High-water mark
686.8004
career-best overall
95.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 686.8004 at SJV Winter Rub — 95.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2024-01-26
SAUCE BOSSES
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1519
peak 1525 · rated over 19 contests ⓘ
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
21
in the data
First seen
2018-08-10
latest 2026-06-26
Best ToY finish
#412
Master 2025
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
of 21 contests
Avg finish
top 60%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
674.40 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 663.93 (+10.46)
Walk rate
38%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±20.21
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 166.92 · weakest Brisket (164.30)
Road miles
1,617
mi across 21 mapped stops · furthest 168 mi
Schedule strength
82%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1608)
Purse competed for
$204K
listed at 20 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 18 state-championship entries
Master avg
663.93 / 720
19 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (9 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.
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
TEAM CRAWFORD has finished one call ahead of SAUCE BOSSES 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
A tough matchup
12–1
behind in the head-to-head
MAN MEAT BBQ ahead in 92% of their meetings
MAN MEAT BBQ has come out ahead in 12 of their 13 shared contests.
A strong matchup
8–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Broken BBQ in 8 of their 8 shared contests.
The comeback
2.1 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2.1 years, then back at Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge (2021-09-04).
- last seen 2019-08-09
- back 2021-09-04
Chicken nemesis
11 of 11
shared chicken entries lost
Damn Fine Beef & Swine ahead 100% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Damn Fine Beef & Swine has out-cooked them in 11 of 11 shared chicken entries.
They cook the hard rooms
1608
average field rating faced
A tougher draw than 82% of rated fields
The fields they enter average a 1608 power rating — a tougher draw than 82% of every rated contest in the data.
- 19 rated contests
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
FAIRWAY SMOKERS has landed one call behind them 2 times.
A June team
Top 48%
average finish in June
Something about June: average finish in the top 48% across 4 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.
- 4 June contests
- top 60% the rest of the year
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.
86 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2518 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1519
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SAUCE BOSSES)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SAUCE BOSSES has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2536 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1521
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 20 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#2534 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1534
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before SAUCE BOSSES's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#2539 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1559
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 21 contests to 21, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2528 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1536
No shared contest yet.
17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 18% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#2527 of the rated field
- Contests
- 24
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1519
No shared contest yet.
Level with SAUCE BOSSES on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 13 | 1 | 12 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| TEAM BREW & QUE | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Damn Fine Beef & Swine | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| FAIRWAY SMOKERS | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| HELPING U BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| WHEN PIGS DIE | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| TEAM CRAWFORD | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Broken BBQ | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| M2 Smokin' Q | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 154.2400 | 166.92 | top 60% |
| Pork Ribs | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 174.2744 | 158.2400 | 166.43 | top 64% |
| Pork | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 178.2972 | 143.3600 | 166.40 | top 58% |
| Brisket | 19 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 176.5600 | 146.2172 | 164.30 | top 59% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS | 8 | 0 | top 57% |
| NE | 8 | 0 | top 63% |
| IA | 3 | 0 | top 59% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 16 | 0 | top 62% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 47% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJV Winter Rub | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 66% | 2026-01-30 |
| Big Blue BBQ Championship | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 58% | 2025-06-06 |
| Ditmars Red, White & Blue BBQ | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 65% | 2024-07-05 |
The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
7.9 yrs
2018-08-10 → 2026-06-26
Busiest season
2024
7 contests
Contests a season
3
across 7 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
KS
10 of 21 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
15
3 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
20 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 166.92 · weakest Brisket (164.30)
Walk rate
38%
a top-10 call in 8 of 21 contests
Overall top-10 rate
19%
4 of 21 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight contests
Master average
663.93
out of 720 · 19 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
723
