FIRESTORM

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#3564

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1492

peak 1504 · rated over 18 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-04-03

latest 2017-09-15

Best ToY finish

#731

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 18 contests

Avg finish

top 62%

overall standings

Best overall

662.2284 / 720

Master · Bikes Blues & BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.75 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 643.88 (+2.87)

Walk rate

44%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7372

Chicken · Butler Chambers Barbeque & Huckster's Day

Consistency

±12.10

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 163.19 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.40)

Road miles

1,747

mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 194 mi

Schedule strength

57%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1573)

Master avg

643.88 / 720

18 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

Theslabs.com ahead in 100% of their meetings

Theslabs.com has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

A strong matchup

4–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of TWO GUYS AND A SMOKER in 4 of their 5 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

6 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

Theslabs.com ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Theslabs.com has out-cooked them in 6 of 8 shared chicken entries.

A May team

Top 50% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 50% across 3 contests, versus top 62% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 62% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.68% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.68% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.4% of a perfect score
18 contests

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

M.T. Pockets

#3568 of the rated field

1491 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1502

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2023-06-30

⚔ Head-to-head

ITALIAN STYLE BBQ TEAM

#3572 of the rated field

1491 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 39%
Peak: 1491

No shared contest yet.

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 2019-09-14

⚔ Head-to-head

Silence of the Hams

#3565 of the rated field

1491 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1491

No shared contest yet.

16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

DOUBLE DUECE SMOKIN BBQ

#3553 of the rated field

1492 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2017-10-13

⚔ Head-to-head

FOOMANCHOO BBQ

#3570 of the rated field

1491 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1491

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 23 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 23 contests
last seen 2021-04-23

⚔ Head-to-head

Bourbon Bent BBQ

#3549 of the rated field

1492 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1492

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 9 years after FIRESTORM did, first appearing in 2024.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2026-08-07

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Theslabs.com	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' SAUCED	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
R BUTTS R SMOKIN	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
LIL' FIDDLER'S	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
THUMP & STRUM BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKING HILLS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
TWO GUYS AND A SMOKER	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
MAN MEAT BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
POLITICAL PORK	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN WILLE'S BARBECUE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	18	2	1	1	177.7372	139.4172	163.19	top 57%
Pork Ribs	18	0	0	0	169.1200	145.6116	159.40	top 67%
Pork	18	5	0	2	176.0000	149.6572	161.38	top 63%
Brisket	18	4	0	1	175.4400	149.1088	159.91	top 61%

“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	Avg finish
MO	10	top 61%
KS	5	top 73%
AR	2	top 47%
IA	1	top 51%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 71%
Medium (20–39)	10	top 59%
Large (40+)	7	top 66%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief(TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)	2	40	0	top 66%	2017-03-31

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 2.5 yrs 2015-04-03 → 2017-09-15

Busiest season 2015 9 contests

Contests a season 6 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MO 10 of 18 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 17 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 18 entries · 1 win · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 163.19 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.40)

Walk rate 44% a top-10 call in 8 of 18 contests

Overall top-10 rate 11% 2 of 18 contests

Master average 643.88 out of 720 · 18 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 449 275–453 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,747 18 mapped stops · furthest 194 mi

Schedule strength 1573 average field rating faced — tougher than 57% of rated contests

Power rating 1492 peak 1504 · #3564 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
Apr 3 First tracked contest Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief(Judges Full)
Apr 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.6684 Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief(Judges Full)
May 1 First call Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship
May 23 Peak power rating (1504) Smokin' in the Junction
Sep 11 First overall top-10 Butler Chamber of Commerce BBQ & Huckster's Day
Sep 25 Career-best overall score662.2284 Bikes Blues & BBQ
2016
Sep 16 First category win (Chicken) Butler Chambers Barbeque & Huckster's Day
Sep 16 10th tracked contest Butler Chambers Barbeque & Huckster's Day
Sep 16 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7372 Butler Chambers Barbeque & Huckster's Day
2017
Sep 15 Most recent contest *Butler Chambers Of Commerce BBQ & Hucksters Days

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8.6	Bikes Blues & BBQ	2015-09-25
+7	Butler Chambers Barbeque & Huckster's Day	2016-09-16
+6.2	*Big Blue BBQ Championship(TEAM FULL)	2017-06-02
+3.5	Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship	2015-05-01
+3.2	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q	2017-05-05

