High-water mark
683.3488
career-best overall
94.9% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 683.3488 at Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT) — 94.9% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- May 2, 2026
Red & Black BBQ Shack
Red & Black BBQ Shack is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2024 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 8th of 26 at the New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) (2026). They are ranked #3743 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1488
peak 1488 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
16
in the data
First seen
Oct 18, 2024
latest Sep 25, 2026 · 1.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
13% of 16 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 60%
overall standings
Best overall
683.3488 / 720
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.95
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 167.31 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.64)
Road miles
842
across 16 mapped stops · furthest 221 mi
Schedule strength
65%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1582)
Purse competed for
$57K
listed at 14 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 10 state-championship entries
Master avg
662.88 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
324.50 / 360
4 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
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 | #412 (444 pts) | #366 (582 pts) | #244 (885 pts) | #366 (539 pts) | #443 (429 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Red & Black BBQ Shack, each with one reason worth a look.
143 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,744 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1488
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,726 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1489
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Red & Black BBQ Shack's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,759 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1488
Fewer contests behind them than Red & Black BBQ Shack has cooked, 9 to 16, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#3,758 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1488
They were already cooking in 2014, 10 years before Red & Black BBQ Shack's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#3,729 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1489
Level with Red & Black BBQ Shack on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,757 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1488
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grandpa Val's BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Rough Cut Q | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Mullen It Over BBQ | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| Titans of BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| ELJEFE SMOKE | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Let It Smoke Barbecue | 6 | 1 | 4 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| PADDY MCQ'S | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HUMPHREY'S BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| New Pigs on the Block | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| House of Que | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| STICKS & STONES BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Meat Monarchy | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 171.9656 | 161.6800 | 166.54 | top 63% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 147.3600 | 163.64 | top 59% |
| Pork | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5828 | 155.9772 | 167.31 | top 58% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.6800 | 155.3716 | 164.65 | top 67% |
“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) | 8 | 0 | top 63% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 36% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 35% | Apr 18, 2026 |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 63% | Oct 19, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
13 contests
Contests a season
5.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NJ
6 of 16 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
7
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
179
finished ahead 136 times, behind 230
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20267 milestones
- First overall top-10 New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score332.5372 New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1)
- 10th tracked contest New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)173.1200 Grand American Barbecue World Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Career-best overall score683.3488 Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT)
- Peak power rating (1499) Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT)
- Most recent contest First State BBQ Bash
20242 milestones
- First tracked contest Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1)
- First call Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +7.7 | Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT) | May 2, 2026 |
| +7.6 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) | Apr 17, 2026 |
| +3.7 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | Apr 18, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.3 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | Apr 11, 2026 |
| -7.2 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) | Oct 18, 2024 |
| -5 | First State BBQ Bash | Sep 25, 2026 |
| -2.8 | Trillium BBQ Throwdown | Aug 8, 2026 |
| -2.6 | Connecticut Barbecue Challenge | Jul 18, 2026 |
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 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 54% | top 59% | 94.9% | 92.2% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 63% | 88.9% | 87.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2026 | First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 28 / 39 (658.7432) | 24 (166.8228) | 15 (171.4288) | 28 (165.1200) | 35 (155.3716) |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Trillium BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Canton, MA | 18 / 25 (668.5028) | 20 (164.5600) | 9 (170.2744) | 10 (172.5828) | 22 (161.0856) |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Connecticut Barbecue Challenge 🏅 Somers, CT | 24 / 36 (666.1828) | 30 (162.8000) | 33 (163.4172) | 15 (171.4284) | 19 (168.5372) |
| May 2, 2026 | Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT) 🏅 New Paltz, NY | 21 / 59 (683.3488) | 34 (171.9656) | 26 (170.2744) | 25 (171.4288) | 26 (169.6800) |
| May 1, 2026 | Grand American Barbecue World Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) New Paltz, NY | — | 12 (168.5256) | — | — | — |
| May 1, 2026 | Grand American Barbecue World Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) New Paltz, NY | — | — | 7 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Apr 18, 2026 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 10 / 26 (333.6572) | 10 (167.9656) | 10 (165.6916) | — | — |
| Apr 18, 2026 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Blairstown, NJ | — | — | 8 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Apr 17, 2026 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 8 / 26 (332.5372) | 7 (167.4172) | 8 (165.1200) | — | — |
| Apr 17, 2026 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Blairstown, NJ | — | 9 (163.9772) | — | — | — |
| Apr 11, 2026 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Bristol, CT | 28 / 29 (637.6116) | 26 (161.6800) | 29 (151.3944) | 28 (155.9772) | 17 (168.5600) |
| Apr 11, 2026 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Bristol, CT | — | 12 (167.4056) | — | — | — |
| Apr 11, 2026 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT | — | — | 8 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Southwick, MA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 19, 2024 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Columbia, NJ | 14 / 26 (319.8856) | 6 (170.8344) | 15 (149.0512) | — | — |
| Oct 18, 2024 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Columbia, NJ | 20 / 28 (311.9200) | 9 (164.5600) | 20 (147.3600) | — | — |