SLABS OF APPROVAL

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

Power ranking

#2512

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1519

peak 1543 · rated over 14 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-04-05

latest 2017-08-18

Best ToY finish

#856

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 14 contests

Avg finish

top 50%

overall standings

Best overall

677.0400 / 720

Master · Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

638.53 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 650.99 (-12.46)

Walk rate

57%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Pork Ribs · Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship

Consistency

±14.15

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 165.83 · weakest Brisket (156.61)

Road miles

430

mi across 14 mapped stops · furthest 59 mi

Schedule strength

37%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1548)

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

650.99 / 720

14 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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.

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180s

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork ribs.

Pork Ribs ×1

High-water mark

677.0400 career-best overall

94.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 677.0400 at Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship — 94.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-09-26

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 37%.

3 contests
0 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 37%

A tough matchup

11–2 behind in the head-to-head

Theslabs.com ahead in 85% of their meetings

Theslabs.com has come out ahead in 11 of their 13 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.2 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.22 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 7% of the time against 21%.

Brisket avg 156.61
Pork Ribs avg 165.83
1 calls in 14 entries

A strong matchup

6–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 86% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ROADKILL BBQ in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

7 of 9 shared pork ribs entries lost

SLAPS BBQ ahead 78% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SLAPS BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 9 shared pork ribs entries.

A September team

Top 31% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 31% across 4 contests, versus top 50% the rest of the year.

4 September contests
top 50% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.96% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.96% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.4% of a perfect score
14 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship every year from 2013 to 2016 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 11th

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.

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

SMOKIN RETURNS

#2501 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1522

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to SLABS OF APPROVAL)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SLABS OF APPROVAL has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2019-09-12

⚔ Head-to-head

Big Juicy BBQ

#2509 of the rated field

1519 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1519

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2026-05-23

⚔ Head-to-head

M & K BBQ

#2505 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1533

No shared contest yet.

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 20 contests to 14.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2025-10-17

⚔ Head-to-head

Smoking O's

#2508 of the rated field

1519 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 42% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2019-08-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Blood Sweat & Beers

#2503 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1541

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2025-06-27

⚔ Head-to-head

BUTTS AND GUTS

#2517 of the rated field

1519 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1519

No shared contest yet.

Level with SLABS OF APPROVAL on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2018-06-22

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Theslabs.com	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
SKUNK RIVER BBQ	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
T'S SMOKIN PIT	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
IHC BBQ	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
THUMP & STRUM BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
ROADKILL BBQ	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
POLITICAL PORK	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
PIG NEWTON	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
JAESTAR BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
KCQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
FUNNY FARM BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	14	2	0	1	173.7028	156.5600	165.09	top 46%
Pork Ribs	14	3	1	3	180.0000 🔥	144.5028	165.83	top 38%
Pork	14	4	0	0	175.4056	153.0856	163.45	top 51%
Brisket	14	1	0	0	172.0000	138.7660	156.61	top 60%

“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 state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MO	8	0	top 53%
KS	6	0	top 46%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	4	0	top 65%
Large (40+)	10	0	top 44%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship	4	11	top 31%	2016-09-23
BBQ and Fly In on the River	2	29	top 64%	2017-08-18
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	16	top 74%	2016-04-29
Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief	2	32	top 53%	2016-04-01

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.4 yrs 2013-04-05 → 2017-08-18

Busiest season 2013 4 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MO 8 of 14 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 8 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 14 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 165.83 · weakest Brisket (156.61)

Walk rate 57% a top-10 call in 8 of 14 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 14 contests

Master average 650.99 out of 720 · 14 contests · 0 GCs

Perfect 180s 1 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 478 563–428 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 430 14 mapped stops · furthest 59 mi

Schedule strength 1548 average field rating faced — tougher than 37% of rated contests

