In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in March 2023 — 1 Mar to 31 Mar.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
March 2023 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
JANKY LEG BBQ put up 709.1200 at Smokin' for Down Syndrome — the highest overall of the month.
First one ever
Big Racks BBQ won their first Grand Championship at American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest, in their 11th contest in the data.
- 24 Mar
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 7% chance
Smoked & Furious won Lake Views & BBQ (formerly Beats, Brew & BBQ) over top-rated CLARK CREW BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 41 perfect 180s were handed out in March 2023.
- Chicken ×15
- Pork ×11
- Brisket ×9
- Pork Ribs ×6
Closest call
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE edged GETTIN' BASTED by 0.5484 at Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2).
- Master Series
Back on top
BBQ Team Laurentius won Belgisch Barbecue Weekend - Day 2 — their first Grand Championship since June 2018, after 27 contests without one.
- last won June 2018
- 27 contests in between
Contest record
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC put up 706.2284 at BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) — the best overall in 6 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 703.4288.
- old record 703.4288
- 5 earlier editions
Near sweep
Bushmaster BBQ won 3 of 4 meats at BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest (chicken, pork ribs and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork Ribs
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ gained 68 rating points across 6 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 6 contests
- now #73 overall
State champions crowned
14 state championships were decided in March 2023. The biggest, Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (80 teams), went to TRIPLE H BBQ.
- Tennessee
- Kansas
- Georgia
- Texas
- Virginia
- Iowa
Best debut
CHEWIN' THE BBQ FAT! finished 1st at Sip & Swine BBQ Festival — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 106 new teams in Mar 2023
- field of 65
Best in the backyard
Swine-O-licious BBQ put up 349.6800 on the Backyard board at Iowa State BBQ Championship — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 8 Backyard boards in Mar 2023
- won it
Biggest blowout
RAZORRACKS won Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) by 10.9144 points over JANKY LEG BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 26
Biggest field
Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship drew 80 teams, and TRIPLE H BBQ won it.
- Lebanon, TN
Milestone
BUFFALO'S BBQ cooked their 200th contest on record at Lake Views & BBQ (formerly Beats, Brew & BBQ), with 9 Grand Championships along the way.
- 9 GCs along the way
Road warriors
HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ cooked 8 contests in March 2023 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 3rd
Won without a meat
TRIPLE H BBQ won Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 80
New on the calendar
5th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship ran for the first time on record, drawing 68 teams, and Bull Creek BBQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Mar 2023
- Olathe, KS
Always the reserve
SMOKIN SKULLIES finished second overall 2 times in March 2023 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 2 contests
Busiest weekend
7 sanctioned contests were cooked on 24 Mar alone.
- 24 Mar
Rep of the month
Julie Cook repped 7 contests in March 2023 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JANKY LEG BBQ Smokin' for Down Syndrome |
709.1200 |
| 2 | BULL CREEK BBQ 5th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
706.8344 |
| 3 | RAZORRACKS Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) |
706.8344 |
| 4 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) |
706.2284 |
| 5 | TRIPLE H BBQ Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship |
705.6800 |
| 6 | ATLANTA BBQ STORE Swampfest |
705.6800 |
| 7 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN Smokin' for Down Syndrome |
705.1200 |
| 8 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) |
705.0972 |
| 9 | SMOKIN SKULLIES BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) |
705.0856 |
| 10 | GETTIN' BASTED Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) |
704.5488 |
| 11 | CHEWIN' THE BBQ FAT! Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
703.9660 |
| 12 | Off The Rack BBQ BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) |
703.4288 |
