SLIM D'S BBQ

SLIM D'S BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 30 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 5th of 60 at the Smokin' in Steel (2015). They are ranked #945 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#945

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1611

peak 1624 · rated over 30 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 25, 2014

latest Aug 24, 2019 · 5.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#345

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

13 podiums

Overall top-10s

33% of 30 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 43%

overall standings

Best overall

686.1944 / 720

Master · Back to Mayberry

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

673.85 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 665.75 (+8.10)

Walk rate

80%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Pork · Back to Back to the Park BBQ

Consistency

±10.75

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.23 · weakest Pork Ribs (165.31)

Road miles

3,864

across 30 mapped stops · furthest 315 mi

Schedule strength

63%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1579)

Purse competed for

$10K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

665.75 / 720

30 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork.

Pork ×1

They almost always walk

80% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 24 of 30 contests

A top-10 category call in 80% of their 30 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

686.1944 career-best overall

95.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 686.1944 at Back to Mayberry — 95.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 30, 2017

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI has finished one call ahead of SLIM D'S BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2017 their best year

2017 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 27%.

3 contests
3 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 27%

A tough matchup

17–3 behind in the head-to-head

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead in 85% of their meetings

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has come out ahead in 17 of their 20 shared contests.

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN BIG DAWGS in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

Show 4 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BLACK DOG BBQ IA has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 23% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 23% across 4 contests, versus top 43% the rest of the year.

4 May contests
top 43% the rest of the year

The long haul

3,864 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,864 miles across 30 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 315 miles to Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay.

30 mapped stops
furthest 315 mi

The metronome

±1.49% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.49% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.5% of a perfect score
30 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
2017 ↗	Master	#1027 (320 pts)	#1350 (220 pts)	#993 (375 pts)	#1213 (265 pts)	#1349 (220 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#345 (1,069 pts)	#287 (1,191 pts)	#349 (1,069 pts)	#466 (877 pts)	#181 (1,564 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#447 (860 pts)	#504 (770 pts)	#268 (1,235 pts)	#342 (1,015 pts)	#679 (550 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1236 (229 pts)	#1081 (309 pts)	#1781 (139 pts)	#844 (434 pts)	#1531 (179 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SLIM D'S BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

OLD TOWN SMOKERS

#952 of the rated field

1611 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1615

Careers of much the same size, 28 contests to 30, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 27 contests
last seen Oct 14, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

Big Al and the Boys

#946 of the rated field

1611 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1611

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 25 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 25 contests
last seen Aug 23, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

FYC BARBEQUE

#950 of the rated field

1611 power rating

Contests: 51
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 41%
Peak: 1679

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 51 contests, alongside a 41% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 50 contests
last seen Aug 20, 2021

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All About the Wood

#943 of the rated field

1611 power rating

Contests: 61
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 54%
Peak: 1645

They turned up 5 years after SLIM D'S BBQ did, first appearing in 2019.

rated over 59 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2026

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FATTY MAC BARBECUE

#949 of the rated field

1611 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 81%
Peak: 1618

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 4 years before SLIM D'S BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 15 contests

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Team Meat Coma

#948 of the rated field

1611 power rating

Contests: 63
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1681

Level with SLIM D'S BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 61 contests
last seen Oct 9, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	23	11	12	48%	⚔ compare
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	20	3	17	15%	⚔ compare
TREEFROG BBQ	18	10	8	56%	⚔ compare
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	16	8	8	50%	⚔ compare
IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ	14	6	8	43%	⚔ compare
DIG-IN COOKERS	14	6	8	43%	⚔ compare
SMOKEHOUSE 72	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
CITY SLICKERS BBQ	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
Hogline	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKERS PURGATORY	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
BIG T'Z Q CRU	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	30	10	0	2	176.5600	152.4912	167.23	top 48%
Pork Ribs	30	12	2	5	178.2972	150.7888	165.31	top 45%
Pork	30	13	1	2	180 🔥	153.0628	167.16	top 44%
Brisket	30	8	1	4	178.2972	147.3600	166.05	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 field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 53%
Medium (20–39)	14	top 44%
Large (40+)	13	top 40%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IA	19	top 50%
MN	5	top 27%
WI	5	top 32%
KS	1	top 49%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition	3	6	top 41%	Jun 14, 2019
Back to Back to the Park BBQ	3	8	top 57%	Aug 28, 2015
Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)	2	14	top 51%	Apr 23, 2016
Central Iowa Expo BBQ	2	23	top 73%	Apr 25, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 11 contests

