High-water mark
674.1940
career-best overall
93.6% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 674.1940 at BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay — 93.6% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- May 22, 2015
THE RIB MAFIA
THE RIB MAFIA is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 9th of 25 at the Battle of the Bones (2015). They are ranked #4409 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1475
peak 1503 · rated over 9 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
Apr 12, 2013
latest Sep 30, 2026 · 13.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
20% of 10 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 68%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
650.82 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 645.66 (+5.17)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±20.50
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 165.98 · weakest Pork (155.63)
Road miles
2,822
across 10 mapped stops · furthest 1,490 mi
Schedule strength
20%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1527)
Purse competed for
$126K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
645.66 / 720
10 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1644 (145 pts) | #1736 (145 pts) | #1189 (275 pts) | #2024 (115 pts) | #1729 (140 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1090 (270 pts) | #1404 (200 pts) | #828 (435 pts) | #1427 (205 pts) | #831 (435 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #2671 (54 pts) | #1924 (99 pts) | #1994 (84 pts) | #2672 (54 pts) | #1809 (114 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to THE RIB MAFIA, 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.
#4,415 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1475
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to THE RIB MAFIA)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team THE RIB MAFIA has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,397 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,419 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1475
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#4,412 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1509
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before THE RIB MAFIA's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,413 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1475
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careers#4,414 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
Level with THE RIB MAFIA on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JERIMIAH JOHNSON MOUNTAIN MAN BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN TIMBERS NORTHWEST | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| MADDDOG'S BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| 503BACKYARDBBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| DANCES WITH SMOKE BARBEQUE | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| BOOTIES BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Wine Country Q | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BAD BONES BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5828 | 155.9544 | 163.34 | top 65% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 175.4288 | 155.9888 | 165.98 | top 45% |
| Pork | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 126.8570 | 155.63 | top 71% |
| Brisket | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 174.2628 | 150.8116 | 160.70 | 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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 78% |
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 63% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 75% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 35% | May 28, 2016 |
| Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 88% | Apr 1, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
3 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
WA
5 of 10 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
8
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
498
finished ahead 159 times, behind 586
Longest layoff
8 yrs
Aug 18, 2018 → Aug 22, 2026
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- 10th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)175.4288 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest
20155 milestones
- First call BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
- First overall top-10 BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score674.1940 BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
- Career-best overall score674.1940 BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
- Peak power rating (1503) Battle of the Bones
20131 milestone
- First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.7 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay | May 22, 2015 |
| +5.7 | Battle of the Bones | Jun 26, 2015 |
| +4.1 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay | May 28, 2016 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.6 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Apr 12, 2013 |
| -10.6 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Apr 1, 2016 |
| -7.9 | Hudson Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cook Off | Aug 19, 2017 |
| -6.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 30, 2026 |
| -4.9 | 9th Annual DuPont BBQ Competition | Aug 22, 2026 |
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 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 85% | 92.6% | 90.7% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 63% | 89.7% | 89.7% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 78% | 90.3% | 90.3% |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 65% | 90.5% | 88.2% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 31% | 93.6% | 92.4% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 90% | 83.7% | 83.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 155 / 158 (636.3200) | 123 (167.3828) | 151 (161.0972) | 157 (141.6000) | 128 (166.2400) |
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 300 / 360 (655.3720) | 328 (160.5716) | 64 (175.4288) | 302 (161.1200) | 312 (158.2516) |
| Aug 22, 2026 | 9th Annual DuPont BBQ Competition 🏅 DuPont, WA | 20 / 27 (666.6972) | 19 (166.2284) | 9 (171.4172) | 7 (171.9772) | 25 (157.0744) |
| Aug 18, 2018 | 2nd Annual Hudson Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cook Off DuPont, WA | 17 / 27 (645.5204) | 23 (161.6572) | 15 (163.4060) | 17 (163.9544) | 20 (156.5028) |
| Aug 19, 2017 | Hudson Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cook Off DuPont, WA | 14 / 18 (650.2060) | 5 (172.5828) | 14 (157.1088) | 10 (163.4172) | 13 (157.0972) |
| May 28, 2016 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay North Bend, OR | 19 / 43 (651.3484) | 28 (161.0856) | 4 (174.8572) | 27 (156.0112) | 22 (159.3944) |
| Apr 1, 2016 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA | 26 / 30 (618.7088) | 19 (162.2512) | 23 (155.9888) | 28 (149.6572) | 23 (150.8116) |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Battle of the Bones Central Point, OR | 9 / 25 (655.9084) | 21 (155.9544) | 3 (167.9884) | 8 (164.5600) | 4 (167.4056) |
| May 22, 2015 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay North Bend, OR | 10 / 38 (674.1940) | 11 (168.5484) | 4 (174.2628) | 36 (157.1200) | 3 (174.2628) |
| Apr 12, 2013 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA | 26 / 29 (602.2854) | 16 (157.1428) | 19 (158.2856) | 29 (126.8570) | 13 (160) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.