BOURBON & BONES

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

Power ranking

#2056

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1536

peak 1545 · rated over 20 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-07-03

latest 2018-04-20

Best ToY finish

#535

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 20 contests

Avg finish

top 53%

overall standings

Best overall

675.4172 / 720

Master · Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge

Perfect 180s

Current form

657.41 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 652.11 (+5.30)

Walk rate

75%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.2972

Chicken · BBQ in the Bluffs

Consistency

±17.11

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.26 · weakest Brisket (160.88)

Road miles

1,342

mi across 20 mapped stops · furthest 152 mi

Schedule strength

59%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)

Master avg

652.11 / 720

20 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (11 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.

They almost always walk

75% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 15 of 20 contests

A top-10 category call in 75% of their 20 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

675.4172 career-best overall

93.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 675.4172 at Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge — 93.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-09-03

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

COUNTRY ROADS NE has finished one call ahead of BOURBON & BONES 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 43%.

6 contests
3 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 43%

A tough matchup

16–2 behind in the head-to-head

PORKY BUTTS BBQ ahead in 89% of their meetings

PORKY BUTTS BBQ has come out ahead in 16 of their 18 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.38 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 30% of the time against 40%.

Brisket avg 160.88
Chicken avg 166.26
6 calls in 20 entries

A strong matchup

11–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 92% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SPICE YOUR LIFE RUB YOUR MEAT in 11 of their 12 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

13 of 18 shared chicken entries lost

PORKY BUTTS BBQ ahead 72% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, PORKY BUTTS BBQ has out-cooked them in 13 of 18 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BIG STACKS BARBEQUE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An August team

Top 29% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 29% across 3 contests, versus top 53% the rest of the year.

3 August contests
top 53% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.38% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.38% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.6% of a perfect score
20 contests

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.

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

Pork Bombin BBQ

#2051 of the rated field

1536 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1536

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2026-05-23

⚔ Head-to-head

Big Bobby's Q

#2057 of the rated field

1536 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1536

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 19 contests to 20, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2025-08-02

⚔ Head-to-head

STARVIN MARVINS BAY AREA BBQ

#2042 of the rated field

1536 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1539

No shared contest yet.

18 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 22% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2017-07-07

⚔ Head-to-head

No Measurements BBQ

#2064 of the rated field

1536 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1541

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 8 years after BOURBON & BONES did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2026-08-14
on a 6-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

TASTY LICKS BBQ SUPPLY

#2052 of the rated field

1536 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1536

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 4 years before BOURBON & BONES's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 16 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

e2BBQ

#2046 of the rated field

1536 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1539

No shared contest yet.

Level with BOURBON & BONES on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2021-03-26

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
PORKY BUTTS BBQ	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
WHEN PIGS DIE	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare
PORK PATROL BBQ	15	0	15	0%	⚔ compare
YOU GONNA LIKE IT	14	10	4	71%	⚔ compare
KEV'S CHEW CHEW BBQ	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
SPICE YOUR LIFE RUB YOUR MEAT	12	11	1	92%	⚔ compare
HELPING U BBQ	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM	10	8	2	80%	⚔ compare
IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
ALWAYS SMOK'D	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	20	8	1	1	178.2972	150.8000	166.26	top 47%
Pork Ribs	20	5	0	0	169.7144	145.0400	162.64	top 51%
Pork	20	3	0	1	171.9656	148.5372	162.33	top 58%
Brisket	20	6	0	1	176.0344	146.2628	160.88	top 54%

“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
NE	10	top 44%
IA	8	top 68%
KS	2	top 38%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 39%
Medium (20–39)	12	top 61%
Large (40+)	7	top 41%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
RiverFest Red White and Que	2	14	top 36%	2016-07-15
Back to Mayberry BBQ	2	19	top 81%	2016-07-01
BBQ in the Bluffs	2	11	top 61%	2016-05-13
Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)	2	16	top 65%	2016-04-23

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

On the trail 3.8 yrs 2014-07-03 → 2018-04-20

Busiest season 2016 7 contests

Contests a season 4 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NE 10 of 20 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 16 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 20 entries · 1 win · 8 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 166.26 · weakest Brisket (160.88)

Walk rate 75% a top-10 call in 15 of 20 contests

Overall top-10 rate 25% 5 of 20 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 652.11 out of 720 · 20 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 294 341–334 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,342 20 mapped stops · furthest 152 mi

Schedule strength 1575 average field rating faced — tougher than 59% of rated contests

Power rating 1536 peak 1545 · #2056 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Jul 3 First tracked contest Whiting BBQ Cookoff
Jul 3 First call Whiting BBQ Cookoff
Jul 3 First overall top-10 Whiting BBQ Cookoff
Jul 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.7772 Whiting BBQ Cookoff
2015
Aug 14 10th tracked contest 23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska
2016
May 13 First category win (Chicken) BBQ in the Bluffs
May 13 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.2972 BBQ in the Bluffs
Sep 3 Career-best overall score675.4172 Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge
2017
Jun 10 Peak power rating (1545) *Tonganoxie Days BBQ Blowout
2018
Apr 20 Most recent contest Q for a Cause

