Joe Rickfels and Adam Burch, of Blind Fox BBQ, Lee’s Summit, Mo., took home Smoke in the Spring’s 2026 grand champion trophy, April 11, 2026. Osage County News photo.
OSAGE CITY, Kan. – Two Kansas City area barbecue teams will be heading to Las Vegas for a chance to win $1 million after claiming the grand champion and reserve champion spots at the Smoke in the Spring State BBQ Championship, held Saturday, April 11, 2026, at Osage City, Kan.
Cooks Joe Rickfels and Adam Burch, of Blind Fox BBQ, Lee’s Summit, Mo., took home Smoke in the Spring’s grand champion trophy and $5,000 prize, with Joe Pearce, of Slap’s BBQ, Kansas City, Kan., taking a close second place to claim the reserve grand champion award and $2,500.
Both teams now qualify to compete in the first-ever BBQ World Cup and Expo, to be held next April in Las Vegas, Nev., and which boasts a $1 million grand prize. The international barbecue contest, billed as “BBQ World Cup’s Road to $1 Million” has designated 40 contests worldwide as contestant qualifying contests, with Smoke in the Spring chosen as one of the first of barbecue season.
Blind Fox BBQ competed against 102 other teams Saturday, and claimed the top prize with a total score of 709.7028, joining the “700 Club”, as did Smoke in the Spring’s top six finishers. Slap’s BBQ also joined the club, earning 703.3712 for second place.
Barbecue judges were apparently kind last weekend, as the Kansas City Barbecue Society reported 14 teams joining the 700 Club at several KCBS contests, with Blind Fox BBQ topping the weekend’s high scorers.
Blind Fox BBQ’s win tallied up prize money along with high points, with three of their entries finishing in the top 15. Ninth place in chicken earned $125, third in pork with a 180 score won $300, 11th in brisket $100, and 22nd in ribs – with the grand champion prize it totaled $5,525 for Blind Fox BBQ’s Smoke in the Spring winnings. Slap’s BBQ took 15th in chicken and $50, 20th in ribs, 36th in pork, and seventh in brisket and $150, and reserve grand champion to total $2,700 in winnings.
In an online interview, Rickfels noted Smoke in the Spring was Blind Fox BBQ’s first grand champion call since they began competing about three years ago. The championship win also qualifies the team for the American Royal Invitational, held at Kansas City in the fall; the team took sixth at the American Royal Open two years ago.
Pearce and Slap’s BBQ were inducted into KCBS’s Hall of Fame this year, recognizing the family team’s more than 300 competitions, 48 grand championships, KCBS Team of the Year honors, and major calls at the American Royal and Jack Daniel’s World Championship.
Smoke in the Spring paid prize money in the top 15 in the four main categories, chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket, and in the top 10 in the ancillary category of turkey. Taking the top prize in turkey, $500, was There’s No Place Like Smoke, Palmyra, Mo.
The chicken champion, Awesome Racks Cookin Crew, Quincy, Ill., won $600 for their 180 score, which also tied with the second-place chicken winner, Keep Calm & Sauce On, Edgerton, Kan., which won $400.
In ribs, the champion was Rum N’ Smoke BBQ, Sioux Falls, S.D., with a 180; Gothic Town Grillers, Eldon, Iowa, took second.
The four top spots in pork were 180s, with Red Oak BBQ, Clifton, Kan., taking pork champion; Wag’s Backwoods BBQ, Osage, Iowa, had the second-place 180.
In brisket, first and second place were won with 180s. Take It Easy BBQ, St. Louis, Mo., claimed the brisket champion, with Man Meat BBQ, Stilwell, Mo., taking second.
In all, Smoke in the Spring 2026 had nine 180 scores; six 700 scores; a “perfect-perfect” in chicken (perfect score by all judges); and 52 calls for different teams. Teams from 12 states and Canada competed this year.
Next year’s Smoke in the Spring is already scheduled for April 9-10, 2027.
More Smoke in the Spring award photos are available on Osage County News’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OsageCountyNews/.
