In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in August 2025 — 1 Aug to 31 Aug.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
August 2025 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
73-BBQ put up 712.0000 at Smoke in the Orchard, Powered by Sunpoke — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
Squealin N Dealin BBQ took 2 Grand Championships in August 2025.
First one ever
Big Ten Bones won their first Grand Championship at Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY), in their 49th contest in the data.
- 16 Aug
By invitation only
Iowa's Smokey D's BBQ won Grand American Barbecue World Championship (Invitational) (COMPETITOR SERIES), best of 34 invited teams; PADDY MCQ'S took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 711.4172
- not in the power rating
Title defended
Son of a Boar BBQ won MN Masters BBQ again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2024–2025
- field of 26
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 4% chance
Angry Cock BBQ won Kora Kares for Kids over top-rated GETTIN' BASTED as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 67 perfect 180s were handed out in August 2025.
- Chicken ×25
- Pork Ribs ×15
- Pork ×15
- Brisket ×12
Closest call
ZIPS BBQ edged BAD ROOSTER BBQ by 0.0000 at Pigs & Peaches.
- Master Series
Back on top
Go Pig or Go Home won East Central State BBQ Cookoff — their first Grand Championship since June 2022, after 33 contests without one.
- last won June 2022
- 33 contests in between
Contest record
iBQ'n put up 709.1428 at All American BBQ Throwdown — the best overall in 8 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 698.8460.
- old record 698.8460
- 7 earlier editions
Near sweep
Aussie TongMasters won 3 of 4 meats at Smokin in the Valley (pork ribs, pork and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Pork Ribs
- Pork
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
B'S QUE gained 41 rating points across 3 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 3 contests
- now #240 overall
State champions crowned
26 state championships were decided in August 2025. The biggest, BBQ & Fly-In on the River (62 teams), went to Smoke This Drink That BBQ.
- Missouri
- Texas
- Kansas
- New York
- Indiana
- South Dakota
Best debut
VIRUNUM SMOKERS finished 3rd at Wild West Fest on Fire — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 138 new teams in Aug 2025
- field of 20
Best in the backyard
Electro-Que-ted put up 357.7144 on the Backyard board at Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 11 Backyard boards in Aug 2025
- won it
Biggest blowout
GETTIN' BASTED won Brighton Barbeque Bash by 14.8572 points over SHIGGIN & GRINNIN — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 29
Biggest field
BBQ & Fly-In on the River drew 62 teams, and Smoke This Drink That BBQ won it.
- Excelsior Springs, MO
Milestone
GETTIN' BASTED cooked their 450th contest on record at 3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1), with 82 Grand Championships along the way.
- 82 GCs along the way
Road warriors
GETTIN' BASTED cooked 8 contests in August 2025 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 2 GCs
Won without a meat
Squealin N Dealin BBQ won Smoke on the Bricks without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 53
New on the calendar
Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship (Open) ran for the first time on record, drawing 47 teams, and Gettin' Basted won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Aug 2025
- Port Jervis, NY
Always the reserve
Optimus Swine finished second overall 2 times in August 2025 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
8 sanctioned contests were cooked on 22 Aug alone.
- 22 Aug
Rep of the month
Bill Jones repped 6 contests in August 2025 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 73-BBQ Smoke in the Orchard, Powered by Sunpoke |
712 |
| 2 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ BBQ & Fly-In on the River |
710.8572 |
| 3 | iBQ'n All American BBQ Throwdown |
709.1428 |
| 4 | GETTIN' BASTED Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship (Open) |
709.1200 |
| 5 | Take It Easy BBQ Smoke N for the Kids |
708.5600 |
| 6 | ZIPS BBQ Pigs & Peaches |
708.5372 |
| 7 | BAD ROOSTER BBQ Pigs & Peaches |
708.5372 |
| 8 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ Meat & Tater BBQ Fest |
707.9772 |
| 9 | Cook the books Smoke in the Orchard, Powered by Sunpoke |
707.4172 |
| 10 | Rub Sweat and Beers Smoke in the Orchard, Powered by Sunpoke |
707.4056 |
| 11 | Bocephus BBQ Smoke on the River (Day 2) |
707.3712 |
| 12 | GETTIN' BASTED Meat & Tater BBQ Fest |
706.8572 |
| 13 | WYO SMOKE SHOW Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships and Bluegrass Festival |
706.8228 |
| 14 | Eleven Thirteen Q Smoke N for the Kids |
706.2516 |
| 15 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ Smoke on the River (Day 1) |
706.2516 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×25 💯 | Grandpa Val's BBQ Grand American Barbecue World Championship (Invitational) (COMPETITOR SERIES) |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×15 💯 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ Grand American Barbecue World Championship (Invitational) (COMPETITOR SERIES) |
180 |
| Pork ×15 💯 | BOGGS HOG BBQ Grand American Barbecue World Championship (Invitational) (COMPETITOR SERIES) |