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.1	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge	2016-09-03
+12	Rossville Tall Corn BBQ Contest	2014-08-01
+8.6	Cass County	2014-08-08
+8.5	BBQ in the Bluffs	2016-05-13
+7.8	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full)	2016-04-22

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.3	BBQ in the Bluffs	2015-05-08
-9.2	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)	2016-04-23
-8.6	Q for a Cause	2018-04-20
-8	Tri-City BBQ Fest	2014-09-19
-7.7	Back to Mayberry BBQ	2016-07-01

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	1	0	0	0%	top 85%	88.5%	88.5%
2017	1	0	0	100%	top 57%	91.3%	91.3%
2016	7	1	1	71%	top 48%	93.8%	91.8%
2015	5	1	0	60%	top 64%	92.8%	88.8%
2014	6	3	0	100%	top 43%	92.5%	90.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-04-20	Q for a Cause Papillion, NE	35 / 41 (637.0284)	19 (168.5484)	32 (158.8344)	34 (157.7028)	36 (151.9428)
2017-06-10	*Tonganoxie Days BBQ Blowout Tonganoxie, KS	16 / 28 (657.0172)	19 (163.9428)	16 (163.9772)	17 (163.4056)	8 (165.6916)
2016-09-03	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE	6 / 45 (675.4172)	17 (168.5372)	17 (163.9772)	18 (166.8684)	5 (176.0344)
2016-07-15	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	14 / 45 (663.9656)	5 (173.1428)	11 (168.5600)	34 (157.1084)	18 (165.1544)
2016-07-01	Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA	30 / 35 (653.6228)	8 (173.7028)	29 (160.5600)	35 (148.5372)	14 (170.8228)
2016-05-20	5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition Valley, NE	17 / 42 (658.2284)	21 (165.1428)	10 (168.0000)	7 (170.8344)	30 (154.2512)
2016-05-13	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	11 / 33 (664.4568)	1 (178.2972)	25 (159.9656)	22 (161.6800)	14 (164.5140)
2016-04-23	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	33 / 36 (644.4460)	32 (161.0972)	11 (169.7144)	25 (164.5256)	36 (149.1088)
2016-04-22	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	16 / 42 (665.7372)	20 (167.4400)	14 (166.8800)	14 (170.2744)	32 (161.1428)
2015-09-25	Aksarben Stock Show & Rodeo Omaha, NE	7 / 18 (668.5028)	8 (168.5600)	5 (168.0000)	15 (160.5256)	5 (171.4172)
2015-08-14	23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Omaha, NE	16 / 42 (663.3600)	26 (161.6800)	30 (159.4172)	20 (166.2628)	3 (176.0000)
2015-07-03	Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA	19 / 25 (644.4000)	19 (160.5488)	17 (161.6800)	2 (171.9656)	22 (150.2056)
2015-06-26	3rd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival Omaha, NE	27 / 34 (614.7428)	33 (150.8000)	17 (162.2400)	20 (155.4400)	29 (146.2628)
2015-05-08	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	29 / 33 (606.6288)	27 (153.6572)	30 (145.0400)	26 (154.8344)	24 (153.0972)
2014-09-26	Ak-Sar-Ben's River City Rodeo & Stock Show Omaha, NE	20 / 47 (651.3028)	22 (165.0856)	10 (167.4172)	26 (161.1428)	29 (157.6572)
2014-09-19	Tri-City BBQ Fest Denison, IA	17 / 21 (636.4688)	6 (170.8572)	21 (149.6916)	15 (163.4056)	20 (152.5144)
2014-08-08	Cass County Weeping Water, NE	10 / 35 (659.8856)	8 (169.7028)	9 (168.5372)	31 (151.3828)	6 (170.2628)
2014-08-01	Rossville Tall Corn BBQ Contest Rossville, KS	7 / 37 (665.6800)	6 (172.0000)	12 (162.8800)	10 (170.2744)	16 (160.5256)
2014-07-18	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	14 / 35 (660.5260)	7 (171.4056)	18 (162.2632)	11 (168.6172)	20 (158.2400)
2014-07-03	Whiting BBQ Cookoff Whiting, IA	10 / 21 (650.7772)	14 (161.1200)	8 (165.1200)	12 (161.7372)	7 (162.8000)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1954 (60 pts)	#1863 (90 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1990 (60 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1997 (98 pts)	#2137 (83 pts)	#2082 (98 pts)	#2084 (93 pts)	#1668 (148 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#535 (743 pts)	#407 (948 pts)	#567 (728 pts)	#639 (628 pts)	#586 (688 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#883 (370 pts)	#1042 (315 pts)	#918 (385 pts)	#1048 (320 pts)	#705 (525 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#618 (600 pts)	#517 (745 pts)	#657 (580 pts)	#754 (495 pts)	#725 (510 pts)