The heartbreaker
0.5600
points from the title
Came within 0.5600 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) (Aug 19, 2023).
RUBY CREEK BBQ
RUBY CREEK BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 39 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the September Fest (2024), and finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #1047 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1600
peak 1600 · rated over 23 contests6 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
39
in the data
First seen
May 31, 2019
latest Jun 19, 2026 · 7.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
2 reserve · wins it all 3% of the time
Category wins
4
14 podiums
Overall top-10s
15
38% of 39 contests
Best top-10 run
6
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 39%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
338.48 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 332.21 (+6.27)
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.83
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 167.21 · weakest Brisket (162.85)
Road miles
5,289
across 36 mapped stops · furthest 349 mi
Schedule strength
47%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1561)
Purse competed for
$140K
listed at 31 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 12 state-championship entries
Master avg
663.56 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
332.21 / 360
19 Backyard contests · 1 GC
Backyard (3-meat) avg
503.90 / 540
2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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 ↗ | Backyard | #275 (105 pts) | #305 (85 pts) | #245 (145 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #144 (397 pts) | #150 (367 pts) | #104 (597 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1148 (60 pts) | #1221 (60 pts) | #547 (390 pts) | #1190 (60 pts) | #1190 (60 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #93 (658 pts) | #100 (623 pts) | #62 (821 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #729 (195 pts) | #692 (250 pts) | #796 (210 pts) | #824 (170 pts) | #922 (120 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #22 (1,159 pts) | #41 (1,049 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #451 (543 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #270 (110 pts) | #157 (245 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1075 (130 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #98 (331 pts) | #91 (356 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1067 (102 pts) | #1122 (102 pts) | #870 (167 pts) | #1081 (107 pts) | #1139 (87 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #856 (60 pts) | #896 (60 pts) | #913 (60 pts) | #899 (60 pts) | #883 (60 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to RUBY CREEK BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
25 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,044 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1600
1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to RUBY CREEK BBQ)
These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — POOH BEAR BBQ ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,046 of the rated field
- Contests
- 49
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1618
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to RUBY CREEK BBQ)
Careers of much the same size, 49 contests to 39, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,045 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1603
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 19 contests, alongside a 42% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,050 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 32%
- Peak
- 1617
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before RUBY CREEK BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,049 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1600
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,043 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 71%
- Peak
- 1605
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before RUBY CREEK BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudes BBQ | 15 | 7 | 8 | 47% | ⚔ compare |
| Shmack Q | 14 | 6 | 8 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| THE BBQ BUS | 13 | 5 | 8 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Sermerstout BBQ | 12 | 7 | 5 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | 11 | 7 | 4 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| 309 BBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| QUE U | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| WE WILL ROCK QUE | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Loose Cannon BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Rusty Pig BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Up From The Pits BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| SmoQued On Main St | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 30 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 177.7028 | 151.3256 | 165.52 | top 42% |
| Pork Ribs | 38 | 21 | 1 | 9 | 175.4172 | 150.8116 | 167.21 | top 39% |
| Pork | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.2744 | 155.3484 | 164.53 | top 52% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.2856 | 154.3316 | 162.85 | top 74% |
“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) | 6 | 1 | top 41% |
| Medium (20–39) | 15 | 0 | top 29% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 56% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | 4 | 2 | 0 | top 31% | Aug 17, 2024 |
| Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 39% | Jun 19, 2026 |
| GLBBQA Spring Fling | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 46% | Apr 18, 2025 |
| Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 2 | 30 | 0 | top 31% | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 14% | Jun 14, 2024 |
| Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 63% | Sep 15, 2023 |
| Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 30% | Aug 25, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
10 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
4.3
across 9 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
24 of 39 contests · 6 states in all
Contests visited
21
7 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
38 entries · 1 win · 21 calls
First title
Sep 13, 2024
September Fest
Opponents faced
725
finished ahead 758 times, behind 602
Longest layoff
1.1 yrs
Jun 19, 2020 → Jul 16, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Peak power rating (1600) Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20246 milestones
- 25th tracked contest GLBBQA Spring Fling
- Career-best overall score691.9772 GLBBQA Spring Fling
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7028 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN
