They almost always walk
63%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 5 of 8 contests
A top-10 category call in 63% of their 8 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
BRANDIN' IRON BBQ
BRANDIN' IRON BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2015. Their best overall finish is 14th of 16 at the Heart of Illinois BBQ, Beer & Bluegrass Festival (2014). They are ranked #3306 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1498
peak 1505 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Apr 19, 2013
latest May 1, 2015 · 2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 56%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
623.92 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 626.51 (-2.59)
Walk rate
63%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±48.07
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 161.76 · weakest Pork Ribs (143.07)
Road miles
1,065
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 173 mi
Schedule strength
17%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1524)
Master avg
626.51 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 | #1909 (105 pts) | #2209 (60 pts) | #2082 (80 pts) | #1492 (185 pts) | #2034 (90 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #1089 (279 pts) | #1110 (299 pts) | #1034 (324 pts) | #1289 (244 pts) | #1060 (304 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #850 (355 pts) | #737 (445 pts) | #771 (430 pts) | #856 (385 pts) | #722 (455 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to BRANDIN' IRON BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
104 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,318 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BRANDIN' IRON BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BRANDIN' IRON BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,314 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1498
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,298 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,294 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1498
They turned up 6 years after BRANDIN' IRON BBQ did, first appearing in 2019.
⚔ Compare careers#3,313 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1508
Level with BRANDIN' IRON BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,305 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1504
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOSS HAWG BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| QUAU | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| GILLY'S BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 154.8572 | 160.77 | top 59% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 167.4284 | 20 | 143.07 | top 56% |
| Pork | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5944 | 154.8000 | 161.76 | top 55% |
| Brisket | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 169.1430 | 147.4284 | 160.91 | top 48% |
“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 88% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 65% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 45% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Illinois Bragging Rights | 2 | 19 | 0 | top 49% | Oct 10, 2014 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2013
4 contests
Contests a season
2.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
6 of 8 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
7
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
222
finished ahead 160 times, behind 169
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20151 milestone
- Most recent contest Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)
20142 milestones
- Career-best overall score662.8460 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
- Peak power rating (1505) 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
- First call Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.3144 Central Illinois Bragging Rights
- Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4172 Central Illinois Bragging Rights
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +6.5 | Central Illinois Bragging Rights | Oct 11, 2013 |
| +6.2 | 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest | Apr 11, 2014 |
| +4.7 | Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) | May 1, 2015 |
| +1.8 | Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest | Apr 19, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.2 | Heart of Illinois BBQ, Beer & Bluegrass Festival | Sep 5, 2014 |
| -5.5 | Westmont Red, White & BBQ | May 24, 2013 |
| -3.6 | Q the Lou | Sep 13, 2013 |
| -2 | Central Illinois Bragging Rights | Oct 10, 2014 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 40% | 92% | 92% |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 62% | 92.1% | 83.6% |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75% | top 55% | 90.5% | 88.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2015 | Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Dwight, IL | 16 / 40 (662.2516) | 30 (158.8228) | 21 (166.8344) | 5 (172.5944) | 19 (164) |
| Oct 10, 2014 | Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL | 23 / 37 (639.2340) | 23 (161.0856) | 13 (162.8228) | 25 (158.2284) | 26 (157.0972) |
| Sep 5, 2014 | Heart of Illinois BBQ, Beer & Bluegrass Festival Peoria, IL | 14 / 16 (503.9316) | 11 (158.8460) | 16 (20) | 12 (161.0856) | 7 (164) |
| Apr 11, 2014 | 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO | 17 / 46 (662.8460) | 16 (165.7144) | 16 (166.8800) | 24 (162.8572) | 20 (167.3944) |
| Oct 11, 2013 | Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL | 19 / 53 (651.3144) | 4 (175.4172) | 28 (160.5828) | 40 (154.8000) | 20 (160.5144) |
| Sep 13, 2013 | Q the Lou Litchfield, IL | 17 / 25 (627.3488) | 21 (155.9544) | 19 (151.4172) | 13 (162.2628) | 13 (157.7144) |
| May 24, 2013 | Westmont Red, White & BBQ Westmont, IL | 48 / 70 (630.2854) | 58 (154.8572) | 63 (148.5712) | 53 (157.7140) | 8 (169.1430) |
| Apr 19, 2013 | Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO | 23 / 50 (634.8568) | 29 (155.4286) | 5 (167.4284) | 15 (164.5714) | 40 (147.4284) |