WHAT IS KCBS?

KCBS stands short for Kansas City Barbecue Society. This is the largest association not only in BBQ but also in the culinary world in general, with more than 19,000 members and over 450 competitions held annually.

Founded in the autumn of 1985. for a simple reason – to make it easier to promote competitions, so that everyone interested would have information about when and where the next BBQ competition would take place. Initially, KCBS had only one rule: competitions should not be taken too seriously, and any excessive seriousness or lack of fun would result in disqualification.

At that time, there were only a few competitions, and members would meet informally to practice their BBQ skills. The number of members grew, and it was time to form a Board and hold monthly meetings. Soon, the membership reached triple digits. The seriousness of the KCBS project became clear when individuals started reaching out, wanting to organize competitions under KCBS rules and have them overseen by KCBS. KCBS grew exponentially and, at the beginning of 1989, surpassed 1,000 members.