BOURBON SMOKE BBQ

BOURBON SMOKE BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 5th of 29 at the Wabash Ribberfest BBQ Championship (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) (2017). They are ranked #2005 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,005

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1539

peak 1539 · rated over 13 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 3, 2013

latest Oct 13, 2017 · 4.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#788

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

23% of 13 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 48%

overall standings

Best overall

673.0628 / 720

Master · Wabash Ribberfest BBQ Championship (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)

Perfect 180s

Current form

662.44 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 650.32 (+12.12)

Walk rate

85%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.2972

Pork Ribs · Wabash Ribber Fest

Consistency

±15.71

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 165.22 · weakest Brisket (157.64)

Road miles

1,705

across 13 mapped stops · furthest 423 mi

Schedule strength

28%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1538)

Master avg

650.32 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

85% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 11 of 13 contests

A top-10 category call in 85% of their 13 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

673.0628 career-best overall

93.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 673.0628 at Wabash Ribberfest BBQ Championship (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) — 93.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Apr 28, 2017

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

CLUCK , OINK & MOO BARBECUE has finished one call ahead of BOURBON SMOKE BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

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 32%.

3 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 32%

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

One2BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

One2BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.6 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.58 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 23% of the time against 46%.

Brisket avg 157.64
Chicken avg 165.22
3 calls in 13 entries

A strong matchup

7–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 88% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN' WET BBQ in 7 of their 8 shared contests.

Show 4 more storylines

Chicken nemesis

7 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

One2BBQ ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, One2BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BONEHEAD BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An April team

Top 36% average finish in April

Something about April: average finish in the top 36% across 4 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.

4 April contests
top 48% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.18% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.18% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.3% of a perfect score
13 contests

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
2017 ↗	Master	#1107 (279 pts)	#1330 (229 pts)	#1103 (314 pts)	#1759 (129 pts)	#1164 (274 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1674 (140 pts)	#2283 (70 pts)	#1716 (150 pts)	#1872 (120 pts)	#1339 (230 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#922 (345 pts)	#926 (375 pts)	#654 (595 pts)	#1062 (315 pts)	#1370 (200 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#788 (432 pts)	#615 (627 pts)	#654 (582 pts)	#740 (512 pts)	#863 (397 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1431 (158 pts)	#1351 (198 pts)	#1400 (193 pts)	#1432 (178 pts)	#1451 (168 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BOURBON SMOKE BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

HOBBIE BAR-B-Q

#2,011 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 65
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1571

3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to BOURBON SMOKE BBQ)

These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — BOURBON SMOKE BBQ ahead 3–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 65 contests
last seen Sep 17, 2021

⚔ Head-to-head

C & J BACKYARD SMOKERS

#1,994 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1540

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 Sep 27, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

MANNY'S BBQ

#2,010 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1538

Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Oct 29, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

PORK N' CIDER

#1,990 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1539

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 14% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Jun 24, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

WHISKEY'N'CLEAVERS

#2,002 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1543

Level with BOURBON SMOKE BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 21, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

16 Mesh BBQ

#1,997 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1539

They turned up 9 years after BOURBON SMOKE BBQ did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Jul 12, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKEY'S Q	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
Its 5 Oclock Somewhere	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' WET BBQ	8	7	1	88%	⚔ compare
ALL IN QUE	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
One2BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
HIGH ON THE HOG CATLIN, IL	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
QUAU	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
MONSTER-QUE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
RURAL ROUTE BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	6	0	1	175.4400	152.5144	165.22	top 43%
Pork Ribs	13	8	1	2	178.2972	147.4288	164.92	top 41%
Pork	13	4	0	0	170.8456	151.9772	162.54	top 51%
Brisket	13	3	0	1	173.1200	136	157.64	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 field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 64%
Medium (20–39)	4	top 39%
Large (40+)	7	top 48%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IL	11	top 43%
MO	1	top 67%
AR	1	top 85%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Central Illinois Bragging Rights	3	12	0	top 39%	Oct 9, 2015
Wabash Ribberfest BBQ Championship (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)	2	5	0	top 24%	Apr 28, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2014 4 contests

Contests a season 2.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IL 11 of 13 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 10 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 264 finished ahead 252 times, behind 208

