← Every region
KCBS in Iowa IA
183 tracked contests over 13.5 years,
1,130 teams on the scoresheets — the 13th busiest of 94 regions on file.
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At a glance
Contests 183
149 scored · 5 upcoming
This season 13
contests in 2026 · 168 teams competing
Teams competed 1,130
distinct teams on record
Typical field 30
teams · biggest 66
Avg winning score 694.56
Master · of 720 · best 709.70
Avg category score 165.01
across 16,738 meat entries
Perfect 180s 95 🔥
5.7 per 1,000 entries
Grand champions 153
titles handed out here
State championships 56 🏅
on the calendar
Towns 36
81 venues · 95 recurring contests
Seasons on record 14
2013 – 2026
Published purses $451,160
across 67 contests that listed one
Cancelled 14
not counted as contests held
How Iowa stacks up (against all 94 regions on file)
The bar is Iowa's standing on that measure: a full bar is the region that leads it, an empty one is the region that trails it. Rate-based measures need a minimum body of results before a region is ranked at all, so a single hot weekend can't buy a place. The median is the middle region, not the average — one huge region would drag an average somewhere no region actually is.
Contests held
183
#13 of 94
▲ median 37
Teams competing
1,130
#18 of 88
▲ median 249.5
Contests this season
13
#6 of 75
▲ median 2.5
Field depth
30 teams
#36 of 61
▼ median 31 teams
Winning score
694.56
#24 of 52
▲ median 694.24
Judging severity (lowest average category score = toughest room)
165.01
#37 of 45
▲ median 163.95
Perfect-180 rate
5.7 /1k
#24 of 45
= median 5.7 /1k
Growth (last three completed seasons against the three before)
64%
#6 of 30
▲ median 9.5%
State championships
56
#8 of 51
▲ median 5
Regions like this one
Matched on the shape of the scene — how many contests it runs, how deep the fields get, how the room scores and how often it hands out a 180 — not on the map. Counts are compared on a log scale, because 5 contests to 15 is a different scene while 300 to 310 is the same one.
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Season by season
Click a column heading to re-sort. Winning score is the Master overall (of 720); a season with no scored Master contest leaves it blank.
Contests per season (up to 2026)
When they cook (month of year)
Field depth over time (average teams per contest, and teams competing that season)
What it took to win (average Master winning score, and 180s scored)
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How the room scores (every judged meat, against the sport as a whole)
A lower average means a harder room. “vs sport” is this region's average minus the same meat's average everywhere KCBS is scored.
Meat Avg here vs sport Entries 180s 180s /1k
Chicken
166.18
+1.02
4,486
40
8.9
Pork Ribs
164.30
+0.68
4,490
11
2.4
Pork
165.70
+1.4
3,900
27
6.9
Brisket
163.79
+1.57
3,862
17
4.4
Top teams who cook here (by power rating)
The regulars (most contests cooked in Iowa)
Team Contests GCs Last
SMOKEHOUSE 72 67 — Sep 18, 2026
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ 54 11 Jun 19, 2026
GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS 51 2 Apr 3, 2026
TEAM CRAWFORD 50 1 Sep 18, 2026
LUCKY'S Q 47 4 Mar 31, 2023
SPITFIRE 46 2 Sep 18, 2026
WHEN PIGS DIE 46 1 Sep 18, 2026
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN 45 8 Sep 18, 2026
WOODWARD BARBEQUE 44 — Jul 20, 2018
HOT DADDY'S BBQ 42 10 Sep 18, 2026
WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ 40 5 Jul 31, 2026
DRY 2 DA BONE 39 2 Sep 18, 2026
Highest scores in Iowa (Master · /720)