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Power rating 1519 peak 1543 · #2512 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Apr 5 First tracked contest Smokin' On Big Creek
Apr 5 First call Smokin' On Big Creek
Apr 5 First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.2856 Smokin' On Big Creek
2014
Sep 26 First category win (Pork Ribs) Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship
Sep 26 First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship
Sep 26 Career-best overall score677.0400 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship
2015
Sep 25 Peak power rating (1543) Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship
2016
Apr 1 10th tracked contest Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief
2017
Aug 18 Most recent contest BBQ and Fly In on the River

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.6	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship	2014-09-26
+9.4	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship	2015-09-25
+7	Smokin' On Big Creek	2013-04-05
+3.5	Apple Blossom Barbecue Contest	2013-05-03
+3.2	BBQ and Fly In on the River	2013-08-16

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.5	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2016-04-29
-7.8	BBQ and Fly In on the River	2017-08-18
-2	Johnson County Fair BBQ Challenge	2017-07-07
-1.8	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship	2016-09-23
-1.1	Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief	2016-04-01

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	2	0	50%	top 77%	89.4%	87.8%
2016	3	0	67%	top 69%	90.5%	89.3%
2015	2	0	50%	top 31%	93.1%	92.6%
2014	3	1	67%	top 37%	94%	91.4%
2013	4	0	50%	top 40%	92%	90.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-08-18	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	55 / 65 (621.0632)	55 (156.5600)	13 (171.4744)	56 (154.2628)	60 (138.7660)
2017-07-07	Johnson County Fair BBQ Challenge Warrensburg, MO	24 / 35 (643.3372)	7 (173.7028)	29 (153.7144)	18 (168.5600)	32 (147.3600)
2016-09-23	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS	58 / 111 (642.7200)	43 (165.6800)	77 (156.5372)	89 (157.6800)	43 (162.8228)
2016-04-29	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Overland Park, KS	28 / 30 (634.1368)	27 (158.8456)	26 (158.2400)	9 (167.9772)	29 (149.0740)
2016-04-01	Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief Pleasant Hill, MO	44 / 72 (651.3828)	52 (160.5716)	22 (165.7256)	65 (153.0856)	7 (172.0000)
2015-09-25	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS	20 / 112 (670.1712)	24 (169.1200)	18 (172.5484)	59 (159.9772)	27 (168.5256)
2015-04-03	Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief(Judges Full) Pleasant Hill, MO	32 / 71 (663.3600)	39 (166.2972)	22 (167.4172)	5 (175.4056)	55 (154.2400)
2014-09-26	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS	11 / 112 (677.0400)	51 (163.9772)	1 (180.0000)	29 (169.1200)	39 (163.9428)
2014-05-02	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Overland Park, KS	16 / 29 (643.9084)	2 (169.1656)	27 (144.5028)	10 (167.9772)	13 (162.2628)
2014-04-04	Smokin On Big Creek - Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief Pleasant Hill, MO	35 / 75 (653.1084)	38 (164.5484)	17 (168.5944)	44 (162.2856)	46 (157.6800)
2013-09-27	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS	52 / 114 (642.7540)	33 (166.2628)	21 (168.5828)	62 (160.0000)	90 (147.9084)
2013-08-16	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	29 / 66 (650.8232)	16 (168.5828)	33 (161.1316)	34 (163.4288)	39 (157.6800)
2013-05-03	Apple Blossom Barbecue Contest St. Joseph, MO	16 / 39 (657.7140)	16 (165.7140)	2 (174.8572)	9 (169.1430)	29 (147.9998)
2013-04-05	Smokin' On Big Creek Pleasant Hill, MO	22 / 74 (662.2856)	44 (162.2856)	2 (178.2858)	54 (159.4286)	39 (162.2856)

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
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#1822 (120 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#2266 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1511 (175 pts)	#1596 (175 pts)	#1493 (190 pts)	#1250 (260 pts)	#1156 (280 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1549 (145 pts)	#1742 (125 pts)	#1543 (170 pts)	#1270 (245 pts)	#1763 (120 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#986 (319 pts)	#890 (404 pts)	#780 (469 pts)	#1161 (279 pts)	#1178 (264 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#856 (349 pts)	#853 (379 pts)	#459 (709 pts)	#872 (374 pts)	#1036 (289 pts)