UP SAUCE CREEK

UP SAUCE CREEK is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 22 at the Smoking in the Golden Valley (2016), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1394 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,394

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1572

peak 1576 · rated over 17 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 6, 2016

latest Jun 29, 2018 · 2.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#710

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

29% of 17 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 42%

overall standings

Best overall

693.6572 / 720

Master · Smoking in the Golden Valley

Perfect 180s

Current form

663.87 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 668.54 (-4.66)

Walk rate

76%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Pork Ribs · Rockin Apples Festival

Consistency

±15.20

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 170.81 · weakest Pork (162.89)

Road miles

2,589

across 17 mapped stops · furthest 649 mi

Schedule strength

69%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1587)

Master avg

668.54 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

76% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 13 of 17 contests

A top-10 category call in 76% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

693.6572 career-best overall

96.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 693.6572 at Smoking in the Golden Valley — 96.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 23, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

YELLOW JACKET BBQ has finished one call ahead of UP SAUCE CREEK 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 27%.

6 contests
4 overall top-10s
1 category win
average top 27%

A tough matchup

12–0 behind in the head-to-head

GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 100% of their meetings

GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 12 of their 12 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.9 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.92 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 6% of the time against 29%.

Pork avg 162.89
Chicken avg 170.81
1 call in 17 entries

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of TAILGATE GUYS BBQ in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

Show 2 more storylines

Chicken nemesis

8 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

GETTIN' BASTED ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GETTIN' BASTED has out-cooked them in 8 of 12 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±2.11% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.11% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.9% of a perfect score
17 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
2018 ↗	Master	#1368 (160 pts)	#1279 (195 pts)	#1316 (190 pts)	#1610 (120 pts)	#1074 (270 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#999 (336 pts)	#874 (446 pts)	#1192 (276 pts)	#1258 (251 pts)	#1000 (351 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#710 (534 pts)	#806 (479 pts)	#1080 (319 pts)	#863 (454 pts)	#660 (599 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to UP SAUCE CREEK, each with one reason worth a look.

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

HOLLA-N-SWALLA

#1,389 of the rated field

1572 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1572

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to UP SAUCE CREEK)

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

rated over 19 contests
last seen Jun 15, 2018

⚔ Head-to-head

RIDGE OUTLAWS BBQ

#1,393 of the rated field

1572 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1572

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to UP SAUCE CREEK)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 21 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 21 contests
last seen May 1, 2021

⚔ Head-to-head

S&S BBQ

#1,391 of the rated field

1572 power rating

Contests: 85
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1587

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to UP SAUCE CREEK)

85 contests to 17: their number has had years to settle where UP SAUCE CREEK's is still finding its level.

rated over 84 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

SWEET PETE'S BBQ

#1,400 of the rated field

1571 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1571

21 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 21 contests
last seen May 3, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

BIG ON THE PIG

#1,397 of the rated field

1572 power rating

Contests: 32
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1579

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

rated over 32 contests
last seen Oct 29, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

GROG N HOGS

#1,395 of the rated field

1572 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 78%
Peak: 1573

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Aug 26, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
GETTIN' BASTED	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
WOOD HOOK BBQ	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
Z-QUE	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
MOKAN MEATHEADS	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
TAILGATE GUYS BBQ	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
BLOWN AWAY BBQ	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
SMOKEVILLE	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
YELLOW JACKET BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
ELI'S PIT CREW	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
BRICKHEAD BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
Smokin in the Ozarks	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
SMOOTH SMOKE	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
UNCLE BUB'S BBQ, LLC	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
COUNTRYSIDE BBQ PRO SHOP	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
SMOKE THIS BBQ MO	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	5	0	2	177.7372	165.0856	170.81	top 37%
Pork Ribs	17	4	1	1	179.4400	150.8116	165.69	top 47%
Pork	17	1	0	1	176.5600	150.7772	162.89	top 63%
Brisket	17	9	0	1	177.7028	158.2284	169.15	top 32%

“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	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	9	0	top 44%
Large (40+)	8	0	top 40%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MO	15	top 42%
AR	1	top 14%
CO	1	top 74%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off	2	13	0	top 42%	Jun 29, 2018
Laurie Hillbilly BBQ	2	8	0	top 33%	Aug 4, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 9 contests

Contests a season 5.7 across 3 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 15 of 17 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 15 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 377 finished ahead 382 times, behind 257

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

20181 milestone

Jun 29 Most recent contest Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off

20172 milestones

May 5 10th tracked contest 36th Annual Kennett Jaycee's
May 5 Peak power rating (1576) 36th Annual Kennett Jaycee's

