Score of the month
704.5372
Master overall, out of 720
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS put up 704.5372 at Grills Gone Wild — the highest overall of the month.
February 2025 in BBQ
Every sanctioned contest scored in February 2025 — 1 Feb to 28 Feb.
5contests scored
135teams competed
255top-ten calls
10perfect 180s
42biggest field
4states & provinces
6new teams
2Backyard boards
Now on the newsstand
The Smoke Ring
Competition Barbecue’s Paper of Record
February 2025, set as a proper newspaper.
Every Grand Champion named, the month in figures across the top, the perfect 180s,
the box scores, and the calendar as classified notices.
Read the February 2025 edition →
The stories
Hottest hand
2×
Grand Championships
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS took 2 Grand Championships in February 2025.
First one ever
47th
contest — and their first GC
Menke Boys BBQ won their first Grand Championship at Ribs on the Ridge, in their 47th contest in the data.
- 14 Feb
Upset of the month
15-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings gave them a 15% chance
STEVO'S BBQ TEAM won Best in the Southwest over top-rated GETTIN' BASTED as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
10
perfect scores handed out
Six judges, every card a 9: 10 perfect 180s were handed out in February 2025.
- Chicken ×4
- Pork ×3
- Brisket ×2
- Pork Ribs ×1
Closest call
1.0968
points between 1st and 2nd
Menke Boys BBQ edged GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ by 1.0968 at Ribs on the Ridge.
- Master Series
Biggest riser
+20
power rating points
Powered by Smoke gained 20 rating points across 2 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 2 contests
- now #1869 overall
Best debut
8th
in their very first contest
Playa Famous BBQ finished 8th at Ribs on the Ridge — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 6 new teams in Feb 2025
- field of 16
Best in the backyard
349.6800
Backyard overall, out of 360
Dogpatch Q put up 349.6800 on the Backyard board at Ribs on the Ridge — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 2 Backyard boards in Feb 2025
- won it
Biggest field
42
teams at one contest
Fire on Ice BBQ Championship drew 42 teams, and Shiggin & Grinnin won it.
- Onamia
- MN
Road warriors
3
contests cooked
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS cooked 3 contests in February 2025 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 2 GCs
New on the calendar
42
teams at a brand-new contest
Fire on Ice BBQ Championship ran for the first time on record, drawing 42 teams, and Shiggin & Grinnin won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 2 first editions in Feb 2025
- Onamia
- MN
Rep of the month
2
contests worked
JEANNE TITUS repped 2 contests in February 2025 — somebody has to run the table.
The boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS Grills Gone Wild |
704.5372 |
| 2 | Menke Boys BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
702.8000 |
| 3 | SmokinGhost BBQ Grills Gone Wild |
702.2628 |
| 4 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
701.7032 |
| 5 | Kings BBQ Team Grills Gone Wild |
701.1088 |
| 6 | Going Yard BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
701.1088 |
| 7 | SHIGGIN & GRINNIN Fire on Ice BBQ Championship |
700.5600 |
| 8 | Poppa Pig Ribs on the Ridge |
699.4056 |
| 9 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM Best in the Southwest |
698.2172 |
| 10 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ Grills Gone Wild |
697.6800 |
| 11 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS Ribs on the Ridge |
696.5488 |
| 12 | JANKY LEG BBQ Grills Gone Wild |
695.9200 |
| 13 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
695.9084 |
| 14 | K & E's Little Smokers Grills Gone Wild |
695.3716 |
| 15 | Sloppy Hogs Ribs on the Ridge |
695.3600 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×4 💯 | JANKY LEG BBQ Grills Gone Wild |
180.0000 |
| Pork Ribs ×1 💯 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM Best in the Southwest |
180.0000 |
| Pork ×3 💯 | Going Yard BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
180.0000 |
| Brisket ×2 💯 | Menke Boys BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
180.0000 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
| Team | Category | Contest |
|---|---|---|
| BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | Pork | Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
| B' Mackin BBQ | Brisket | Best in the Southwest |
| Meat Candy Q | Pork | Best in the Southwest |
| STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | Pork Ribs | Best in the Southwest |
| Accutech BBQ | Chicken | Ribs on the Ridge |
| Dogpatch Q | Chicken | Ribs on the Ridge |
| Going Yard BBQ | Pork | Ribs on the Ridge |
| Menke Boys BBQ | Brisket | Ribs on the Ridge |
| Sloppy Hogs | Chicken | Ribs on the Ridge |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | Chicken | Grills Gone Wild |
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Feb 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Powered by Smoke #1869 | 1,544 | +20 |
| Amped Up #2021 | 1,537 | +20 |
| Dogpatch Q #269 | 1,731 | +20 |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS #159 | 1,773 | +17 |
| STEVO'S BBQ TEAM #314 | 1,719 | +15 |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ #77 | 1,820 | +15 |
| Menke Boys BBQ #1263 | 1,581 | +14 |
| PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO. #1779 | 1,548 | +14 |
| Still Workin' On It #1103 | 1,594 | +14 |
| Smokin Big #5241 | 1,457 | +13 |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ #479 | 1,682 | -12 |
| Smokin-N-Pokin #5955 | 1,434 | -12 |
| Mad Dog BBQ #921 | 1,613 | -15 |
| Accutech BBQ #895 | 1,616 | -23 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ #69 | 1,827 | -27 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Dogpatch Q | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Menke Boys BBQ | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 2 | — | 2 |
| Powered by Smoke | 2 | — | 2 |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 2 | — | 2 |
| Amped Up | 2 | — | 3 |
| Cool Guys BBQ | 2 | — | 3 |
| Going Yard BBQ | 2 | — | 3 |
| PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO. | 2 | — | 4 |
| Poppa Pig | 2 | — | 4 |
| K & E's Little Smokers | 2 | — | 6 |
| Sloppy Hogs | 2 | — | 6 |
| Mad Dog BBQ | 2 | — | 9 |
| Accutech BBQ | 2 | — | 10 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| JEANNE TITUS | 2 | 1 |
| MIKE GARRETSON | 2 | 1 |
| BRYAN STEWART | 1 | 1 |
| CAROL BIGLER | 1 | 1 |
| JOHN SCHARFFBILLIG | 1 | 1 |
| LAURIE TWETEN | 1 | 1 |
| LUCA FAMIGLI | 1 | 1 |
| MICHAEL SANTIAGO | 1 | 1 |
| NOEL KAY | 1 | 1 |
| RANDY G BIGLER | 1 | 1 |
| RHONDA SANTIAGO | 1 | 1 |
| ROBERTO SIROK | 1 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 2 | 41 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 42 |
| Arizona | 1 | 29 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 26 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dogpatch Q Ribs on the Ridge |
349.6800 |
| 2 | Dogpatch Q Grills Gone Wild |
345.1200 |
| 3 | Belly Bustin Bistro Ribs on the Ridge |
344.0000 |
| 4 | Powered by Smoke Grills Gone Wild |
335.3600 |
| 5 | Amped Up Ribs on the Ridge |
333.6800 |
| 6 | TRICKY PIG Ribs on the Ridge |
330.7884 |
| 7 | Cool Guys BBQ Grills Gone Wild |
330.7772 |
| 8 | PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO. Grills Gone Wild |
330.2288 |
| 9 | Amped Up Grills Gone Wild |
329.0744 |
| 10 | Powered by Smoke Ribs on the Ridge |
324.5028 |
| 11 | PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO. Ribs on the Ridge |
322.7660 |
| 12 | Evans Family Ranch Ribs on the Ridge |
312.4344 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Fire on Ice BBQ Championship Onamia, MN |
42 | Shiggin & Grinnin |
| Ribs on the Ridge Haines City, FL |
16 | Menke Boys BBQ |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (5 in February 2025)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion | High score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Farms - King of the Farm 2025-02-28 · Iron Station, NC |
26 | Fred Vegas Smokers RC: SMOKIN SKULLIES |
695.9084 |
| Fire on Ice BBQ Championship 2025-02-21 · Onamia, MN |
42 | Shiggin & Grinnin RC: BIGG SMOAK BBQ |
700.5600 |
| Best in the Southwest 2025-02-21 · Yuma, AZ |
29 | Stevo's BBQ Team RC: SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ |
698.2172 |
| Ribs on the Ridge 2025-02-14 · Haines City, FL |
16 | Menke Boys BBQ RC: GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ |
702.8000 |
| Grills Gone Wild 2025-02-07 · Davenport, FL |
25 | Fred Vegas Smokers RC: SmokinGhost BBQ |
704.5372 |
The archive
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