- First Grand Championship September Fest
- First state championship September Fest
- First multi-meat day September Fest
20233 milestones
- First category win (Chicken) Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20221 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
—4 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score672.5144 Saluting with Smoke-Yorkville (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.3 | September Fest | Sep 13, 2024 |
| +13.8 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | Jun 27, 2025 |
| +13.7 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 19, 2023 |
| +13.2 | Up In Smoke on the Square | May 31, 2019 |
| +12.4 | Smokin' for Garrett | Oct 6, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.4 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Mar 29, 2024 |
| -9.5 | Covid-Que Relief (Day 1) | Jun 19, 2020 |
| -9.1 | GLBBQA Spring Fling | Apr 18, 2025 |
| -8.5 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main | Jul 27, 2024 |
| -8.5 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 17, 2024 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 67% | top 28% | 93.4% | 91.5% |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 39% | 95.2% | 95.2% |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43% | top 39% | 96.5% | 94.5% |
| 2024 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 30% | top 48% | 96.1% | 92.4% |
| 2023 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 70% | top 26% | 97.1% | 94% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 20% | 90.8% | 90.8% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 53% | 91% | 89% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 94% | 86.7% | 86.7% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 14% | 86.9% | 86.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2026 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 16 / 41 (342.8456) | 20 (168.5484) | 9 (174.2972) | — | — |
| Aug 31, 2025 | Smokin Ghost BBQ Rib Double Dip 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 8 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Aug 31, 2025 | Smokin Ghost BBQ Rib Double Dip 2 (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 14 (160.5260) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 3 / 26 (347.4056) | 5 (173.7028) | 2 (173.7028) | — | — |
| Jun 20, 2025 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 14 / 36 (341.1088) | 10 (174.8572) | 25 (166.2516) | — | — |
| Apr 18, 2025 | GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Charlotte, MI | 43 / 56 (667.9084) | 52 (162.2628) | 17 (171.4172) | 44 (167.3828) | 39 (166.8456) |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 30 / 100 (337.6572) | 29 (167.9772) | 26 (169.6800) | 16 (170.2628) | — |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 29 (171.4172) | — | — |
| Sep 13, 2024 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 1 / 18 (335.9428) | 1 (165.0856) | 1 (170.8572) | — | — |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 19 / 26 (323.8972) | 17 (166.2400) | 20 (157.6572) | — | — |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL | 24 / 34 (315.8744) | 27 (155.9200) | 18 (159.9544) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN | 4 / 28 (343.4284) | 7 (171.4056) | 3 (172.0228) | — | — |
| May 25, 2024 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN | 33 / 47 (339.3828) | 43 (165.1200) | 7 (174.2628) | — | — |
| May 24, 2024 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Lebanon, TN | 63 / 118 (682.7540) | 11 (177.7028) | 11 (175.4172) | 112 (161.6684) | 77 (167.9656) |
| Apr 19, 2024 | GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Charlotte, MI | 10 / 62 (691.9772) | 13 (176) | 21 (171.4172) | 15 (174.2744) | 29 (170.2856) |
| Mar 29, 2024 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 39 / 42 (325.0284) | 40 (160.5028) | 31 (164.5256) | — | — |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 30 / 93 (324.4456) | 40 (158.2056) | 20 (166.2400) | 19 (166.2516) | — |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 6, 2023 | Smokin' for Garrett 🏅 Mt. Carmel, IL | 3 / 26 (501.0168) | 1 (173.1084) | 2 (172.5600) | 10 (155.3484) | — |
| Sep 15, 2023 | Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) unrated Yorkville, IL | 12 / 17 (666.1716) | 16 (155.9316) | 11 (165.6800) | — | — |
| Sep 15, 2023 | Saluting with Smoke Single Meat - Rib Burn (ONE MEAT RIBS) Yorkville, IL | — | — | 4 (175.4056) | — | — |
| Sep 3, 2023 | Rib Double Dip (1) (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 11 (163.4056) | — | — |
| Sep 3, 2023 | Rib Double Dip (2) (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 9 (168.5600) | — | — |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 12 / 26 (330.2056) | 14 (166.2400) | 11 (163.9656) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 2 / 32 (342.2628) | 3 (173.1200) | 2 (169.1428) | — | — |
| Jul 15, 2023 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI | 2 / 16 (349.6800) | 2 (174.2628) | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN | 3 / 21 (341.6800) | 1 (173.1544) | 6 (168.5256) | — | — |
| May 27, 2023 | Westmont Red White & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 6 / 34 (506.7884) | 8 (171.9656) | 8 (168.5600) | 10 (166.2628) | — |
| Nov 4, 2022 | Saluting with Smoke Single Meat Rib Burn (ONE MEAT RIBS) Yorkville, IL | — | — | 11 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 4 / 20 (326.7544) | 12 (158.2172) | 2 (168.5372) | — | — |
| May 14, 2022 | BBQ, BLESSINGS & THE VFW (ONE MEAT RIBS) Oconomowoc, WI | — | — | 8 (158.1940) | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2021 | Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) unrated Yorkville, IL | 10 / 18 (655.2336) | 5 (166.2284) | 8 (164.5484) | — | — |
| Sep 10, 2021 | Honor-Q 🏅 Yorkville, IL | 13 / 17 (650.7200) | 13 (159.3600) | 5 (173.1200) | 12 (163.3944) | 16 (154.8456) |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 🏅 Eureka, IL | 7 / 25 (307.9544) | 7 (157.1428) | 7 (150.8116) | — | — |
| Jun 19, 2020 | Covid-Que Relief (Day 1) Franklin, IN | 65 / 69 (624.4460) | 66 (157.6572) | 61 (156.5144) | 64 (155.9428) | 64 (154.3316) |
| May 31, 2019 | Up In Smoke on the Square 🏅 Lincoln, IL | 5 / 36 (312.9828) | 8 (151.3256) | 3 (161.6572) | — | — |
| — | Saluting With Smoke (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Yorkville, IL | 13 / 38 (493.6116) | 17 (162.2400) | 16 (162.2516) | — | — |
| — | Saluting with Smoke-Yorkville (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) unrated Yorkville, IL | 6 / 22 (672.5144) | 9 (164) | 10 (163.9772) | — | — |
| — | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 4 / 17 (323.3600) | 4 (158.2628) | 3 (165.0972) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.