RAILYARD BBQ

RAILYARD BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 15 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual (2022), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1260 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,260

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1582

peak 1586 · rated over 12 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 3, 2022

latest Jun 5, 2026 · 4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#284

Master 2023 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve · wins it all 7% of the time

Category wins

9 podiums

Overall top-10s

47% of 15 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 37%

overall standings

Best overall

703.9656 / 720

Master · 2nd Annual Alva Police Department Cars, Concerts and BBQ Contest

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

683.81 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 683.31 (+0.50)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Shenandoah ShenDig

Consistency

±11.46

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 174.24 · weakest Brisket (168.87)

Road miles

1,442

across 15 mapped stops · furthest 249 mi

Schedule strength

61%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1577)

Purse competed for

$230K

listed at 14 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

won from 11 state-championship entries

Master avg

683.31 / 720

13 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (13 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

The heartbreaker

1.7028 points from the title

Came within 1.7028 points of the Grand Championship at Shenandoah ShenDig (Jul 21, 2023).

Perfect scores on the board

2 perfect 180s

2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.

Chicken ×1
Pork ×1

Against the odds

17-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 83 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual (Jun 3, 2022) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 17-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, SMOKE RINGERS.

Giant slayer

30 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 30-team field at McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual.

Jun 3, 2022

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 11 of 15 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 15 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

703.9656 career-best overall

97.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 703.9656 at 2nd Annual Alva Police Department Cars, Concerts and BBQ Contest — 97.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 5, 2023

State champions

1 state championship won

They've taken 1 state championship from 11 entries at contests carrying the title.

11 state-championship entries

Show 6 more storylines

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

WOOD HOOK BBQ has finished one call ahead of RAILYARD BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

The weak link

−5.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.37 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 43% of the time against 57%.

Brisket avg 168.87
Chicken avg 174.24
6 calls in 14 entries

The drought

14 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual on Jun 3, 2022 — 14 contests and 4.4 years ago.

last GC Jun 3, 2022
4.4 years ago

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DUSTY ROADS BBQ in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

Announced themselves early

1st at their very first contest

Finished 1 of 30 at their very first tracked contest, McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual (Jun 3, 2022).

Jun 3, 2022
30-team field

The metronome

±1.53% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.53% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 94.9% of a perfect score
15 contests

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026 ↗	Master	#986 (90 pts)	#645 (255 pts)	#1169 (70 pts)	#1052 (80 pts)	#1064 (75 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#634 (238 pts)	#749 (213 pts)	#800 (208 pts)	#644 (258 pts)	#619 (263 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#566 (309 pts)	#444 (494 pts)	#685 (274 pts)	#734 (219 pts)	#775 (194 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#284 (775 pts)	#277 (825 pts)	#425 (570 pts)	#266 (825 pts)	#313 (710 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#474 (449 pts)	#565 (379 pts)	#649 (334 pts)	#766 (224 pts)	#499 (449 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to RAILYARD BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

48 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

Kick Ash BBQ

#1,259 of the rated field

1582 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1585

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Oct 2, 2026
on an 8-contest top-10 run

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THE LOONEY PIT

#1,270 of the rated field

1581 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1583

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before RAILYARD BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

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WILD BLUE

#1,263 of the rated field

1582 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1603

Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jul 16, 2021

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SLICKS BAR-B-QUE

#1,264 of the rated field

1582 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1593

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 15 contests
last seen May 19, 2017

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TWIN OAK SMOKIN CREW

#1,258 of the rated field

1582 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1583

They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before RAILYARD BBQ's first contest.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Apr 21, 2017

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Big Smoke BBQ Australia

#1,268 of the rated field

1581 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1581

Level with RAILYARD BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 7 contests
last seen Sep 29, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WOOD HOOK BBQ	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
Barking Dog BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Bocephus BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
DUSTY ROADS BBQ	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
KC FINE SWINES	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Who's Cookin'	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
Scratch that Itch BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
Pine Tar BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
PIG NEWTON	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
TOPEKA BBQ SHOP	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
Go Pig or Go Home	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
BrewsCue	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	14	8	1	5	180 🔥	166.3200	174.24	top 28%
Pork Ribs	14	3	0	1	175.4056	163.4172	169.57	top 51%
Pork	14	8	1	1	180 🔥	159.3828	170.63	top 45%
Brisket	14	6	1	2	177.7028	153.6568	168.87	top 45%

“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.