Contests a season 5 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IA 19 of 30 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 24 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 526 finished ahead 751 times, behind 474

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

20191 milestone

Aug 24 Most recent contest 3rd Annual Halfway to St.Pat's BBQ Contest

20181 milestone

Jun 15 Peak power rating (1624) Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition

20172 milestones

Apr 28 25th tracked contest Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1)
Jun 30 Career-best overall score686.1944 Back to Mayberry

20151 milestone

Jun 27 10th tracked contest Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge

20146 milestones

Jul 25 First tracked contest Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
Jul 25 First call Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
Jul 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.1028 Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
Oct 17 First category win (Pork) Back to Back to the Park BBQ
Oct 17 First overall top-10 Back to Back to the Park BBQ
Oct 17 First perfect 180 (Pork) Back to Back to the Park BBQ

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.7	Smokin' in Steel	May 29, 2015
+13.2	Back to Back to the Park BBQ	Oct 17, 2014
+11.5	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay	Jul 10, 2015
+11.3	Masters in May	Apr 29, 2016
+10.9	The Masters In May	May 1, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.5	Back to Back to the Park BBQ (Day 2)	Oct 18, 2014
-8.5	Central Iowa Expo BBQ	Apr 25, 2015
-7.8	3rd Annual Halfway to St.Pat's BBQ Contest	Aug 24, 2019
-5.5	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition	Jun 14, 2019
-4.7	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	Jul 25, 2014

