Score of the month
707.4172
Master overall, out of 720
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
Kings BBQ Team put up 707.4172 at Ribs on the Ridge — the highest overall of the month.
February 2026 in BBQ
Every sanctioned contest scored in February 2026 — 1 Feb to 28 Feb.
6contests scored
129teams competed
247top-ten calls
8perfect 180s
33biggest field
3states & provinces
7new teams
1Backyard board
Now on the newsstand
The Smoke Ring
Competition Barbecue’s Paper of Record
February 2026, 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 2026 edition →
The stories
First one ever
23rd
contest — and their first GC
Southern Swine won their first Grand Championship at Ribs on the Ridge, in their 23rd contest in the data.
- 20 Feb
Upset of the month
22-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings gave them a 22% chance
Smoky Cotte won Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest over top-rated COOKLOUNGE BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
8
perfect scores handed out
Six judges, every card a 9: 8 perfect 180s were handed out in February 2026.
- Chicken ×2
- Pork Ribs ×2
- Pork ×2
- Brisket ×2
Closest call
2.3320
points between 1st and 2nd
Smoke 44 edged Justice BBQ by 2.3320 at BBQ Fest Costa Rica.
- Master Series
Biggest riser
+29
power rating points
Bourbon & Blues BBQ gained 29 rating points across 2 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 2 contests
- now #1242 overall
Best debut
3rd
in their very first contest
Smokin Hot and Dirty finished 3rd at Ribs on the Ridge — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 7 new teams in Feb 2026
- field of 32
Best in the backyard
351.9772
Backyard overall, out of 360
Southern Swine put up 351.9772 on the Backyard board at Ribs on the Ridge — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 1 Backyard board in Feb 2026
- won it
Biggest field
33
teams at one contest
Mission Farms - King of the Farm drew 33 teams, and Rooters-N-Tooters TN won it.
- Iron Station
- NC
New on the calendar
25
teams at a brand-new contest
BBQ & Brew Festival ran for the first time on record, drawing 25 teams, and B' Mackin BBQ won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 3 first editions in Feb 2026
- Yuma
- AZ
Rep of the month
2
contests worked
ANDREAS SCHNOELL repped 2 contests in February 2026 — somebody has to run the table.
The boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kings BBQ Team Ribs on the Ridge |
707.4172 |
| 2 | B' Mackin BBQ BBQ & Brew Festival |
703.9428 |
| 3 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
701.6688 |
| 4 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
701.0856 |
| 5 | SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA Ribs on the Ridge |
699.9312 |
| 6 | Meat Candy Q BBQ & Brew Festival |
699.3716 |
| 7 | Bourbon & Blues BBQ Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
698.8116 |
| 8 | Smoky Cotte Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest |
697.0860 |
| 9 | Optimus Swine Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
697.0628 |
| 10 | SMOKIN SKULLIES Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
697.0628 |
| 11 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
697.0512 |
| 12 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
697.0512 |
| 13 | Campfire Que Ribs on the Ridge |
696.5144 |
| 14 | SoCal Outlaw BBQ BBQ & Brew Festival |
695.9200 |
| 15 | Brinkerhoff BBQ BBQ & Brew Festival |
695.3600 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×2 💯 | Kings BBQ Team Ribs on the Ridge |
180.0000 |
| Pork Ribs ×2 💯 | B' Mackin BBQ BBQ & Brew Festival |
180.0000 |
| Pork ×2 💯 | Brinkerhoff BBQ BBQ & Brew Festival |
180.0000 |
| Brisket ×2 💯 | SMOKE SHOW MAFIA Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
180.0000 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
| Team | Category | Contest |
|---|---|---|
| Smoky Cotte | Brisket | Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest |
| B' Mackin BBQ | Pork Ribs | BBQ & Brew Festival |
| Brinkerhoff BBQ | Pork | BBQ & Brew Festival |
| Optimus Swine | Chicken | Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
