Dena Milhous archive

A KCBS contest rep working 6 states/provinces, most often around Warrens, WI. By events worked they sit #84 of the 152 reps in the data. First on the record in 2019, latest contest Sep 24, 2021.

At a glance (their career as a contest rep, in numbers)

Contests run

every contest on their record · 3 cancelled

Among all reps

#84

of 152 reps by events worked · #41 by states covered

On the trail

2019–2021

4 seasons in the data

This season

contests dated 2026 · 6.5 a season career-long

States / provinces

15 towns · IA most of all

State championships

contests carrying a state title

Teams officiated

443

770 entries total · 2,950 meat boxes

Avg field

1066

teams per contest · median 28

Biggest event

Ottumwa Smoketoberfest

Field strength

1,597

avg power rating of their fields · above 75% of rated contests

GCs crowned

25 different teams · 20 reserve champions

First-ever titles

teams whose first GC anywhere came at one of theirs

Teams that started here

109

first contest in the data at one of theirs

Upsets seen

longest shot 6-in-100 — Smokin in the Bogs

Perfect 180s seen

8 🔥

out of 2,950 meat entries

Highest score seen

702.2400

top overall · Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll

Avg winning score (Master)

694.43

675.93702.24

20 Master contests · 694.10 across all contests

Avg winning score (Backyard)

338.59

309.77354.86

10 Backyard contests · 347.94 across all contests

Contests they return to

longest run 3 straight years at Smokin' in the Bogs

Road between contests

6,201 mi

~1,550 miles a season · 558 mi corner to corner

Busiest month

September

9 of their 26 contests

Busiest 30 days

contests between Jul 16, 2021 and Aug 14, 2021

Co-reps worked with

most often Ron Milhous (29)

Prize money

$134K

across their events · biggest purse $14,500

Results on file

100%

25 of their contests have scores in the data

Storylines (13 found in this rep's record)

Read out of the contests they have run — reps don’t judge, so nothing here is a comment on anyone’s scores.

A familiar champion

2× titles at this rep’s contests

PORKY BUTTS BBQ has taken the Grand Championship at 2 of the contests this rep has run.

26 champions crowned in all
25 different teams

Deep fields

1597 average power rating in their fields

Stronger than 75% of every rated contest

The fields at their contests average a 1597 power rating going in — stronger than 75% of every rated contest in the data.

deepest: Back to Mayberry Day 2
47 rated teams

Front row for greatness

8 perfect 180s handed in

8 perfect 180s have been scored at contests they've run — the first at Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll on 2019-09-06.

first at Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll
Sep 6, 2019

The longest shot

6-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 94 times in 100

At Smokin in the Bogs, SmokinGhost BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway.

11 upsets at their contests
Aug 30, 2019

Title contests

20 state championships run

77% of their contests carried a state title

20 of their 26 contests carried a state championship on the line.

A first Grand Championship

9 teams won their first title here

9 teams took the first Grand Championship of their careers at one of this rep's contests — most recently HOT DADDY'S BBQ at Tri City BBQ Fest.

HOT DADDY'S BBQ · 2021-09-17
Furlongs Smoke & Seafood · 2021-08-21
Good Grefe! · 2021-08-07

The big room

66 teams at their biggest contest

Their average field is 30 teams

Ottumwa Smoketoberfest drew 66 teams — more than double the 30-team field they average.

The double act

29 contests run together

100% of this rep's events

Ron Milhous and Dena Milhous have run 29 contests together since 2019.

3 co-reps in all

The annual

3× editions of one contest

They have repped 3 editions of Smokin' in the Bogs, 3 of them back to back.

2019 → 2021
3 straight years

A season on the road

10 contests in 2021

2021 was their busiest year on the trail: 10 contests and 231 team entries through the tables.

231 team entries
7 state championships

Where teams start

109 teams cooked their first contest here

109 teams turned in their first box at a contest this rep was running — for that many teams, this is where the record starts.

