Score of the month
711.9772
Master overall, out of 720
top 1% of every Master overall ever scored
TRIPLE H BBQ put up 711.9772 at BBQ & Fly-In on the River — the highest overall of the month.
August 2026 in BBQ
Every sanctioned contest scored in August 2026 — 1 Aug to 31 Aug.
42contests scored
881teams competed
1,384top-ten calls
65perfect 180s
83biggest field
19states & provinces
207new teams
13Backyard boards
Now on the newsstand
The Smoke Ring
Competition Barbecue’s Paper of Record
August 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 August 2026 edition →
The stories
Hottest hand
2×
Grand Championships
SMOKIN' OUTLAWS took 2 Grand Championships in August 2026.
First one ever
43rd
contest — and their first GC
SOUTH BRIXIA won their first Grand Championship at Wild West Fest on Fire 2026, in their 43rd contest in the data.
- 8 Aug
Upset of the month
13-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings gave them a 13% chance
Janky Leg won Smoke on the Bricks over top-rated Meat Candy Q as the ratings underdog.
Perfect 180s
65
perfect scores handed out
Six judges, every card a 9: 65 perfect 180s were handed out in August 2026.
- Pork ×21
- Chicken ×20
- Pork Ribs ×16
- Brisket ×8
Closest call
0.0232
points between 1st and 2nd
Snake Holler BBQ edged Smoked By The Brooks by 0.0232 at Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2).
- Backyard Series
Biggest riser
+52
power rating points
BBQ Hot Yard gained 52 rating points across 5 contests — the biggest climb of the month.
- 5 contests
- now #926 overall
Best debut
1st
in their very first contest
Janky Leg finished 1st at Smoke on the Bricks — the first contest they appear in anywhere in the data.
- 207 new teams in Aug 2026
- field of 52
Best in the backyard
357.7144
Backyard overall, out of 360
Kick Ash BBQ put up 357.7144 on the Backyard board at Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) — two meats, a different scale, and the same nerves.
- 13 Backyard boards in Aug 2026
- won it
Biggest field
83
teams at one contest
BBQ & Fly-In on the River drew 83 teams, and Triple H BBQ won it.
- Excelsior Springs
- MO
Road warriors
7
contests cooked
BBQ Hot Yard cooked 7 contests in August 2026 — nobody hauled the rig further.
- best finish 1st
- 2 GCs
New on the calendar
41
teams at a brand-new contest
Battle of the Blue Ridge ran for the first time on record, drawing 41 teams, and Fred Vegas Smokers won it. Somebody put in the work to make a new contest happen.
- 12 first editions in Aug 2026
- Swannanoa
- NC
Busiest weekend
8
contests on one date
8 sanctioned contests were cooked on 28 Aug alone.
- 28 Aug
Rep of the month
6
contests worked
CHARLIE BRINZA repped 6 contests in August 2026 — somebody has to run the table.
The boards
Highest overall scores (Master · /720)
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TRIPLE H BBQ BBQ & Fly-In on the River |
711.9772 |
| 2 | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) |
710.2628 |
| 3 | Smokin Colt Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) |
709.1888 |
| 4 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE Kora Kares for Kids |
709.1316 |
| 5 | BBQ Symphony Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 |
708.5716 |
| 6 | Cherry Anchor BBQ Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) |
708.5604 |
| 7 | Cynical BBQ Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) |
708.5256 |
| 8 | OM BBQ COMPANY Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) |
707.9888 |
| 9 | Janky Leg Smoke on the Bricks |
707.9772 |
| 10 | WE WILL ROCK QUE City of Madison BBQ Party (formerly Madison Ribberfest) |
707.4172 |
| 11 | PARTS 'R' SMOKIN Smoke on the Bricks |
707.4060 |
| 12 | Cynical BBQ Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) |
707.4060 |
| 13 | SOUTH BRIXIA Wild West Fest on Fire 2026 |
707.3944 |
| 14 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ Montana Pitmaster Classic |
706.8460 |
| 15 | TINY E BBQ Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship |
706.2628 |
Best of each meat (both series · /180)
| Category | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken ×20 💯 | Squealin N Dealin BBQ Smoke on the Bricks |
180.0000 |
| Pork Ribs ×16 💯 | Meat Candy Q Smoke on the Bricks |
180.0000 |
| Pork ×21 💯 | Rowdy Pig Smoke on the Bricks |
180.0000 |
| Brisket ×8 💯 | Meat Candy Q Smoke on the Bricks |
180.0000 |
Straight nines (perfect 180s)
…and 41 more in August 2026.
