Bare Bones BBQ

Bare Bones BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 27 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 11th of 23 at the Green Mountain BBQ Championship (2015). They are ranked #6114 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#6,114

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1429

peak 1506 · rated over 27 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 10, 2013

latest Jul 23, 2022 · 9.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1805

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 27 contests

Avg finish

top 70%

overall standings

Best overall

665.5884 / 720

Master · Green Mountain BBQ Championship

Perfect 180s

Current form

634.77 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 630.52 (+4.26)

Walk rate

33%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7028

Pork · Green Mountain BBQ Championship

Consistency

±20.66

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 159.73 · weakest Brisket (154.68)

Road miles

36,655

across 27 mapped stops · furthest 11,506 mi

Schedule strength

43%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1557)

Purse competed for

$12K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

630.52 / 720

27 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (10 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

665.5884 career-best overall

92.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 665.5884 at Green Mountain BBQ Championship — 92.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 27, 2015

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 57%.

4 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 57%

A tough matchup

12–0 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA ahead in 100% of their meetings

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has come out ahead in 12 of their 12 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.1 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.05 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 7% of the time against 7%.

Brisket avg 154.68
Chicken avg 159.73
2 calls in 27 entries

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SQUEELS ON WHEELS in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival (Jul 23, 2022).

last seen Jul 27, 2019
back Jul 23, 2022

Chicken nemesis

11 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA ahead 92% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has out-cooked them in 11 of 12 shared chicken entries.

Show 3 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

GREEN MOUNTAIN SMOKESHACK has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A June team

Top 61% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 61% across 3 contests, versus top 70% the rest of the year.

3 June contests
top 70% the rest of the year

The long haul

36,655 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 36,655 miles across 27 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 11,506 miles to Smokin in the city.

27 mapped stops
furthest 11,506 mi

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	#2274 (60 pts)	#2228 (80 pts)	#2349 (60 pts)	#2326 (60 pts)	#2200 (85 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1821 (118 pts)	#1949 (108 pts)	#1944 (108 pts)	#1456 (198 pts)	#1883 (118 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1805 (127 pts)	#1575 (172 pts)	#1883 (124 pts)	#1892 (127 pts)	#1869 (127 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Bare Bones BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Meat Sweats

#6,119 of the rated field

1428 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1428

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Bare Bones BBQ)

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jun 20, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

ROAD HAWG BBQ, SWINE DINING

#6,118 of the rated field

1428 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1428

4–0 in 4 shared contests (100% to Bare Bones BBQ)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 5 years before Bare Bones BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 7 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Estancia

#6,110 of the rated field

1429 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1429

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 Oct 9, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Q42

#6,103 of the rated field

1429 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1429

Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 27, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 30 contests
last seen Aug 15, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Still Smokin

#6,113 of the rated field

1429 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1429

22 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Aug 23, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

PARADISE BBQ

#6,115 of the rated field

1429 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1429

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Sep 10, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
THE BASIC BBQ TEAM	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
A MAZIE Q	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
INSANE SWINE BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
Rogue Hog BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SQUEELS ON WHEELS	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
CIDER BOYS BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Udder Chaos	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Up-2 BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
PADDY MCQ'S	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
Q HAVEN BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
MEAT @ SLIMS	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
THE 5TH ARTERY	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	27	2	169.1772	142.8116	159.73	top 66%
Pork Ribs	27	3	170.2628	130.7312	157.41	top 65%
Pork	27	3	173.7028	146.7656	158.69	top 65%
Brisket	27	2	172	138.7544	154.68	top 68%

“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 89%
Medium (20–39)	15	top 67%
Large (40+)	11	top 73%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
VT	10	top 71%
MO	5	top 57%
WI	4	top 95%
MA	2	top 57%
KS	1	top 63%
VA	1	top 64%
AR	1	top 72%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival	4	13	top 61%	Jul 23, 2022
BBQ and Fly In on the River (JUDGES FULL)	2	32	top 67%	Aug 17, 2018
Harvard Fall Festival BBQ Contest	2	19	top 57%	Sep 12, 2015
Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ	2	26	top 81%	Jul 25, 2015
Platte City BBQ Cook-Off	2	17	top 47%	May 16, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 6 contests

Contests a season 3.4 across 8 seasons in the data

Most contests held in VT 10 of 27 contests · 7 states in all

Contests visited 20 5 of them more than once

Opponents faced 579 finished ahead 302 times, behind 736

Longest layoff 3 yrs Jul 27, 2019 → Jul 23, 2022

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

20221 milestone

Jul 23 Most recent contest The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival

20191 milestone

Apr 6 25th tracked contest Smokin in the city

20153 milestones

Jun 27 Career-best overall score665.5884 Green Mountain BBQ Championship
Jun 27 Career-best single call (Pork)173.7028 Green Mountain BBQ Championship
Sep 12 10th tracked contest Harvard Fall Festival BBQ Contest

20134 milestones

May 10 First tracked contest Platte City BBQ Cook-Off
May 10 First call Platte City BBQ Cook-Off
May 10 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.1430 Platte City BBQ Cook-Off
May 10 Peak power rating (1506) Platte City BBQ Cook-Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+6.1	The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival	Jul 29, 2017
+6.1	Platte City BBQ Cook-Off	May 10, 2013
+5.3	The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival	Jul 23, 2022
+4.3	Green Mountain BBQ Championship	Jun 27, 2015
+2.9	BBQ and Fly In on the River	Aug 19, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.4	The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ	Jul 26, 2013
-10	The Masters In May (also Big Green Egg challenge)	May 5, 2017
-9.5	Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ	Jul 25, 2014
-9	Smokin in the city	Apr 6, 2019
-8.9	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay-Heat 2	Jul 15, 2017

