FRIENDS OF OBR

FRIENDS OF OBR is a competition barbecue team with 41 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 62 at the High on the Hog Festival (2014), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #951 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#951

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1610

peak 1648 · rated over 41 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 14, 2013

latest Aug 17, 2018 · 5.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#185

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

15 podiums

Overall top-10s

32% of 41 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 39%

overall standings

Best overall

699.9884 / 720

Master · High on the Hog Festival

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

667.19 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 673.03 (-5.85)

Walk rate

76%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Jim Beam BBQ Classic

Consistency

±12.15

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 170.14 · weakest Brisket (167.21)

Road miles

7,735

across 41 mapped stops · furthest 775 mi

Schedule strength

50%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)

Master avg

673.03 / 720

41 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (14 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

1.1088 points from the title

Came within 1.1088 points of the Grand Championship at High on the Hog Festival (Apr 18, 2014).

Perfect scores on the board

2 perfect 180s

2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.

Chicken ×2

Happy hunting ground

Top 13% average finish here

Smokin' On The River is their spot: an average finish in the top 13% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 6th
average top 13%

They almost always walk

76% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 31 of 41 contests

A top-10 category call in 76% of their 41 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

699.9884 career-best overall

97.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 699.9884 at High on the Hog Festival — 97.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
Apr 18, 2014

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

FOWL BUTT BBQ has finished one call ahead of FRIENDS OF OBR 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

16–2 behind in the head-to-head

WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS ahead in 89% of their meetings

WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS has come out ahead in 16 of their 18 shared contests.

Show 7 more storylines

A strong matchup

19–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 95% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ACME BBQ in 19 of their 20 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

18 of 28 shared chicken entries lost

BLUE CHIP BBQ ahead 64% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BLUE CHIP BBQ has out-cooked them in 18 of 28 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 29% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 29% across 5 contests, versus top 39% the rest of the year.

5 May contests
top 39% the rest of the year

The long haul

7,735 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 7,735 miles across 41 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 775 miles to Sam's Club National BBQ Tour.

41 mapped stops
furthest 775 mi

The metronome

±1.69% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.69% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.5% of a perfect score
41 contests

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked Jim Beam BBQ Classic every year from 2013 to 2017 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 12th

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1954 (60 pts)	#1542 (130 pts)	#1771 (110 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1990 (60 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1251 (222 pts)	#1147 (292 pts)	#1028 (352 pts)	#1334 (227 pts)	#1319 (227 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#707 (536 pts)	#520 (776 pts)	#699 (576 pts)	#998 (371 pts)	#626 (641 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#185 (1,566 pts)	#135 (1,629 pts)	#169 (1,554 pts)	#188 (1,429 pts)	#281 (1,206 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#226 (1,426 pts)	#214 (1,376 pts)	#153 (1,618 pts)	#241 (1,281 pts)	#178 (1,562 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1135 (241 pts)	#893 (361 pts)	#1328 (211 pts)	#1303 (206 pts)	#1183 (241 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to FRIENDS OF OBR, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Smokin Gringos BBQ

#953 of the rated field

1610 power rating

Contests: 47
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1630

Careers of much the same size, 47 contests to 41, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 42 contests
last seen Jul 11, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

Nice Racks

#956 of the rated field

1609 power rating

Contests: 46
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1630

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 46 contests, alongside a 30% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 44 contests
last seen Jul 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

BIG BLOCK BBQ

#959 of the rated field

1609 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1640

They've been 1640 at their best, 31 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 32 contests
last seen Sep 3, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

Chicken Chokers

#952 of the rated field

1610 power rating

Contests: 72
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1684

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

rated over 72 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2024

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Duck Dog Bar-B-Que

#957 of the rated field

1609 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1612

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

rated over 17 contests
last seen Jul 29, 2016

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FRIULI VIOLENT GRILLERS

#955 of the rated field

1609 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 69%
Peak: 1609

4 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Sep 14, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BLUE CHIP BBQ	28	9	19	32%	⚔ compare
WeQ4U	24	10	14	42%	⚔ compare
Extra Mile BBQ	23	13	10	57%	⚔ compare
Pappy Q	21	7	14	33%	⚔ compare
ACME BBQ	20	19	1	95%	⚔ compare
HUG HOGS	18	8	10	44%	⚔ compare
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ	18	4	14	22%	⚔ compare
WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
EAT MOR BUTT BBQ	17	6	11	35%	⚔ compare
SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE	15	6	9	40%	⚔ compare
SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS	15	6	9	40%	⚔ compare
THUNDER HOG BBQ	15	5	10	33%	⚔ compare
MONTY PIGTHON & THE HOLY GRILL	14	8	6	57%	⚔ compare
CHARCOAL & MORE	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
GREY STREET BBQ	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	41	13	4	7	180 🔥	154.7772	170.14	top 42%
Pork Ribs	41	15	1	3	178.8800	152.5144	168.38	top 39%
Pork	41	9	1	3	177.7372	156.5028	167.30	top 49%
Brisket	41	11	1	2	176.5600	157.6456	167.21	top 43%

