09/10/2026
That's the wrap on the Minnesota Barbeque Society Team of the Year for the Masters/Pro division!
We started 2026 a bit differently than in prior years. We planned to slow down (a little) and didn't enter the year with as many goals as in the past. Last year, during our first year in the Masters division, we worked hard cooking in many contests to establish our processes and finalize our systems. Since we exceeded our own expectations in 2025, our 2026 goals were to get a brisket category win and to and continue improving. After a long weekend in South Dakota the MN BBQ Society Team of the year rankings are now finalized. Our results:
Overall - 4th place.
Congrats to Spitfire Bar and Grill on winning overall team of the year. Last year we finished 9th overall which met our goal for the year of finishing in the top 10. We finished in the top 10 in 50% of our contests in 2026 and added 2 Reserve Grand Championships, improving our position for 2026.
Chicken - 2nd place
Congrats to Shiggin' & Grinnin' Championship BBQ Team on the win. Chicken has always been a strong category for us; however, it started a bit slow in 2026. James took the lead this year and did a lot of practice cooks at home to set us on the right course as we changed our ingredients and processes. Highlights of the year were a 180 in IA (Scored 4th..) and taking 1st place at the CBA event last weekend.
Ribs - 10th place
Ribs were our strongest and most consistent category in the past. In the non-sanctioned circuit we have done very well with a couple of wins this year. However we chased taste all year with "certified judges," and unfortunately this category cost us a win in IA. Many teams struggled in this category for 2026. Congrats to Hot Daddy's BBQ on the rib category win.
Pork - 2nd place
Pork has been a strong category for us since joining the Masters division. We have a few category wins and notched our first perfect score this year. It started a bit slow but we made a mid-season change that got it rolling. We found ourselves leading pork team of the year heading into last weekend but everyone knows there is no stopping Hot Daddy's BBQ - congrats to Kyle and Amy on the pork category win.
Brisket - 1st place
As mentioned before, only goal was to get a brisket category win this year. This was the only category we hadn't won; however, we feel it has been our strongest category since joining Masters. So far we failed to meet the goal of a category win notching 3 more 2nd place finishes this year. Ending the year as the MN brisket champion is a goal we couldn't have envisioned but we still want a category win so we just signed up to cook King of the Corn in IA to give it one more shot.
Thanks to all of you who follow us and congratulate us as we work toward our personal goals. Your likes, comments, and words of encouragement motivate us and we really appreciate it.
Lucky to have some of the best sponsors in BBQ!
Heath Riles BBQ
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Springer Mountain Farms
Remote Tax Services
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The Good Charcoal Company
ThermoWorks
Other great companies
Northern Fire Grilling & BBQ Supply
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