RING OF FIRE BBQ

RING OF FIRE BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 53 at the Lakeland Pig Festival (2020). They are ranked #3744 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,744

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1488

peak 1488 · rated over 9 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Sep 27, 2013

latest Jan 27, 2023 · 9.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#2603

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

27% of 11 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s, still running

Avg finish

top 69%

overall standings

Best overall

675.3144 / 720

Backyard · Lakeland Pig Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

516.30 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 543.54 (-27.23)

Walk rate

27%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Pork Ribs · Lakeland Pig Festival

Consistency

±157.58

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 160.79 · weakest Chicken (153.89)

Road miles

1,407

across 11 mapped stops · furthest 1,062 mi

Schedule strength

48%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1562)

Purse competed for

$50K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

543.54 / 720

7 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard (4-meat) avg

671.30 / 720

3 Backyard (4-meat) contests · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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.

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

Happy hunting ground

Top 12% average finish here

Lakeland Pig Festival is their spot: an average finish in the top 12% across 3 visits.

3 visits
best finish 3rd
average top 12%

High-water mark

675.3144 career-best overall

93.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 675.3144 at Lakeland Pig Festival — 93.8% of a perfect 720.

Backyard
Jan 27, 2023

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

ALL IN QUE ahead in 100% of their meetings

ALL IN QUE has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.9 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.90 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 10% of the time against 33%.

Chicken avg 153.89
Pork Ribs avg 160.79
1 call in 10 entries

A strong matchup

3–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Accutech BBQ in 3 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

2.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.8 years, then back at 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) (Aug 31, 2017).

last seen Nov 7, 2014
back Aug 31, 2017

Pork Ribs nemesis

5 of 5 shared pork ribs entries lost

ALL IN QUE ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, ALL IN QUE has out-cooked them in 5 of 5 shared pork ribs entries.

Show 2 more storylines

Boom or bust

±20.04% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±20.04% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 80.8% of a perfect score
best 93.8%

A January team

Top 12% average finish in January

Something about January: average finish in the top 12% across 3 contests, versus top 69% the rest of the year.

3 January contests
top 69% the rest of the year

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
2013 ↗	Master	#2603 (58 pts)	#2618 (58 pts)	#2621 (58 pts)	#2616 (58 pts)	#2629 (58 pts)

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to RING OF FIRE BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

BJ's Smokin Pistols

#3,745 of the rated field

1488 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1508

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to RING OF FIRE BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team RING OF FIRE BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Oct 14, 2022

⚔ Head-to-head

SQUIRRELS 2 BBQ

#3,748 of the rated field

1488 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1521

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to RING OF FIRE BBQ)

They've been 1521 at their best, 33 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 25 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

Wildhouse BBQ

#3,736 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 47
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 2%
Peak: 1510

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to RING OF FIRE BBQ)

47 contests to 11: their number has had years to settle where RING OF FIRE BBQ's is still finding its level.

rated over 47 contests
last seen Aug 12, 2022

⚔ Head-to-head

Red & Black BBQ Shack

#3,743 of the rated field

1488 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1488

They turned up 11 years after RING OF FIRE BBQ did, first appearing in 2024.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

SUGAR BABY BBQ

#3,726 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1489

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before RING OF FIRE BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 9 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Smoke a little smoke

#3,759 of the rated field

1488 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1488

Level with RING OF FIRE BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Sep 15, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
HOT WACHULA'S	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
ALL IN QUE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	1	0	0	167.9772	137.0628	153.89	top 80%
Pork Ribs	9	3	1	1	176.5600	137.6228	160.79	top 60%
Pork	9	2	0	0	173.1200	142.8344	157.23	top 65%
Brisket	9	2	1	1	173.7144	141.0628	157.50	top 58%

“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)	4	0	top 95%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 53%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
FL	4	top 29%
MO	4	top 95%
KS	2	top 99%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Lakeland Pig Festival	3	3	0	top 12%	Jan 27, 2023
38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	2	128	0	top 99%	Sep 1, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 3 contests

