No. 449 in the power rankings |
1,688 | +31 |
| JANKY LEG BBQ No. 3 in the power rankings |
1,959 | +27 |
| REDMULE'S BBQ No. 334 in the power rankings |
1,715 | +26 |
| Beer Belly BBQ No. 1,745 in the power rankings |
1,550 | +26 |
| Porket About It No. 478 in the power rankings |
1,682 | +26 |
| SMOKE ON ARRIVAL | 1,480 | -20 |
| THE PIT CREW GA No. 806 in the power rankings |
1,627 | -20 |
| T-MAC SMOKIN No. 483 in the power rankings |
1,681 | -20 |
| The Outback Cookin' Company No. 5,958 in the power rankings |
1,437 | -20 |
| DE FILOUS No. 785 in the power rankings |
1,630 | -24 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| GETTIN' BASTED | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| SLAPS BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 LEGS UP BBQ | 6 | — | 2 |
| Texas Smoke Whisperer | 6 | — | 2 |
| Piggin' Whiskey | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Backdraft BBQ | 5 | — | 3 |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Good Grefe! | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| REDMULE'S BBQ | 4 | — | 2 |
| THE BBQ BUS | 4 | — | 2 |
| ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | 4 | — | 3 |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 4 | — | 3 |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 4 | — | 3 |
| TRIPLE H BBQ | 4 | — | 3 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Carol Bigler | 4 | 3 |
| Dena Milhous | 4 | 2 |
| Doug Reid | 4 | 2 |
| Randy G Bigler | 4 | 3 |
| Ron Milhous | 4 | 2 |
| Alan Rothrock | 3 | 1 |
| Del Anderson | 3 | 2 |
| Janet Appleton | 3 | 1 |
| Michael Winter | 3 | 2 |
| Sam Appleton | 3 | 1 |
| Alex Jr Brown | 2 | 1 |
| Angela McKee | 2 | 2 |
| Bill Jones | 2 | 1 |
| Brenda Black | 2 | 1 |
| Cindy Juhl | 2 | 1 |
| Dave Druetzler | 2 | 1 |
| Debra Gage | 2 | 1 |
| Jeff Chambers | 2 | 1 |
| Julie Cook | 2 | 1 |
| Ken Black | 2 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 6 | 132 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 67 |
| Maryland | 3 | 59 |
| Alabama | 2 | 140 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 90 |
| Colorado | 2 | 82 |
| Kansas | 2 | 72 |
| Indiana | 2 | 64 |
| Georgia | 2 | 63 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 39 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 36 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 36 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 27 |
| South Dakota | 1 | 51 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 46 |
| Texas | 1 | 43 |
| Maine | 1 | 40 |
| Michigan | 1 | 32 |
| Montana | 1 | 31 |
| Utah | 1 | 30 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL |
49 | The Hog Mafia |
| SLV Beat the Heat BBQ Alamosa, CO |
42 | Gettin' Basted |
| BBQ & Fly in on the River - Day 1 Excelsior Springs, MO |
40 | Gettin' Basted |
| 13th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN |
35 | Hogline BBQ |
| Montana Pitmaster Classic Bozeman, MT |
31 | Montana Outlaw BBQ |
| Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival Worland, WY |
30 | American Heroes BBQ |
| BBQ & Fly in on the River - Day 2 Excelsior Springs, MO |
30 | Gettin' Basted |
| World Championship Hot wing Contest and Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES) Memphis, TN |
30 | Ain't It The Life |
| 4th Annual Hudson's Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cookoff DuPont, WA |
27 | SMOKE324 |
| Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 2 Dodge City, KS |
26 | Clark Crew BBQ |
| Kora Kare For Kids Shriner's Ride-In and BBQ Competition Hiram, ME |
26 | Smokin Hoggz BBQ |
| Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival Kennesaw, GA |
26 | ANGRY JACK BBQ |
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Every contest scored (46 in August 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.