| 13 | GETTIN' BASTED Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff |
702.8456 |
| 14 | Bushmaster BBQ BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest |
702.8116 |
| 15 | SMOKIN SKULLIES BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) |
702.2744 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×15 💯 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×6 💯 | Bushmaster BBQ BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest |
180 |
| Pork ×11 💯 | CHEWIN' THE BBQ FAT! Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
180 |
| Brisket ×9 💯 | Bushmaster BBQ BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 17 more in March 2023.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Mar 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ No. 73 in the power rankings |
1,823 | +68 |
| Dogpatch Q No. 259 in the power rankings |
1,737 | +43 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ No. 1,184 in the power rankings |
1,588 | +40 |
| HotMess BBQ No. 267 in the power rankings |
1,733 | +31 |
| Small Batch BBQ - TN No. 575 in the power rankings |
1,663 | +30 |
| Country Boys BBQ No. 1,048 in the power rankings |
1,600 | +30 |
| POOR BOYS BBQ No. 202 in the power rankings |
1,756 | +28 |
| Big Racks BBQ No. 510 in the power rankings |
1,675 | +27 |
| Swine-O-licious BBQ No. 149 in the power rankings |
1,778 | +27 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ No. 307 in the power rankings |
1,723 | +26 |
| JACK'S OLD SOUTH No. 2,512 in the power rankings |
1,520 | -30 |
| Top Gun Barbecue No. 198 in the power rankings |
1,758 | -31 |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS No. 205 in the power rankings |
1,754 | -32 |
| Rogue Hog BBQ No. 581 in the power rankings |
1,663 | -34 |
| WOOD HOOK BBQ No. 262 in the power rankings |
1,737 | -36 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 8 | — | 3 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 7 | — | 2 |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 7 | — | 2 |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 6 | — | 4 |
| Dogpatch Q | 6 | — | 5 |
| RAZORRACKS | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Fergolicious BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | 5 | — | 2 |
| HESSHOGS | 5 | — | 4 |
| Optimus Swine | 5 | — | 6 |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 5 | — | 8 |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 5 | — | 8 |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 5 | — | 9 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 5 | — | 9 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Julie Cook | 7 | 3 |
| Rusty Cook | 7 | 3 |
| Alex Jr Brown | 4 | 1 |
| Louise Weidner | 4 | 1 |
| Bunny Tuttle | 3 | 3 |
| Dave Rogers | 3 | 2 |
| Donna Young | 3 | 1 |
| Ed Young | 3 | 1 |
| Peg Rogers | 3 | 2 |
| Rachel Harper | 3 | 2 |
| Wayne Harper | 3 | 2 |
| Doug Reid | 2 | 2 |
| Jeff Chambers | 2 | 1 |
| Marianne Van Galen | 2 | — |
| Mayco Van Galen | 2 | — |
| Regina Bodnar | 2 | 1 |
| Angela Fishlock | 1 | — |
| Bob McKinnon | 1 | 1 |
| Carol Bigler | 1 | 1 |
| Charlie Brinza | 1 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 5 | 70 |
| Virginia | 4 | 81 |
| Georgia | 2 | 136 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 123 |
| Iowa | 1 | 78 |
| Kansas | 1 | 68 |
| Texas | 1 | 57 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 44 |
| Arizona | 1 | 32 |
| Alabama | 1 | 31 |
| California | 1 | 28 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 15 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| 5th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship Olathe, KS |
68 | Bull Creek BBQ |
| Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff Cedar Park, TX |
57 | Gettin'Based |
| BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest Yuma, AZ |
32 | Bushmaster BBQ |
| Lake Views & BBQ (formerly Beats, Brew & BBQ) Wagoner, OK |
29 | Smoked and Furious |
| The Golden State Battle V Hollister, CA |
28 | Big Red BBQ |
| Swampfest Waycross, GA |
28 | ATLANTA BBQ STORE |
| Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) St. Robert, MO |
26 | Razorracks BBQ |
| Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (One Meat Ribs) St. Robert, MO |
20 | Fergolicious BBQ |
| Spring Break BBQ Contest 4 Lommel, Belgium |
18 | BBQ + |
| Smokin' for Down Syndrome Marion, AR |
15 | Janky Leg BBQ |
| Belgisch Barbecue Weekend - Day 1 Boom, Belgium |
13 | Backcorner BBQ |
| Belgisch Barbecue Weekend - Day 2 Boom, Belgium |
13 | BBQ Team Laurentius |
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Every contest scored (24 in March 2023)
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.