570–575 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
1,617
21 mapped stops · furthest 168 mi
Schedule strength
1608
average field rating faced — tougher than 82% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$203,845
listed at 20 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 18 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
2.1 yrs
2019-08-09 → 2021-09-04
Power rating
1519
peak 1525 · #2532 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2018
- First tracked contest 26th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska
- 2021
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.7200 Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge
- 2023
- First call Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ
- First overall top-10 Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ
- 2024
- Career-best overall score686.8004 SJV Winter Rub
- Peak power rating (1525) Big Blue BBQ Championship
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the River
- Career-best single call (Pork)178.2972 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- 2025
- First category win (Brisket) Goose's 1st Annual Pitmaster Showdown
- 2026
- Most recent contest The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.9 | Septemberfest BBQ & RibEye Steak Cook-off Challenge | 2023-09-02 |
| +11.2 | SJV Winter Rub | 2024-01-26 |
| +9.8 | Big Blue BBQ Championship | 2026-06-05 |
| +9.6 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | 2026-06-26 |
| +9.4 | Big Blue BBQ Championship | 2024-05-31 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.2 | GOBS Que | 2019-08-09 |
| -9.2 | SJV Winter Rub | 2026-01-30 |
| -8 | Ditmars Red, White & Blue BBQ | 2024-07-05 |
| -6.4 | Smoke in the Spring | 2025-04-11 |
| -5.8 | Smoke on the River | 2024-08-31 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 54% | 94.7% | 93.1% |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 50% | top 67% | 95.1% | 93.1% |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43% | top 55% | 95.4% | 93% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50% | top 30% | 93% | 93% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 72% | 92% | 92% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 83.9% | 83.9% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 70% | 88.3% | 88.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 36 / 157 (675.8856) | 102 (161.6572) | 29 (172.5600) | 38 (171.4056) | 38 (170.2628) |
| 2026-06-05 | Big Blue BBQ Championship 🏅 Marysville, KS | 11 / 25 (681.5996) | 15 (170.2856) | 10 (169.6684) | 17 (169.6800) | 6 (171.9656) |
| 2026-01-30 | SJV Winter Rub 🏅 Omaha, NE | 36 / 38 (654.1144) | 20 (169.1084) | 25 (166.2744) | 36 (160.5028) | 35 (158.2288) |
| 2025-10-17 | Happy Basset 5th Annual BBQ Competition 🏅 Topeka, KS | 16 / 23 (675.3140) | 18 (164.5484) | 18 (167.3712) | 14 (169.6800) | 9 (173.7144) |
| 2025-07-18 | Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA | 14 / 30 (685.0740) | 22 (167.9656) | 21 (167.3828) | 4 (177.1428) | 7 (172.5828) |
| 2025-07-11 | Goose's 1st Annual Pitmaster Showdown 🏅 Papillion, NE | 13 / 24 (676.4344) | 10 (169.6800) | 19 (166.2400) | 19 (163.9544) | 1 (176.5600) |
| 2025-06-06 | Big Blue BBQ Championship 🏅 Marysville, KS | 23 / 29 (663.8284) | 12 (174.2628) | 14 (169.1200) | 27 (160.4912) | 26 (159.9544) |
| 2025-04-11 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 72 / 92 (666.1256) | 88 (160.4912) | 74 (166.2400) | 38 (171.9772) | 54 (167.4172) |
| 2025-01-24 | SJV Winter Rub 🏅 Omaha, NE | 23 / 32 (654.7428) | 22 (164.5600) | 16 (168.5600) | 20 (162.8000) | 25 (158.8228) |
| 2024-10-30 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024-10-30 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 176 / 444 (679.9544) | 232 (168.5716) | 168 (170.8572) | 9 (178.2972) | 326 (162.2284) |
| 2024-08-31 | Smoke on the River 🏅 Burlington, KS | 24 / 28 (661.6460) | 25 (164.0000) | 27 (159.9544) | 22 (167.4288) | 14 (170.2628) |
| 2024-08-31 | Smoke on the River (ONE MEAT RIBS) Burlington, KS | — | — | 11 (168.5832) | — | — |
| 2024-07-05 | Ditmars Red, White & Blue BBQ 🏅 Council Bluffs, IA | 22 / 26 (635.2572) | 13 (167.4400) | 22 (158.8000) | 22 (159.3600) | 25 (149.6572) |
| 2024-05-31 | Big Blue BBQ Championship 🏅 Marysville, KS | 9 / 25 (683.9084) | 11 (173.1200) | 3 (174.2744) | 9 (170.8456) | 18 (165.6684) |
| 2024-01-26 | SJV Winter Rub 🏅 Omaha, NE | 8 / 26 (686.8004) | 7 (173.1200) | 18 (169.1316) | 6 (173.7028) | 12 (170.8460) |
| 2023-09-02 | Septemberfest BBQ & RibEye Steak Cook-off Challenge 🏅 Omaha, NE | 5 / 34 (347.9656) | 22 (168.5488) | 34 (159.3484) | 19 (168.5256) | 23 (165.0972) |
| 2023-06-30 | Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ 🏅 Council Bluffs, IA | 10 / 22 (669.5888) | 5 (171.9888) | 15 (162.8228) | 8 (171.9656) | 11 (162.8116) |
| 2021-09-04 | Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge 🏅 Omaha, NE | 18 / 25 (662.7200) | 13 (171.4400) | 17 (166.2400) | 20 (159.3484) | 16 (165.6916) |
| 2019-08-09 | GOBS Que 🏅 Arlington, NE | 27 / 29 (604.3200) | 21 (156.5028) | 23 (158.2400) | 27 (143.3600) | 25 (146.2172) |
| 2018-08-10 | 26th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Arlington, NE | 21 / 30 (635.8860) | 26 (154.2400) | 17 (166.8800) | 20 (161.0972) | 23 (153.6688) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #548 (240 pts) | #600 (245 pts) | #629 (245 pts) | #618 (210 pts) | #522 (285 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #412 (503 pts) | #436 (528 pts) | #458 (508 pts) | #386 (583 pts) | #322 (738 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #436 (465 pts) | #440 (500 pts) | #403 (598 pts) | #378 (580 pts) | #493 (420 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #768 (181 pts) | #698 (246 pts) | #994 (156 pts) | #704 (231 pts) | #804 (186 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1134 (85 pts) | #1087 (110 pts) | #1202 (90 pts) | #1212 (75 pts) | #1111 (95 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #2549 (54 pts) | #1961 (74 pts) | #2010 (64 pts) | #2545 (54 pts) | #2546 (54 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1870 (75 pts) | #2535 (55 pts) | #1844 (95 pts) | #1923 (80 pts) | #1963 (65 pts) |