← Every region
KCBS in Minnesota MN
149 tracked contests over 13.5 years,
1,073 teams on the scoresheets — the 15th busiest of 94 regions on file.
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At a glance
Contests 149
122 scored · 3 upcoming
This season 8
contests in 2026 · 169 teams competing
Teams competed 1,073
distinct teams on record
Typical field 36
teams · biggest 77
Avg winning score 693.81
Master · of 720 · best 710.27
Avg category score 164.62
across 16,347 meat entries
Perfect 180s 49 🔥
3 per 1,000 entries
Grand champions 119
titles handed out here
State championships 28 🏅
on the calendar
Towns 36
65 venues · 76 recurring contests
Seasons on record 14
2013 – 2026
Published purses $311,900
across 49 contests that listed one
Cancelled 6
not counted as contests held
How Minnesota stacks up (against all 94 regions on file)
The bar is Minnesota'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
149
#15 of 94
▲ median 37
Teams competing
1,073
#19 of 88
▲ median 249.5
Contests this season
8
#16 of 75
▲ median 2.5
Field depth
36 teams
#14 of 61
▲ median 31 teams
Winning score
693.81
#28 of 52
▼ median 694.24
Judging severity (lowest average category score = toughest room)
164.62
#29 of 45
▲ median 163.95
Perfect-180 rate
3 /1k
#38 of 45
▼ median 5.7 /1k
Growth (last three completed seasons against the three before)
27%
#13 of 30
▲ median 9.5%
State championships
28
#22 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
165.93
+0.77
4,332
17
3.9
Pork Ribs
164.18
+0.56
4,642
8
1.7
Pork
165.21
+0.91
3,708
7
1.9
Brisket
163.01
+0.79
3,665
17
4.6
Top teams who cook here (by power rating)
The regulars (most contests cooked in Minnesota)
Team Contests GCs Last
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN 70 7 Aug 28, 2026
SPITFIRE 66 3 Aug 28, 2026
Hogline 53 4 Jul 15, 2022
LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY 52 2 Aug 28, 2026
CITY SLICKERS BBQ 48 2 May 9, 2025
ACES HIGH BBQ 46 1 Jul 10, 2026
NECTAR OF THE HOGS 42 1 May 8, 2026
TRUE SMOKE BBQ 38 — Sep 13, 2019
HOT DADDY'S BBQ 37 3 Aug 28, 2026
MYASSIS SMOKIN 37 — Aug 24, 2018
CROIX VALLEY SAUCES 37 — Sep 18, 2020
RUB MY RACK 36 3 Aug 28, 2026
Highest scores in Minnesota (Master · /720)
Score Team Where
710.2744 QUETOPIA
Mankato Cookout Day 1 Jun 10, 2016
706.3200 Pig Skin BBQ
6th Annual Big Island BBQ Aug 23, 2013
704.5372 GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA
9th Annual Big Island BBQ Aug 26, 2016
703.4286 GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA
Treasure Island International BBQ Championship Jun 15, 2013
703.4172 THE SMOKING HILLS
Big Island BBQ Aug 22, 2014
703.4056 IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ
Mankato Cookout (Day 1) Jun 8, 2018
702.8340 CLARK CREW BBQ
Mankato Cookout (Day 2) Jun 9, 2018
702.3088 Hogline
Bend of the River CookOut Jun 27, 2014
701.7144 SPITFIRE
Treasure Island International BBQ Championship Jun 15, 2013
701.7028 LUCKY'S Q
Mankato Cookout Day 1 Jun 10, 2016
Contests that come back (recurring)
Contest Editions Biggest Last held
KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off 13 40 Jul 12, 2024
Smokin' in Steele 10 67 May 30, 2025
Minnesota in May 8 77 May 8, 2026
Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) 6 18 Aug 15, 2026
KTD Smokn' Gobbler 4 33 Jul 10, 2026
Minnesota in May (Masters) 4 60 May 13, 2022
SMSU Smokefest 4 46 Aug 16, 2019
Certified BBQ Judging Class 4 — Apr 29, 2017
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour 4 30 Jul 22, 2016
Revenge of the Pit (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) 3 — Jul 24, 2027
MN Masters BBQ 3 27 Aug 28, 2026
Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) 3 30 Sep 7, 2024
Where it happens (towns in Minnesota)
Town Contests Seasons Avg field Last
Worthington 20 14 26 Jul 10, 2026
Owatonna 19 12 43 May 29, 2026
Mankato 13 6 38 Jun 9, 2018
St. Peter 9 4 55 May 8, 2026
Falcon Heights 8 4 68 May 11, 2018
Cambridge 7 3 42 May 13, 2022
Albert Lea 7 6 45 Aug 22, 2021
Marshall 7 7 38 Aug 16, 2019
Canton 6 6 17 Aug 15, 2026
Roseville 6 4 24 Sep 7, 2024
Brainerd 4 4 24 Dec 1, 2023
Woodbury 4 4 30 Jul 22, 2016
Reps who work Minnesota
Rep Contests Last
Laurie Tweten 32 Jul 24, 2027
John Scharffbillig 31 Jul 24, 2027
Dave Rogers 13 May 8, 2026
Peg Rogers 13 May 8, 2026
Bunny Tuttle 10 Aug 22, 2024
Rich Tuttle 10 Aug 22, 2024
Tom Juhl 9 Aug 22, 2021
Cindy Juhl 8 Aug 22, 2021
Dena Milhous 5 Aug 21, 2021
Ron Milhous 5 Aug 21, 2021
State championships 🏅
Contest Teams Grand champion
MN Masters BBQ Aug 28, 2026
22
RUB MY RACK
KTD Smokn' Gobbler Jul 10, 2026
33
Shiggin & Grinnn
Minnesota in May May 8, 2026
77
Burnt Trees BBQ
MN Masters BBQ Aug 22, 2025
26
Son of a Boar BBQ
KTD Smokn' Gobbler Jul 11, 2025
26
Home Farm BBQ
Smokin' in Steele May 30, 2025
28
Dry 2 Da Bone
Minnesota in May May 9, 2025
58
Ash Kickin' BBQ
Fire on Ice BBQ Championship Feb 21, 2025
42
Shiggin & Grinnin
MN Masters BBQ Aug 23, 2024
27
Son of a Boar BBQ
KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off Jul 12, 2024
34
Hot Daddy's BBQ
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Where else these teams cook
Of the 914 teams with a recorded finish in Minnesota, 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 Minnesota — tap a pin)
⚔ Compare MN with another region
🗺 Browse every region
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☕
Hey, I’m Ross
Most folks know me as SaucyRossyBBQ . I built this Helper App myself and put it out for free, because I wanted the tool to exist for our sport — no paywall, no account needed.
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