Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork.
- Pork ×1
Slowburn BBQ - AR
Slowburn BBQ - AR is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 36 at the Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition (2022), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2708 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Slow Burn BBQ” and “Slowburn BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1513
peak 1531 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Feb 4, 2017
latest Aug 14, 2026 · 9.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
23% of 13 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 55%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
673.48 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 668.09 (+5.40)
Walk rate
54%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±21.76
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 168.74 · weakest Chicken (165.55)
Road miles
11,872
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 9,309 mi
Schedule strength
75%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1597)
Purse competed for
$115K
listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 11 state-championship entries
Master avg
668.09 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
330.24 / 360
3 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)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Slowburn BBQ - AR, each with one reason worth a look.
131 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,694 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1513
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Slowburn BBQ - AR)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Slowburn BBQ - AR has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,716 of the rated field
- Contests
- 70
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1565
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Slowburn BBQ - AR)
They've been 1565 at their best, 52 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,695 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1529
Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,701 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1518
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Slowburn BBQ - AR's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,710 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1513
Level with Slowburn BBQ - AR on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,723 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1525
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Slowburn BBQ - AR's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRE DANCER BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Kermit's Ex | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PARTS 'R' SMOKIN | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RAZORRACKS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 176 | 153.1088 | 165.55 | top 58% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 175.4400 | 161.1428 | 167.10 | top 53% |
| Pork | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 180 🔥 | 144.5144 | 165.68 | top 63% |
| Brisket | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.2856 | 151.9660 | 168.74 | top 51% |
“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 55% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 53% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2) | 2 | 27 | 0 | top 91% | Jul 18, 2026 |
| Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 73% | Mar 23, 2024 |
| Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 19% | Apr 7, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
4 contests
Contests a season
2.6
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MO
7 of 13 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
9
3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
13 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls
Opponents faced
471
finished ahead 334 times, behind 326
Longest layoff
5.2 yrs
Feb 4, 2017 → Apr 8, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20265 milestones
- 10th tracked contest The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
- Peak power rating (1531) The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
- First category win (Pork) BBQ & Fly-In on the River
- First perfect 180 (Pork) BBQ & Fly-In on the River
- Most recent contest BBQ & Fly-In on the River
20241 milestone
- Career-best overall score687.3600 Hayden West's Delta Smoke BBQ Contest
20225 milestones
- First call Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition
- First overall top-10 Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition
- First overall podium Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition
- First Reserve Championship Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score342.2400 Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition
20171 milestone
- First tracked contest Yak Ales Melbourne Barbecue Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.9 | Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition | Apr 8, 2022 |
| +10.1 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 26, 2026 |
| +6.2 | Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition | Apr 7, 2023 |
| +5.7 | Smokin in the Electric City (Day 1) | Jul 14, 2023 |
| +4.7 | Hayden West's Delta Smoke BBQ Contest | Jun 7, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13 | Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 1) | Jul 17, 2026 |
| -9.1 | Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2) | Jul 18, 2026 |
| -8.8 | Yak Ales Melbourne Barbecue Festival | Feb 4, 2017 |
| -1.8 | Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) | Mar 23, 2024 |
| -1.2 | Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) | Mar 22, 2024 |
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25% | top 63% | 95% | 93.6% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75% | top 64% | 95.5% | 94% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 67% | top 33% | 90.6% | 90.1% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 6% | 95.1% | 95.1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 84.8% | 84.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 2026 | BBQ & Fly-In on the River 🏅 Excelsior Springs, MO | 42 / 83 (683.9316) | 59 (168.5372) | 74 (162.2628) | 1 (180) | 17 (173.1316) |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2) 🏅 Osceola, MO | 27 / 32 (671.8396) | 28 (167.9656) | 29 (165.0972) | 25 (168.5256) | 24 (170.2512) |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 1) 🏅 Osceola, MO | 31 / 32 (659.8172) | 27 (168.5372) | 30 (166.2400) | 32 (158.2172) | 29 (166.8228) |
| Jun 26, 2026 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 31 / 157 (679.8968) | 64 (166.8228) | 14 (175.4400) | 77 (165.6684) | 26 (171.9656) |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Smoke on the Water 🏅 Pine Bluff, AR | 27 / 42 (671.9316) | 31 (165.1428) | 30 (163.4060) | 10 (173.1200) | 18 (170.2628) |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Hayden West's Delta Smoke BBQ Contest 🏅 Wynne, AR | 15 / 33 (687.3600) | 5 (176) | 17 (169.6916) | 18 (167.3828) | 8 (174.2856) |
| Mar 23, 2024 | Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) 🏅 St. Robert, MO | 26 / 34 (678.7312) | 19 (173.7028) | 28 (168.5256) | 32 (166.8228) | 23 (169.6800) |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) 🏅 St. Robert, MO | 24 / 35 (668.5484) | 33 (158.8456) | 7 (172.5600) | 25 (166.8572) | 17 (170.2856) |
| Jul 14, 2023 | Smokin in the Electric City (Day 1) 🏅 Butler, MO | 9 / 27 (322.2632) | 9 (160.5372) | 10 (161.7260) | — | — |
| Jul 14, 2023 | Smokin in the Electric City (ONE MEAT RIBS) Butler, MO | — | — | 19 (165.1428) | — | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition 🏅 Stem, NC | 9 / 28 (326.2172) | 13 (154.8116) | 2 (171.4056) | — | — |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition 🏅 Stem, NC | 2 / 36 (342.2400) | 6 (172.5600) | 7 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Feb 4, 2017 | Yak Ales Melbourne Barbecue Festival Melbourne | 34 / 43 (610.7320) | 34 (153.1088) | 13 (161.1428) | 42 (144.5144) | 32 (151.9660) |