By field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	0	top 40%
Medium (20–39)	10	1	top 32%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 51%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
KS	9	1	top 42%
IA	2	0	top 29%
MO	1	0	top 23%
OK	1	0	top 40%
NE	1	0	top 21%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Shenandoah ShenDig	2	2	0	top 29%	Jul 18, 2025

More numbers

Busiest season 2023 8 contests

Contests a season 3 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in KS 10 of 15 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 13 1 of them more than once

First title Jun 3, 2022 McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual

Opponents faced 634 finished ahead 576 times, behind 475

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20261 milestone

Jun 5 Most recent contest McLouth BBQ Blowout 35th Annual

20251 milestone

Jun 6 Peak power rating (1586) McLouth BBQ Blowout 34th Annual

20234 milestones

May 5 Career-best overall score703.9656 2nd Annual Alva Police Department Cars, Concerts and BBQ Contest
Jun 2 First perfect 180 (Pork) McLouth BBQ Blowout 32nd Annual
Jul 21 First Reserve Championship Shenandoah ShenDig
Sep 27 10th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides

20229 milestones

Jun 3 First tracked contest McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual
Jun 3 First call McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual
Jun 3 First category win (Brisket) McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual
Jun 3 First overall top-10 McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual
Jun 3 First overall podium McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual
Jun 3 First Grand Championship McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual
Jun 3 First state championship McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual
Jun 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score687.3940 McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual
Jun 3 Biggest field won (30 teams) McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18.1	McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual	Jun 3, 2022
+15.4	Shenandoah ShenDig	Jul 21, 2023
+12.8	Central Plains Ribfest	Jun 17, 2022
+12	McLouth BBQ Blowout 33rd Annual	May 31, 2024
+8.1	2nd Annual Alva Police Department Cars, Concerts and BBQ Contest	May 5, 2023

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-3.3	McLouth BBQ Blowout 35th Annual	Jun 5, 2026
-0.6	Shenandoah ShenDig	Jul 18, 2025

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

Season	Contests	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	0	0	0	100%	top 60%	93.9%	93.9%
2025	2	0	1	0	50%	top 43%	96.4%	95.3%
2024	2	0	1	0	100%	top 31%	95.6%	95.2%
2023	8	0	3	2	63%	top 41%	97.8%	94.8%
2022	2	1	2	1	100%	top 12%	95.5%	95.2%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 5, 2026	McLouth BBQ Blowout 35th Annual 🏅 McLouth, KS	18 / 30 (675.8744)	2 (176.5600)	22 (166.8228)	20 (167.3944)	21 (165.0972)
Jul 18, 2025	Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	16 / 30 (678.1368)	14 (171.9656)	18 (168.5372)	16 (171.9656)	19 (165.6684)
Jun 6, 2025	McLouth BBQ Blowout 34th Annual 🏅 McLouth, KS	9 / 28 (693.7256)	15 (171.4172)	12 (173.1428)	7 (173.7028)	5 (175.4628)
Jun 14, 2024	10th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life 🏅 Kansas City, KS	17 / 34 (683.3488)	3 (177.7028)	19 (166.2744)	20 (168.5372)	11 (170.8344)
May 31, 2024	McLouth BBQ Blowout 33rd Annual 🏅 McLouth, KS	4 / 35 (687.9768)	2 (179.4400)	5 (174.2856)	10 (171.4284)	24 (162.8228)
Sep 27, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 27, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS	194 / 211 (661.5540)	156 (167.9772)	155 (167.9656)	201 (161.0856)	169 (164.5256)
Sep 27, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	183 / 487 (679.3372)	138 (172.5716)	137 (172)	239 (168.5256)	261 (166.2400)
Sep 1, 2023	Smoke on the River 🏅 Burlington, KS	11 / 20 (679.9316)	10 (173.1200)	17 (163.4172)	10 (169.6800)	3 (173.7144)
Jul 21, 2023	Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	2 / 37 (701.0856)	1 (180)	15 (170.8228)	5 (177.7028)	8 (172.5600)
Jun 9, 2023	Made for KC BBQ Championship (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Kansas City, MO	10 / 44 (683.3484)	4 (176)	31 (167.4056)	10 (174.2744)	25 (165.6684)
Jun 2, 2023	McLouth BBQ Blowout 32nd Annual 🏅 McLouth, KS	12 / 36 (667.9424)	15 (166.3200)	15 (167.9656)	1 (180)	29 (153.6568)
May 5, 2023	2nd Annual Alva Police Department Cars, Concerts and BBQ Contest Alva, OK	6 / 15 (703.9656)	4 (178.2972)	7 (175.4056)	10 (172.5600)	6 (177.7028)
Jun 17, 2022	Central Plains Ribfest 🏅 Holdrege, NE	6 / 29 (682.7884)	11 (171.9656)	20 (165.1428)	8 (172.5600)	6 (173.1200)
Jun 3, 2022	McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual 🏅 McLouth, KS	1 / 30 (687.3940)	2 (176.0228)	2 (174.8456)	21 (159.3828)	1 (177.1428)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

RAILYARD BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (13 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

Giant slayer

They almost always walk

High-water mark

State champions

The one to beat

The weak link

The drought

A strong matchup

Announced themselves early

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)