In this edition
Every sanctioned contest scored in July 2026 — 1 Jul to 31 Jul.
Covering KCBS-sanctioned contests
July 2026 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
GETTIN' BASTED put up 714.8572 at No Smoke, No Glory — the highest overall of the month.
Hottest hand
SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES took 2 Grand Championships in July 2026.
First one ever
Bucked Up BBQ won their first Grand Championship at All American BBQ Throwdown, in their 24th contest in the data.
- 31 Jul
By invitation only
Smoking Butchers won European Invitational Championship (COMPETITOR SERIES), best of 17 invited teams; COOKLOUNGE BBQ took reserve. An invite-only field, so it leaves the power rating alone and goes straight into the record book.
- top score 695.9428
- not in the power rating
Title defended
Brinkerhoff BBQ won Dillon Days Blowin' Smoke BBQ Cook Off again — back-to-back Grand Championships at the same contest.
- 2025–2026
- field of 26
Upset of the month
The ratings gave them a 10% chance
Rowdy Pig won Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 1) over top-rated TRIPLE H BBQ as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
Six judges, every card a 9: 70 perfect 180s were handed out in July 2026.
- Chicken ×28
- Pork ×22
- Brisket ×17
- Pork Ribs ×3
Closest call
Kick Ash BBQ edged WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ by 0.0000 at Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2).
- Backyard Series
Back on top
SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES won Shenandoah ShenDig — their first Grand Championship since September 2014, after 28 contests without one.
- last won September 2014
- 28 contests in between
Contest record
B'S QUE put up 704.5256 at New Jersey State Barbecue Championship — the best overall in 12 editions of the contest on record, past the old mark of 703.9772.
- old record 703.9772
- 11 earlier editions
Near sweep
EFFIN'EH GRAY'S won 3 of 4 meats at Alberta BBQ Festival (chicken, pork and brisket), and the Grand Championship with them.
- Chicken
- Pork
- Brisket
- and the GC
Biggest riser
Smoke N Poke BBQ gained 51 rating points across 5 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 5 contests
- now #1046 overall
State champions crowned
22 state championships were decided in July 2026. The biggest, South Carolina Festival of Discovery (75 teams), went to Cocamoke Smoke BBQ.
- South Carolina
- New Jersey
- Michigan
- Pennsylvania
- Missouri
- Connecticut
Best debut
Shiggin & Grinnn finished 1st at KTD Smokn' Gobbler — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 179 new teams in Jul 2026
- field of 33
Best in the backyard
PUDDLEDUCK BBQ put up 356.5600 on the Backyard board at Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 11 Backyard boards in Jul 2026
- won it
Biggest blowout
B.R.A. BARBECUE TEAM won KCBS Brasil Barbecue Contest 2026 by 12.0572 points over FERRO FOGO BBQ TEAM — the widest winning margin of the month.
- field of 24
Biggest field
South Carolina Festival of Discovery drew 75 teams, and Cocamoke Smoke BBQ won it.
- Greenwood, SC
Milestone
MAN MEAT BBQ cooked their 300th contest on record at Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Comp (OPEN FORMAT), with 12 Grand Championships along the way.
- 12 GCs along the way
Road warriors
BBQ Maestros cooked 7 contests in July 2026 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 2nd
Won without a meat
Bucked Up BBQ won All American BBQ Throwdown without winning a single meat — their best category finish was 2nd.
- field of 45
New on the calendar
Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 1) ran for the first time on record, drawing 32 teams, and Rowdy Pig won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Jul 2026
- Osceola, MO
Always the reserve
COOKLOUNGE BBQ finished second overall 3 times in July 2026 without a Grand Championship — one place short every time.
- 3 contests
Busiest weekend
9 sanctioned contests were cooked on 17 Jul alone.
- 17 Jul
Rep of the month
Eugene Wickham repped 8 contests in July 2026 — somebody has to run the table.
The Boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GETTIN' BASTED No Smoke, No Glory |
714.8572 |
| 2 | TRIPLE H BBQ Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) |
713.1200 |
| 3 | B.R.A. BARBECUE TEAM KCBS Brasil Barbecue Contest 2026 |
712.6172 |
| 4 | B'S QUE Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) |
710.8688 |
| 5 | Bad Dog BBQ Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2) |
709.1316 |
| 6 | PACS BBQ Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Comp (OPEN FORMAT) |
708.5140 |
| 7 | BOGGS HOG BBQ Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) |
707.4172 |
| 8 | Rowdy Pig Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 1) |
707.3944 |
| 9 | Rowdy Pig Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2) |
707.3944 |
| 10 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ South Carolina Festival of Discovery |
707.3828 |
| 11 | Cynical BBQ 2nd Annual Curley Que Classic |
706.2744 |
| 12 | ELJEFE SMOKE Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) |
706.2628 |
| 13 | TRIPLE H BBQ Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2) |
706.2516 |
| 14 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ No Smoke, No Glory |
706.2400 |
| 15 | NECTAR OF THE HOGS 10th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest |
705.6916 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×28 💯 | Brinkerhoff BBQ Dillon Days Blowin' Smoke BBQ Cook Off |
180 |
| Pork Ribs ×3 💯 | Backwoods BBQ South Carolina Festival of Discovery |
180 |
| Pork ×22 💯 | Willingham's South Carolina Festival of Discovery |
180 |
| Brisket ×17 💯 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ South Carolina Festival of Discovery |
180 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 46 more in July 2026.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Jul 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke N Poke BBQ No. 1,046 in the power rankings |
1,600 | +51 |
| Poppin Smoke BBQ No. 803 in the power rankings |
1,628 | +44 |
| SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES No. 526 in the power rankings |
1,672 | +43 |
| EFFIN'EH GRAY'S No. 718 in the power rankings |
1,639 | +37 |
| Rowdy Pig No. 1,410 in the power rankings |
1,570 | +36 |
| Kick Ash BBQ No. 1,259 in the power rankings |
1,582 | +34 |
| Smoke Till Ya Broke | 1,529 | +29 |
| Smoked By The Brooks No. 791 in the power rankings |
1,629 | +28 |
| HORMONAL ESCAPE COMPETITION BBQ No. 830 in the power rankings |
1,625 | +27 |
| Bramble Barbeque | 1,527 | +27 |
| Grilling with Short No. 4,790 in the power rankings |
1,467 | -25 |
| B-S BBQ OUTLAWS No. 94 in the power rankings |
1,812 | -29 |
| SMOKIN SKULLIES No. 253 in the power rankings |
1,741 | -31 |
| THUMP & STRUM BBQ No. 335 in the power rankings |
1,715 | -33 |
| RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE No. 553 in the power rankings |
1,668 | -34 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Maestros | 7 | — | 2 |
| Too Sauced BBQ | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 6 | — | 2 |
| SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Poppin Smoke BBQ | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| Smoke N Poke BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| Bocephus BBQ | 5 | — | 4 |
| Sailor Nicks BBQ | 5 | — | 5 |
| WHEN PIGS DIE | 5 | — | 5 |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 5 | — | 6 |
| Barbecoa BBQ Team | 5 | — | 6 |
| 10 In The Pit BBQ | 5 | — | 7 |
| Big Reds Backyard BBQ | 5 | — | 7 |
| Chester's Twisted Que | 5 | — | 8 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| Eugene Wickham | 8 | 5 |
| Sarah Wickham | 8 | 5 |
| Angela Fishlock | 5 | 1 |
| Mark Fishlock | 5 | 1 |
| Haymo Gutweniger | 4 | — |
| Laurie Tweten | 4 | 2 |
| Patrick Diller | 4 | 2 |
| Roberto Sirok | 4 | — |
| Becky Druetzler | 3 | 2 |
| Bill Jones | 3 | 2 |
| Dave Druetzler | 3 | 2 |
| Dave Rogers | 3 | 2 |
| Ian Schmidt | 3 | 3 |
| Julie Poe | 3 | 3 |
| Regina Bodnar | 3 | 2 |
| Robert McKee | 3 | 1 |
| Cindy Juhl | 2 | 1 |
| Debra Gage | 2 | 1 |
| Ernesto Uribe | 2 | 1 |
| Natasha Loew | 2 | 1 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 6 | 87 |
| Missouri | 5 | 105 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 93 |
| Alberta | 3 | 21 |
| Kansas | 2 | 57 |
| Michigan | 2 | 52 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 34 |
| California | 2 | 24 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 81 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 62 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 50 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 36 |
| Virginia | 1 | 35 |
| Oregon | 1 | 33 |
| Ohio | 1 | 30 |
| Montana | 1 | 26 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 22 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 13 |
| PO | 1 | 13 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
By invitation (invite-only fields)
| Contest | Teams | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|
| European Invitational Championship Jul 17, 2026 · Wilhering, Austria |
17 | Smoking Butchers |
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 1) Osceola, MO |
32 | Rowdy Pig |
| Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship Gardner, KS |
29 | JDQ BBQ |
| Fire on the Mountain BBQ Leburn, KY |
22 | DANG GOOD BBQ |
| Open Barbecue Championship Wilhering, Austria |
20 | Bunch of Swines |
| The Didsbury Double (Didsbury Lions BBQ) (Day 1) Didsbury, AB |
18 | EFFIN'EH GRAY'S |
| European Invitational Championship (COMPETITOR SERIES) Wilhering, Austria |
17 | Smoking Butchers |
| 10th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest Emmetsburg, IA |
17 | Nectar of the Hogs |
| ECP BBQ Challenge San Jose, Costa Rica |
17 | Smoke 44 |
| No Smoke, No Glory Zagreb, Croatia |
16 | Gettin' Basted |
| BBQ Fest Market Plaza La Chorrera, Panama |
13 | Justice BBQ |
| Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Comp (OPEN FORMAT) Dodge City, KS |
13 | PACS BBQ |
| 2nd Annual Curley Que Classic Honolulu, HI |
12 | Cynical BBQ |
Running a contest? The organizer tools →
Every contest scored (45 in July 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.