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19/Jul/2011

Rankings semi update

So I am slacking, sorry. KCBS for June is mostly done. GBA and FBA should be up to date. Unless there was an FBA this past weekend, which now that I think I think there was. Get to that tonight.

Sorry for the delays. Lotta Bull is having a heck of a summer. Several teams already have gotten lucky #7 and Holy Smokes killed it in the first half of the season.

23/May/2011

Rankings Updated

So yeah I have been a little behind recently, but am working to get caught up. Rankings have been updated and included all KCBS events through 5/6/2011. I will work on adding the rest. Sorry for the delay.

Update...

So I added a few more of the KCBS events and I have almost finished the weekend of the 13th. Rankings are current through those events.

Update #2

So I should be up to date on the GBA events and KCBS events through the weekend of 5/13/2011. I am going to start work on the KCBS events of 5/20 today.

16/Nov/2010

Rankings updated.

I just finished adding in the few MBN contests that I was missing and I now believe that the rankings reflect all of the KCBS, FBA, and MBN contests. I need to finish adding the PNWBA and recent GBA events and then we will be back to completely updated. Sorry for the delay. If you see anything that I am missing or have wrong send me an email @ nationalbbqrankings@gmail.com and while I might be a little slow answering them, I will get to all of them and respond to you.

Thanks and I hope everyone is settling into the silly season and enjoys the upcoming break.

26/Oct/2010

Quau wins the World Championship

This past weekend was the Jack Daniels World Championship in Lynchburg, TN. Nearly 80 teams from around the world all headed to the hallowed grounds to compete for the most prestigious prize in BBQ. There are contests with bigger payouts, there are more competitive contests, but none have the prestige of the Jack. Teams race around the country trying to earn qualifiers and even with several chances in the draw it is still up to old lady luck. This year was no exception. As the teams descend on Lynchburg everyone is asking the same question, “Who is going to be this year’s World Champion?” I thought that Mike Davis from Lotta Bull was really humming along with back to back grands leading into the Jack including the American Royal open. I Que was back to defend their title, and certainly one of the Iowa teams would have a say in who took home the title, but in the end it was the team that we should have all known was going to win, Quau. Mike Wozniak has been crisscrossing the country chasing bbq glory and, more importantly, big checks and shiny trophies. Quau is the winner of the inaugural Kingsford Point Chase, 9 KCBS grands, and now the Jack Daniels World Championship.

The Jack Daniels is a bonus event in the National BBQ Rankings and Quau used his finish this past weekend to move past Pellet Envy into the #2 spot. Bub-Ba-Q was not invited to the Jack Daniels this year, old lady luck left him at home, but he didn’t take the weekend off. Bub-Ba-Q took advantage of a rare weekend in Georgia by cooking two contests in one weekend all in his backyard of north Georgia. Bub-Ba-Q finished the weekend with 2 top 4 finishes to take back the top spot. I don’t know what has changed recently with Bub-Ba-Q, but since the Grant, FL FBA where he finished 5th he hasn’t finished outside of the top 4 with 2 grands and 2 reserve grands. It was that type of consistency that took Bub-Ba-Q to the top spot earlier this season and he looks to be heading in the right direction to close out the season. The FBA Triple Crown Championship is the last bonus event and with Pellet Envy and Quau not attending Bub-Ba-Q could really stretch out his lead heading into the off season.

09/Sep/2010

Jack Draw and Bub-Ba-Q still #1

The draw for the Jack Daniels World Championship was last Friday and teams from around the country were on pins and needles waiting for the results to hit the internet. The Jack Daniels folks don't allow cell phones in the room with the draw so it typically takes a while the results to get published. Notable teams in this year's field include Lotta Bull, Pellet Envy, IQue, The Long Dawgs, and Cool Smoke. Notable teams who didnt make the cut include Bub-Ba-Q, Swamp Boys and Jack's Old South. With the competition for the top spot very close between Pellet Envy and Bub-Ba-Q, Pellet Envy has a serious advantage with their addition to the Jack field.

The draw this year was not without it's own controversy, mostly surrounding an IBCA event in New Mexico. There were also some questions about several qualifiers who had 25 teams enter chicken, but not the rest of the categories. To be honest I think that this year's draw highlights the need for the Jack Daniels to clear up their qualification process a little. I wonder if the whole draw isnt part of the charm of what many consider to be the top prize in BBQ.