Contests a season 1.6 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in FL 5 of 11 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 7 2 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 10 entries · 0 wins · 1 call

Opponents faced 720 finished ahead 289 times, behind 726

Longest layoff 2.8 yrs Nov 7, 2014 → Aug 31, 2017

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

20232 milestones

Jan 27 Career-best overall score675.3144 Lakeland Pig Festival
Jan 27 Most recent contest Lakeland Pig Festival

20222 milestones

Jan 28 10th tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
Jan 28 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5600 Lakeland Pig Festival

20205 milestones

Jan 24 First call Lakeland Pig Festival
Jan 24 First category win (Brisket) Lakeland Pig Festival
Jan 24 First overall top-10 Lakeland Pig Festival
Jan 24 First overall podium Lakeland Pig Festival
Jan 24 First overall past 90% of a perfect score671.2800 Lakeland Pig Festival

20132 milestones

Sep 27 First tracked contest Hermann BBQ & Brats Festival
Sep 27 Peak power rating (1490) Hermann BBQ & Brats Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18	Lakeland Pig Festival	Jan 24, 2020
+15.7	Lakeland Pig Festival	Jan 28, 2022
+14	Lakeland Pig Festival	Jan 27, 2023

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.5	Hermann Bar-BQ and Brats Festival	Sep 26, 2014
-11	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	Sep 1, 2017
-10.5	Hermann BBQ & Brats Festival	Sep 27, 2013
-10.1	1st Annual BBQ BIVOUAC	Nov 8, 2013
-8.4	MO Veterans Home BBQ BIVOUAC	Nov 7, 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)
2023	1	1	0	100%	top 18%	93.8%	93.8%
2022	1	1	1	100%	top 13%	92.7%	92.7%
2020	1	1	1	100%	top 6%	93.2%	93.2%
2018	1	0	0	0%	—	—	—
2017	3	0	0	0%	top 93%	87.8%	65.2%
2014	2	0	0	0%	top 100%	83.6%	81.5%
2013	2	0	0	0%	top 89%	86%	84.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jan 27, 2023	Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL	9 / 51 (675.3144)	44 (158.2172)	9 (174.2744)	7 (173.1200)	7 (169.7028)
Jan 28, 2022	Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL	8 / 60 (667.3144)	8 (167.9772)	1 (176.5600)	16 (162.8000)	17 (159.9772)
Jan 24, 2020	Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL	3 / 53 (671.2800)	30 (159.3484)	6 (169.6916)	9 (168.5256)	1 (173.7144)
Nov 16, 2018	Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 17, 2017	Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL	34 / 42 (615.7488)	39 (140.4800)	30 (159.3944)	19 (165.0972)	31 (150.7772)
Sep 1, 2017	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	405 / 407 (159.9772)	303 (159.9772)	—	—	—
Aug 31, 2017	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) unrated Kansas City, KS	128 / 129 (632.4572)	120 (162.2400)	104 (166.2400)	129 (142.8344)	115 (161.1428)
Nov 7, 2014	MO Veterans Home BBQ BIVOUAC St. James, MO	31 / 31 (571.2000)	31 (137.0628)	31 (137.6228)	30 (150.2628)	29 (146.2516)
Sep 26, 2014	Hermann Bar-BQ and Brats Festival Hermann, MO	37 / 37 (602.1372)	35 (149.0972)	37 (148.5028)	34 (152.5372)	35 (152)
Nov 8, 2013	1st Annual BBQ BIVOUAC St. James, MO	31 / 33 (604.4000)	30 (155.9544)	27 (158.8572)	32 (148.5256)	32 (141.0628)
Sep 27, 2013	Hermann BBQ & Brats Festival Hermann, MO	33 / 39 (618.8460)	37 (148.5716)	29 (155.9660)	37 (151.4056)	12 (162.9028)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

RING OF FIRE 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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard (4-meat) avg

Storylines (9 found in their record)

Happy hunting ground

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

Boom or bust

A January team

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)

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)