In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in November 2025 — 1 Nov to 30 Nov.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
November 2025 in BBQ
The recap: every contest scored, every story, every board
Inside
The Stories
By invitation only
Rooters-N-Tooters TN won American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest, best of 158 invited teams; TRIPLE H BBQ took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 710.8344
- not in the power rating
Score of the month
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
Tillman's BBQ put up 713.1316 at Plant City Pig Jam — the highest overall of the month.
- a new contest record
First one ever
Big Johns BBQ Company won their first Grand Championship at BBQ Jackpot, in their 15th contest in the data.
- 21 Nov
Title defended
Aussie TongMasters won Smokin in the Valley again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- field of 9
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 10% chance
Big Johns BBQ Company won BBQ Jackpot over top-rated SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 59 perfect 180s were handed out in November 2025.
- Chicken ×19
- Pork ×18
- Brisket ×13
- Pork Ribs ×9
Closest call
WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ edged OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE by 0.5832 at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest.
- Master Series
Biggest riser
Take It Easy BBQ gained 23 rating points across 2 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 2 contests
- now #687 overall
State champions crowned
5 state championships were decided in November 2025. The biggest, American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest (401 teams), went to Wag's Backwoods BBQ.
- Kansas
- Nevada
- Georgia
- Missouri
- Florida
Best debut
Western Midstream Partners finished 1st at Permian Basin Barbeque Cook-off by Daniel Energy Partners (COMPETITOR SERIES) — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 112 new teams in Nov 2025
- field of 98
Best in the backyard
Rollin Smoke BBQ put up 356.5600 on the Backyard board at Atlanta BBQ Store Classic — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 3 Backyard boards in Nov 2025
- won it
Biggest blowout
Tillman's BBQ won Plant City Pig Jam by 14.3088 points over Kings BBQ Team — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 31
Biggest field
American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest drew 401 teams, and Wag's Backwoods BBQ won it.
- Kansas City, KS
Milestone
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ cooked their 350th contest on record at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest, with 68 Grand Championships along the way.
- 68 GCs along the way
Road warriors
MACHETE BOYS BBQ cooked 5 contests in November 2025 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 2nd
Won without a meat
WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ won American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 13th.
- field of 401
New on the calendar
Permian Basin Barbeque Cook-off by Daniel Energy Partners (COMPETITOR SERIES) ran for the first time on record, drawing 98 teams, and Western Midstream Partners won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 2 first editions in Nov 2025
- Houston, TX
Busiest weekend
4 sanctioned contests were cooked on 5 Nov alone.
- 5 Nov
Rep of the month
Jeanne Titus repped 6 contests in November 2025 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×19 💯 | Texas Smoke Whisperer Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×9 💯 | West Cooper BBQ Smokin in the Valley |
180 |
| Pork ×18 💯 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) |
180 |
| Brisket ×13 💯 | Swine-O-licious BBQ American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 35 more in November 2025.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Nov 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Take It Easy BBQ No. 687 in the power rankings |
1,644 | +23 |
| Blind Fox BBQ No. 460 in the power rankings |
1,686 | +22 |
| Bucknutz BBQ No. 2,097 in the power rankings |
1,535 | +20 |
| Great White Smoke No. 1,891 in the power rankings |
1,544 | +18 |
| Wicked Pig BBQ No. 5,974 in the power rankings |
1,436 | +18 |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ No. 106 in the power rankings |
1,804 | +18 |
| Southern Swine No. 889 in the power rankings |
1,618 | +18 |
| Damn Yankee Texas Barbeque No. 1,503 in the power rankings |
1,564 | +18 |
| Totally Bodacious BBQ No. 1,913 in the power rankings |
1,543 | +18 |
| Tillman's BBQ No. 519 in the power rankings |
1,673 | +18 |
| Organizer Portal No. 95 in the power rankings |
1,812 | -16 |
| Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ No. 2,182 in the power rankings |
1,532 | -16 |
| POOR BOYS BBQ No. 202 in the power rankings |
1,756 | -16 |
| The King and His Q No. 1,176 in the power rankings |
1,588 | -20 |
| Sailor Nicks BBQ No. 278 in the power rankings |
1,729 | -21 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| MACHETE BOYS BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| Shiggin aint easy | 5 | — | 15 |
| BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | 5 | — | 23 |
| SLAPS BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| TRIPLE H BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | 4 | — | 3 |
| Petie's Smokin Pits BBQ | 4 | — | 4 |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 4 | — | 5 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 4 | — | 7 |
| Take It Easy BBQ | 4 | — | 7 |
| Triple B BBQ - AUS | 4 | — | 8 |
| BrewsCue | 4 | — | 9 |
| FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | 4 | — | 9 |
| Damn Yankee Texas Barbeque | 4 | — | 10 |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 4 | — | 10 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Jeanne Titus | 6 | 3 |
| Charlie Brinza | 5 | 2 |
| Eugene Wickham | 5 | 2 |
| Forrest Bruce | 5 | 2 |
| Larry Voth | 5 | 2 |
| Lynda Voth | 5 | 2 |
| Sarah Wickham | 5 | 2 |
| Dave Rogers | 4 | 2 |
| David Burstein | 4 | 1 |
| Larry Hadley | 4 | 1 |
| Peg Rogers | 4 | 2 |
| Alan Rothrock | 1 | 1 |
| Carol Bigler | 1 | 1 |
| Carolyn Wells | 1 | 1 |
| Ernesto Uribe | 1 | — |
| Haymo Gutweniger | 1 | — |
| Karen Jane Williams | 1 | 1 |
| Kathleen McIntosh | 1 | 1 |
| Kelly McIntosh | 1 | 1 |
| Michael Santiago | 1 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 4 | 475 |
| Texas | 1 | 102 |
| Georgia | 1 | 92 |
| Nevada | 1 | 91 |
| Florida | 1 | 51 |
| Missouri | 1 | 50 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rollin Smoke BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic |
356.5600 |
| 2 | Southern Swine Atlanta BBQ Store Classic |
355.4056 |
| 3 | Big James Kitchen Atlanta BBQ Store Classic |
354.2744 |
| 4 | Southern Life BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic |
350.8228 |
| 5 | 88 BBQ BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY) |
350.3316 |
| 6 | Dogpatch Q Plant City Pig Jam |
350.2744 |
| 7 | RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA Atlanta BBQ Store Classic |
349.6916 |
| 8 | SLATER HOUSE BBQ Atlanta BBQ Store Classic |
349.6916 |
| 9 | Clean Smoke BBQ Team Atlanta BBQ Store Classic |
349.6800 |
| 10 | Nuts & Butts Plant City Pig Jam |
348.5600 |
| 11 | Powered by Smoke Plant City Pig Jam |
348.5372 |
| 12 | SmoQued On Main St Atlanta BBQ Store Classic |
346.2744 |
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| American Royal Invitational Nov 5, 2025 · Kansas City, KS |
158 | Rooters-N-Tooters TN |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Permian Basin Barbeque Cook-off by Daniel Energy Partners (COMPETITOR SERIES) Houston, TX |
98 | Western Midstream Partners |
| BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY) Palmares, Costa Rica |
8 | 88 BBQ Team |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (11 in November 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.