In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in May 2024 — 1 May to 31 May.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
May 2024 in BBQ
The recap: every contest scored, every story, every board
Inside
The Stories
By invitation only
Local Yokels BBQ won 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN, best of 118 invited teams; ZIPS BBQ took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 709.7260
- 3 invitationals in May 2024
- not in the power rating
Score of the month
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
Cherry Anchor BBQ put up 713.7028 at Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
TRIPLE H BBQ took 2 Grand Championships in May 2024.
First one ever
Stewbabys BBQ won their first Grand Championship at 18th Annual Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off, in their 63rd contest in the data.
- 10 May
Title defended
HOT DADDY'S BBQ won Minnesota in May again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2023–2024
- field of 58
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 17% chance
Pork Life won O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 over top-rated NORALA BBQ TEAM as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 92 perfect 180s were handed out in May 2024.
- Chicken ×29
- Pork ×28
- Brisket ×19
- Pork Ribs ×16
Closest call
Stewbabys BBQ edged FRED VEGAS SMOKERS by 0.0116 at 18th Annual Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off.
- Master Series
Back on top
Porterhouse BBQ won Best Dam Barbeque — their first Grand Championship since July 2015, after 65 contests without one.
- last won July 2015
- 65 contests in between
Contest record
T-Rex BBQ put up 699.9656 at Smokin in Steele — the best overall in 9 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 699.4056.
- old record 699.4056
- 8 earlier editions
Near sweep
FIREHOUSE SMOKE won 3 of 4 meats at Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition (chicken, pork ribs and pork).
- Chicken
- Pork Ribs
- Pork
Biggest riser
Mad Hatter BBQ gained 44 rating points across 3 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 3 contests
- now #384 overall
State champions crowned
30 state championships were decided in May 2024. The biggest, Minnesota in May (58 teams), went to Hot Daddy's BBQ.
- Minnesota
- North Carolina
- Georgia
- California
- Pennsylvania
- Iowa
Best debut
Blue Falcon finished 1st at O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 210 new teams in May 2024
- field of 20
Best in the backyard
Swine-O-licious BBQ put up 360.0000 on the Backyard board at RTrowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin (BACKYARD) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 14 Backyard boards in May 2024
- won it
Biggest blowout
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS won Jack 9 Memorial by 18.8916 points over Shiggin aint easy — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 20
Biggest field
6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN drew 118 teams, and Local Yokels BBQ won it.
- Lebanon, TN
Milestone
RAZORRACKS cooked their 200th contest on record at 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL, with 29 Grand Championships along the way.
- 29 GCs along the way
Road warriors
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN cooked 7 contests in May 2024 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 2 GCs
Won without a meat
LOCAL YOKELS BBQ won 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 4th.
- field of 118
New on the calendar
6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN ran for the first time on record, drawing 118 teams, and Local Yokels BBQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in May 2024
- Lebanon, TN
Always the reserve
T & S BBQ finished second overall 2 times in May 2024 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 2 contests
Busiest weekend
11 sanctioned contests were cooked on 17 May alone.
