In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in April 2023 — 1 Apr to 30 Apr.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
April 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
RAZORRACKS put up 714.2744 at Southaven Springfest — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
BBQ Team Laurentius took 2 Grand Championships in April 2023.
First one ever
WE WILL ROCK QUE won their first Grand Championship at Smoke on the Falls, in their 70th contest in the data.
- 7 Apr
Title defended
Meat Candy Q won BBQ, Boots & Brew again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2022–2023
- field of 33
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 10% chance
Smoked & Furious won Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition over top-rated CLARK CREW BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 44 perfect 180s were handed out in April 2023.
- Chicken ×14
- Brisket ×12
- Pork Ribs ×9
- Pork ×9
Closest call
MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ edged Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit by 0.0116 at Bone Suckin' Sauce Peak City Pig Fest.
- Master Series
Back on top
MAYA JANE BBQ CO. won BBQ Boogie & Blues — their first Grand Championship since May 2018, after 56 contests without one.
- last won May 2018
- 56 contests in between
Contest record
JANKY LEG BBQ put up 707.9772 at Smoke in the Spring — the best overall in 11 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 706.2744.
- old record 706.2744
- 10 earlier editions
Near sweep
GETTIN' BASTED won 3 of 4 meats at BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2023 (chicken, pork and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
Smoked & Furious gained 47 rating points across 3 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 3 contests
- now #181 overall
State champions crowned
24 state championships were decided in April 2023. The biggest, Smoke in the Spring (103 teams), went to Janky Leg BBQ.
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Connecticut
- Ohio
- Alabama
- New Jersey
Best debut
Leaning Jowler BBQ finished 1st at Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 1) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 135 new teams in Apr 2023
- field of 20
Best in the backyard
Swine-O-licious BBQ put up 357.7144 on the Backyard board at Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 11 Backyard boards in Apr 2023
- won it
Biggest blowout
GETTIN' BASTED won BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2023 by 29.7368 points over BBQ Rebels — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 26
Biggest field
Smoke in the Spring drew 103 teams, and Janky Leg BBQ won it.
- Osage City, KS
Milestone
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS cooked their 200th contest on record at Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition, with 37 Grand Championships along the way.
- 37 GCs along the way
Road warriors
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit cooked 9 contests in April 2023 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 2nd
Won without a meat
HIGH i QUE won Smokin in the Creek BBQ without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 51
New on the calendar
Smokin in the Creek BBQ ran for the first time on record, drawing 51 teams, and HIGH I QUE won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Apr 2023
- Sugar Creek, MO
Always the reserve
COOL HAND QUE finished second overall 2 times in April 2023 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 2 contests
Busiest weekend
11 sanctioned contests were cooked on 28 Apr alone.
- 28 Apr
Rep of the month
Jeff Chambers repped 11 contests in April 2023 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RAZORRACKS Southaven Springfest |
714.2744 |
| 2 | Meat Candy Q BBQ, Boots & Brew |
713.7144 |
| 3 | Smoked & Furious Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition |
708.5488 |
| 4 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest (JUDGING FULL) |
708.5372 |
| 5 | GETTIN' BASTED BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2023 |
708.0228 |
| 6 | JANKY LEG BBQ Smoke in the Spring |
707.9772 |
| 7 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition |
706.8344 |
| 8 | Organizer Portal 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ |
706.8228 |
| 9 | Top Gun Barbecue Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES |
705.7372 |
| 10 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ BBQ, Boots & Brew |
704.5372 |
| 11 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS BBQ, Boots & Brew |
704.5256 |