Now on to the competition results. Pellet Envy won the first half of the Great Bend, KS weekend and then took 1st in the World Brisket Championship. Pellet Envy couldn't finish the sweep of the weekend; however, and finished 7th in the 2nd Great Bend contest. The second Great Bend event was also the subject of some discussion this weekend since there were 8 180's, or perfect scores, in that contests. Perfect scores were once there common at KCBS events, but the move towards starting at 6 made them scarce for a couple of years, but they have started to make a comeback this year with several 180's sprinkled throughout the country, but this weekend was the first multiple 180 contest since North Little Rock back in March. Both contests featured some serious heavy hitters pulling down those top scores, so I am sure that was some very good BBQ the judges were sampling.

Mesquite, NV was the big money event for this past weekend with nearly $40,000 in prize money up for grabs. Arlie Bragg has made a habit of putting on big money contests out west and he always attracts several of the big touring teams each year to his events. They are known to be well run and have big money. Smoked to the Bone took the top spot and CancerSucksChicago.com took home the reserve grand. Smoking Triggers came in 4th and followed last weeks perfect score in brisket with another brisket win.

The American Royal, Jack Daniels, FBA Triple Crown, and the Best of the Best contest are waiting just around the corner and will certainly go a long way in determining who holds the top spot heading into 2011.

Good luck and safe travels.

01/Sep/2010

Bub-Ba-Q takes back the top spot

After a 1 week hiatus Bub-Ba-Q has reclaimed the top spot with a Grand Championship in Amelia Island, Florida. This first year event drew a tough crowd with several of the top 15 teams in attendance including Cool Smoke, Jack's Old South, and Chatham Artillery. Munchee's Smokehouse took Reserve Grand. Bub-Ba-Q won his first Grand Championship since February and ended a 6 month drought.

Pellet Envy was unable to keep the top spot with a disappointing finish in Springdale, Ar. Less than 1 point separates the 2 teams in the rankings and it will certainly will come down to who takes care of their business in the bonus events that are coming up this fall. With 3 bonus events left this year there is a chance for one of these teams to distance themselves from the pack, or for a team to really step up. Parrothead and Butcher's have both made charges of late and could really close in on the top spot with a top finish in a bonus event.

Speaking of Parrothead they moved into the top 5 with a Grand in Albert Lea, MN this past weekend.

Johnny Trigg of Pitmasters fame won his first Grand in 2 years this past weekend in Craig, CO. Trigg may decide to take up residence in Colorado after this season with 3 top 3 finishes in the mile high state. Trigg's Grand was highlighted by a 180 in Brisket. Way to go.

Old Dominion is currently tearing up the southeast with 3 straight Grands and is up 33 spots this week to 87th.

If you thought that 3 straight was good Able Acres is really impressive with 4 straight Grands in the state of Indiana. They are up 32 spots this week to 89th.

Them summer is drawing to a close and the BBQ is getting to kick into high gear starting the the Jack Daniels draw on Friday. Rhythm 'N Que and Pellet Envy have automatics with 7 Grands and there are several other teams around the country with automatic bids. The rest of the teams with be furiously hitting f5 to find out who got lucky and will be cooking in this year's World Championship. The Jack Daniels is a bonus event and rarely does a team lead the rankings without a top finish at at least 1 bonus event.

Good luck and safe travels.

27/Jul/2010

Pellet Envy stays home while Bub-Ba-Q takes 3rd

So with a little egg on my face I from last week’s article about Pellet Envy competing in Mason City and closing in on Bub-Ba-Q, I will start off this week with Bub-Ba-Q extending his lead over pellet Envy with a 3rd place finish in Live Oak, FL. I have always wanted to write about the upcoming events along with the weekend’s events but have never really been able to get a good idea of who is competing each weekend before the weekend. So if you are an organizer and can provide a list of teams competing at your event I would be happy to include your contest in the article in the weeks leading up to your event. But anyway, back to the rankings. Bub=Ba-Q took full advantage of Pellet Envy sitting this weekend out by taking 3rd overall in Live Oak and extending his points lead to 38 points, which gives him a little breathing room over Pellet Envy. Bub-Ba-Q has had a consistent season, but is looking to get back to the top of the podium after not winning a contest since February. With that said Dillard looms large as it will see 4 of the top 6 teams in the country head to Dillard, Georgia for the Bluegrass and Barbecue Festival.

Dillard was the first BBQ contest I cooked and it set the bar very high for all other contests. They do the little things right, the breakfast is from the Dillard House and the competition is fierce. This will be our fifth trip to Dillard and I am hoping to get the ever elusive Brisket call to complete my set of Dillard plaques as I have chicken, ribs, and pork plaques at the house. Calls in Dillard are special and knowing that I have calls in each category in Dillard is certainly something that I will hang my hat on, well once I get that brisket call. Teams sit on the waiting list for years before they can get into Dillard and once you get in, you keep coming back. So I will practice everything this weekend and then spend all next week getting everything packed up for the trip to Dillard.

