In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in May 2026 — 1 May to 31 May.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
May 2026 in BBQ
The recap: every contest scored, every story, every board
Inside
The Stories
By invitation only
Kings BBQ Team won 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026), best of 117 invited teams; SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 711.4172
- 6 invitationals in May 2026
- not in the power rating
Score of the month
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS put up 714.8572 at Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ took 2 Grand Championships in May 2026.
First one ever
Big B BBQ Company won their first Grand Championship at Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES), in their 61st contest in the data.
- 1 May
Title defended
Q Cartel won Small Town Smoke Down again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2025–2026
- field of 24
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 14% chance
Click & Q won Het Belgisch Barbecue Weekend 7the Edition over top-rated BUNCH OF SWINES as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 118 perfect 180s were handed out in May 2026.
- Chicken ×46
- Pork ×35
- Brisket ×21
- Pork Ribs ×16
Closest call
Baptized by Smoke edged Jury's Out by 0.0000 at O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2.
- Backyard Series
Back on top
MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ won Luna County Heritage Days Festival — their first Grand Championship since September 2017, after 23 contests without one.
- last won September 2017
- 23 contests in between
Contest record
The Fat is Where It's At put up 703.9428 at Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) — the best overall in 12 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 702.2516.
- old record 702.2516
- 11 earlier editions
Biggest riser
BBQ Hot Yard gained 31 rating points across 2 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 2 contests
- now #819 overall
State champions crowned
21 state championships were decided in May 2026. The biggest, Minnesota in May (77 teams), went to Burnt Trees BBQ.
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- New York
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Michigan
Best debut
Keij Smokin Hot finished 1st at Het Belgisch Barbecue Weekend 8the Edition — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 210 new teams in May 2026
- field of 18
Best in the backyard
PUDDLEDUCK BBQ put up 357.1544 on the Backyard board at High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 15 Backyard boards in May 2026
- won it
Biggest blowout
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA won Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT) by 12.0228 points over BOGGS HOG BBQ — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 59
Biggest field
8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) drew 117 teams, and Kings BBQ Team won it.
- Lebanon, TN
Milestone
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA cooked their 300th contest on record at Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT), with 35 Grand Championships along the way.
- 35 GCs along the way
Road warriors
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA cooked 10 contests in May 2026 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 1 GC
Won without a meat
BURNT TREES BBQ won Minnesota in May without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 3rd.
- field of 77
New on the calendar
8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) ran for the first time on record, drawing 117 teams, and Kings BBQ Team won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in May 2026
- Lebanon, TN
Always the reserve
Big Ten Bones finished second overall 2 times in May 2026 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
13 sanctioned contests were cooked on 1 May alone.
- 1 May
Rep of the month
Charlie Brinza repped 7 contests in May 2026 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×46 💯 | CROOKED PIGS Blue Compass RV BBQ Bash |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×16 💯 | B'S QUE Grand American Barbecue World Championship Invitational (COMPETITOR SERIES) |
180 |
| Pork ×35 💯 | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ Bear-B-Q |
180 |
| Brisket ×21 💯 | B'S QUE Grand American Barbecue World Championship Invitational (COMPETITOR SERIES) |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 94 more in May 2026.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| BBQ Hot Yard No. 819 in the power rankings |
1,626 | +31 |
| Click & Q No. 3,321 in the power rankings |
1,498 | +28 |
| Castleton Q No. 972 in the power rankings |
1,608 | +28 |
| MEAN MOE'S BBQ No. 381 in the power rankings |
1,703 | +27 |
| Rub Sweat and Beers No. 2,204 in the power rankings |
1,531 | +26 |
| SASSY SMOKE BBQ No. 883 in the power rankings |
1,618 | +25 |
| Brookside BBQ No. 1,068 in the power rankings |
1,598 | +25 |
| SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS No. 762 in the power rankings |
1,632 | +25 |
| B'S QUE No. 240 in the power rankings |
1,744 | +24 |
| SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS No. 321 in the power rankings |
1,719 | +24 |
| This'll do it BBQ No. 4,353 in the power rankings |
1,476 | -23 |
| BELGIAN BBQ TEAM FIVE Q No. 1,189 in the power rankings |
1,588 | -24 |
| Deviant Smoke No. 610 in the power rankings |
1,658 | -24 |
| Seve et boucane | 1,474 | -26 |
| COOKLOUNGE BBQ No. 171 in the power rankings |
1,770 | -39 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| BEER TIME BBQ | 10 | — | 2 |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 10 | — | 14 |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 9 | — | 2 |
| BBQ Maestros | 9 | — | 4 |
| Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | 9 | — | 5 |
| Sailor Nicks BBQ | 9 | — | 6 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 8 | — | 2 |
| WE WILL ROCK QUE | 8 | — | 2 |
| Meat Monarchy | 8 | — | 4 |
| WHEN PIGS DIE | 8 | — | 5 |
| SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| BAD ROOSTER BBQ | 7 | — | 3 |
| MAYA JANE BBQ CO. | 7 | — | 4 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 7 | — | 4 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Brinza | 7 | 3 |
| Jeanne Titus | 7 | 3 |
| Bunny Tuttle | 5 | 1 |
| Craig Maidens | 5 | 2 |
| Dave Rogers | 5 | 2 |
| Heather Maidens | 5 | 2 |
| Peg Rogers | 5 | 2 |
| Regina Bodnar | 5 | 2 |
| Abigail Nichols | 4 | 1 |
| Bill Wright | 4 | 1 |
| Carol Bigler | 4 | 2 |
| Clara Williams | 4 | 1 |
| Eugene Wickham | 4 | 2 |
| Haymo Gutweniger | 4 | 2 |
| Jake Nichols | 4 | 1 |
| John Scharffbillig | 4 | 2 |
| Jonathan B Williams | 4 | 1 |
| Kim Wright | 4 | 1 |
| Laurie Tweten | 4 | 2 |
| Luca Famigli | 4 | 2 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 9 | 243 |
| New York | 4 | 66 |
| Alberta | 4 | 61 |
| Missouri | 4 | 45 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 145 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 65 |
| Indiana | 3 | 55 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 40 |
| Ontario | 3 | 29 |
| GG | 3 | 16 |
| Georgia | 2 | 91 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 76 |
| Michigan | 2 | 39 |
| Alabama | 2 | 28 |
| PZ | 2 | 16 |
| NO | 2 | 9 |
| Oregon | 1 | 34 |
| Nevada | 1 | 33 |
| Iowa | 1 | 31 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 30 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| KCBS World Invitational May 23, 2026 · Lebanon, TN |
117 | Kings BBQ Team |
| KCBS World Invitational May 24, 2026 · Lebanon, TN |
82 | WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ |
| KCBS World Invitational May 22, 2026 · Lebanon, TN |
79 | K & E's Little Smokers |
| KCBS World Invitational May 22, 2026 · Lebanon, TN |
74 | HOOS SMOKIN |
| Grand American Barbecue World Championship Invitational May 1, 2026 · New Paltz, NY |
43 | Chunky BBQ |
| KCBS World Invitational May 23, 2026 · Lebanon, TN |
— | — |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
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Every contest scored (65 in May 2026)
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.