In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in September 2025 — 1 Sep to 30 Sep.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
September 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
B' Mackin BBQ put up 718.8572 at 21st Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
Fire Pig took 3 Grand Championships in September 2025.
First one ever
Ambition Que won their first Grand Championship at Buds Blues and BBQ, in their 104th contest in the data.
- 5 Sep
Title defended
Big James Kitchen won Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2024–2025
- field of 28
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 8% chance
JaBs won Smoke on the Ohio over top-rated ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 84 perfect 180s were handed out in September 2025.
- Chicken ×29
- Pork ×22
- Brisket ×19
- Pork Ribs ×14
Closest call
QUE U edged THE BBQ BUS by 0.0112 at Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash.
- Master Series
Back on top
Rio Valley Meat BBQ won Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff — their first Grand Championship since March 2021, after 21 contests without one.
- last won March 2021
- 21 contests in between
Contest record
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN put up 703.4060 at Tri-City BBQ Fest — the best overall in 11 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 703.3712.
- old record 703.3712
- 10 earlier editions
Biggest riser
205 Smoke gained 43 rating points across 3 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 3 contests
- now #998 overall
State champions crowned
26 state championships were decided in September 2025. The biggest, Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff (92 teams), went to Rio Valley Meat BBQ.
- Texas
- Kansas
- Illinois
- Ohio
- North Carolina
- Wisconsin
Best debut
Ashes to Embers BBQ finished 1st at 21st Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 210 new teams in Sep 2025
- field of 35
Best in the backyard
Big James Kitchen put up 357.7144 on the Backyard board at Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 19 Backyard boards in Sep 2025
- won it
Biggest blowout
STICKS & STONES BBQ won Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) by 10.8912 points over ELJEFE SMOKE — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 25
Biggest field
Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff drew 92 teams, and Rio Valley Meat BBQ won it.
- Waller, TX
Milestone
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ cooked their 300th contest on record at Fire in the Foothills, with 16 Grand Championships along the way.
- 16 GCs along the way
Road warriors
Deviant Smoke cooked 10 contests in September 2025 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 1 GC
Won without a meat
WeQ4U won Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 56
New on the calendar
Grizzly BBQ Brawl ran for the first time on record, drawing 42 teams, and Beer Time BBQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Sep 2025
- Wellington, OH
Always the reserve
SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS finished second overall 2 times in September 2025 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
12 sanctioned contests were cooked on 12 Sep alone.
- 12 Sep
Rep of the month
Carol Bigler repped 8 contests in September 2025 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B' Mackin BBQ 21st Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest |
718.8572 |
| 2 | Bad Dog BBQ Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival |
717.7028 |
| 3 | Poppa Pig 21st Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest |
714.2628 |
| 4 | JANKY LEG BBQ Trekking for CDH |
714.2628 |
| 5 | Burnin and Lootin 21st Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest |
713.1316 |
| 6 | BULL IN THE RING Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cook-Off |
712.5484 |
| 7 | STICKS & STONES BBQ Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) |
710.2856 |
| 8 | HotMess BBQ Saxonburg BBQ Smokeout |
710.2744 |
| 9 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine 37th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out |
709.6912 |
| 10 | JaBs Smoke on the Ohio |
709.1428 |
| 11 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival |
707.9888 |
| 12 | Thin Blue Smoke MS Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival |
707.3944 |
| 13 | Smoked & Furious Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cook-Off |
706.8344 |
| 14 | LOVE 2 Q Shawnee Great Grillers |
706.8228 |
| 15 | PADDY MCQ'S Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) |
