ELLIS COUNTY BBQ

ELLIS COUNTY BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 7th of 44 at the Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship (2015). They are ranked #3967 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,967

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1484

peak 1512 · rated over 12 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 31, 2013

latest Aug 30, 2019 · 6 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1112

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

8% of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 61%

overall standings

Best overall

662.7312 / 720

Master · SC Festival Of Discovery

Perfect 180s

Current form

648.82 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 628.45 (+20.37)

Walk rate

31%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.6172

Pork Ribs · Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival

Consistency

±51.74

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 162.57 · weakest Brisket (158.22)

Road miles

4,511

across 13 mapped stops · furthest 893 mi

Schedule strength

31%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1542)

Purse competed for

$36K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

628.45 / 720

12 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

662.7312 career-best overall

92.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 662.7312 at SC Festival Of Discovery — 92.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 12, 2018

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 44%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 44%

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

BUTCHER BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

BUTCHER BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.3 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.35 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 8% of the time against 17%.

Brisket avg 158.22
Pork Ribs avg 162.57
1 call in 13 entries

A strong matchup

5–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN GOOD BBQ in 5 of their 6 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

4 of 6 shared pork ribs entries lost

BARBQUE XTREME ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BARBQUE XTREME has out-cooked them in 4 of 6 shared pork ribs entries.

Boom or bust

±7.19% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±7.19% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 87.3% of a perfect score
best 92.0%

Show 2 more storylines

The long haul

4,511 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,511 miles across 13 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 893 miles to SC Festival Of Discovery.

13 mapped stops
furthest 893 mi

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival every year from 2013 to 2016 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 23rd

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1471 (120 pts)	#1593 (120 pts)	#1575 (120 pts)	#1397 (160 pts)	#1536 (120 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1524 (120 pts)	#1473 (150 pts)	#1036 (300 pts)	#1610 (120 pts)	#1586 (120 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1112 (277 pts)	#1187 (277 pts)	#1346 (227 pts)	#1014 (357 pts)	#1134 (287 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2274 (60 pts)	#2353 (60 pts)	#2349 (60 pts)	—	#2345 (60 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1239 (225 pts)	#1275 (235 pts)	#1377 (205 pts)	#1406 (210 pts)	#1506 (170 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2026 (85 pts)	#2167 (75 pts)	#1730 (145 pts)	#2172 (75 pts)	#2148 (75 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to ELLIS COUNTY BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

A ROLLIN' SMOKE

#3,991 of the rated field

1484 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1484

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to ELLIS COUNTY BBQ)

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

rated over 5 contests
last seen Oct 14, 2016

⚔ Head-to-head

Happy Beetle BBQ

#3,980 of the rated field

1484 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1502

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Jun 27, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

BIG HORNED BBQ

#3,976 of the rated field

1484 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1484

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Oct 18, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

TEMPTATION STATION

#3,986 of the rated field

1484 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1484

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Smoking Grannies

#3,978 of the rated field

1484 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1517

Level with ELLIS COUNTY BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Aug 23, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

Five Guys and a Grill

#3,989 of the rated field

1484 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1516

They've been 1516 at their best, 33 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Jun 21, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN PENDEJOS	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN GOOD BBQ	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
BIG JOHN'S TEXAS BAR-B-QUE	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
OTAKU SMOKE N BREW	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
BARBQUE XTREME	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
BUTT FIRST BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
PAPPO'S BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
Pitfaced BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
FULL METAL PORK	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Big Daddy G's BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
THIN, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE SMOKE	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
OUTTA THE BOX BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
BUTCHER BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
TINY E BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
Texas-car-b-que	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	3	0	170.8456	133.5884	159.14	top 61%
Pork Ribs	12	2	1	176.6172	138.2628	162.57	top 50%
Pork	11	1	0	173.7028	149.0972	161.33	top 56%
Brisket	13	1	1	167.4400	139.9200	158.22	top 55%

