RIB CAGE BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#1638

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1555

peak 1557 · rated over 21 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-03

latest 2018-09-15

Best ToY finish

#294

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 21 contests

Avg finish

top 46%

overall standings

Best overall

677.1084 / 720

Master · Platte City BBQ Cook-Off

Perfect 180s

Current form

661.04 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 649.77 (+11.27)

Walk rate

48%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

177.7028

Chicken · Smokin on the Summit

Consistency

±33.54

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 164.79 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.55)

Road miles

1,507

mi across 21 mapped stops · furthest 290 mi

Schedule strength

41%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)

Master avg

649.77 / 720

21 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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.

High-water mark

677.1084 career-best overall

94.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 677.1084 at Platte City BBQ Cook-Off — 94.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-05-16

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

IN THE KEY OF QUE has finished one call ahead of RIB CAGE BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

12–1 behind in the head-to-head

SMOOTH SMOKE ahead in 92% of their meetings

SMOOTH SMOKE has come out ahead in 12 of their 13 shared contests.

A strong matchup

6–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 86% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ROADKILL BBQ in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

11 of 13 shared chicken entries lost

Theslabs.com ahead 85% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Theslabs.com has out-cooked them in 11 of 13 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

ABS of SQUEAL has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An October team

Top 30% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 30% across 3 contests, versus top 46% the rest of the year.

3 October contests
top 46% 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.

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

Whimpy's BBQ

#1643 of the rated field

1555 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1565

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to RIB CAGE BBQ)

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

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2025-08-08

⚔ Head-to-head

GRILLA WARFARE BBQ

#1639 of the rated field

1555 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1555

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to RIB CAGE BBQ)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2022-10-21
on a 6-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

DAND BBQ

#1642 of the rated field

1555 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1559

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to RIB CAGE BBQ)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 3 years before RIB CAGE BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 14 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Ghost River Smoke-A-Holics

#1636 of the rated field

1555 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1555

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to RIB CAGE BBQ)

Fewer contests behind them than RIB CAGE BBQ has cooked, 9 to 21, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2014-10-02

⚔ Head-to-head

Hillbilly Hoggers

#1646 of the rated field

1555 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1568

No shared contest yet.

19 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 21% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2025-06-06

⚔ Head-to-head

Szendo Smoke BBQ Team

#1645 of the rated field

1555 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 4
Top-10s: 68%
Peak: 1573

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 11 years after RIB CAGE BBQ did, first appearing in 2024.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2026-08-08

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Theslabs.com	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
SMOOTH SMOKE	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
B & C SMOKERS	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
THUMP & STRUM BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' SAUCED	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
Four Men and A Pig	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
JAESTAR BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
SOCIAL SMOKERS BBQ SQUAD	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
PIG NEWTON	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
Three Brothers Different Mothers	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKING HILLS	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	21	4	1	1	177.7028	148.0000	164.79	top 51%
Pork Ribs	21	4	0	0	176.6172	146.2856	163.55	top 50%
Pork	21	4	0	1	175.4056	142.2056	164.01	top 50%
Brisket	21	6	0	1	172.5484	156.5028	164.09	top 44%

“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	Avg finish
KS	10	top 45%
MO	10	top 43%
AR	1	top 88%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 52%
Large (40+)	16	0	top 44%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	14	0	top 50%	2017-04-28

The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.4 yrs 2013-05-03 → 2018-09-15

Busiest season 2014 12 contests

Contests a season 3.5 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in KS 10 of 21 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 20 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 21 entries · 1 win · 4 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 164.79 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.55)

Walk rate 48% a top-10 call in 10 of 21 contests

Overall top-10 rate 19% 4 of 21 contests

Best top-10 run 4 straight contests

Master average 649.77 out of 720 · 21 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 1,657 2,016–1,345 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,507 21 mapped stops · furthest 290 mi

Schedule strength 1554 average field rating faced — tougher than 41% of rated contests

Power rating 1555 peak 1557 · #1638 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 3 First tracked contest Smokelawn
2014
Apr 25 First call VFW Post 846 6th Annual BBQ Challenge (10 TEAM SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE)
Apr 25 First overall top-10 VFW Post 846 6th Annual BBQ Challenge (10 TEAM SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE)
Apr 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score675.9888 VFW Post 846 6th Annual BBQ Challenge (10 TEAM SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE)
May 16 Career-best overall score677.1084 Platte City BBQ Cook-Off
Jun 6 First category win (Chicken) Smokin on the Summit
Jun 6 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7028 Smokin on the Summit
Aug 8 10th tracked contest Balloons & BBQ Festival at Kansas Speedway
2018
May 25 Peak power rating (1557) *Shepherd's Smokin Summer Kick Off
Sep 15 Most recent contest 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.4	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open	2015-10-03
+13.9	VFW Post 846 6th Annual BBQ Challenge (10 TEAM SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE)	2014-04-25
+12.3	Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival	2014-05-09
+12.2	Platte City BBQ Cook-Off	2014-05-16
+7.7	Battle of the Brisket	2014-09-19

