In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in September 2023 — 1 Sep to 30 Sep.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
September 2023 in BBQ
The recap: every contest scored, every story, every board
Inside
The Stories
By invitation only
FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY won American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest, best of 211 invited teams; Damn Fine Beef & Swine took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 706.8572
- not in the power rating
Score of the month
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
GETTIN' BASTED put up 713.1200 at Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
POOR BOYS BBQ took 3 Grand Championships in September 2023.
They will not let it go
Smokin' Hoggz won Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES again — 3 straight editions of this contest.
- 2022–2023
- field of 26
First one ever
MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ won their first Grand Championship at Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival, in their 59th contest in the data.
- 29 Sep
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 15% chance
Race Crew Drum Smokers won Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff over top-rated Meat Candy Q as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 77 perfect 180s were handed out in September 2023.
- Chicken ×24
- Pork ×21
- Brisket ×19
- Pork Ribs ×13
Closest call
Mad Rocket Barbecue edged NORALA BBQ TEAM by 0.0000 at O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1.
- Backyard Series
Back on top
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ won 35th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out — their first Grand Championship since October 2020, after 34 contests without one.
- last won October 2020
- 34 contests in between
Contest record
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE put up 703.3712 at Anchor City Cook-Off — the best overall in 9 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 700.5484.
- old record 700.5484
- 8 earlier editions
Biggest riser
BrewsCue gained 46 rating points across 5 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 5 contests
- now #266 overall
State champions crowned
31 state championships were decided in September 2023. The biggest, American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest (487 teams), went to JANKY LEG BBQ.
- Kansas
- Texas
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Nebraska
- Kentucky
Best debut
Race Crew Drum Smokers finished 1st at Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 435 new teams in Sep 2023
- field of 99
Best in the backyard
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS put up 355.4172 on the Backyard board at Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 17 Backyard boards in Sep 2023
- won it
Biggest blowout
Brisket Butts won Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival) by 13.1312 points over Notorious P.I.G. — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 29
Biggest field
American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest drew 487 teams, and JANKY LEG BBQ won it.
- Kansas City, KS
Milestone
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ cooked their 250th contest on record at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest, with 41 Grand Championships along the way.
- 41 GCs along the way
Road warriors
GETTIN' BASTED cooked 11 contests in September 2023 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 3 GCs
Won without a meat
JANKY LEG BBQ won American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 13th.
- field of 487
New on the calendar
Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff ran for the first time on record, drawing 99 teams, and Race Crew Drum Smokers won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Sep 2023
- Waller, TX
Always the reserve
MACHETE BOYS BBQ finished second overall 2 times in September 2023 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
12 sanctioned contests were cooked on 8 Sep alone.
- 8 Sep
Rep of the month
Eugene Wickham repped 7 contests in September 2023 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×24 💯 | GETTIN' BASTED Smoke on the River |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×13 💯 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ Car-B-Que (BACKYARD ONLY) |
180 |
| Pork ×21 💯 | Smoked & Furious Smoke on the River |
180 |
| Brisket ×19 💯 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN Fire in the Foothills BBQ Festival |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 53 more in September 2023.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Sep 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| BrewsCue No. 266 in the power rankings |
1,734 | +46 |
| POOR BOYS BBQ No. 202 in the power rankings |
1,756 | +41 |
| Brisket Butts No. 579 in the power rankings |
1,663 | +40 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ No. 470 in the power rankings |
1,684 | +36 |
| Dirt Bag Barbeque No. 1,275 in the power rankings |
1,581 | +35 |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ No. 103 in the power rankings |
1,806 | +34 |
| SMOKIN' OUTLAWS No. 246 in the power rankings |
1,743 | +34 |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS No. 152 in the power rankings |
1,777 | +33 |
| The BBQ Ranch No. 380 in the power rankings |
1,703 | +33 |
| Smokin Reefer BBQ No. 1,332 in the power rankings |
1,577 | +33 |
| 5 Alarm BBQ No. 1,290 in the power rankings |
1,580 | -27 |
| IN DEEP SAUCE No. 1,214 in the power rankings |
1,586 | -27 |
| Smokin Aces No. 2,138 in the power rankings |
1,533 | -29 |
| DE VLIEGENDE HOLLANDER BBQ-TEAM No. 622 in the power rankings |
1,655 | -39 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ No. 1,184 in the power rankings |
1,588 | -46 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| GETTIN' BASTED | 11 | 3 | 1 |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| QUE U | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 9 | — | 2 |
| THE BBQ BUS | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| BrewsCue | 8 | — | 2 |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 8 | — | 2 |
| SMOKECRAFT - MD | 8 | — | 2 |
| PORKRASTINATORS | 8 | — | 3 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| PADDY MCQ'S | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Shiggin aint easy | 7 | — | 2 |
| CycloneBBQ | 7 | — | 4 |
| WE WILL ROCK QUE | 7 | — | 4 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 7 | — | 6 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Eugene Wickham | 7 | 3 |
| Larry Voth | 7 | 2 |
| Lynda Voth | 7 | 2 |
| Sarah Wickham | 7 | 3 |
| Bill Wright | 6 | 2 |
| Dave Rogers | 6 | 2 |
| Forrest Bruce | 6 | 1 |
| Julie Cook | 6 | 2 |
| Kim Wright | 6 | 2 |
| Larry Hadley | 6 | 1 |
| Peg Rogers | 6 | 2 |
| Rusty Cook | 6 | 2 |
| Becky Druetzler | 5 | 1 |
| Dave Druetzler | 5 | 1 |
| Marianne Van Galen | 5 | — |
| Mayco Van Galen | 5 | — |
| Louise Weidner | 4 | 2 |
| Robert McKee | 4 | 2 |
| Brenda Black | 3 | 2 |
| Bunny Tuttle | 3 | 3 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 7 | 667 |
| Illinois | 7 | 119 |
| Missouri | 5 | 126 |
| Alabama | 4 | 33 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 60 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 46 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 45 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 45 |
| Vermont | 3 | 26 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 24 |
| Texas | 2 | 199 |
| Alberta | 2 | 82 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 77 |
| California | 2 | 41 |
| Virginia | 2 | 24 |
| Iowa | 1 | 39 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 34 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 30 |
| South Dakota | 1 | 28 |
| Saskatchewan | 1 | 26 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| American Royal Invitational Sep 27, 2023 · Kansas City, KS |
211 | FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff Waller, TX |
99 | Race Crew Drum Smokers |
| Permian Basin Barbeque Cook-off (COMPETITOR SERIES) Midland, TX |
88 | Valtek |
| Shawnee Great Grillers Shawnee, KS |
73 | Slaps BBQ |
| Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB |
40 | Meat Sweats BBQ |
| 7th Annual Smoke on the Trails Gardner, KS |
38 | Fergolicious BBQ |
| WINGS 4 WATER 2023 (COMPETITOR SERIES) Lee's Summit, MO |
37 | KC TRIAL LAW |
| Septemberfest BBQ & RibEye Steak Cook-off Challenge Omaha, NE |
34 | Janky Leg |
| Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival) Sherwood Park, Edmonton, AB |
29 | Brisket Butts |
| Primo BBQ Bash Poplar Bluff, MO |
28 | Good Googly Goo BBQ |
| 35th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO |
26 | American Fire BBQ |
| Smoke 'N the Valley Lumsden, SK |
26 | 333 BBQ |
| 12 Bridge Rib Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lincoln, CA |
22 | Smolder & Wiser |
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Every contest scored (68 in September 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.