KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Apparently, where there’s smoke, there’s trouble.

The Kansas City Barbeque Society is apologizing for errors in this year’s American Royal World Series of Barbecue competition. It’s led to a new Grand Champion.

KCBS released a letter Thursday apologizing to competitors and accepting full responsibility for the serious errors.

Following a thorough audit of the four meat categories, it identified inaccurate results and has corrected them, according to KCBS.

In the letter, KCBS says:

“We understand how this impacts teams and ultimately names a new Grand Champion. KCBS recognizes the gravity of this situation, takes full responsibility, and commits to understanding its root causes to implement preventative measures moving forward,” the group said.

“KCBS reps worked diligently to identify and resolve the inaccuracies and are committed to providing transparent and accurate results to all participants and stakeholders.”

“To the competitors affected and our valued partner for 37 years, the American Royal, we extend our sincere apologies, recognizing the trust placed in us by the barbeque community,” KCBS continued to say in its apology letter.

KCBS said it will patiently address all issues to educate everyone about what occurred and the steps taken to correct it.

The American Royal World Series of Barbeque is the world’s largest barbeque competition with teams coming from all over the world.

Chairman of the American Royal Board of Directors Ken Wagner and American Royal President and CEO Jackie McClaskey released the following statement Friday.

“The American Royal sympathizes with our barbecue teams affected by the technical data issue with the Kansas City Barbeque Society scoring system. The American Royal has a rich history in producing high-quality events and experiences, which remains our highest priority, and we share in the disappointment and frustrations experienced by our teams.”

“The American Royal appreciates the transparency of the Kansas City Barbeque Society and plans to work with them in the coming months to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future. On behalf of the American Royal Board, staff and volunteers, we share the disappointment of our competitors and express our apologies for the entire situation.”

KCBS said official rankings for the American Royal World Series of Barbecue will be posted on its website.