The Meat Rubbers · 2021-09-24
Grill Em All · 2021-09-17
Big Mo's 2 · 2021-09-10

Road warrior

6 states and provinces worked

Has run contests in 6 different states and provinces — IA most of all (6 events).

IA ×6
WI ×6
MN ×5
MI ×3

A month of Saturdays

5 contests inside 30 days

Their heaviest run of the career: 5 contests between KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off - One Meat Rib Contest and GOBS Que (DAY 2).

Jul 16, 2021
Aug 14, 2021

The story so far (7 numbers that describe this rep)

Busiest season 2021 10 events · 231 team entries

Contests a season 6.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Seasons in a row 3 ending 2021

Works mostly in IA 6 of 26 contests · 6 states/provinces in all

Towns worked 15 most often Warrens, WI (3)

Corner to corner 558 mi Watertown to Grand Haven — the two ends of their map

Meat entries turned in 2,950 boxes on the boards across every contest they have run

Milestones (the firsts and the round numbers of a rep's career)

2019
Apr 26 First contest repped The Great Wisconsin Tune Up BBQ Contest
Apr 26 First state championship The Great Wisconsin Tune Up BBQ Contest
Apr 26 First Grand Champion crowned The Great Wisconsin Tune Up BBQ Contest
Apr 26 Iowa's Smokey D's won their first-ever Grand Championship The Great Wisconsin Tune Up BBQ Contest
Jun 28 First contest outside WI Back To Mayberry
Jul 19 First 40-team field Cookin On Kampeska
Aug 30 Biggest upset seen (6-in-100 shot) Smokin in the Bogs
Sep 6 First perfect 180 at their tables Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll
Sep 6 Highest overall score seen (702.2400) Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll
Sep 20 10th contest repped Tri City BBQ Fest
2020
Jun 27 Deepest field worked (1703 avg rating) Back to Mayberry Day 2
Oct 2 Biggest field worked (66 teams) Ottumwa Smoketoberfest
2021
Jul 16 Back on the trail after 10 months KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off - One Meat Rib Contest
Sep 24 25th contest repped Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com
Sep 24 Most recent contest Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com

Season by season (how many contests a season, and how many carried a state title)

The climb (every contest they have run, added up)

Their year (contests by month)

Where they work

Field size by season (average and biggest)

Field strength by season (avg power rating going in)

What it took to win (Master winning scores)

How the meats scored (board average vs the winning call)

Who keeps winning (titles at their contests)

Career map (gold = state championship · bigger pin = more visits — tap one)

Every season (click a column to sort)

Season	Contests	States	Entries	Teams	Avg field	Biggest	State champ.	180s	Purse
—	1	1	19	—	19	19	—	—	—
2021	10	5	231	178	23	33	7	3	$47,300
2020	5	3	229	127	46	66	5	3	$20,350
2019	10	5	291	246	29	40	8	2	$66,525

Champions crowned (titles at their contests)

Team	Titles	Latest
PORKY BUTTS BBQ #22	2	2021-08-13
Kevlar	1	2021-09-24
HOT DADDY'S BBQ #23	1	2021-09-17
Shiggin aint easy	1	2021-09-10
Hogline BBQ	1	2021-09-03
Furlongs Smoke & Seafood	1	2021-08-21
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	1	2021-08-14
Good Grefe!	1	2021-08-07
Ash Kickin' BBQ	1	2021-07-16
Richie Z	1	2021-07-16
Iowa Smokey D's BBQ	1	2020-10-02
WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ	1	2020-09-18

First-ever Grand Championships (a team's first title anywhere, won here)