| SMOKE SHOW MAFIA | Brisket | Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
| SoCal Outlaw BBQ | Pork | BBQ & Brew Festival |
| ZIPS BBQ | Pork Ribs | Mission Farms - King of the Farm |
| Kings BBQ Team | Chicken | Ribs on the Ridge |
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Feb 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ #1242 | 1,582 | +29 |
| Southern Swine #988 | 1,606 | +17 |
| Smokin Hot and Dirty | 1,516 | +16 |
| SoCal Outlaw BBQ #1305 | 1,578 | +16 |
| Smoke 44 #1829 | 1,546 | +16 |
| Campfire Que | 1,497 | +16 |
| Smoky Cotte #593 | 1,658 | +15 |
| BBQ Hot Yard #926 | 1,612 | +14 |
| Lizard's Q | 1,528 | +14 |
| PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO. #1779 | 1,548 | +13 |
| 506F | 1,499 | -14 |
| Smokers Social Club | 1,485 | -15 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE #110 | 1,800 | -16 |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ #69 | 1,827 | -17 |
| GETTIN' BASTED #9 | 1,931 | -18 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky Cotte | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Barbecoa BBQ Team | 2 | — | 2 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 2 | — | 2 |
| BBQ Hot Yard | 2 | — | 3 |
| Optimus Swine | 2 | — | 3 |
| Woodquarter Smokerheads | 2 | — | 4 |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | 2 | — | 6 |
| 3BBQ | 2 | — | 8 |
| SMOKE ON THE WILD SIDE | 2 | — | 9 |
| Onkel Felix BBQ | 2 | — | 12 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 2 | — | 13 |
| B' Mackin BBQ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kings BBQ Team | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Smoke 44 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| ANDREAS SCHNOELL | 2 | — |
| BRYAN STEWART | 2 | 2 |
| EVA SCHNOELL | 2 | — |
| MIKE GARRETSON | 2 | 1 |
| CHARLIE BRINZA | 1 | 1 |
| DEBRA GAGE | 1 | — |
| ERNESTO URIBE | 1 | — |
| FORREST BRUCE | 1 | 1 |
| JEANNE TITUS | 1 | 1 |
| MICHAEL SANTIAGO | 1 | 1 |
| NOEL KAY | 1 | 1 |
| RACHEL HARPER | 1 | 1 |
| RHONDA SANTIAGO | 1 | 1 |
| WAYNE HARPER | 1 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 1 | 45 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 33 |
| Arizona | 1 | 25 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Swine Ribs on the Ridge |
351.9772 |
| 2 | Rollin Smoke BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
347.9772 |
| 3 | Smokin Hot and Dirty Ribs on the Ridge |
347.3828 |
| 4 | PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO. Ribs on the Ridge |
346.2744 |
| 5 | Clean Smoke BBQ Team Ribs on the Ridge |
343.3828 |
| 6 | Dogpatch Q Ribs on the Ridge |
339.3944 |
| 7 | Smoking Problems Ribs on the Ridge |
337.0972 |
| 8 | Belly Bustin Bistro Ribs on the Ridge |
335.3484 |
| 9 | When Pigs Fly Family BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
333.0856 |
| 10 | 2 Ugly Wives BBQ Ribs on the Ridge |
327.3944 |
| 11 | Amped Up Ribs on the Ridge |
323.9088 |
| 12 | The Smoked Biscuit Company Ribs on the Ridge |
322.7660 |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| BBQ & Brew Festival Yuma, AZ |
25 | B' Mackin BBQ |
| Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest Vienna, 1030 |
12 | SMOKY COTTE |
| Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Vienna, 1030 |
7 | Barbecoa BBQ Team |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (6 in February 2026)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion | High score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest 2026-02-28 · Vienna, 1030 |
12 | SMOKY COTTE RC: Barbecoa BBQ Team |
697.0860 |
| Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS) 2026-02-28 · Vienna, 1030 |
7 | Barbecoa BBQ Team | 179.4400 |
| Mission Farms - King of the Farm 2026-02-27 · Iron Station, NC |
33 | Rooters-N-Tooters TN RC: Bourbon & Blues BBQ |
701.6688 |
| BBQ & Brew Festival 2026-02-27 · Yuma, AZ |
25 | B' Mackin BBQ RC: Meat Candy Q |
703.9428 |
| BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2026-02-21 · Alajuela, 10903 |
18 | Smoke 44 RC: Justice BBQ |
682.8232 |
| Ribs on the Ridge 2026-02-20 · Haines City, FL |
32 | Kings BBQ Team RC: Bourbon & Blues BBQ |
707.4172 |
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