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.3	Smokin Hot Cars & BBQ	2015-07-24
-7.5	*Butler Chambers Of Commerce BBQ & Hucksters Days	2017-09-15
-6.5	Flint Hills Beef Fest BBQ	2015-08-21
-6	2015 Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest	2015-06-05
-4.9	Butler Chamber of Commerce BBQ & Huckster's Day	2015-09-11

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)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	7	0	0	14%	top 63%	91.3%	89.8%
2016	2	1	1	50%	top 49%	89.7%	89.2%
2015	9	1	0	67%	top 65%	92%	89.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-09-15	*Butler Chambers Of Commerce BBQ & Hucksters Days Butler, MO	22 / 26 (626.1032)	18 (161.1088)	25 (151.9200)	23 (156.5372)	20 (156.5372)
2017-08-18	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	46 / 65 (636.3884)	53 (159.9656)	37 (163.9772)	43 (161.6800)	53 (150.7656)
2017-07-28	*Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	32 / 54 (657.6572)	23 (169.1084)	25 (168.5716)	46 (155.3944)	33 (164.5828)
2017-07-14	*Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest Mayetta, KS	38 / 58 (657.6232)	30 (167.4060)	26 (169.1200)	47 (161.1200)	43 (159.9772)
2017-06-02	*Big Blue BBQ Championship(TEAM FULL) Marysville, KS	15 / 35 (655.9660)	22 (163.4288)	26 (159.4172)	7 (169.7028)	14 (163.4172)
2017-05-05	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q St. Joseph, MO	20 / 39 (651.9544)	12 (170.8344)	12 (168.5600)	34 (152.0228)	26 (160.5372)
2017-03-31	Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief(TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Pleasant Hill, MO	40 / 59 (639.3376)	25 (166.2744)	53 (154.2744)	49 (155.3716)	26 (163.4172)
2016-09-23	Bikes Blues and BBQ Fayetteville, AR	26 / 43 (645.6576)	22 (167.4400)	17 (165.1316)	24 (163.9772)	37 (149.1088)
2016-09-16	Butler Chambers Barbeque & Huckster's Day Butler, MO	8 / 21 (638.1832)	1 (177.7372)	20 (145.6572)	10 (160.5372)	12 (154.2516)
2015-09-25	Bikes Blues & BBQ Fayetteville, AR	12 / 35 (662.2284)	14 (168.0000)	14 (164.5372)	17 (161.7028)	9 (167.9884)
2015-09-11	Butler Chamber of Commerce BBQ & Huckster's Day Butler, MO	10 / 14 (628.4572)	14 (139.4172)	11 (157.0856)	3 (173.1544)	10 (158.8000)
2015-09-04	Smokin in the Golden Valley Clinton, MO	18 / 31 (635.3144)	28 (153.0972)	22 (157.1200)	30 (149.6572)	6 (175.4400)
2015-08-21	Flint Hills Beef Fest BBQ Emporia, KS	32 / 36 (634.2060)	35 (150.2400)	29 (157.1316)	2 (176.0000)	34 (150.8344)
2015-07-24	Smokin Hot Cars & BBQ Iola, KS	24 / 26 (627.8292)	25 (155.3828)	25 (155.9660)	21 (163.3944)	24 (153.0860)
2015-06-05	2015 Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest Mayetta, KS	48 / 64 (629.0516)	37 (163.3828)	47 (156.5716)	50 (156.0000)	49 (153.0972)
2015-05-23	Smokin' in the Junction West Des Moines, IA	19 / 37 (654.2288)	19 (165.7372)	32 (145.6116)	10 (168.5828)	3 (174.2972)
2015-05-01	Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship Grandview, MO	15 / 32 (659.9656)	6 (169.7028)	20 (162.2400)	25 (159.4400)	13 (168.5828)
2015-04-03	Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief(Judges Full) Pleasant Hill, MO	46 / 71 (649.6684)	26 (169.1428)	27 (166.2628)	56 (160.5600)	57 (153.7028)

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
2017 ↗	Master	#752 (501 pts)	#744 (536 pts)	#830 (476 pts)	#766 (526 pts)	#793 (491 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1371 (201 pts)	#1014 (346 pts)	#1618 (171 pts)	#1533 (186 pts)	#1588 (171 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#731 (480 pts)	#865 (415 pts)	#865 (415 pts)	#668 (565 pts)	#519 (725 pts)