| 12 | Smokin' Bliss BBQ Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship |
704 |
| 13 | HIGH i QUE Smokin in the Creek BBQ |
703.9544 |
| 14 | HIGH ON THE HAWG 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ |
703.9428 |
| 15 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ BBQ, Boots & Brew |
703.9428 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×14 💯 | HIGH i QUE Smoke in the Spring |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×9 💯 | JANKY LEG BBQ Smoke in the Spring |
180 |
| Pork ×9 💯 | Barking Dog BBQ Smoke in the Spring |
180 |
| Brisket ×12 💯 | GETTIN' BASTED Smoke in the Spring |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 20 more in April 2023.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Apr 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Smoked & Furious No. 181 in the power rankings |
1,764 | +47 |
| BBQ Team Laurentius No. 693 in the power rankings |
1,644 | +43 |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ No. 103 in the power rankings |
1,806 | +38 |
| ONE EYED PIG BBQ No. 357 in the power rankings |
1,710 | +36 |
| T & S BBQ No. 317 in the power rankings |
1,719 | +35 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ No. 73 in the power rankings |
1,823 | +34 |
| HotMess BBQ No. 267 in the power rankings |
1,733 | +29 |
| Deviant Smoke No. 610 in the power rankings |
1,658 | +29 |
| Beefy Bros BBQ No. 1,239 in the power rankings |
1,583 | +28 |
| Off The Rack BBQ No. 224 in the power rankings |
1,750 | +28 |
| Nine Echo | 1,474 | -26 |
| Low and Slow Smokehouse No. 4,981 in the power rankings |
1,463 | -26 |
| SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS No. 602 in the power rankings |
1,659 | -27 |
| Disco Brisket BBQ | 1,457 | -31 |
| POKE N SMOKE No. 1,651 in the power rankings |
1,555 | -37 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 9 | — | 2 |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 6 | — | 2 |
| STICKS & STONES BBQ | 6 | — | 2 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 5 | — | 3 |
| Grandpa Val's BBQ | 5 | — | 4 |
| BLUE & GRAY BBQ | 5 | — | 6 |
| SmoKEN Meatz | 5 | — | 10 |
| Live Q or Die | 5 | — | 17 |
| Disco Brisket BBQ | 5 | — | 28 |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Off The Rack BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Chambers | 11 | 4 |
| Regina Bodnar | 7 | 3 |
| Bill Jones | 4 | 3 |
| Louise Weidner | 4 | 1 |
| Alan Rothrock | 3 | 1 |
| Alex Jr Brown | 3 | 2 |
| Carol Bigler | 3 | 2 |
| Charlie Brinza | 3 | 2 |
| Doug Reid | 3 | 1 |
| Forrest Bruce | 3 | 2 |
| Janet Appleton | 3 | 2 |
| Marianne Van Galen | 3 | — |
| Mayco Van Galen | 3 | — |
| Randy G Bigler | 3 | 2 |
| Sam Appleton | 3 | 2 |
| Becky Druetzler | 2 | 1 |
| Dave Druetzler | 2 | 1 |
| Dave Rogers | 2 | 1 |
| Debra Gage | 2 | 1 |
| Haymo Gutweniger | 2 | — |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 4 | 54 |
| Alabama | 3 | 135 |
| Missouri | 3 | 86 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 78 |
| Kansas | 2 | 138 |
| California | 2 | 60 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 53 |
| Virginia | 2 | 48 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 46 |
| Ohio | 2 | 44 |
| Alaska | 2 | 12 |
| Georgia | 1 | 48 |
| Florida | 1 | 32 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 30 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 25 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 21 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Smokin in the Creek BBQ Sugar Creek, MO |
51 | HIGH I QUE |
| Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Bristol, CT |
43 | Top Gun Barbecue |
| Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL |
36 | PuckDaddy's Killer Q |
| The Downtown BBQ Showdown Lake City, FL |
32 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ LLC |
| Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition Derby, KS |
28 | SMOKED & FURIOUS |
| Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff Brandon, MS |
28 | Chicken Fried BBQ |
| 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ Somerville, TN |
25 | Smoke Me Silly |
| Smokin' in the Pines Pinehurst, NC |
24 | One Eyed Pig BBQ |
| Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT |
22 | Grandpa Val's |
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 1) Williamsburg, VA |
20 | BUSHMASTER BBQ |
| WV Hunting Heroes BBQ Throwdown Cottageville, WV |
15 | Under the Radar |
| Break Up Shake Up BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Palmer, AK |
12 | Smokin J's BBQ |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (36 in April 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.