Score Team Where
709.7028 WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ
Iowa State BBQ Championship Apr 3, 2026
707.3944 Low Eye Que
Shenandoah ShenDig Jul 18, 2025
706.2972 GETTIN' BASTED
BBQ in the Bluffs May 12, 2017
705.7032 Big Racks BBQ
Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) Jun 27, 2025
705.6916 NECTAR OF THE HOGS
10th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest Jul 24, 2026
705.1544 TRUEBUD BBQ
Smokin' in the Junction May 24, 2014
705.1430 TRUEBUD BBQ
Smokin' In The Junction May 25, 2013
705.1200 Big Racks BBQ
10th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest Jul 24, 2026
705.1088 HOT DADDY'S BBQ
Rose Festival's 24th Annual KCBS BBQ Competition Jun 20, 2025
705.1084 HOT DADDY'S BBQ
Rose Festival's 25th Annual KCBS BBQ Competition Jun 19, 2026
Contests that come back (recurring)
Contest Editions Biggest Last held
Tri City BBQ Fest 12 37 Sep 18, 2026
Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) 7 28 Jul 17, 2027
Iowa State BBQ Championship 7 49 Apr 3, 2026
Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) 7 22 Jun 20, 2025
BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! 7 42 Jul 19, 2019
Up in Smoke BBQ Bash 6 66 Sep 28, 2018
BBQ in the Bluffs 6 39 May 11, 2018
Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) 5 28 Jun 27, 2025
Table Captain Class 5 — Mar 31, 2018
Shenandoah ShenDig 4 37 Jul 17, 2026
Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition 4 32 Jun 18, 2021
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour 4 30 Jul 29, 2016
Where it happens (towns in Iowa)
Town Contests Seasons Avg field Last
Johnston 13 7 — Mar 20, 2027
State Center 13 13 26 Jun 19, 2026
Des Moines 13 5 30 Jun 16, 2018
Denison 12 12 28 Sep 18, 2026
Emmetsburg 11 11 24 Jul 23, 2027
Ottumwa 11 9 43 Oct 16, 2026
Sioux City 9 8 17 Jun 26, 2026
Waterloo 9 7 36 Jul 19, 2019
Council Bluffs 8 8 32 Jul 5, 2024
Boone 8 4 39 Apr 29, 2017
Miles 7 4 20 Jul 17, 2027
Shenandoah 7 5 29 Jul 17, 2026
Reps who work Iowa
Rep Contests Last
Cindy Juhl 24 Jul 23, 2027
Tom Juhl 24 Jul 23, 2027
Bunny Tuttle 14 Mar 20, 2027
Eugene Wickham 13 Jul 17, 2026
Sarah Wickham 13 Jul 17, 2026
Clara Williams 12 Jun 19, 2026
Jonathan B Williams 12 Jun 19, 2026
Rich Tuttle 11 Mar 21, 2026
Patrick Diller 10 Jul 17, 2027
Laurie Tweten 7 Jul 17, 2027
State championships 🏅
Contest Teams Grand champion
11th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest Jul 23, 2027
—
—
King of the Corn Oct 16, 2026
—
—
Tri City BBQ Fest Sep 18, 2026
26
Grillin' Grindes
Cruisin' and BBQin' Jul 31, 2026
26
Smokey D's Wannabees
10th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest Jul 24, 2026
17
Nectar of the Hogs
Shenandoah ShenDig Jul 17, 2026
28
SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES
Rose Festival's 25th Annual KCBS BBQ Competition Jun 19, 2026
20
Hot Daddy's BBQ
SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL) May 1, 2026
17
WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ
Iowa State BBQ Championship Apr 3, 2026
42
Wag's Backwoods BBQ
Tri-City BBQ Fest Sep 19, 2025
26
Shiggin & Grinnin
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Where else these teams cook
Of the 1,078 teams with a recorded finish in Iowa, this is where else they turn up — the honest picture of which scenes share a travelling field. Follow one to open it up.
On the map (every mapped contest in Iowa — tap a pin)
⚔ Compare IA with another region
🗺 Browse every region
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Hey, I’m Ross
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