“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)	19	0	top 45%
Large (40+)	22	0	top 34%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IN	16	top 39%
KY	13	top 40%
TN	5	top 30%
NC	2	top 31%
FL	2	top 42%
GA	1	top 87%
OH	1	top 22%
MS	1	top 67%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Jim Beam BBQ Classic	5	12	top 48%	Oct 6, 2017
Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival	3	24	top 53%	Aug 17, 2018
Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	3	3	top 20%	Jul 17, 2015
Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival	2	11	top 53%	Jun 16, 2017
Smokin For Garrett	2	16	top 62%	Jun 2, 2017
WNC BBQ Festival	2	8	top 31%	Jul 24, 2015
High on the Hog Festival	2	2	top 21%	Apr 17, 2015
Smokin' On The River	2	6	top 13%	Jun 13, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 13 contests

Contests a season 6.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IN 16 of 41 contests · 8 states in all

Contests visited 28 8 of them more than once

Opponents faced 609 finished ahead 1,068 times, behind 603

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

20181 milestone

Aug 17 Most recent contest Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival

20161 milestone

Jun 17 Peak power rating (1648) Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival

20152 milestones

Aug 21 25th tracked contest Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival
Sep 25 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Grillin N Chillin BBQ

20144 milestones

Feb 21 First category win (Chicken) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 18 First Reserve Championship High on the Hog Festival
Apr 18 Career-best overall score699.9884 High on the Hog Festival
Jun 27 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness

20135 milestones

Jun 14 First tracked contest Smokin' on the River
Jun 14 First call Smokin' on the River
Jun 14 First overall top-10 Smokin' on the River
Jun 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score679.9994 Smokin' on the River
Jul 19 First overall podium Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.4	High on the Hog Festival	Apr 18, 2014
+15.2	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	Jul 19, 2013
+13.1	Smokin' On The River	Jun 12, 2015
+12	Smokin' on the River	Jun 14, 2013
+11.6	Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff	May 24, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.2	Smokin For Garrett	Jun 2, 2017
-9.3	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	Jul 1, 2016
-8.1	Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival	Jun 16, 2017
-7.6	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival	Aug 21, 2015
-5.5	Smoke on the Square	Jul 21, 2017

