Kansas City Barbeque Society BBQ Contests

Returning to Yorkville Illinois for its fifth year, Saluting With Smoke BBQ Festival & Fundraiser hosts three BBQ competitions throughout the weekend. Join BBQ teams from around the country and compete in one, two, or all three formats of competitive cooking.

Friday night kicks off with a KCBS-sanctioned single meat rib competition.

On Saturday, teams compete in the Saluting With Smoke KCBS-sanctioned competitor series competition with four categories; Chicken, Ribs, Anything Goes Pork, and the MRE Challenge. All teams competing must cook with a Veteran on their team through the MZHH “BBQ Saves Lives” program. All teams must have a Veteran on their team to compete and will be assigned a veteran through MZHH.

Saturday & Sunday hosts the re-boot of Honor-Q, a Kansas City Barbeque Society Master Series competition. teams compete in the standard KCBS four meat categories of Chicken, Ribs, Pork & Brisket. Honor-Q pays tribute to 9/11 and teams competing will be assigned a Veteran or First Responder to compete with them during this event.

Veterans, BBQ Teams, and Volunteers register here.

Event Registration

Saluting With Smoke BBQ Festival & Fundraiser

The Saluting With Smoke BBQ Festival is a fundraiser for Veteran suicide prevention & awareness in support of the Mission Zero Hundred Hours programs. The event is free to the public.

Join us on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for live bands, food trucks, raffles, beer tents, local craft vendors, Veteran owned businesses, kids activities, and more.

Our three-day festival opens up the world of competitive BBQ to the public in a way never seen before. Come out and watch the MZHH Battle of the Branches, and meet World Champion Pitmasters, Celebrity Judges, and the best BBQ cooks from around the country.

Festival Event Schedule