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2022	1	100%	top 52%	90.3%	90.3%
2019	2	50%	top 77%	88.4%	86.1%
2018	4	50%	top 68%	89.7%	87.8%
2017	6	17%	top 82%	89.4%	85.5%
2016	4	25%	top 71%	91.6%	88.4%
2015	4	50%	top 57%	92.4%	89.9%
2014	4	0%	top 71%	90%	87.2%
2013	2	50%	top 62%	90.7%	88%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 23, 2022	The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival 🏅 Windsor, VT	13 / 25 (650.1716)	11 (168.0116)	18 (161.0856)	17 (158.8228)	10 (162.2516)
Jul 27, 2019	The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival 🏅 Windsor, VT	21 / 33 (636.3312)	29 (158.8344)	17 (164.5256)	29 (154.2400)	18 (161.6800)
Apr 6, 2019	Smokin in the city Perth WA	17 / 19 (603.2916)	10 (155.9656)	18 (149.7032)	15 (149.6800)	17 (147.9428)
Nov 3, 2018	Smokin on the Water Bayswater	13 / 23 (645.6916)	7 (169.1772)	19 (154.2628)	4 (171.4172)	22 (150.8344)
Sep 15, 2018	The Chidlow BBQ Festival Chidlow, Wa	14 / 23 (635.4400)	16 (155.9312)	11 (157.1200)	9 (161.2000)	12 (161.1888)
Aug 17, 2018	BBQ and Fly In on the River (JUDGES FULL) Excelsior Springs, MO	44 / 57 (628.4688)	25 (168)	51 (149.0972)	38 (161.6572)	49 (149.7144)
Jul 28, 2018	The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival Windsor, VT	26 / 34 (618.0572)	30 (155.3600)	29 (151.9544)	27 (153.6456)	19 (157.0972)
Sep 9, 2017	Green Mountain BBQ Championship Randolph, VT	30 / 32 (619.8284)	21 (162.2512)	27 (152.5372)	28 (158.2400)	32 (146.8000)
Jul 29, 2017	The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival Windsor, VT	15 / 30 (642.1024)	24 (158.7884)	4 (170.2628)	17 (159.9656)	18 (153.0856)
Jul 15, 2017	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay-Heat 2 Green Bay, WI	48 / 49 (575.1424)	45 (153.0856)	49 (130.7312)	48 (146.7656)	48 (144.5600)
Jul 14, 2017	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay-Heat1 Green Bay, WI	53 / 58 (591.3600)	54 (142.8116)	55 (137.6800)	37 (158.8456)	48 (152.0228)
Jun 2, 2017	Big Blue BBQ Championship (TEAM FULL) Marysville, KS	22 / 35 (643.8172)	15 (167.9656)	11 (170.2628)	11 (166.8344)	31 (138.7544)
May 5, 2017	The Masters In May (also Big Green Egg challenge) Appleton, WI	55 / 56 (619.3716)	25 (166.8456)	55 (146.2400)	51 (154.2744)	49 (152.0116)
Aug 19, 2016	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	32 / 56 (659.2684)	40 (163.3828)	28 (168)	34 (165.0972)	30 (162.7884)
Jul 15, 2016	Smoke on the mountain/VA state BBQ championship Galax, VA	16 / 25 (649.0284)	21 (159.3600)	19 (158.8572)	19 (158.8112)	6 (172)
Jul 8, 2016	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay-1st Heat Green Bay, WI	60 / 66 (610.1828)	64 (145.0856)	45 (156.5600)	20 (168)	63 (140.5372)
Jun 25, 2016	Green Mountain BBQ Championship Waterbury, VT	29 / 40 (626.1140)	21 (165.1428)	39 (146.8000)	34 (150.7656)	20 (163.4056)
Sep 12, 2015	Harvard Fall Festival BBQ Contest Harvard, MA	19 / 37 (641.5884)	28 (153.6684)	9 (169.1316)	16 (166.2512)	28 (152.5372)
Sep 11, 2015	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	42 / 76 (641.0056)	45 (158.8228)	23 (167.9772)	44 (159.3600)	53 (154.8456)
Jul 25, 2015	Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT	26 / 35 (641.0516)	12 (169.1312)	29 (156.5716)	33 (149.6688)	14 (165.6800)
Jun 27, 2015	Green Mountain BBQ Championship Waterbury, VT	11 / 23 (665.5884)	13 (165.0972)	13 (164.5256)	4 (173.7028)	11 (162.2628)
Oct 3, 2014	Go Hog Wild Arkansas BBQ Championship Sheridan, AR	18 / 25 (632.9484)	12 (166.8228)	18 (161.6800)	15 (162.8112)	23 (141.6344)
Sep 13, 2014	Harvard Fall Festival BBQ Contest Harvard, MA	27 / 43 (617.0968)	16 (164)	35 (149.7256)	39 (147.9428)	26 (155.4284)
Jul 25, 2014	Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT	30 / 34 (613.4968)	26 (157.0740)	12 (162.8228)	33 (149.6688)	31 (143.9312)
May 16, 2014	Platte City BBQ Cook-Off Platte City, MO	31 / 50 (647.8744)	48 (151.9544)	18 (166.2400)	31 (162.2628)	18 (167.4172)
Jul 26, 2013	The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT	28 / 31 (613.5200)	24 (157.6684)	25 (156.5028)	30 (147.3600)	25 (151.9888)
May 10, 2013	Platte City BBQ Cook-Off Platte City, MO	17 / 52 (653.1430)	45 (152.5714)	10 (169.1430)	12 (167.4286)	18 (164)

Bare Bones BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

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 (10 found in their record)

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A June team

The long haul

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)