So one of the things I have to do before any contest is check all my rubs and sauces. Looking through everything I put together my shopping list and head over to the KC BBQ Store and place my order. It is the only place where I can order all of the rubs and sauces that I use in competitions. They have everything you need for a contests and the shipping is super fast. I typically can order something in the morning and have it by the next afternoon. I just wanted to give them a little plug since they always do an awesome job with my orders and I really do appreciate people who go above and beyond.

I also ordered a new Pit probe for my Stoker last week and I must say that I was pleased with the service that I got from Rock’s BBQ. In the past I might have told you that while the Stoker is one of my favorite BBQ toys and makes cooking consistent BBQ much easier, there customer service was always lacking, but my experience this time was quite the opposite. Quick turn around and shipping and I got my Pit probe in plenty of time for my practice this weekend. I have always loved my Stoker, but I love it even more knowing that the customer service is coming up.

This upcoming weekend is a little light on contests, which is fine by me. This has been a busy summer for contests and a busy summer for us rankings guys. Anyway, check out Brockport if you are looking for a last minute contest in NY. A state championship event with some solid teams and a NEBS grilling event makes for a fun weekend of competition.

26/Jul/2010

Iowa Smokey D's BBQ makes a big move

Iowa Smokey D's BBQ made a big move this weekend up 4 spots to 12th overall. Iowa Smokey D's BBQ was able to make the most of a weekend that saw 2 contests on the same weekend just miles apart. Smokey D's started the weekend by taking Grand Champion in Waterloo, IA and closed out the weekend by taking Reserve Grand in La Porte City, IA.

Iowa Smokey D's BBQ needs to carry the momentum from last weekend into this weekend as they head to Mason City, IA for the Up in Smoke BBQ Bash. Pellet Envy and Quau are among the more than 70 teams that will be competing for $14,000 in cash prizes.

Pellet Envy has pulled within 28 points of #1 team Bub-Ba-Q. I believe that Bub-Ba-Q is competing in Live Oak, Fl this weekend and need solid finish to ensure that he stays in the top spot. Regardless of how this weekend goes the stage is set for a very exciting Dillard Bluegrass and BBQ festival as both Pellet Envy and Bub-Ba-Q are both scheduled to be competing in one of the country's top contests.

14/Jul/2010

Quau moves past Swamp Boys

This weekend Quau moved into the #3 spot overall with a 3rd place finish in North Wildwood, NJ. Quau moved past former #1 team Swamp Boys who spent the weekend in Shannon, IL where he finished 6th overall. Iowa Outlaws took Grand and Pellet Envy finished 4th overall. This was the last Shannon contest as I understand it. Sad to see a long standing contest that everyone speaks so highly of come to an end.

Rhythm'N Que has been on a steady climb to the top and is currently holding down the 13th overall spot. Rhythm'N Que is knocking on the top 10 for the first time based on a strong first half of the season. 8 top 10's, 4 Grands, including Grand and Reserve Grand on the July 4th weekend. Rhythm'N Que gets points in spades as they are typically the beneficiary of the double up style contests that are a little more common on the west coast. Rhythm'N Que is just 50 points for the top 10. They are having a great run this season and I hope that they can keep it up for the second half of the season as they carry the banner for west coast competition bbq.

Teams from around the country headed to Greenwood, SC for the Festival of Discovery. The Greenwood is a favorite among competition cooks and has been featured on the Food Network. This year's version was won by Triple J with Wicked Que taking Reserve Grand. Wicked Que has also been having a great year this year and is quickly moving up the rankings, sliding into the top 60 this weekend. Smokey Mountain Smokers finished 3rd in Greenwood.

Seems like Sam's Club is making a move to become a major sponsor of competition BBQ with their sponsorship of the KCBS Team of the Year award as well as a midsummer competition where they invited the top 30 KCBS teams to compete for $25k in cash. Another $25k contest payout is never a bad thing. Good luck to everyone who was invited.

14/Jul/2010

Brockport BBQ Festival

The Brockport BBQ Festival is looking for teams. This first year event is a part of the Brockport Summer Festival and is offering teams a chance to compete in a KCBS BBQ contest, a NEBS Grilling contest, Chili Cook-Off, and a Kid's Q. The contest is July 31- Aug 1 and if you want to sign up check out their website.

This first year event is a Royal qualifier, a Jack Draw, and a member of the Empire State Championship. This event has attracted some of the region's top talent including, Jacked UP BBQ, Full Throttle, Big Belly BBQ, and nation touring team Florida Skin and Bones. So if you think your que is the best time to drag everything out of the backyard and compete against some proven winners.

Also if you are having a contest and would like me to write a little article about your contest just email me @ nationalbbqrankings@gmail.com with some details of your contest and I will write up an article to post on the home page.

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