- 17 May
Rep of the month
Jeanne Titus repped 6 contests in May 2024 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×29 💯 | CHUNKY BBQ Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×16 💯 | smokey anderson bbq Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 |
180 |
| Pork ×28 💯 | SMOKE THIS BBQ MO Hog Wild BBQ & Family Fest |
180 |
| Brisket ×19 💯 | Bowmans Butt & BBQ Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 68 more in May 2024.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | May 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Mad Hatter BBQ No. 384 in the power rankings |
1,702 | +44 |
| Yardogs BBQ No. 444 in the power rankings |
1,689 | +44 |
| Meadow Creek BBQ No. 1,684 in the power rankings |
1,553 | +34 |
| MUNNY'S STOVE No. 209 in the power rankings |
1,753 | +30 |
| Unknown Smokers No. 3,068 in the power rankings |
1,504 | +29 |
| Sailor Nicks BBQ No. 278 in the power rankings |
1,729 | +29 |
| Mad Dog BBQ No. 933 in the power rankings |
1,612 | +29 |
| BAD ROOSTER BBQ No. 199 in the power rankings |
1,757 | +28 |
| The BBQ Ranch No. 380 in the power rankings |
1,703 | +28 |
| LG bbq No. 773 in the power rankings |
1,631 | +27 |
| Smoke Right BBQ No. 5,051 in the power rankings |
1,462 | -23 |
| Cow-Hen-Pig No. 6,167 in the power rankings |
1,424 | -25 |
| LADY OF Q No. 527 in the power rankings |
1,672 | -26 |
| DRILLING & GRILLING No. 414 in the power rankings |
1,695 | -29 |
| Piggy & Swine BBQ No. 681 in the power rankings |
1,645 | -40 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| Poppa Pig | 7 | — | 2 |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 7 | — | 3 |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| THE BBQ BUS | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| BrewsCue | 6 | — | 12 |
| TRIPLE H BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| BAD ROOSTER BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Optimus Swine | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | 5 | — | 2 |
| Glamping Grillers | 5 | — | 2 |
| Kermit's Ex | 5 | — | 2 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Jeanne Titus | 6 | 3 |
| David Burstein | 5 | 2 |
| Charlie Brinza | 4 | 2 |
| Dave Rogers | 4 | 2 |
| Eugene Wickham | 4 | 2 |
| Peg Rogers | 4 | 2 |
| Sarah Wickham | 4 | 2 |
| Alan Rothrock | 3 | 2 |
| Carol Bigler | 3 | 2 |
| Carolyn Wells | 3 | 1 |
| Doug Reid | 3 | 2 |
| Kathleen McIntosh | 3 | 2 |
| Kelly McIntosh | 3 | 2 |
| Kent Schuetz | 3 | 3 |
| Rachel Schuetz | 3 | 3 |
| Randy G Bigler | 3 | 2 |
| Robert McKee | 3 | 1 |
| Andreas Schnoell | 2 | — |
| Eva Schnoell | 2 | — |
| Ian Schmidt | 2 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 6 | 199 |
| Kansas | 4 | 97 |
| Alabama | 4 | 54 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 132 |
| California | 3 | 108 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 87 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 79 |
| Georgia | 2 | 97 |
| Indiana | 2 | 49 |
| Massachusetts | 2 | 42 |
| Missouri | 2 | 40 |
| Alberta | 1 | 44 |
| Iowa | 1 | 36 |
| Nevada | 1 | 33 |
| Colorado | 1 | 29 |
| Michigan | 1 | 27 |
| Oregon | 1 | 27 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 25 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 21 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 20 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| KCBS World Invitational May 24, 2024 · Lebanon, TN |
118 | Local Yokels BBQ |
| KCBS World Invitational May 25, 2024 · Lebanon, TN |
81 | Razorracks |
| KCBS World Invitational May 25, 2024 · Lebanon, TN |
47 | Bushwood BBQ |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN Lebanon, TN |
118 | Local Yokels BBQ |
| 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL Lebanon, TN |
81 | Razorracks |
| 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL Lebanon, TN |
47 | Bushwood BBQ |
| 18th Annual Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off Waynesboro, GA |
42 | Stewbabys BBQ |
| Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB |
39 | Smokin Outlaws |
| Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival Norco, CA |
39 | Burnin and Lootin |
| McLouth BBQ Blowout 33rd Annual McLouth, KS |
35 | Bocephus BBQ |
| Rockin' BBQ Warsaw Warsaw, IN |
32 | Tire Smoke BBQ |
| Rockin' BBQ Warsaw (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN |
32 | Blowing Smoke BBQ |
| Massachusetts in May (Day 1) Wrentham, MA |
30 | Poor Boys BBQ |
| O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Oneonta, AL |
27 | Pork Life |
| Hog Wild BBQ & Family Fest Brookhaven, MS |
25 | Smoke This BBQ MO |
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Every contest scored (50 in May 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.