180 |
| Brisket ×12 💯 | Shiggin aint easy All American BBQ Throwdown |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 43 more in August 2025.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Aug 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| B'S QUE No. 240 in the power rankings |
1,744 | +41 |
| Rub Sweat and Beers No. 2,204 in the power rankings |
1,531 | +32 |
| The Swine Doctor's BBQ No. 374 in the power rankings |
1,707 | +31 |
| 73-BBQ No. 1,612 in the power rankings |
1,557 | +29 |
| Bastian's Barbecue Co. No. 1,810 in the power rankings |
1,547 | +28 |
| O.G. BANDITS No. 469 in the power rankings |
1,684 | +25 |
| Big James Kitchen No. 600 in the power rankings |
1,659 | +25 |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ No. 103 in the power rankings |
1,806 | +24 |
| Chompa Q No. 1,083 in the power rankings |
1,596 | +24 |
| BBQ Maestros No. 448 in the power rankings |
1,688 | +24 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE No. 89 in the power rankings |
1,813 | -26 |
| TRIPLE H BBQ No. 14 in the power rankings |
1,896 | -27 |
| ELJEFE SMOKE No. 150 in the power rankings |
1,777 | -30 |
| RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE No. 553 in the power rankings |
1,668 | -31 |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue No. 449 in the power rankings |
1,688 | -37 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| GETTIN' BASTED | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 7 | — | 6 |
| Rudes BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 6 | — | 3 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 6 | — | 5 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 6 | — | 5 |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Take It Easy BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| BrewsCue | 5 | — | 2 |
| Glamping Grillers | 5 | — | 2 |
| PADDY MCQ'S | 5 | — | 2 |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 5 | — | 2 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Jones | 6 | 2 |
| Alex Jr Brown | 5 | 1 |
| Becky Druetzler | 5 | 3 |
| Dave Druetzler | 5 | 3 |
| Ian Schmidt | 5 | 3 |
| Julie Poe | 5 | 3 |
| Craig Maidens | 4 | 3 |
| Heather Maidens | 4 | 3 |
| Bill Wright | 3 | 2 |
| Brian Moore | 3 | 3 |
| Bunny Tuttle | 3 | 2 |
| Carol Bigler | 3 | 2 |
| Dave Rogers | 3 | 3 |
| Debra Gage | 3 | 1 |
| Forrest Bruce | 3 | 2 |
| Haymo Gutweniger | 3 | — |
| Jeanne Titus | 3 | 2 |
| Karina Rumens | 3 | — |
| Kim Wright | 3 | 2 |
| Larry Hadley | 3 | 2 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 5 | 88 |
| Virginia | 5 | 62 |
| Kansas | 4 | 87 |
| California | 3 | 39 |
| Maine | 2 | 66 |
| Indiana | 2 | 63 |
| Michigan | 2 | 47 |
| New York | 2 | 47 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 43 |
| Missouri | 1 | 61 |
| Texas | 1 | 55 |
| Alberta | 1 | 50 |
| South Dakota | 1 | 44 |
| Georgia | 1 | 42 |
| Idaho | 1 | 40 |
| Montana | 1 | 38 |
| Washington | 1 | 30 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 29 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 28 |
| Ontario | 1 | 27 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) |
357.7144 |
| 2 | BBQ MIKE Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) |
357.1428 |
| 3 | Capt. Blue BBQ Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1) |
353.1316 |
| 4 | Electro-Que-ted Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
353.1200 |
| 5 | Rudes BBQ Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) |
352.0116 |
| 6 | Big James Kitchen Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
351.9656 |
| 7 | GSP Barbecue Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) |
351.4172 |
| 8 | Bramble BBQ Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) |
350.2628 |
| 9 | Leaning Jowler BBQ Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff |
349.6916 |
| 10 | E SQUARED BBQ Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) |
349.6800 |
| 11 | Too Sauced BBQ Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) |
349.6800 |
| 12 | Leaning Jowler BBQ Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) |
349.6684 |
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| Grand American Barbecue World Championship Aug 1, 2025 · Port Jervis, NY |
34 | Iowa's Smokey D's BBQ |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship (Open) Port Jervis, NY |
47 | Gettin' Basted |
| Madison Ribberfest Madison, IN |
45 | Rooters-N-Tooters TN |
| SD BBQ Shootout @ Huset's Speedway Brandon, SD |
44 | Hot Daddy's BBQ |
| Meat & Tater BBQ Fest Meridian, ID |
39 | Smokin' Volts BBQ |
| Grand American Barbecue World Championship (Invitational) (COMPETITOR SERIES) Port Jervis, NY |
34 | Iowa's Smokey D's BBQ |
| 8th Annual DuPont BBQ Competition DuPont, WA |
30 | Rob's Smokin and Grillin BBQ |
| Brighton Barbeque Bash Oshkosh, WI |
29 | Gettin' Basted |
| Pigs & Peaches Kennesaw, GA |
27 | ZIPS BBQ |
| East Central State BBQ Cookoff Paola, KS |
27 | Go Pig or Go Home |
| 3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) Felton, CA |
25 | Smokin' Bliss BBQ |
| Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1) Doswell, VA |
25 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ |
| Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL |
23 | Electro-Que-Ted |
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Every contest scored (50 in August 2025)
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.