20169 milestones

May 6 First tracked contest Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest
May 6 First call Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest
May 6 First overall top-10 Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest
May 6 First overall past 90% of a perfect score673.6916 Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest
Sep 2 First category win (Pork Ribs) Rockin Apples Festival
Sep 2 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)179.4400 Rockin Apples Festival
Sep 23 First overall podium Smoking in the Golden Valley
Sep 23 First Reserve Championship Smoking in the Golden Valley
Sep 23 Career-best overall score693.6572 Smoking in the Golden Valley

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.4	Smoking in the Golden Valley	Sep 23, 2016
+12.2	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ	Aug 5, 2016
+12.1	Smoke on the Border Gravette Chambers of Commerce	Apr 1, 2017
+11.1	Rockin Apples Festival	Sep 2, 2016
+8.7	Johnson County Fair BBQ Challenge	Jul 8, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.2	Table Rock Boats and Bones	Sep 16, 2017
-7.1	Smoke Out in the Valley	Jun 17, 2017
-6.6	Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway	Jul 8, 2017
-5.9	National Western BBQ Throwdown	Jan 6, 2017

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	2	0	0	50%	top 41%	94%	93.4%
2017	9	1	0	67%	top 53%	95.3%	91.8%
2016	6	4	1	100%	top 27%	96.3%	94.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 29, 2018	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	24 / 52 (667.8512)	22 (170.8228)	11 (173.7144)	46 (156.4912)	20 (166.8228)
May 25, 2018	Shepherd's Smokin Summer Kick Off Branson, MO	18 / 50 (677.0744)	13 (172.5600)	27 (166.2400)	30 (164.5600)	5 (173.7144)
Sep 16, 2017	Table Rock Boats and Bones Kimberling, MO	37 / 47 (652.4228)	15 (171.4284)	47 (150.8116)	37 (163.9428)	25 (166.2400)
Aug 4, 2017	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	20 / 40 (667.9088)	22 (167.3944)	10 (169.6800)	31 (161.6800)	17 (169.1544)
Jul 8, 2017	Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway Wheatland, MO	24 / 31 (654.1028)	16 (170.2744)	22 (163.9428)	27 (158.8000)	25 (161.0856)
Jun 23, 2017	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	13 / 35 (674.1944)	19 (169.1200)	15 (164.5372)	11 (170.8344)	8 (169.7028)
Jun 17, 2017	Smoke Out in the Valley Buckner, MO	16 / 21 (636.9828)	9 (173.1428)	17 (154.7772)	20 (150.8344)	17 (158.2284)
May 5, 2017	36th Annual Kennett Jaycee's Kennett, MO	17 / 34 (662.1828)	14 (166.2628)	15 (165.1200)	29 (155.9428)	4 (174.8572)
Apr 21, 2017	Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO	12 / 55 (674.1256)	25 (165.0856)	13 (168.5372)	16 (168.5372)	8 (171.9656)
Apr 1, 2017	Smoke on the Border Gravette Chambers of Commerce Gravette, AR	5 / 37 (686.2288)	5 (175.4172)	11 (169.1200)	13 (169.7144)	7 (171.9772)
Jan 6, 2017	National Western BBQ Throwdown Denver, CO	28 / 38 (640.3888)	11 (169.7028)	29 (157.6688)	36 (150.7772)	17 (162.2400)
Sep 23, 2016	Smoking in the Golden Valley Clinton, MO	2 / 22 (693.6572)	6 (171.4172)	7 (167.9772)	3 (176.5600)	2 (177.7028)
Sep 2, 2016	Rockin Apples Festival Appleton City, MO	7 / 23 (683.9656)	11 (169.7028)	1 (179.4400)	17 (164.5600)	6 (170.2628)
Aug 5, 2016	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	8 / 50 (685.0856)	25 (167.4056)	18 (170.2744)	12 (172)	4 (175.4056)
Jul 8, 2016	Johnson County Fair BBQ Challenge Warrensburg, MO	14 / 40 (669.6456)	3 (175.4056)	25 (163.4172)	31 (160.5600)	11 (170.2628)
Jun 24, 2016	Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	19 / 49 (665.6004)	25 (170.8344)	10 (169.7144)	38 (154.2172)	11 (170.8344)
May 6, 2016	Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest Columbia, MO	10 / 32 (673.6916)	2 (177.7372)	22 (161.7028)	15 (169.1200)	9 (165.1316)

UP SAUCE CREEK

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

Master avg

Storylines (9 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

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)