What a weekend for competitive barbecue in New England! On Saturday, November 7th, twenty-three relentless pitmaster teams took to the fields of American Legion Post 225 in Wrentham, MA, for the Commander’s Cup. Between battling challenging weather, tuning their smokers, and going toe-to-toe with some of the region’s best cooks, every team earned their stripes in a high-stakes season finale.
Sticks & Stones BBQ Secures Legendary 3-Peat
The Commander’s Cup headline was a historic display of consistency and mastery by Sticks & Stones BBQ, which posted a 356.0000 total score to claim Grand Champion honors. The victory completes an incredible three-peat, locking down back-to-back-to-back titles across 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Brookside BBQ grabbed Reserve Grand Champion with a 354.2858, narrowly edging out ElJefe Smoke (353.7142) in a tightly contested top three.
| Commander’s Cup Rank | Team | Score |
| Grand Champion | Sticks and Stones BBQ | 356.0000 |
| Reserve Grand Champion | Brookside BBQ | 354.2858 |
| 3rd Place | ElJefe Smoke | 353.7142 |
The NEBS Invitational Championship: A Coin-Flip Finish
As it turned out, Brookside BBQ was just getting warmed up on Saturday. Just twenty-four hours later, at the inaugural NEBS Invitational Championship (“The NIC”), Brookside’s momentum carried them to the tournament’s first Grand Champion victory with a massive score of 525.7142.
In one of the most dramatic finishes in circuit barbecue history, Smoke Sisters matched Brookside point for point, finishing tied at 525.7142. After running all standard tiebreakers, the Grand Champion title came down to a coin flip. Brookside won the flip, leaving Smoke Sisters with an incredible Reserve Grand Champion run. SmoKINGBATKO BBQ rounded out the top three with a solid 524.5716.
| The NIC Rank | Team | Score |
| Grand Champion | Brookside BBQ | 525.7142 (Won via coin flip) |
| Reserve Grand Champion | Smoke Sisters | 525.7142 |
| 3rd Place | SmoKINGBATKO BBQ | 524.5716 |
Rudy Q Edges Out BBQ Mom for the 2026 Ken Dakai Cup
If the weekend contest drama wasn’t enough, the year-long chase for the prestigious 2026 NEBS Ken Dakai Cup Team of the Year (TOY) concluded with one of the closest finishes in competitive barbecue history. After months of traveling, tuning, and turning in across regional field venues, the entire season came down to an eye-watering 0.97 points: less than a single point overall.
Congratulations to Rudy Q, who officially captured the 2026 Ken Dakai Cup with 266.19 overall points! The victory came despite a furious late-season surge from Reserve Champion BBQ Mom, who brought everything to the pit down the stretch to close the gap to 265.22. Ocean Grove BBQ locked in a fantastic 3rd-place overall finish with 246.90 points.
| 2026 Ken Dakai Cup Rank | Team | Season Points |
| 1st Place (TOY Champion) | Rudy Q | 266.19 |
| 2nd Place (Reserve Champion) | BBQ Mom | 265.22 |
| 3rd Place | Ocean Grove BBQ | 246.90 |
Howdy, Maya Santiago
Updated Standings and Banquet Information
The official team standings and point totals for the 2026 NEBS Ken Dakai Cup Team of the Year (TOY) are finalized and now available online.
Organizers shared that they will announce full details about the upcoming official Awards Banquet in the coming days.
