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.
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
La Belle, MO
Big Creek BBQ Bash
Oct 2 – Oct 3, 2026
Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church
Pleasant Hill, MO
City of Raymore 2nd Annual Chili Cook off
Sat, Oct 3, 2026
Raymore, MO
Raymore, MO
The United Rentals Big Blue BBQ at Union Station
Oct 9 – Oct 10, 2026
Union Station
Kansas City, MO
Stover Rock Island Festival
Sat, Oct 10, 2026
Stover, MO
Stover, MO
Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild
Oct 23 – Oct 24, 2026
Branson, MO
Branson, MO
Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1)
Oct 30 – Oct 31, 2026
Bent Oak Park
Oak Grove, MO
Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2)
Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2026
Bent Oak Park
Oak Grove, MO
Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge
Mar 26 – Mar 27, 2027
St. Robert, MO
St. Robert, MO
Knox County Ring of Smoke
Jun 25 – Jun 26, 2027
MO P
Edina, MO
Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 1)
Jul 16 – Jul 17, 2027
Osceola, MO
Osceola, MO
Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2)
Jul 17 – Jul 18, 2027
Osceola, MO
Osceola, MO