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.7	Smokelawn	2013-05-03
-4.8	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake	2014-04-11
-4.5	2016 Smokin in the Wood BBQ Competition	2016-05-13
-4.3	Smokin On Big Creek - Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief	2014-04-04
-3.2	Balloons & BBQ Festival at Kansas Speedway	2014-08-08

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	2	0	0	50%	top 58%	92.3%	91.6%
2017	2	0	0	50%	top 51%	92.4%	92.3%
2016	2	0	0	0%	top 58%	91.9%	91.6%
2015	2	0	0	50%	top 25%	92.8%	81.8%
2014	12	4	1	58%	top 41%	94%	91.2%
2013	1	0	0	0%	top 88%	85.6%	85.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-09-15	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	267 / 467 (655.3140)	358 (159.4056)	132 (170.2628)	257 (163.4172)	277 (162.2284)
2018-05-25	*Shepherd's Smokin Summer Kick Off Branson, MO	29 / 50 (664.4456)	5 (176.5600)	34 (161.6912)	29 (165.0972)	33 (161.0972)
2017-09-01	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	195 / 407 (662.8228)	113 (171.4172)	199 (165.6800)	206 (165.7372)	270 (159.9884)
2017-04-28	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Overland Park, KS	16 / 30 (665.6112)	23 (161.0856)	7 (170.8916)	21 (165.6684)	13 (167.9656)
2016-10-29	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN) Kansas City, KS	259 / 557 (657.0056)	233 (166.2744)	295 (164.5256)	310 (163.3712)	269 (162.8344)
2016-05-13	2016 Smokin in the Wood BBQ Competition Greenwood, MO	21 / 30 (661.6568)	24 (166.2400)	20 (165.7144)	17 (169.1312)	22 (160.5712)
2015-10-03	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	20 / 606 (509.7600)	289 (164.5372)	317 (162.9144)	329 (163.3828)	340 (160.0000)
2015-05-08	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Overland Park, KS	14 / 30 (668.5028)	28 (159.3828)	6 (172.5600)	5 (170.8572)	19 (165.7028)
2014-10-02	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	230 / 552 (659.3484)	219 (166.8572)	288 (163.4056)	219 (166.2628)	260 (162.8228)
2014-09-26	Burg Fest BBQ Contest Warrensburg, MO	12 / 22 (657.6572)	6 (171.9772)	15 (161.1316)	19 (154.8228)	5 (169.7256)
2014-09-19	Battle of the Brisket Mission, KS	12 / 46 (664.5028)	19 (165.6800)	18 (165.7028)	4 (170.8572)	12 (162.2628)
2014-08-08	Balloons & BBQ Festival at Kansas Speedway Kansas City, KS	34 / 53 (650.1372)	26 (167.3828)	40 (157.1200)	38 (160.5372)	25 (165.0972)
2014-06-06	Smokin on the Summit Lee's Summit, MO	22 / 79 (657.5884)	1 (177.7028)	19 (168.5600)	78 (142.2056)	9 (169.1200)
2014-05-24	Sugar Mound BBQ Festival Mound City, KS	53 / 87 (643.3140)	59 (161.1428)	42 (162.2628)	45 (163.4056)	58 (156.5028)
2014-05-16	Platte City BBQ Cook-Off Platte City, MO	7 / 50 (677.1084)	7 (172.0228)	34 (158.8228)	3 (175.4056)	10 (170.8572)
2014-05-09	Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO	9 / 57 (667.3256)	11 (169.6800)	10 (167.4056)	22 (161.1200)	7 (169.1200)
2014-05-02	Brew, Blues & Bar-B-Q Cook-Off Lansing, KS	9 / 26 (661.0168)	12 (162.8228)	14 (156.5256)	7 (169.1200)	2 (172.5484)
2014-04-25	VFW Post 846 6th Annual BBQ Challenge (10 TEAM SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE) Overland Park, KS	9 / 65 (675.9888)	36 (163.3944)	4 (176.6172)	29 (165.1200)	6 (170.8572)
2014-04-11	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake Smithville, MO	39 / 54 (634.2172)	48 (150.7772)	34 (159.9772)	27 (163.4972)	29 (159.9656)
2014-04-04	Smokin On Big Creek - Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief Pleasant Hill, MO	54 / 75 (634.1484)	59 (158.2628)	60 (156.5028)	51 (160.5484)	42 (158.8344)
2013-05-03	Smokelawn Hot Springs, AR	36 / 41 (616.5712)	38 (148.0000)	39 (146.2856)	14 (164.5716)	26 (157.7140)

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
2017 ↗	Master	#1541 (160 pts)	#1768 (125 pts)	#1363 (220 pts)	#1707 (135 pts)	#1538 (175 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1702 (135 pts)	#1883 (120 pts)	#1765 (140 pts)	#1720 (155 pts)	#1772 (130 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1455 (170 pts)	#1892 (115 pts)	#1313 (230 pts)	#1281 (240 pts)	#1629 (145 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#294 (1199 pts)	#241 (1304 pts)	#320 (1089 pts)	#294 (1169 pts)	#206 (1464 pts)