BARE KNUCKLE BBQ KS
Rating
1520
peak 1521 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
2024-09-27
latest 2026-06-26
Best ToY finish
#552
Master 2026
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 48%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
668.93
last 5 Master vs avg 669.36 (-0.43)
Walk rate
38%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.64
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 170.03 · weakest Brisket (166.24)
Road miles
251
mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 67 mi
Schedule strength
53%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1548)
Purse competed for
$67K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
669.36 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
343.95 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
LOVE 2 Q has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of KC Rib doctor in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
Teams like this (closest power rating, KS first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking Dog BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| LOVE 2 Q | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Squealin N Dealin BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BALD BEAUTIES BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| ROADKILL BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Aww Shucks BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Split Borders BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bey's Barbecue | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Stewey Magoos BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 155.9084 | 166.75 | top 60% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171.9884 | 162.2516 | 167.70 | top 51% |
| Pork | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 178.8572 | 162.8000 | 170.03 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.9656 | 161.6456 | 166.24 | top 50% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS | 6 | 0 | top 47% |
| MO | 2 | 0 | top 50% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 43% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 50% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | 2 | 40 | 0 | top 34% | 2026-06-26 |
| Shawnee Great Grillers | 2 | 30 | 0 | top 45% | 2025-09-26 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (4 contests)
- Cooks mostly in KS (6 of 8 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (8 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 669.36 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 343.95 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2024-09-27 — First tracked contest · Shawnee Great Grillers
- 📣 2025-04-25 — First call · Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest
- 📈 2025-10-03 — Peak power rating (1521) · Big Creek BBQ Bash (BACKYARD ONLY)
- ⭐ 2026-04-17 — Career-best overall score (679.9316) · Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.7 | Big Creek BBQ Bash (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-10-03 |
| +8.6 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | 2025-06-27 |
| +4.2 | Shawnee Great Grillers | 2024-09-27 |
| +2.6 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | 2026-06-26 |
| +1.3 | Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ | 2026-04-17 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -4.6 | 8th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship | 2026-03-20 |
| -2.7 | Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest | 2025-04-25 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 56% | 94.4% | 92.8% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 44% | 95.5% | 93.9% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 41% | 92.1% | 92.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 67 / 157 (660.4456) | 132 (155.9084) | 91 (162.8572) | 33 (172.5600) | 47 (169.1200) |
| 2026-04-17 | Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ 🏅 Iola, KS | 15 / 27 (679.9316) | 18 (170.8344) | 13 (170.2744) | 23 (166.8572) | 9 (171.9656) |
| 2026-03-20 | 8th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS | 48 / 68 (664.4688) | 58 (163.9772) | 48 (166.2400) | 41 (168.5716) | 42 (165.6800) |
| 2025-10-03 | Big Creek BBQ Bash (BACKYARD ONLY) Pleasant Hill, MO | 7 / 23 (343.9544) | 6 (174.2628) | 12 (169.6916) | — | — |
| 2025-09-26 | Shawnee Great Grillers 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 33 / 67 (663.2568) | 38 (166.8228) | 17 (171.9884) | 48 (162.8000) | 42 (161.6456) |
| 2025-06-27 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 40 / 159 (676.5484) | 25 (174.2628) | 75 (166.3200) | 60 (167.4056) | 51 (168.5600) |
| 2025-04-25 | Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO | 28 / 40 (677.5772) | 34 (163.9544) | 20 (171.9772) | 4 (178.8572) | 32 (162.7884) |
| 2024-09-27 | Shawnee Great Grillers 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 30 / 73 (663.2804) | 46 (163.9544) | 44 (162.2516) | 17 (173.1316) | 37 (163.9428) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #552 (222 pts) | #633 (207 pts) | #618 (232 pts) | #621 (182 pts) | #532 (257 pts) |