Longest layoff 1 yrs Apr 22, 2016 → Apr 28, 2017

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

20173 milestones

Apr 28 Career-best overall score673.0628 Wabash Ribberfest BBQ Championship (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)
Oct 13 Peak power rating (1539) CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ
Oct 13 Most recent contest CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ

20152 milestones

Apr 24 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.2972 Wabash Ribber Fest
Oct 9 10th tracked contest Central Illinois Bragging Rights

20143 milestones

Apr 25 First category win (Pork Ribs) Wabash Ribberfest Barbecue Championship
Jun 26 First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.2056 Legacy State BBQ Championship Cook-Off
Jul 4 First overall top-10 Fin to Fur Red White and Blue BBQ Blowout

20132 milestones

May 3 First tracked contest Smokelawn
May 3 First call Smokelawn

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.5	Wabash Ribberfest BBQ Championship (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)	Apr 28, 2017
+10.4	Central Illinois Bragging Rights	Oct 9, 2015
+8.5	Wabash Ribber Fest	Apr 24, 2015
+8.2	Wabash Ribberfest BBQ Championship	Apr 22, 2016
+5.7	Central Illinois Bragging Rights	Oct 10, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.9	Smokelawn	May 3, 2013
-3.8	Legacy BBQ Championship	Jun 27, 2013
-3	Wabash Ribberfest Barbecue Championship	Apr 25, 2014
-1.4	Fin to Fur Red White and Blue BBQ Blowout	Jul 4, 2014
-0.1	Legacy State BBQ Championship Cook-Off	Jun 26, 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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	2	1	0	100%	top 29%	93.5%	92.5%
2016	1	1	0	100%	top 30%	89.4%	89.4%
2015	3	0	0	100%	top 32%	93.2%	92.6%
2014	4	1	1	100%	top 59%	91.4%	89.7%
2013	3	0	0	33%	top 68%	89.4%	87.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 13, 2017	CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ Arthur, IL	17 / 41 (658.2172)	19 (167.3944)	8 (169.1772)	33 (154.2284)	16 (167.4172)
Apr 28, 2017	Wabash Ribberfest BBQ Championship (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Mt.Carmel, IL	5 / 29 (673.0628)	9 (167.9772)	7 (171.4400)	22 (160.5256)	6 (173.1200)
Apr 22, 2016	Wabash Ribberfest BBQ Championship Mt. Carmel, IL	9 / 30 (643.9428)	22 (152.5144)	8 (164)	12 (158.8800)	3 (168.5484)
Oct 9, 2015	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	12 / 48 (671.3368)	9 (171.9656)	5 (173.1428)	17 (166.8800)	30 (159.3484)
May 1, 2015	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Dwight, IL	15 / 40 (665.6344)	9 (170.2628)	6 (173.1316)	25 (159.9656)	21 (162.2744)
Apr 24, 2015	Wabash Ribber Fest Mt. Carmel, IL	15 / 46 (662.8000)	20 (166.8572)	3 (178.2972)	8 (170.8456)	42 (146.8000)
Oct 10, 2014	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	15 / 37 (649.1772)	9 (168.6516)	30 (154.2744)	9 (164.5600)	18 (161.6912)
Jul 4, 2014	Fin to Fur Red White and Blue BBQ Blowout Thayer, MO	8 / 12 (635.9204)	5 (162.8344)	10 (147.4288)	6 (166.8344)	8 (158.8228)
Jun 26, 2014	Legacy State BBQ Championship Cook-Off Effingham, IL	11 / 18 (658.2056)	2 (175.4400)	12 (165.0972)	14 (160.5600)	15 (157.1084)
Apr 25, 2014	Wabash Ribberfest Barbecue Championship Mt. Carmel, IL	33 / 50 (640.5260)	41 (155.4172)	1 (176.0344)	17 (166.2856)	45 (142.7888)
Oct 11, 2013	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	27 / 53 (643.3488)	13 (170.2628)	14 (166.8572)	43 (151.9772)	34 (154.2516)
Jun 27, 2013	Legacy BBQ Championship Effingham, IL	19 / 28 (634.8562)	23 (156.5712)	23 (155.4282)	15 (161.7144)	17 (161.1424)
May 3, 2013	Smokelawn Hot Springs, AR	35 / 41 (617.1424)	25 (161.7140)	35 (149.7142)	10 (169.7142)	39 (136)

BOURBON SMOKE BBQ

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 (11 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

An April team

The metronome

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 — 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)