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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)
2018	2	0	0	50%	top 52%	92.8%	91.7%
2017	5	0	0	40%	top 62%	94.2%	92.3%
2016	5	1	1	80%	top 47%	94.9%	93.9%
2015	13	5	2	92%	top 31%	96.3%	94.1%
2014	12	5	4	83%	top 36%	97.2%	93.7%
2013	4	2	0	50%	top 31%	94.4%	92.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 17, 2018	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	28 / 54 (667.8628)	11 (174.2628)	15 (170.8228)	38 (162.2744)	40 (160.5028)
Apr 27, 2018	Smokin For Garrett Boonville, IN	20 / 38 (652.4916)	26 (161.6916)	33 (152.5144)	5 (173.1428)	15 (165.1428)
Oct 6, 2017	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	21 / 44 (678.1600)	19 (171.9772)	20 (167.9772)	10 (174.2628)	30 (163.9428)
Aug 18, 2017	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	26 / 55 (667.8168)	16 (171.9656)	34 (162.8000)	33 (162.2284)	16 (170.8228)
Jul 21, 2017	Smoke on the Square Vernon, IN	17 / 25 (669.6000)	13 (170.8344)	22 (161.6800)	13 (170.8228)	15 (166.2628)
Jun 16, 2017	Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival Barbourville, KY	22 / 31 (655.8856)	15 (168.5484)	11 (169.1544)	24 (160.5372)	26 (157.6456)
Jun 2, 2017	Smokin For Garrett Boonville, IN	24 / 31 (651.3716)	21 (165.7028)	7 (168.5716)	29 (157.6572)	22 (159.4400)
Sep 30, 2016	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	21 / 43 (678.2172)	1 (180)	13 (171.4172)	26 (165.6800)	34 (161.1200)
Jul 1, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Marietta, GA	26 / 30 (670.1828)	25 (167.4172)	19 (169.6684)	24 (166.8572)	24 (166.2400)
Jun 17, 2016	Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival Barbourville, KY	11 / 32 (683.3368)	20 (170.8112)	11 (170.8228)	21 (166.2628)	2 (175.4400)
May 20, 2016	Smokin' for Garrett Boonville, IN	16 / 35 (664.4684)	17 (166.8228)	18 (165.0972)	27 (161.6684)	9 (170.8800)
May 13, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Bowling Green, KY	6 / 29 (682.7772)	2 (176.0116)	8 (171.4056)	13 (166.8228)	12 (168.5372)
Oct 16, 2015	Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off Munfordville, KY	14 / 34 (671.3256)	17 (168.5372)	13 (167.4056)	4 (176)	26 (159.3828)
Oct 2, 2015	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	12 / 45 (682.7884)	11 (173.1200)	23 (168)	27 (167.9656)	6 (173.7028)
Sep 25, 2015	Grillin N Chillin BBQ Owensboro, KY	3 / 38 (687.3140)	2 (180)	5 (173.1200)	14 (167.3712)	17 (166.8228)
Sep 11, 2015	Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY	5 / 29 (682.7772)	1 (177.7144)	9 (169.7028)	22 (163.9428)	5 (171.4172)
Aug 21, 2015	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	43 / 64 (644.9600)	60 (154.7772)	35 (163.9656)	42 (161.0856)	26 (165.1316)
Jul 24, 2015	WNC BBQ Festival Maggie Valley, NC	8 / 49 (681.6000)	4 (178.8572)	33 (162.2284)	3 (176.5600)	28 (163.9544)
Jul 17, 2015	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	12 / 44 (684.5256)	26 (168)	8 (174.2856)	12 (173.7028)	17 (168.5372)
Jun 12, 2015	Smokin' On The River Jeffersonville, IN	3 / 59 (693.0396)	15 (171.9656)	4 (175.4172)	3 (175.4056)	13 (170.2512)
Jun 5, 2015	Bourbon City BBQ Festival Bardstown, KY	12 / 34 (677.6228)	7 (174.2744)	21 (164.5372)	21 (169.7028)	14 (169.1084)
May 29, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Hendersonville, TN	12 / 29 (678.7312)	11 (171.9772)	6 (174.2628)	15 (169.1084)	24 (163.3828)
May 15, 2015	Buckeye State BBQ Championship West Chester, OH	8 / 36 (685.0856)	9 (172.5600)	16 (166.8456)	5 (173.1200)	9 (172.5600)
Apr 17, 2015	High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN	23 / 59 (681.0284)	33 (169.6800)	1 (178.8800)	41 (166.2284)	37 (166.2400)
Mar 26, 2015	Florida Heritage BBQ Classic Kissimmee, FL	14 / 23 (660.4112)	13 (165.0856)	13 (166.2400)	20 (160.5256)	7 (168.5600)
Oct 3, 2014	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	26 / 44 (666.7428)	10 (173.1428)	3 (177.7144)	41 (156.5028)	35 (159.3828)
Sep 5, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Southaven, MS	20 / 30 (678.1596)	27 (163.9428)	2 (176.5600)	17 (167.9884)	15 (169.6684)
Aug 15, 2014	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	24 / 60 (664.4224)	42 (163.3828)	16 (169.1428)	40 (159.3484)	9 (172.5484)
Aug 8, 2014	Smokin' in McMinnville McMinnville, TN	21 / 40 (672.4112)	26 (167.3828)	16 (167.9656)	28 (166.2400)	14 (170.8228)
Jul 25, 2014	WNC BBQ Festival Maggie Valley, NC	21 / 46 (661.0744)	16 (167.9772)	19 (166.2744)	21 (166.8572)	32 (159.9656)
Jul 18, 2014	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	14 / 51 (674.7316)	28 (164.5488)	8 (173.1200)	22 (166.2284)	7 (170.8344)
Jun 27, 2014	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	10 / 34 (674.1828)	27 (164.5372)	10 (169.6800)	19 (166.2628)	1 (173.7028)
Jun 13, 2014	Smokin' On The River Jeffersonville, IN	6 / 52 (682.2172)	5 (176)	5 (170.8572)	25 (164.5372)	11 (170.8228)
Jun 6, 2014	Bourbon City BBQ Festival Cookoff Bardstown, KY	19 / 34 (668.5260)	24 (166.2744)	16 (167.4400)	8 (173.7028)	24 (161.1088)
May 24, 2014	Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff Lewisburg, TN	6 / 41 (687.9544)	32 (164.5372)	22 (169.1200)	1 (177.7372)	4 (176.5600)
Apr 18, 2014	High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN	2 / 62 (699.9884)	1 (178.2972)	7 (175.4056)	4 (176)	23 (170.2856)
Feb 21, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Tampa, FL	5 / 21 (666.7660)	1 (177.7144)	14 (161.1088)	15 (159.9428)	4 (168)
Oct 4, 2013	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	24 / 41 (661.6688)	21 (167.4172)	36 (155.9888)	13 (169.7028)	14 (168.5600)
Aug 16, 2013	Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues Madison, IN	28 / 60 (646.7540)	32 (160.5600)	46 (154.2400)	18 (166.8228)	20 (165.1312)
Jul 19, 2013	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	3 / 57 (675.3828)	9 (171.4400)	4 (172.5944)	12 (166.8228)	20 (164.5256)
Jun 14, 2013	Smokin' on the River Jeffersonville, IN	8 / 52 (679.9994)	2 (176)	11 (169.7142)	24 (165.7140)	16 (168.5712)

FRIENDS OF OBR

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (14 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Perfect scores on the board

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A May team

The long haul

The metronome

A standing appointment

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)