Sticky Bones BBQ

Sticky Bones BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 30 at the Maryland State BBQ Bash (2022), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1232 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,232

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1583

peak 1590 · rated over 11 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Oct 15, 2021

latest Jul 25, 2026 · 4.8 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#201

Backyard 2024 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

73% of 11 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 32%

overall standings

Best overall

350.2744 / 360

Backyard · York County BBQ Festival (Day 2)

Perfect 180s

Current form

338.14

last 5 Backyard vs avg 337.74 (+0.40)

Walk rate

82%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176

Pork Ribs · York County BBQ Festival (Day 2)

Consistency

±7.57

spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 171.47 · weakest Pork Ribs (166.01)

Road miles

across 11 mapped stops

Schedule strength

49%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)

Purse competed for

$82K

listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 11 state-championship entries

Backyard avg

337.74 / 360

11 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

On the rise

+35 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 35 points across 7 contests since Jul 25, 2025 — from 1548 up to 1583.

7 contests since Jul 25, 2025
now 1583

They almost always walk

82% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 9 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 82% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

350.2744 career-best overall

97.3% of a perfect 360

Their best day on record: 350.2744 at York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) — 97.3% of a perfect 360.

Backyard
Jun 13, 2026

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

B'S QUE has finished one call ahead of Sticky Bones BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

8–1 behind in the head-to-head

Leaning Jowler BBQ ahead in 89% of their meetings

Leaning Jowler BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.5 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.46 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 45% of the time against 80%.

Pork Ribs avg 166.01
Chicken avg 171.47
5 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

10–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 91% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Estancia in 10 of their 11 shared contests.

Show 2 more storylines

Chicken nemesis

5 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

Leaning Jowler BBQ ahead 63% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Leaning Jowler BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 8 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±2.10% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.10% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.8% of a perfect score
11 contests

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
2026 ↗	Backyard	#220 (150 pts)	#144 (305 pts)	#266 (120 pts)	—	—
2024 ↗	Backyard	#201 (235 pts)	#235 (185 pts)	#244 (185 pts)	—	—

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

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

Armstrong Smoke & Co.

#1,237 of the rated field

1583 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1583

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

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Briskey Business BBQ

#1,233 of the rated field

1583 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1583

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Aug 15, 2026

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The Yardpigs

#1,235 of the rated field

1583 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 73%
Peak: 1589

Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Sticky Bones BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 9 contests

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Team Chupacabra

#1,229 of the rated field

1584 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1584

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Oct 30, 2024

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Beefy Bros BBQ

#1,234 of the rated field

1583 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1583

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

rated over 16 contests
last seen Apr 18, 2026

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MUDHOLE BBQ

#1,239 of the rated field

1583 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1588

They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Sticky Bones BBQ's first contest.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Oct 29, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Estancia	11	10	1	91%	⚔ compare
Oink N' Doink BBQ	11	8	3	73%	⚔ compare
Capt. Blue BBQ	11	6	5	55%	⚔ compare
Castleton Q	10	9	1	90%	⚔ compare
Leaning Jowler BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
HARCO LOCO BBQ	8	6	1	75%	⚔ compare
SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
All About the Wood	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
Clean Smoke BBQ Team	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Bay Brothers BBQ	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Menke Boys BBQ	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
FAT MAXINE'S BBQ	6	5	0	83%	⚔ compare
Ain't That Rich	6	4	1	67%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	8	0	1	174.2744	165.0972	171.47	top 30%
Pork Ribs	11	5	0	0	176	154.2744	166.01	top 48%

“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 23%
Medium (20–39)	9	top 29%
Large (40+)	1	top 65%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
PA	6	0	top 34%
MD	5	0	top 28%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)	4	4	top 40%	Jul 25, 2026
Maryland State BBQ Bash	3	2	top 33%	Oct 13, 2023
York County BBQ Festival (Day 2)	2	3	top 24%	Jun 13, 2026
MD State BBQ Bash	2	3	top 21%	Oct 10, 2025

More numbers

Busiest season 2026 4 contests

Contests a season 1.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in PA 6 of 11 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 4 4 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 11 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls

Opponents faced 253 finished ahead 463 times, behind 188

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

20265 milestones

Jun 13 Career-best overall score350.2744 York County BBQ Festival (Day 2)
Jun 13 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176 York County BBQ Festival (Day 2)
Jun 13 Peak power rating (1590) York County BBQ Festival (Day 2)
Jul 24 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
Jul 25 Most recent contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)

20223 milestones

Oct 14 First overall top-10 Maryland State BBQ Bash
Oct 14 First overall podium Maryland State BBQ Bash
Oct 14 First Reserve Championship Maryland State BBQ Bash

20213 milestones

Oct 15 First tracked contest Maryland State BBQ Bash
Oct 15 First call Maryland State BBQ Bash
Oct 15 First overall past 90% of a perfect score328.5260 Maryland State BBQ Bash

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.9	Maryland State BBQ Bash	Oct 14, 2022
+13.8	Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)	Jul 26, 2025
+12.9	MD State BBQ Bash	Oct 11, 2024
+12.5	York County BBQ Festival (Day 2)	Jun 13, 2026
+8.9	York County BBQ Festival (Day 1)	Jun 12, 2026

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7	Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)	Jul 24, 2026

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)
2026	4	2	75%	top 40%	97.3%	94.2%
2025	3	3	67%	top 26%	95.9%	94.6%
2024	1	1	100%	top 12%	96%	96%
2023	1	1	100%	top 43%	90.8%	90.8%
2022	1	1	100%	top 7%	93.5%	93.5%
2021	1	0	100%	top 48%	91.3%	91.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 25, 2026	Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA	18 / 39 (336.5260)	—	24 (162.2516)	—	—
Jul 24, 2026	Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA	28 / 43 (327.4060)	9 (173.1316)	33 (154.2744)	—	—
Jun 13, 2026	York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA	3 / 13 (350.2744)	6 (174.2744)	4 (176)	—	—
Jun 12, 2026	York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA	6 / 25 (341.7028)	9 (170.2628)	8 (171.4400)	—	—
Oct 10, 2025	MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD	9 / 29 (334.7772)	12 (167.3944)	11 (167.3828)	—	—
Jul 26, 2025	Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA	4 / 27 (345.1776)	8 (172.5832)	6 (172.5944)	—	—
Jul 25, 2025	Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA	10 / 30 (341.6916)	6 (174.2744)	19 (167.4172)	—	—
Oct 11, 2024	MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD	3 / 26 (345.6916)	5 (173.7144)	5 (171.9772)	—	—
Oct 13, 2023	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD	10 / 23 (326.8000)	4 (170.2744)	24 (156.5256)	—	—
Oct 14, 2022	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	2 / 30 (336.5832)	2 (173.7144)	13 (162.8688)	—	—
Oct 15, 2021	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	12 / 25 (328.5260)	15 (165.0972)	10 (163.4288)	—	—

Sticky 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

Best top-10 run

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

Backyard avg

Storylines (9 found in their record)

On the rise

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

The metronome

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)