IN THE KEY OF QUE

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#2702

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1513

peak 1519 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-03

latest 2016-05-06

Best ToY finish

#805

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 51%

overall standings

Best overall

680.5600 / 720

Master · Racing for the BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

628.27 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 638.30 (-10.03)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Chicken · Racing for the BBQ

Consistency

±40.80

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 165.43 · weakest Brisket (157.59)

Road miles

520

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 81 mi

Schedule strength

21%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1529)

Master avg

638.30 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 8 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

680.5600 career-best overall

94.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 680.5600 at Racing for the BBQ — 94.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-07-24

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 29%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 29%

A tough matchup

7–0 behind in the head-to-head

GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 100% of their meetings

GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.85 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 18% of the time against 18%.

Brisket avg 157.59
Chicken avg 165.43
2 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of UTB BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

7 of 7 shared chicken entries lost

GETTIN' BASTED ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GETTIN' BASTED has out-cooked them in 7 of 7 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

RIB CAGE BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

CAPTAIN JACK'S BBQ CREW

#2690 of the rated field

1513 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1515

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to IN THE KEY OF QUE)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team IN THE KEY OF QUE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2018-03-02

⚔ Head-to-head

2 Live Que

#2708 of the rated field

1513 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1513

No shared contest yet.

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 2025-01-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Slowburn BBQ - AR

#2707 of the rated field

1513 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1531

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-08-14

⚔ Head-to-head

Rockin W Smokers

#2711 of the rated field

1513 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1529

No shared contest yet.

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 23% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-03-20

⚔ Head-to-head

Hot Rods BBQ

#2684 of the rated field

1514 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1531

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 6 years after IN THE KEY OF QUE did, first appearing in 2019.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2020-07-31

⚔ Head-to-head

Shanty Town BBQ

#2703 of the rated field

1513 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

Level with IN THE KEY OF QUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2018-01-26

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
Bare Bones BBQ Team	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
UTB BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
PARK AVENUE PORK	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
NICKLE BOYS BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
HANG 'EM' HIGH	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
KCQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
50 SHADES OF QUE	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SPICEWINE IRONWORKS	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
BACKFIRIN' BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
THUMP & STRUM BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' SAUCED	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	2	1	176.5600	155.3828	165.43	top 47%
Pork Ribs	11	3	0	171.4286	157.6572	164.97	top 42%
Pork	11	2	0	173.1200	151.4284	161.95	top 56%
Brisket	11	2	0	170.8800	139.8856	157.59	top 62%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 63%
Medium (20–39)	3	top 60%
Large (40+)	7	top 45%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest	2	15	0	top 66%	2016-05-06

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3 yrs 2013-05-03 → 2016-05-06

Busiest season 2013 5 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MO 11 of 11 contests

Contests visited 10 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 11 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 165.43 · weakest Brisket (157.59)

Walk rate 73% a top-10 call in 8 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 9% 1 of 11 contests

Master average 638.30 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 1,033 1,008–487 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 520 11 mapped stops · furthest 81 mi

Schedule strength 1529 average field rating faced — tougher than 21% of rated contests

Power rating 1513 peak 1519 · #2702 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 3 First tracked contest Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest
May 3 First call Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest
May 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.4284 Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest
2015
Jul 24 Career-best overall score680.5600 Racing for the BBQ
Jul 24 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.5600 Racing for the BBQ
Sep 25 First overall top-10 Oak Grove BBQ & Lemonade Festival
Oct 3 10th tracked contest 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open
Oct 3 Peak power rating (1519) 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open
2016
May 6 Most recent contest Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.2	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open	2015-10-03
+11.5	Racing for the BBQ	2015-07-24
+4.5	Racing For The BBQ	2013-07-26
+2.3	Bucksaw Band & BBQ	2013-09-13
+1	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	2013-10-03

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7	Racing for the BBQ	2014-07-25
-6.1	Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest	2016-05-06
-5.1	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake	2014-04-11
-2.4	Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest	2013-05-03
-1.4	Oak Grove BBQ & Lemonade Festival	2015-09-25

Category scores over time

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

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2016	1	0	100%	top 72%	90.2%	90.2%
2015	3	1	67%	top 29%	94.5%	85.5%
2014	2	0	50%	top 73%	89.7%	88.9%
2013	5	0	80%	top 51%	91.7%	89.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2016-05-06	Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest Columbia, MO	23 / 32 (649.6684)	23 (163.4512)	17 (163.9772)	5 (173.1200)	30 (149.1200)
2015-10-03	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	19 / 606 (510.2400)	255 (165.6684)	304 (163.4172)	396 (160.5372)	437 (154.7884)
2015-09-25	Oak Grove BBQ & Lemonade Festival Oak Grove, MO	10 / 16 (656.4916)	10 (165.0972)	13 (157.6572)	13 (162.8572)	7 (170.8800)
2015-07-24	Racing for the BBQ Lees Summit, MO	13 / 63 (680.5600)	3 (176.5600)	25 (167.9772)	23 (168.0344)	22 (167.9884)
2014-07-25	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	41 / 54 (646.1368)	30 (165.0972)	34 (161.1200)	37 (159.9312)	31 (159.9884)
2014-04-11	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake Smithville, MO	38 / 54 (634.7084)	39 (159.4172)	10 (169.1428)	17 (166.2628)	53 (139.8856)
2013-10-03	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	265 / 535 (638.2744)	76 (169.7144)	86 (167.4400)	428 (151.9772)	414 (149.1428)
2013-09-13	Bucksaw Band & BBQ Clinton, MO	11 / 23 (627.8056)	14 (155.3828)	11 (159.3828)	9 (159.3828)	13 (153.6572)
2013-07-26	Racing For The BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	23 / 58 (660.4568)	25 (166.2400)	26 (164.0000)	35 (161.6456)	10 (168.5712)
2013-05-17	Lake of the Ozarks Blues & BBQ Weekend Lake of the Ozarks, MO	23 / 41 (659.4282)	12 (170.2856)	8 (171.4286)	36 (151.4284)	17 (166.2856)
2013-05-03	Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest Columbia, MO	15 / 25 (651.4284)	15 (162.8570)	7 (169.1430)	12 (166.2858)	22 (153.1426)

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

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

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2016 ↗	Master	#2232 (67 pts)	#2313 (67 pts)	#2161 (97 pts)	#1558 (182 pts)	#2892 (57 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1022 (296 pts)	#876 (411 pts)	#1334 (221 pts)	#1334 (231 pts)	#1100 (281 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1589 (150 pts)	#1666 (150 pts)	#1327 (225 pts)	#1498 (190 pts)	#1664 (150 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#805 (379 pts)	#797 (409 pts)	#654 (509 pts)	#845 (389 pts)	#755 (429 pts)