In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in March 2024 — 1 Mar to 31 Mar.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
March 2024 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
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ put up 714.2744 at Torry Island BBQ Showdown — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ took 2 Grand Championships in March 2024.
First one ever
Bad Influence BBQ - MO won their first Grand Championship at American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest, in their 46th contest in the data.
- 22 Mar
Title defended
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS won Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2023–2024
- field of 28
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 18% chance
PIRATES OF BAR-B-QUE BAY won 6th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship over top-rated SLAPS BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 46 perfect 180s were handed out in March 2024.
- Chicken ×22
- Pork ×11
- Pork Ribs ×9
- Brisket ×4
Closest call
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ edged Meat Candy Q by 0.0000 at The Golden State Battle VI.
- Master Series
Back on top
Kings BBQ Team won Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds — their first Grand Championship since November 2021, after 31 contests without one.
- last won November 2021
- 31 contests in between
Contest record
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ put up 708.5256 at BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) — the best overall in 8 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 706.2284.
- old record 706.2284
- 7 earlier editions
Near sweep
Kings BBQ Team won 3 of 4 meats at Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds (pork ribs, pork and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Pork Ribs
- Pork
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
Mad Hatter BBQ gained 37 rating points across 2 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 2 contests
- now #384 overall
State champions crowned
14 state championships were decided in March 2024. The biggest, Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (93 teams), went to Continental Barbecue Co..
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Kansas
- Virginia
- Iowa
- Missouri
Best debut
1Bite Stand finished 1st at Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 126 new teams in Mar 2024
- field of 35
Best in the backyard
Bad Influence BBQ - MO put up 357.7028 on the Backyard board at American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 11 Backyard boards in Mar 2024
- won it
Biggest blowout
Kings BBQ Team won Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds by 20.0920 points over Accutech BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 15
Biggest field
Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship drew 93 teams, and Continental Barbecue Co. won it.
- Lebanon, TN
Milestone
SmokinGhost BBQ cooked their 150th contest on record at Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship, with 6 Grand Championships along the way.
- 6 GCs along the way
Road warriors
Glamping Grillers cooked 7 contests in March 2024 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 6th
Won without a meat
CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. won Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 8th.
- field of 93
New on the calendar
6th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship ran for the first time on record, drawing 58 teams, and Pirates of Bar-B-Que Bay won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 7 first editions in Mar 2024
- Olathe, KS
Always the reserve
Ham Squad finished second overall 2 times in March 2024 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
7 sanctioned contests were cooked on 22 Mar alone.
- 22 Mar
Rep of the month
Charlie Brinza repped 5 contests in March 2024 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ Torry Island BBQ Showdown |
714.2744 |
| 2 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) |
709.6800 |
| 3 | Piggin' Whiskey Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) |
708.5372 |
| 4 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) |
708.5256 |
| 5 | Going Yard BBQ Torry Island BBQ Showdown |
706.2516 |
| 6 | Heavy Smoke BBQ Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) |
705.1204 |
| 7 | PIRATES OF BAR-B-QUE BAY 6th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
705.1200 |
| 8 | Accutech BBQ Torry Island BBQ Showdown |
703.9888 |
| 9 | SLAPS BBQ 6th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
703.9544 |
| 10 | Kings BBQ Team Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds |
703.9544 |
| 11 | YES, DEAR BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
703.9428 |
| 12 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine 6th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship |
703.3944 |
| 13 | Ham Squad Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
703.3828 |
| 14 | GETTIN' BASTED Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) |
702.8460 |
| 15 | Ham Squad BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) |
702.8000 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×22 💯 | Ham Squad Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×9 💯 | MILL HILL BARBEQUE COMPANY Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
180 |
| Pork ×11 💯 | HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
180 |
| Brisket ×4 💯 | YES, DEAR BBQ Sip & Swine BBQ Festival |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 22 more in March 2024.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Mar 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Mad Hatter BBQ No. 384 in the power rankings |
1,702 | +37 |
| Electro-Que-ted No. 140 in the power rankings |
1,783 | +33 |
| B.G.Q. No. 1,233 in the power rankings |
1,584 | +32 |
| BROCK'S BBQ No. 550 in the power rankings |
1,669 | +30 |
| Big Boys BBQ No. 953 in the power rankings |
1,610 | +26 |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS No. 152 in the power rankings |
1,777 | +26 |
| Smoke This Drink That BBQ No. 268 in the power rankings |
1,733 | +26 |
| Buckshot's BBQ No. 683 in the power rankings |
1,645 | +25 |
| T-Dawg BBQ No. 574 in the power rankings |
1,664 | +24 |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ No. 196 in the power rankings |
1,758 | +23 |
| LOVE 2 Q No. 555 in the power rankings |
1,668 | -24 |
| REDNECK SCIENTIFIC No. 247 in the power rankings |
1,743 | -29 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ No. 1,184 in the power rankings |
1,588 | -32 |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ No. 516 in the power rankings |
1,674 | -33 |
| Off The Rack BBQ No. 224 in the power rankings |
1,750 | -39 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glamping Grillers | 7 | — | 6 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 7 | — | 23 |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Off The Rack BBQ | 6 | — | 16 |
| Ham Squad | 5 | — | 2 |
| Piggin' Whiskey | 5 | — | 2 |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 5 | — | 3 |
| Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | 5 | — | 5 |
| The Swine Doctor's BBQ | 5 | — | 9 |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | 5 | — | 13 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 5 | — | 14 |
| LOVE 2 Q | 5 | — | 18 |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| HESSHOGS | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Brinza | 5 | 3 |
| Jeanne Titus | 5 | 2 |
| Alex Jr Brown | 4 | 1 |
| Louise Weidner | 4 | 1 |
| Dave Rogers | 3 | 2 |
| Julie Cook | 3 | 2 |
| Julie Poe | 3 | 2 |
| Peg Rogers | 3 | 2 |
| Rachel Harper | 3 | 2 |
| Rusty Cook | 3 | 2 |
| Wayne Harper | 3 | 2 |
| Bunny Tuttle | 2 | 1 |
| Carol Bigler | 2 | 1 |
| Doug Reid | 2 | 1 |
| Ian Schmidt | 2 | 1 |
| Kathleen McIntosh | 2 | 1 |
| Kelly McIntosh | 2 | 1 |
| Mike Garretson | 2 | 1 |
| Natasha Loew | 2 | — |
| Ralph Williams | 2 | 2 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 5 | 74 |
| Virginia | 4 | 77 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 144 |
| Alabama | 2 | 62 |
| Florida | 2 | 51 |
| California | 2 | 46 |
| Georgia | 1 | 95 |
| Iowa | 1 | 89 |
| Kansas | 1 | 58 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| 6th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship Olathe, KS |
58 | Pirates of Bar-B-Que Bay |
| Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL |
38 | Smokey Bees BBQ |
| The Golden State Battle VI Hollister, CA |
33 | Colorado Bull Dawg BBQ |
| Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest Dinuba, CA |
27 | Old Town Franklin BBQ |
| Spitsbroek on Fire Eede Holland, Netherlands |
22 | Backcorner BBQ |
| Torry Island BBQ Showdown Belle Glade, FL |
21 | Iowa's Smokey D's BBQ |
| Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds Dover, FL |
15 | Kings BBQ |
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Every contest scored (22 in March 2024)
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.