706.2860 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×29 💯 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN Uniquely Union Festival |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×14 💯 | B' Mackin BBQ 21st Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest |
180 |
| Pork ×22 💯 | B' Mackin BBQ 21st Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest |
180 |
| Brisket ×19 💯 | BEER TIME BBQ Saxonburg BBQ Smokeout |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 60 more in September 2025.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Sep 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 205 Smoke No. 998 in the power rankings |
1,606 | +43 |
| Fire Pig No. 640 in the power rankings |
1,652 | +39 |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ No. 211 in the power rankings |
1,753 | +36 |
| Say My Name BBQ No. 675 in the power rankings |
1,646 | +34 |
| Rollin Smoke BBQ No. 154 in the power rankings |
1,777 | +32 |
| Sky High BBQ No. 2,348 in the power rankings |
1,525 | +31 |
| Good Grefe! No. 2,819 in the power rankings |
1,511 | +29 |
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ No. 331 in the power rankings |
1,716 | +28 |
| BULL IN THE RING No. 471 in the power rankings |
1,684 | +28 |
| Brisket Butts No. 579 in the power rankings |
1,663 | +27 |
| PARTS 'R' SMOKIN No. 186 in the power rankings |
1,762 | -20 |
| Red and Black BBQ Shack No. 5,924 in the power rankings |
1,438 | -21 |
| HELL ON SQUEALS No. 656 in the power rankings |
1,649 | -21 |
| iBQ'n No. 165 in the power rankings |
1,773 | -26 |
| Hawt Hawgs BBQ | 1,482 | -28 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deviant Smoke | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 10 | — | 5 |
| Pork Life | 10 | — | 5 |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 9 | — | 8 |
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 8 | — | 3 |
| FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| ELJEFE SMOKE | 7 | — | 2 |
| Electro-Que-ted | 7 | — | 2 |
| LEE LA Q | 7 | — | 2 |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 7 | — | 2 |
| Let It Smoke Barbecue | 7 | — | 6 |
| American Barbecue Company | 7 | — | 7 |
| Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | 7 | — | 7 |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 6 | 3 | 1 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Carol Bigler | 8 | 1 |
| Randy G Bigler | 8 | 1 |
| Dave Druetzler | 6 | 4 |
| Becky Druetzler | 5 | 3 |
| Louise Weidner | 5 | 2 |
| Abigail Nichols | 4 | 1 |
| Bill Jones | 4 | 1 |
| Bill Wright | 4 | 1 |
| Charlie Brinza | 4 | 2 |
| Jake Nichols | 4 | 1 |
| Jeanne Titus | 4 | 2 |
| Kim Wright | 4 | 1 |
| Brenda Black | 3 | 1 |
| David Dyche | 3 | 1 |
| Eugene Wickham | 3 | 3 |
| Jo Dyche | 3 | 1 |
| Ken Black | 3 | 1 |
| Larry Voth | 3 | 2 |
| Lynda Voth | 3 | 2 |
| Sarah Wickham | 3 | 3 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 10 | 77 |
| Illinois | 5 | 156 |
| Missouri | 5 | 94 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 64 |
| Delaware | 4 | 42 |
| Massachusetts | 4 | 23 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 45 |
| Alberta | 3 | 44 |
| Vermont | 3 | 25 |
| California | 2 | 60 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 59 |
| Michigan | 2 | 31 |
| Texas | 1 | 120 |
| Kansas | 1 | 67 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 51 |
| Ohio | 1 | 42 |
| Iowa | 1 | 34 |
| Indiana | 1 | 27 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 26 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 25 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Grizzly BBQ Brawl Wellington, OH |
42 | Beer Time BBQ |
| Wings 4 Water IV (COMPETITOR SERIES) Lee's Summit, MO |
41 | UMB Bank |
| 21st Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest Riverside, CA |
35 | B' Mackin BBQ |
| 37th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO |
30 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine |
| Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL |
29 | FIRE & SHINE BBQ |
| Bands and BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY |
29 | BrewsCue |
| Uniquely Union Festival Union, SC |
25 | Rooters-N-Tooters TN |
| Fire in the Foothills King, NC |
25 | Maya Jane BBQ |
| First State BBQ Bash Milford, DE |
25 | Drilling & Grilling |
| Grillstock Moore, OK |
23 | Razorracks |
| Smoke in the Valley Edmonton, AB |
23 | Phantom Smoke & BBQ |
| Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cullman, AL |
19 | NORALA BBQ TEAM |
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Every contest scored (61 in September 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.