“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 61%
Medium (20–39)	1	top 52%
Large (40+)	10	top 62%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
TX	9	top 61%
SC	2	top 65%
LA	1	top 52%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	4	23	top 68%	Sep 3, 2016
Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	3	35	top 66%	Aug 30, 2019
SC Festival of Discovery	2	40	top 65%	Jul 12, 2019

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 3 contests

Contests a season 1.9 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in TX 10 of 13 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 6 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 445 finished ahead 281 times, behind 441

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

20191 milestone

Aug 30 Most recent contest Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival

20183 milestones

Jul 12 10th tracked contest SC Festival Of Discovery
Jul 12 Career-best overall score662.7312 SC Festival Of Discovery
Aug 31 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.6172 Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival

20153 milestones

Apr 17 First call Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship
Apr 17 First overall top-10 Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship
Apr 17 Peak power rating (1512) Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship

20141 milestone

Aug 30 First overall past 90% of a perfect score652.4912 City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival

20131 milestone

Aug 31 First tracked contest City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.5	Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship	Apr 17, 2015
+7.7	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	Aug 30, 2014
+4.9	SC Festival Of Discovery	Jul 12, 2018
+4.4	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Mar 3, 2017
+0.2	Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	Aug 31, 2018

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.2	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	Sep 3, 2016
-7.8	Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL)	Sep 2, 2017
-7.5	SC Festival of Discovery	Jul 12, 2019
-6.9	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	Aug 31, 2013
-6.1	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	Sep 4, 2015

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	2	0	0%	top 74%	91.8%	88.7%
2018	2	0	50%	top 52%	92%	91.3%
2017	3	0	33%	top 63%	91.7%	89.3%
2016	1	0	0%	top 98%	65.1%	65.1%
2015	3	1	67%	top 44%	91.2%	89.7%
2014	1	0	0%	top 30%	90.6%	90.6%
2013	1	0	0%	top 73%	84.5%	84.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 30, 2019	Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival 🏅 Bedford, TX	37 / 58 (661.0856)	37 (165.7144)	43 (162.8228)	17 (171.4172)	40 (161.1312)
Jul 12, 2019	SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	70 / 83 (615.7828)	64 (157.6456)	27 (169.1200)	75 (149.0972)	77 (139.9200)
Aug 31, 2018	Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX	43 / 74 (651.9768)	59 (157.1540)	3 (176.6172)	61 (157.6572)	48 (160.5484)
Jul 12, 2018	SC Festival Of Discovery Greenwood, SC	40 / 89 (662.7312)	19 (170.8456)	24 (170.2972)	63 (157.6456)	41 (163.9428)
Oct 13, 2017	Smokin' Blues & BBQ Festival Duncanville, TX	11 / 18 (652.5260)	8 (167.4172)	14 (157.6916)	4 (173.7028)	13 (153.7144)
Sep 2, 2017	Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Bedford, TX	35 / 46 (615.4404)	24 (159.4516)	45 (138.2628)	29 (159.4744)	27 (158.2516)
Mar 3, 2017	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Shreveport, LA	15 / 29 (660.4684)	21 (163.3828)	22 (162.8228)	15 (166.8228)	11 (167.4400)
Sep 3, 2016	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX	57 / 58 (468.5256)	55 (150.2972)	37 (159.4056)	—	35 (158.8228)
Oct 22, 2015	Dallas Kosher BBQ Championship (Competitor's Series) Richardson, TX	—	6 (153.1084)	—	—	2 (156.5944)
Sep 4, 2015	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX	50 / 70 (635.3828)	55 (157.1084)	56 (155.4172)	14 (169.1544)	61 (153.7028)
Apr 17, 2015	Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship Midland, TX	7 / 44 (656.5944)	6 (168)	9 (165.7028)	18 (161.7372)	15 (161.1544)
Aug 30, 2014	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX	23 / 76 (652.4912)	25 (165.1428)	11 (169.7600)	60 (155.3600)	25 (162.2284)
Aug 31, 2013	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX	65 / 89 (608.4000)	86 (133.5884)	25 (162.8916)	59 (152.5144)	28 (159.4056)

ELLIS COUNTY 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 (9 found in their record)

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork Ribs nemesis

Boom or bust

The long haul

A standing appointment

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)