CIRCLE W BARBECUE

CIRCLE W BARBECUE is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2015. Their best overall finish is 7th of 30 at the 3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition (2014). They are ranked #3295 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,295

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1498

peak 1498 · rated over 10 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 26, 2013

latest Jul 17, 2015 · 2.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#779

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

10% of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 57%

overall standings

Best overall

662.2284 / 720

Master · 3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.31 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 639.59 (+6.72)

Walk rate

20%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4172

Brisket · 3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition

Consistency

±9.73

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 162.61 · weakest Chicken (156.89)

Road miles

1,332

across 10 mapped stops · furthest 299 mi

Schedule strength

19%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1527)

Master avg

639.59 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (6 found in their record)

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

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

PARROTHEAD SMOKERS ahead in 100% of their meetings

PARROTHEAD SMOKERS has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.7 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.72 points below their brisket, and turns into a call 10% of the time against 10%.

Chicken avg 156.89
Brisket avg 162.61
1 call in 10 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of WELL SAUCED BBQ in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

5 of 6 shared brisket entries lost

PARROTHEAD SMOKERS ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, PARROTHEAD SMOKERS has out-cooked them in 5 of 6 shared brisket entries.

A May team

Top 47% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 47% across 3 contests, versus top 57% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 57% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.35% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.35% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 88.8% of a perfect score
10 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
2015 ↗	Master	#2055 (75 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#1923 (115 pts)	#2111 (75 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#779 (438 pts)	#939 (378 pts)	#789 (463 pts)	#857 (428 pts)	#652 (568 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#788 (391 pts)	#949 (336 pts)	#852 (376 pts)	#852 (386 pts)	#691 (471 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to CIRCLE W BARBECUE, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Smokin A's

#3,293 of the rated field

1498 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1498

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Sep 19, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Southern Tailgates

#3,305 of the rated field

1498 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1504

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Aug 16, 2024

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Struttin Smokers

#3,288 of the rated field

1499 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1500

They turned up 8 years after CIRCLE W BARBECUE did, first appearing in 2021.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Dec 1, 2023

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NYARSPOLGAR BBQ

#3,282 of the rated field

1499 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1531

Level with CIRCLE W BARBECUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Aug 10, 2019

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BIG MOOK'S BBQ

#3,287 of the rated field

1499 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1500

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen May 29, 2015

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1881 SMOKIN' IRON BBQ

#3,286 of the rated field

1499 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1499

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Jun 3, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WHEN PIGS DIE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
LEEPS BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
PORK PATROL BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
HELPING U BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
PORKY BUTTS BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	1	0	0	166.8572	150.8000	156.89	top 71%
Pork Ribs	10	1	0	0	168.0116	156.5488	160.11	top 58%
Pork	10	1	0	0	169.1200	152.5372	159.97	top 59%
Brisket	10	1	1	1	175.4172	156.5714	162.61	top 47%

“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
Medium (20–39)	6	0	top 54%
Large (40+)	4	0	top 61%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
NE	8	top 52%
SD	1	top 67%
IA	1	top 85%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Cass County	2	16	0	top 51%	Aug 8, 2014
Pony Express BBQ Challenge	2	20	0	top 62%	Apr 25, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 5 contests

Contests a season 3.3 across 3 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NE 8 of 10 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 8 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 259 finished ahead 160 times, behind 215

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

20152 milestones

Jul 17 10th tracked contest RiverFest Red White and Que
Jul 17 Most recent contest RiverFest Red White and Que

20146 milestones

May 2 First call North Platte Honky Tonk BBQ Festival
May 30 First category win (Brisket) 3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition
May 30 First overall top-10 3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition
May 30 First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.2284 3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition
May 30 Career-best overall score662.2284 3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition
May 30 Career-best single call (Brisket)175.4172 3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition

20132 milestones

Apr 26 First tracked contest Pony Express BBQ Challenge
Apr 26 Peak power rating (1500) Pony Express BBQ Challenge

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.4	3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition	May 30, 2014
+4.3	Cass County	Aug 8, 2014
+2.7	RiverFest Red White and Que	Jul 17, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.2	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	Jul 26, 2013
-4.9	Pony Express BBQ Challenge	Apr 25, 2014
-2.7	Ribs, Rods & Rock 'n Roll	Sep 6, 2013
-1.5	North Platte Honky Tonk BBQ Festival	May 2, 2014
-0.5	Pony Express BBQ Challenge	Apr 26, 2013

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2015	1	0	0	0%	top 49%	89.5%	89.5%
2014	4	1	1	50%	top 51%	92%	89.8%
2013	5	0	0	0%	top 63%	88.5%	87.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 17, 2015	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	22 / 45 (644.4340)	33 (157.6568)	37 (156.5488)	14 (167.9656)	22 (162.2628)
Aug 8, 2014	Cass County Weeping Water, NE	16 / 35 (644.4456)	11 (166.8572)	19 (157.7144)	26 (155.9428)	14 (163.9312)
May 30, 2014	3rd Annual Valley Veterans Barbecue Competition Valley, NE	7 / 30 (662.2284)	24 (154.2512)	12 (163.4400)	4 (169.1200)	1 (175.4172)
May 2, 2014	North Platte Honky Tonk BBQ Festival North Platte, NE	16 / 25 (643.9772)	10 (163.4400)	7 (168.0116)	22 (152.5372)	17 (159.9884)
Apr 25, 2014	Pony Express BBQ Challenge Gothenburg, NE	20 / 28 (636.4456)	23 (156.5372)	16 (162.2744)	16 (160.5140)	19 (157.1200)
Sep 6, 2013	Ribs, Rods & Rock 'n Roll Vermillion, SD	18 / 27 (636.5488)	24 (151.4172)	21 (158.2744)	20 (161.1544)	12 (165.7028)
Aug 9, 2013	Cass County Weeping Water, NE	25 / 44 (637.0172)	32 (158.7884)	25 (159.9888)	27 (156.5256)	24 (161.7144)
Jul 26, 2013	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	56 / 66 (623.8968)	63 (150.8000)	49 (158.2972)	57 (155.9540)	41 (158.8456)
May 3, 2013	North Platte Honky Tonk Barbecue Festival North Platte, NE	20 / 38 (636.5716)	33 (153.1430)	20 (158.8572)	22 (159.9998)	11 (164.5716)
Apr 26, 2013	Pony Express BBQ Challenge Gothenburg, NE	25 / 47 (630.2852)	27 (155.9996)	26 (157.7142)	22 (160)	25 (156.5714)

CIRCLE W BARBECUE

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (6 found in their record)

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Brisket nemesis

A May team

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)