The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
ROCK N BLUES BBQ has finished one call ahead of 2 HOT 2 HANDLE 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
2 HOT 2 HANDLE
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1496
peak 1505 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
2015-06-05
latest 2018-10-06
Best ToY finish
#1207
Master 2016
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 62%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
652.35 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 648.46 (+3.89)
Walk rate
43%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.08
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 164.08 · weakest Brisket (160.44)
Road miles
227
mi across 7 mapped stops · furthest 49 mi
Schedule strength
57%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1573)
Master avg
648.46 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (3 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
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
777 BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
777 BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
A strong matchup
3–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 75% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of RICH AND STU'S VOODOO BBQ in 3 of their 4 shared 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.
117 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3383 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1506
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to 2 HOT 2 HANDLE)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team 2 HOT 2 HANDLE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3385 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3362 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1505
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 5 years after 2 HOT 2 HANDLE did, first appearing in 2020.
⚔ Head-to-head#3358 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1502
No shared contest yet.
Level with 2 HOT 2 HANDLE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#3381 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1505
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3359 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1504
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLACK EYE BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| 777 BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| CLARK CREW BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ROCK N BLUES BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE BUCKET BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.1316 | 155.9428 | 162.34 | top 64% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.5716 | 148.5600 | 161.60 | top 59% |
| Pork | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8572 | 153.6916 | 164.08 | top 60% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 175.4400 | 151.3604 | 160.44 | top 58% |
“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 contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 53% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 73% |
The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3.3 yrs
2015-06-05 → 2018-10-06
Busiest season
2016
3 contests
Contests a season
1.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
KS
7 of 7 contests
Contests visited
7
0 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
7 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 164.08 · weakest Brisket (160.44)
Walk rate
43%
a top-10 call in 3 of 7 contests
Overall top-10 rate
14%
1 of 7 contests
Master average
648.46
out of 720 · 7 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
234
122–223 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
227
7 mapped stops · furthest 49 mi
Schedule strength
1573
average field rating faced — tougher than 57% of rated contests
Longest layoff
1.5 yrs
2017-04-07 → 2018-10-06
Power rating
1496
peak 1505 · #3367 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2015
- First tracked contest 2015 Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest
- First call Smoke on the Water
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Water
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.7656 Smoke on the Water
- Career-best single call (Brisket)175.4400 Smoke on the Water
- 2016
- Career-best overall score660.4348 Brews, Blues & Bar-B-Q
- Peak power rating (1505) Brews, Blues & Bar-B-Q
- 2018
- Most recent contest *Rib's and Bibs
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +7.6 | Smoke on the Water | 2015-10-09 |
| +6.9 | Brews, Blues & Bar-B-Q | 2016-05-06 |
| +0.9 | *Rib's and Bibs | 2018-10-06 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.4 | 2015 Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest | 2015-06-05 |
| -5.5 | Flint Hills Beef Fest BBQ | 2016-08-19 |
| -2.5 | Smoke in the Spring (WFC Quilfyer) | 2017-04-07 |
| -2.1 | Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest | 2016-06-03 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 62% | 91.2% | 91.2% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 67% | 90% | 90% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 62% | 91.7% | 90.6% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 58% | 91.5% | 88.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-10-06 | *Rib's and Bibs Topeka, KS | 23 / 37 (656.4804) | 34 (155.9428) | 21 (166.2860) | 20 (166.8572) | 20 (167.3944) |
| 2017-04-07 | Smoke in the Spring (WFC Quilfyer) Osage City, KS | 67 / 100 (647.8860) | 87 (155.9544) | 44 (166.8344) | 29 (170.8572) | 78 (154.2400) |
| 2016-08-19 | Flint Hills Beef Fest BBQ Emporia, KS | 28 / 33 (648.4464) | 29 (160.5372) | 6 (172.5716) | 28 (163.9772) | 30 (151.3604) |
| 2016-06-03 | Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest Mayetta, KS | 36 / 55 (648.5028) | 18 (168.5716) | 48 (153.6228) | 45 (161.2000) | 21 (165.1084) |
| 2016-05-06 | Brews, Blues & Bar-B-Q Lansing, KS | 11 / 30 (660.4348) | 12 (169.1316) | 9 (169.1200) | 14 (166.2516) | 20 (155.9316) |
| 2015-10-09 | Smoke on the Water Topeka, KS | 10 / 33 (658.7656) | 16 (163.4056) | 26 (154.2172) | 12 (165.7028) | 2 (175.4400) |
| 2015-06-05 | 2015 Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest Mayetta, KS | 55 / 64 (618.7316) | 39 (162.8456) | 61 (148.5600) | 54 (153.6916) | 48 (153.6344) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1894 (70 pts) | #2012 (60 pts) | #1913 (80 pts) | #1901 (85 pts) | #1873 (85 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2212 (60 pts) | #2286 (60 pts) | #2304 (60 pts) | #2260 (60 pts) | #2266 (60 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1207 (243 pts) | #1210 (273 pts) | #981 (373 pts) | #1384 (228 pts) | #1386 (218 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1610 (133 pts) | #1977 (103 pts) | #2737 (58 pts) | #1777 (123 pts) | #1165 (258 pts) |