BOURBON & BONES

BOURBON & BONES is a competition barbecue team with 20 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 6th of 45 at the Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge (2016). They are ranked #2062 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,062

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1536

peak 1545 · rated over 20 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 3, 2014

latest Apr 20, 2018 · 3.8 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#535

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

25% of 20 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

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

Best single call

178.2972

Chicken · BBQ in the Bluffs

Consistency

±17.11

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.26 · weakest Brisket (160.88)

Road miles

1,342

across 20 mapped stops · furthest 152 mi

Schedule strength

60%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1576)

Master avg

652.11 / 720

20 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

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
Sep 3, 2016

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.

Show 4 more storylines

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

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
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)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BOURBON & BONES, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Big Bobby's Q

#2,078 of the rated field

1536 power rating

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

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Aug 2, 2025

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STARVIN MARVINS BAY AREA BBQ

#2,060 of the rated field

1537 power rating

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

Careers of much the same size, 18 contests to 20, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Jul 7, 2017

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e2BBQ

#2,059 of the rated field

1537 power rating

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

27 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 11% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 26 contests
last seen Mar 26, 2021

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BOB ROBERTS BBQ

#2,061 of the rated field

1536 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1536

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

rated over 15 contests
last seen Oct 20, 2023

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JOE'S COOKSHACK

#2,070 of the rated field

1536 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1567

They've been 1567 at their best, 31 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Jan 9, 2025

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The Pig Lebowski

#2,072 of the rated field

1536 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1549

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 29 contests to 20.

rated over 29 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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	12	3	9	25%	⚔ 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 field size and state

By contest size

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

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
NE	10	top 44%
IA	8	top 68%
KS	2	top 38%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
RiverFest Red White and Que	2	14	top 36%	Jul 15, 2016
Back to Mayberry BBQ	2	19	top 81%	Jul 1, 2016
BBQ in the Bluffs	2	11	top 61%	May 13, 2016
Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)	2	16	top 65%	Apr 23, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 7 contests

Contests a season 4 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NE 10 of 20 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 16 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 291 finished ahead 341 times, behind 334

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

20181 milestone

Apr 20 Most recent contest Q for a Cause

20171 milestone

Jun 10 Peak power rating (1545) Tonganoxie Days BBQ Blowout

20163 milestones

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

20151 milestone

Aug 14 10th tracked contest 23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska

20144 milestones

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.1	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge	Sep 3, 2016
+12	Rossville Tall Corn BBQ Contest	Aug 1, 2014
+8.7	Cass County	Aug 8, 2014
+8.5	BBQ in the Bluffs	May 13, 2016
+7.8	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full)	Apr 22, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.2	BBQ in the Bluffs	May 8, 2015
-9.2	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)	Apr 23, 2016
-8.6	Q for a Cause	Apr 20, 2018
-7.9	Tri-City BBQ Fest	Sep 19, 2014
-7.6	Back to Mayberry BBQ	Jul 1, 2016

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)
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
Apr 20, 2018	Q for a Cause Papillion, NE	35 / 41 (637.0284)	19 (168.5484)	32 (158.8344)	34 (157.7028)	36 (151.9428)
Jun 10, 2017	Tonganoxie Days BBQ Blowout Tonganoxie, KS	16 / 28 (657.0172)	19 (163.9428)	16 (163.9772)	17 (163.4056)	8 (165.6916)
Sep 3, 2016	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)
Jul 15, 2016	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	14 / 45 (663.9656)	5 (173.1428)	11 (168.5600)	34 (157.1084)	18 (165.1544)
Jul 1, 2016	Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA	30 / 35 (653.6228)	8 (173.7028)	29 (160.5600)	35 (148.5372)	14 (170.8228)
May 20, 2016	5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition Valley, NE	17 / 42 (658.2284)	21 (165.1428)	10 (168)	7 (170.8344)	30 (154.2512)
May 13, 2016	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	11 / 33 (664.4568)	1 (178.2972)	25 (159.9656)	22 (161.6800)	14 (164.5140)
Apr 23, 2016	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)
Apr 22, 2016	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)
Sep 25, 2015	Aksarben Stock Show & Rodeo Omaha, NE	7 / 18 (668.5028)	8 (168.5600)	5 (168)	15 (160.5256)	5 (171.4172)
Aug 14, 2015	23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Omaha, NE	16 / 42 (663.3600)	26 (161.6800)	30 (159.4172)	20 (166.2628)	3 (176)
Jul 3, 2015	Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA	19 / 25 (644.4000)	19 (160.5488)	17 (161.6800)	2 (171.9656)	22 (150.2056)
Jun 26, 2015	3rd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival Omaha, NE	27 / 34 (614.7428)	33 (150.8000)	17 (162.2400)	20 (155.4400)	29 (146.2628)
May 8, 2015	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	29 / 33 (606.6288)	27 (153.6572)	30 (145.0400)	26 (154.8344)	24 (153.0972)
Sep 26, 2014	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)
Sep 19, 2014	Tri-City BBQ Fest Denison, IA	17 / 21 (636.4688)	6 (170.8572)	21 (149.6916)	15 (163.4056)	20 (152.5144)
Aug 8, 2014	Cass County Weeping Water, NE	10 / 35 (659.8856)	8 (169.7028)	9 (168.5372)	31 (151.3828)	6 (170.2628)
Aug 1, 2014	Rossville Tall Corn BBQ Contest Rossville, KS	7 / 37 (665.6800)	6 (172)	12 (162.8800)	10 (170.2744)	16 (160.5256)
Jul 18, 2014	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	14 / 35 (660.5260)	7 (171.4056)	18 (162.2632)	11 (168.6172)	20 (158.2400)
Jul 3, 2014	Whiting BBQ Cookoff Whiting, IA	10 / 21 (650.7772)	14 (161.1200)	8 (165.1200)	12 (161.7372)	7 (162.8000)

BOURBON & BONES

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

Master avg

Storylines (11 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

An August team

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

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)