The high-stakes barbecue championship brings the region’s top competition teams to historic Weston, Missouri.
WESTON, Mo., Aug. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — One of Kansas City’s most unique barbecue competitions is underway in Weston, Missouri, as the 4th Annual Made for KC BBQ Championship brings 47 of the region’s top competition teams to historic downtown Weston August 21-22, with Holladay Distillery serving as a host partner for the event.
The weekend kicks off Friday with a VIP event on the historic Holladay Distillery grounds before teams fire up their smokers for the overnight cook and Saturday’s competition.
Created by OHM Concession Group in partnership with the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), the Made for KC BBQ Championship carries stakes far beyond a traditional competition. Designed to showcase the talent within Kansas City’s competition barbecue community, the championship gives area pitmasters the chance to represent the barbecue culture for which Kansas City is known.
The 2026 competition features a $33,500 total purse, with the Grand Champion taking home $10,000 and signing an 18-month license agreement to become the next featured pitmaster of the 8,000-square-foot Made for KC BBQ Experience at Kansas City International Airport beginning March 1, 2027. The winning team’s name, recipes, rubs and sauces will be showcased at the restaurant, bringing its barbecue to travelers from across the country and around the world.
“Hosting the Made for KC BBQ Championship is exactly the kind of opportunity we’re proud to bring to Weston,” said Patrick Fee, Vice President, Sales & Marketing. “This competition celebrates the craftsmanship and traditions that make our region special, while bringing talented people from across the barbecue community right here to our hometown. We’re proud that Holladay Distillery and Weston can provide the backdrop for an event with such a unique connection to Kansas City.”
The championship’s ties to Kansas City International Airport give competition pitmasters a platform rarely found in barbecue, taking their recipes from the competition circuit to one of Kansas City’s most visible gateways. The Made for KC BBQ Experience opened with the new airport terminal in 2023 and provides a first-of-its-kind stage for Kansas City’s competition barbecue culture, with a new Grand Champion featured every 18 months.
Weston and Holladay Distillery have previously played host to the championship. In 2024, Meat Rushmore BBQ of Lee’s Summit earned the Grand Champion title and later took over as the featured pitmaster at the Made for KC BBQ Experience.
Founded in Weston in 1856, Holladay Distillery celebrates its 170th anniversary in 2026 and remains on the same site where Ben Holladay first began distilling nearly two centuries ago.
“Bourbon and barbecue have always been a natural pairing,” said Fee. “We’re proud to welcome the competition to Holladay and to share a little piece of Weston with everyone involved.”
About Holladay Distillery
Founded in 1856, Holladay Distillery is the oldest continuously operating distillery on its original site in Missouri. Located in historic Weston, Missouri, the distillery is home to Holladay Bourbon and has spent 170 years carrying forward a legacy of craftsmanship, tradition and deep ties to the community it has called home since the beginning.
About the Made for KC BBQ Championship
Created by OHM Concession Group in partnership with the Kansas City Barbeque Society, the Made for KC BBQ Championship was established in 2022 to showcase Kansas City’s competitive barbecue community. The championship gives area barbecue teams the opportunity to compete for prize money and the chance to bring their name, recipes, rubs and sauces to the Made for KC BBQ Experience at Kansas City International Airport.
Media Contact:
Audrey Sisco | Holladay Distillery
Marketing Communications Manager
421237@email4pr.com
816.509.3122
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SOURCE Holladay Distillery
