IOWA BONEHEAD BBQ

IOWA BONEHEAD BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 4th of 31 at the State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full) (2016). They are ranked #2093 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,093

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1535

peak 1538 · rated over 10 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 23, 2016

latest Jun 1, 2018 · 2.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#789

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

20% of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 49%

overall standings

Best overall

691.3484 / 720

Master · State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full)

Perfect 180s

Current form

664.35 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 665.38 (-1.03)

Walk rate

50%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.1428

Pork · State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full)

Consistency

±13.42

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.78 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.05)

Road miles

1,030

across 10 mapped stops · furthest 167 mi

Schedule strength

75%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1596)

Master avg

665.38 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

691.3484 career-best overall

96.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 691.3484 at State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full) — 96.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 17, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

AGAINST THE GRAIN BBQ has finished one call ahead of IOWA BONEHEAD BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

6–1 behind in the head-to-head

LUCKY'S Q ahead in 86% of their meetings

LUCKY'S Q has come out ahead in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.7 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.73 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 20% of the time against 30%.

Pork Ribs avg 163.05
Chicken avg 168.78
2 calls in 10 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of WOODWARD BARBEQUE in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

5 of 7 shared chicken entries lost

LUCKY'S Q ahead 71% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LUCKY'S Q has out-cooked them in 5 of 7 shared chicken entries.

A June team

Top 40% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 40% across 3 contests, versus top 49% the rest of the year.

3 June contests
top 49% the rest of the year

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±1.86% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.86% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.4% of a perfect score
10 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
2017 ↗	Master	#2173 (65 pts)	#1988 (110 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#1285 (235 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#789 (470 pts)	#785 (500 pts)	#891 (430 pts)	#845 (465 pts)	#827 (455 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to IOWA BONEHEAD BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Drunkin Brothers BBQ

#2,088 of the rated field

1535 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1535

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jan 22, 2026

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302SMOKE

#2,086 of the rated field

1536 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1539

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Oct 18, 2019

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Smokin Q BBQ

#2,094 of the rated field

1535 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1535

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen Apr 26, 2019

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Stew's Que

#2,080 of the rated field

1536 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1547

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2019

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TACKLE THE TABLE BBQ

#2,092 of the rated field

1535 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 45%
Peak: 1550

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Oct 14, 2016

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Okie Folks Barbecue

#2,083 of the rated field

1536 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1536

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 25% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Oct 15, 2026

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LUCKY'S Q	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
SMOKEHOUSE 72	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
DRY 2 DA BONE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
SMOKERS PURGATORY	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
WHEN PIGS DIE	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
DIG-IN COOKERS	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
PORKY BUTTS BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	3	1	176	159.3712	168.78	top 40%
Pork Ribs	10	2	0	174.2628	154.2172	163.05	top 57%
Pork	10	3	1	177.1428	155.9428	165.46	top 52%
Brisket	10	4	1	176	160.5144	168.09	top 39%

“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 41%
Medium (20–39)	5	top 42%
Large (40+)	4	top 60%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IA	6	top 42%
NE	2	top 54%
MN	1	top 64%
SD	1	top 65%

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 5 contests

Contests a season 3.3 across 3 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IA 6 of 10 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 10 a different one every time

Opponents faced 240 finished ahead 199 times, behind 197

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

20182 milestones

Jun 1 10th tracked contest Smokin In Steele
Jun 1 Most recent contest Smokin In Steele

20171 milestone

Sep 22 Peak power rating (1538) Tri City BBQ Fest

20166 milestones

Apr 23 First tracked contest Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)
Apr 23 First call Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)
Apr 23 First overall past 90% of a perfect score677.6800 Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)
Jun 17 First overall top-10 State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full)
Jun 17 Career-best overall score691.3484 State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full)
Jun 17 Career-best single call (Pork)177.1428 State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.9	State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full)	Jun 17, 2016
+11.9	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)	Apr 23, 2016
+7.1	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 22, 2017
+5.9	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition	Jun 16, 2017
+5	24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska	Aug 5, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-3	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	Jul 22, 2016
-2.9	Smokin In Steele	Jun 1, 2018
-2.8	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)	Apr 29, 2017
-2.3	Ribs, Rods and Rock'n Roll	Sep 9, 2016

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)
2018	1	0	0%	top 64%	90.8%	90.8%
2017	4	1	75%	top 51%	94.3%	92.6%
2016	5	1	40%	top 44%	96%	92.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 1, 2018	Smokin In Steele Owatonna, MN	29 / 45 (653.5536)	35 (159.3712)	17 (165.7028)	25 (163.3712)	20 (165.1084)
Sep 22, 2017	Tri City BBQ Fest Denison, IA	12 / 37 (678.8572)	8 (173.7028)	29 (161.1544)	8 (171.4400)	8 (172.5600)
Aug 4, 2017	Omaha Steaks Nebraska BBQ Championship Day -1 Omaha, NE	34 / 54 (657.5432)	15 (170.2628)	30 (165.0972)	39 (161.6688)	36 (160.5144)
Jun 16, 2017	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition State Center, IA	7 / 17 (671.8856)	8 (167.3828)	5 (167.4172)	8 (167.4056)	5 (169.6800)
Apr 29, 2017	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2) Boone, IA	24 / 35 (659.8860)	15 (170.8344)	32 (154.2516)	33 (158.8000)	3 (176)
Sep 9, 2016	Ribs, Rods and Rock'n Roll Vermillion, SD	22 / 34 (644.4456)	14 (166.2744)	25 (157.0856)	26 (160.5372)	21 (160.5484)
Aug 5, 2016	24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Omaha, NE	32 / 70 (657.5540)	36 (163.9656)	22 (166.2400)	51 (155.9428)	13 (171.4056)
Jul 22, 2016	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	32 / 47 (661.0056)	15 (172)	46 (154.2172)	12 (171.4172)	31 (163.3712)
Jun 17, 2016	State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full) State Center, IA	4 / 31 (691.3484)	3 (176)	19 (165.0856)	2 (177.1428)	8 (173.1200)
Apr 23, 2016	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	11 / 36 (677.6800)	18 (168.0116)	4 (174.2628)	19 (166.8572)	16 (168.5484)

IOWA BONEHEAD BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

A June team

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)

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)