On the move (power rating)
| Team | Rating | Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| BBQ Hot Yard #926 | 1,612 | +52 |
| Smoked By The Brooks #1003 | 1,605 | +36 |
| All Smoked Up BBQ #675 | 1,645 | +35 |
| Kamado BONO #1717 | 1,551 | +35 |
| Kick Ash BBQ #1337 | 1,575 | +34 |
| smoKINGBATKO BBQ #3827 | 1,486 | +31 |
| Hoosier BBQ #2161 | 1,532 | +28 |
| Smoke Til Ya Broke #1697 | 1,552 | +27 |
| 1 Bite BBQ #1074 | 1,596 | +25 |
| Smokin A's #3255 | 1,499 | +25 |
| Ole Mae I BBQ #5298 | 1,455 | -20 |
| Rapped with Smoke BBQ | 1,479 | -21 |
| Whatcha Smokin' #5978 | 1,433 | -21 |
| Risky Brisket #547 | 1,667 | -25 |
| DB BBQ #395 | 1,699 | -30 |
Who showed up
| Team | Contests | GCs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Hot Yard | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| Rudes BBQ | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 5 | — | 2 |
| Shmack Q | 5 | — | 2 |
| Big Ten Bones | 5 | — | 3 |
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 5 | — | 4 |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| SMOKIN E'S BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| WE WILL ROCK QUE | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Wapatui Smokers | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Big Bear BBQ | 4 | — | 4 |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 4 | — | 4 |
| Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | 4 | — | 6 |
Who ran the table
| Rep | Contests | States |
|---|---|---|
| CHARLIE BRINZA | 6 | 1 |
| JEANNE TITUS | 5 | 2 |
| CRAIG MAIDENS | 4 | 3 |
| FORREST BRUCE | 4 | 2 |
| HEATHER MAIDENS | 4 | 3 |
| DAVE ROGERS | 3 | 2 |
| DAVID BURSTEIN | 3 | 1 |
| HAYMO GUTWENIGER | 3 | — |
| IAN SCHMIDT | 3 | 2 |
| JULIE POE | 3 | 2 |
| LAURIE TWETEN | 3 | 1 |
| LUCA FAMIGLI | 3 | — |
| MANUELA SELIGER | 3 | — |
| STEPHAN SELIGER | 3 | — |
| BECKY DRUETZLER | 2 | 2 |
| BILL JONES | 2 | 2 |
| BRIAN MOORE | 2 | 2 |
| DAVE DRUETZLER | 2 | 2 |
| DEL ANDERSON | 2 | 2 |
| EUGENE WICKHAM | 2 | 2 |
Where they cooked
| State/Prov. | Contests | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 8 | 137 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 45 |
| Missouri | 2 | 110 |
| Maine | 2 | 89 |
| Kansas | 2 | 78 |
| Indiana | 2 | 52 |
| California | 2 | 26 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 26 |
| Texas | 1 | 55 |
| Virginia | 1 | 53 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 41 |
| Montana | 1 | 39 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 29 |
| Ontario | 1 | 28 |
| Washington | 1 | 27 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 25 |
| Michigan | 1 | 20 |
| Alberta | 1 | 17 |
| Nova Scotia | 1 | 10 |
Best in the backyard (Backyard · /360)
New to the circuit
First editions (new on the calendar)
| Contest | Teams | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Battle of the Blue Ridge Swannanoa, NC |
41 | Fred Vegas Smokers |
| City of Madison BBQ Party (formerly Madison Ribberfest) Madison, IN |
39 | WE WILL ROCK QUE |
| East Central State BBQ Cookoff - Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS |
31 | Wood Hook BBQ |
| Smoke in the North (Day 1) Boras, 50113 |
28 | Barbecoa BBQ Team |
| 9th Annual DuPont BBQ Competition DuPont, WA |
27 | Colorado BullDawg BBQ |
| Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) Cherry Valley, IL |
25 | Kick Ash BBQ |
| Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) Cherry Valley, IL |
24 | Kick Ash BBQ |
| Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 Tallinn, 15026 |
17 | BBQ Symphony |
| Saxonburg BBQ Smokeout Saxonburg, PA |
16 | Team Cookie |
| Camper's Corner BBQ Cookoff London, ON |
14 | Smokin Outlaws |
| Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY) Montevideo, MN |
14 | Fender Bender BBQ |
| Great Lakes Smoke Showdown BBQ Cook Off (COMPETITOR SERIES) Lapeer, MI |
12 | Q-Jitsu |
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Every contest scored (42 in August 2026)
The archive
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