Team	Contest	Date
HOT DADDY'S BBQ	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 17, 2021
Furlongs Smoke & Seafood	Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)	Aug 21, 2021
Good Grefe!	B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY)	Aug 7, 2021
Richie Z	KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off	Jul 16, 2021
SmokinGhost BBQ	Smokin in the Bogs	Aug 30, 2019
RACK STREET BOYZ	Northwoods Triple Crown (BACKYARD ONLY)	Jul 12, 2019
Slaps	Back To Mayberry	Jun 28, 2019
Big Belly Barbecue	Lake Country BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY)	Jun 9, 2019
Iowa's Smokey D's	The Great Wisconsin Tune Up BBQ Contest	Apr 26, 2019

Contests they keep coming back to

Contest	Editions	Run	Years
Smokin' in the Bogs	3	3 straight	2019–2021
GOBS Que (DAY 2)	3	—	2019–2021
Tri City BBQ Fest	2	—	2019–2021
KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off	2	2 straight	2020–2021
Lake Country BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	—	2019–2019

Where they work (contests by state/province)

State / province	Contests	Share
IA reps here	6	23%
WI reps here	6	23%
MN reps here	5	19%
MI reps here	3	12%
NE reps here	3	12%
SD reps here	2	8%

Towns on their map

Town	Contests	Latest
Warrens, WI	3	2021-09-03
Arlington, NE	3	2021-08-14
Worthington, MN	3	2021-07-16
Rodney, IA	3	2020-06-27
Denison, IA	2	2021-09-17
Mears, MI	2	2021-09-10
Grand Haven, MI	1	2021-09-24
Canton, MN	1	2021-08-21
Roseville, MN	1	2021-08-07
Ottumwa, IA	1	2020-10-02
Vermillion, SD	1	2019-09-06
Watertown, SD	1	2019-07-19

Upsets at their contests (champion rated below the field's top seed)

Contest	Champion	Top seed	Odds
Smokin in the Bogs	SmokinGhost BBQ 1557	IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ 2034	6-in-100
KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off	WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ 1589	IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ 1997	9-in-100
KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off	Richie Z 1500	Hogline 1877	10-in-100
Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll	HOG HAMMER BBQ 1576	SHIGGIN & GRINNIN 1921	12-in-100
Tri City BBQ Fest	TIMBONE BARBECUE 1731	LUCKY'S Q 1974	20-in-100
Smokin in the Bogs	THE BBQ BUS 1710	LUCKY'S Q 1953	20-in-100
Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Shiggin aint easy 1628	iBQ'n 1850	22-in-100
Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com	KEVLAR BBQ 1636	iBQ'n 1852	22-in-100

The boards at their contests (every meat entry they have run)

Meat	Entries	Board avg	Winning avg	180s
Chicken	799	164.98	175.84	3
Pork Ribs	814	163.68	174.31	—
Pork	668	165.81	177.40	4
Brisket	669	163.79	176.77	1

Frequent co-reps

Rep	Events together	Share
Ron Milhous	29	100%
Tom Juhl	1	3%
Cindy Juhl	1	3%

Teams that cook under them most

Team	Contests	Wins	Since
SPITFIRE	13	1	2019
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	12	—	2019
WHEN PIGS DIE	11	—	2019
WHO DAT BBQ	10	—	2019
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	9	3	2019
iBQ'n	9	—	2019
SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS	9	—	2019
Hogline	8	1	2019
MACHETE BOYS BBQ	8	—	2019
SMOKEHOUSE 72	8	—	2019
RICHIE Z's	8	—	2019
LUCKY'S Q	8	—	2019

Teams whose first contest was one of theirs

Team	Debut contest	Date
The Meat Rubbers	Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com	Sep 24, 2021
Grill Em All	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 17, 2021
Big Mo's 2	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021
JD BBQ and Smoke	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021
Curlie Q	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021
Big Kokx	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021
Big Moe's	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021
Black Ace BBQ	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021
R & D Que	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021
Papa's Angels	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021
Alfys Girls	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021
Granny Slappin BBQ	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition	Sep 10, 2021