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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)
2019	2	1	0	50%	top 64%	92.6%	92%
2018	1	1	0	100%	top 26%	95.1%	95.1%
2017	3	3	2	100%	top 27%	95.3%	94.4%
2016	11	2	1	82%	top 40%	94.9%	92.5%
2015	10	2	0	80%	top 42%	94%	92%
2014	3	1	1	67%	top 62%	94%	91.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 24, 2019	3rd Annual Halfway to St.Pat's BBQ Contest 🏅 Emmetsburg, IA	8 / 12 (666.7544)	7 (167.9888)	2 (172.5828)	12 (153.0628)	4 (173.1200)
Jun 14, 2019	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA	19 / 31 (658.7316)	11 (169.1200)	26 (155.9660)	16 (167.4056)	17 (166.2400)
Jun 15, 2018	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition State Center, IA	6 / 23 (685.0744)	4 (174.8572)	5 (171.4172)	6 (171.4172)	10 (167.3828)
Jun 30, 2017	Back to Mayberry Rodney, IA	8 / 29 (686.1944)	14 (170.8228)	17 (169.6916)	5 (176)	17 (169.6800)
Jun 16, 2017	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition State Center, IA	6 / 17 (672.5032)	10 (165.6800)	13 (159.4060)	4 (169.7144)	1 (177.7028)
Apr 28, 2017	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1) Boone, IA	6 / 31 (679.3600)	14 (168.5372)	1 (177.1772)	19 (165.1200)	11 (168.5256)
Jul 29, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Des Moines, IA	9 / 28 (670.1944)	26 (155.9544)	1 (178.2972)	9 (171.4056)	13 (164.5372)
Jun 17, 2016	State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full) State Center, IA	17 / 31 (674.1832)	27 (163.9544)	17 (165.6916)	10 (170.2744)	3 (174.2628)
Jun 11, 2016	Mankato Cookout Day 2 and ( Back Yard) Mankato, MN	17 / 32 (669.5656)	10 (173.1084)	8 (171.9888)	31 (153.6456)	12 (170.8228)
Jun 10, 2016	Mankato Cookout Day 1 Mankato, MN	8 / 33 (683.3372)	12 (173.7028)	7 (173.1200)	16 (167.3828)	11 (169.1316)
May 13, 2016	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	14 / 71 (670.7428)	32 (165.0856)	34 (163.9772)	38 (163.3828)	2 (178.2972)
Apr 30, 2016	Masters in May- The Classic Appleton, WI	35 / 58 (643.8516)	51 (157.0744)	39 (158.8344)	40 (159.9772)	17 (167.9656)
Apr 29, 2016	Masters in May Appleton, WI	11 / 59 (668.4916)	3 (175.4056)	50 (150.7888)	15 (167.4172)	2 (174.8800)
Apr 23, 2016	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	25 / 36 (658.7772)	20 (167.9656)	32 (157.1088)	30 (161.1428)	8 (172.5600)
Apr 22, 2016	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	14 / 42 (667.9312)	11 (170.8572)	21 (165.1084)	34 (162.8572)	15 (169.1084)
Apr 8, 2016	Smoke in the Spring Osage City, KS	53 / 109 (654.1600)	6 (176.5600)	46 (164.5256)	52 (165.7144)	94 (147.3600)
Mar 4, 2016	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship Isle, MN	16 / 59 (663.3600)	10 (170.2744)	33 (160.5372)	18 (167.4400)	20 (165.1084)
Aug 28, 2015	Back to Back to the Park BBQ Marshalltown, IA	9 / 16 (661.5884)	5 (170.8228)	8 (163.9772)	7 (170.2628)	14 (156.5256)
Jul 17, 2015	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	15 / 39 (662.7772)	24 (165.1200)	8 (169.1200)	9 (169.6800)	21 (158.8572)
Jul 10, 2015	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay Green Bay, WI	13 / 80 (671.3144)	15 (170.8228)	15 (168)	16 (169.6800)	33 (162.8116)
Jun 27, 2015	Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge Davenport, IA	14 / 32 (665.0512)	17 (163.9772)	4 (169.7028)	10 (169.7256)	17 (161.6456)
Jun 19, 2015	State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship State Center, IA	13 / 27 (655.9088)	22 (157.6456)	2 (172)	10 (167.4516)	17 (158.8116)
May 29, 2015	Smokin' in Steel Owatonna, MN	5 / 60 (677.0860)	30 (165.0856)	2 (172.0116)	2 (175.4516)	28 (164.5372)
May 2, 2015	The Masters In May - The Classic Appleton, WI	19 / 47 (651.2680)	43 (152.4912)	4 (171.4284)	19 (163.9656)	20 (163.3828)
May 1, 2015	The Masters In May Appleton, WI	14 / 57 (657.6344)	4 (171.4172)	33 (155.3944)	8 (168)	29 (162.8228)
Apr 25, 2015	Central Iowa Expo BBQ Boone, IA	37 / 41 (654.1484)	16 (171.9772)	37 (159.9656)	30 (165.6684)	35 (156.5372)
Apr 24, 2015	Central Iowa Expo BBQ Boone, IA	23 / 42 (663.9544)	32 (164)	25 (163.4172)	31 (162.8344)	7 (173.7028)
Oct 18, 2014	Back to Back to the Park BBQ (Day 2) Marshalltown, IA	25 / 27 (651.3712)	23 (164.5484)	26 (154.8000)	14 (166.8456)	19 (165.1772)
Oct 17, 2014	Back to Back to the Park BBQ Marshalltown, IA	8 / 34 (677.0628)	3 (175.4172)	24 (158.2516)	1 (180)	16 (163.3940)
Jul 25, 2014	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	37 / 52 (650.1028)	46 (156.5028)	27 (165.1200)	10 (171.9772)	41 (156.5028)

SLIM D'S 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

Storylines (11 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Looking over their shoulder

A May team

The long haul

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)