Missouri cook-offs
Missouri is the home of competitive barbecue — the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) was founded here in 1985, and the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City each fall draws the largest field of any BBQ contest in the world. KCBS-sanctioned events run from Kansas City east to St. Louis and south to Springfield, with the heaviest concentration around the KC metro. Outdoor season runs April through October; smaller backyard-series contests carry the calendar into early winter.
Hornersville Watermelon Festival
Sat, Aug 8, 2026
Hornersville Steak Grounds
Hornersville, MO
Made for KC BBQ Championship 2026
Aug 21 – Aug 22, 2026
Weston BBQ Grounds
Weston, MO
Certified Barbeque Judging Class & Table Captain Class - Pleasant Hill, MO
Sat, Aug 22, 2026
Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church
Hill, MO
Boost & BBQ
Sep 18 – Sep 19, 2026
Odessa BBQ Grounds
Odessa, MO
38th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out
Sep 18 – Sep 19, 2026
Kearney Amphitheater
Kearney, MO
Gladfest Smokefest
Oct 2 – Oct 3, 2026
Police Station
Gladstone, MO
La Belle MO Show Me BBQ Showdown
Oct 2 – Oct 3, 2026
Northeast MO Library Services
Belle, MO
Big Creek BBQ Bash
Oct 2 – Oct 3, 2026
Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church
Hill, MO
Stover Rock Island Festival
Sat, Oct 10, 2026
Forest Street
Stover, MO
Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild
Oct 23 – Oct 24, 2026
Branson BBQ Grounds
Branson, MO
Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1)
Oct 30 – Oct 31, 2026
Bent Oak Park
Grove, MO
Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2)
Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2026
Bent Oak Park
Grove, MO
Knox County Ring of Smoke
Jun 25 – Jun 26, 2027
MO P
Edina, MO