Every event (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Where	Teams	Top score	Prize $	Grand Champion
Sep 24, 2021	Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com state champ.	Grand Haven, MI	28	695.4288	$7,500	Kevlar
Sep 17, 2021	Tri City BBQ Fest state champ.	Denison, IA	20	697.6572	$14,500	Hot Daddys BBQ
Sep 10, 2021	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition state champ.	Mears, MI	25	695.3828	—	Shiggin Aint Easy
Sep 3, 2021	Smokin' in the Bogs state champ.	Warrens, WI	25	685.0856	$7,150	Hogline BBQ
Aug 21, 2021	Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)	Canton, MN	18	354.8572	$2,550	Furlongs Smoke & Seafood
Aug 14, 2021	GOBS Que (DAY 2) state champ.	Arlington, NE	25	698.8228	$3,200	IOWA'S Smokey D's BBQ
Aug 13, 2021	GOBS Que (DAY 1) state champ.	Arlington, NE	26	699.9660	$3,200	Porky Butts BBQ
Aug 7, 2021	B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY)	Roseville, MN	21	343.4060	$1,000	Good Grefe
Jul 16, 2021	KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off - One Meat Rib Contest	Worthington, MN	10	176.5600	—	Ash Kickin' BBQ
Jul 16, 2021	Cookin On Kampeska state champ. cancelled	Watertown, SD	—	—	$10,075	—
Jul 16, 2021	KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off state champ.	Worthington, MN	33	693.2004	$8,200	Richie Z
Oct 10, 2020	Dave Salm BBQ Classic Day 2 state champ. cancelled	Bancroft, WI	—	—	$7,500	—
Oct 9, 2020	Dave Salm BBQ Classic Day 1 state champ. cancelled	Bancroft, WI	—	—	$7,500	—
Oct 2, 2020	Ottumwa Smoketoberfest state champ.	Ottumwa, IA	66	694.7884	—	Iowa Smokey D's BBQ
Sep 18, 2020	KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off state champ.	Worthington, MN	35	696.6516	$8,200	Wags Backwoods BBQ
Sep 4, 2020	Smokin in the Bogs state champ.	Warrens, WI	28	700.5600	$7,150	The BBQ Bus
Jun 27, 2020	Back to Mayberry Day 2 state champ.	Rodney, IA	47	687.3828	—	PORKY BUTTS BBQ
Jun 26, 2020	Back to Mayberry Day 1 state champ.	Rodney, IA	53	691.9200	$5,000	Boomerang BBQ
Sep 20, 2019	Tri City BBQ Fest state champ.	Denison, IA	34	690.7540	$13,000	Timbone Barbecue
Sep 13, 2019	Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival state champ.	Mears, MI	35	690.8344	$8,500	Big Brothers BBQ
Sep 6, 2019	Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll state champ.	Vermillion, SD	29	702.2400	$9,000	Hog Hammer BBQ
Aug 30, 2019	Smokin in the Bogs state champ.	Warrens, WI	38	697.6684	$7,150	SmokinGhost BBQ
Aug 9, 2019	GOBS Que state champ.	Arlington, NE	29	696	$6,500	Spitfire
Jul 19, 2019	Cookin On Kampeska state champ.	Watertown, SD	40	696.5488	$10,075	LAST CALL HEROES BBQ
Jul 12, 2019	Northwoods Triple Crown (BACKYARD ONLY)	Antigo, WI	10	338.3428	$1,000	RACK STREET BOYZ
Jun 28, 2019	Back To Mayberry state champ.	Rodney, IA	28	701.6916	$5,000	Slaps
Jun 9, 2019	Lake Country BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY)		22	341.1772	$1,300	Big Belly Barbecue
Apr 26, 2019	The Great Wisconsin Tune Up BBQ Contest state champ.	Manawa, WI	26	675.9312	$5,000	Iowa's Smokey D's
TBA	Lake Country BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)	Okauchee, WI	19	345.1656	—	Red Line BBQ