They almost always walk
83%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 10 of 12 contests
A top-10 category call in 83% of their 12 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
McLay Brothers BBQ
McLay Brothers BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 4th of 22 at the Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festival (2017). They are ranked #3475 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1494
peak 1518 · rated over 11 contests
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
Jun 14, 2013
latest Sep 11, 2021 · 8.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
4
7 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
25% of 12 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 57%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
632.59 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 636.88 (-4.29)
Walk rate
83%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±19.67
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 165.28 · weakest Brisket (152.93)
Road miles
3,945
across 12 mapped stops · furthest 1,920 mi
Schedule strength
23%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1532)
Purse competed for
$3,000
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
Master avg
636.88 / 720
11 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1020 (111 pts) | #847 (166 pts) | #1138 (106 pts) | #709 (216 pts) | #1104 (96 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1338 (158 pts) | #1223 (203 pts) | #1459 (143 pts) | #1388 (163 pts) | #1214 (203 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1342 (172 pts) | #852 (392 pts) | #1388 (177 pts) | #1154 (242 pts) | #1457 (157 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1088 (292 pts) | #1319 (232 pts) | #1118 (307 pts) | #1048 (342 pts) | #1472 (182 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1364 (202 pts) | #1541 (182 pts) | #1472 (197 pts) | #978 (382 pts) | #1704 (147 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to McLay Brothers BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
131 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,493 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1528
They've been 1528 at their best, 35 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#3,470 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1510
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,450 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1501
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 21 contests, alongside a 24% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#3,474 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1510
Level with McLay Brothers BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,473 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1507
Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,492 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 3 years before McLay Brothers BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JACK9 BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAN MOE'S BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| TRANQUIL CARNIVORES | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Q'N CANUCKS | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| SIBLING RIVALRY | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Cousin's Catering and BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| HELLBENT BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| THE GOOD CUE CREW | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| DELIVERING SMOKE BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| BEHIND BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| HANGING BELLIES BBQ | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| SKARA OLD SCHOOL BBQ | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Blokes | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| AUBRY'S BAR-B-QUE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 175.4400 | 146.8116 | 162.02 | top 53% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 174.8572 | 141.0632 | 158.03 | top 61% |
| Pork | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 173.1772 | 156.5256 | 165.28 | top 41% |
| Brisket | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 174.9144 | 128.4572 | 152.93 | top 63% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 5 | 0 | top 66% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 57% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 44% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr Charity BBQ | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 74% | Jun 21, 2019 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
2 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
ON
6 of 12 contests · 3 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
10
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
122
finished ahead 128 times, behind 140
Longest layoff
2.2 yrs
Jun 21, 2019 → Sep 11, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20211 milestone
- Most recent contest Jack 9 Memorial
20191 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Capital BBQ Festival
20181 milestone
- Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4400 Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic
20171 milestone
- Peak power rating (1518) Capital BBQ Festival
20152 milestones
- First category win (Brisket) Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festval
- Career-best overall score665.6804 Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festval
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest Blue Mountain BBQ Champion
- First call Blue Mountain BBQ Champion
- First overall top-10 Blue Mountain BBQ Champion
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.4284 Blue Mountain BBQ Champion
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.5 | Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festival | Jun 9, 2017 |
| +10.2 | Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festval | Jul 10, 2015 |
| +6.8 | Fatboys Classic-Canadian BBQ Championship | Aug 6, 2016 |
| +3.4 | Capital BBQ Festival | Aug 5, 2017 |
| +0.3 | Capital BBQ Festival | May 25, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.1 | Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sound Festival | Jul 8, 2016 |
| -8.4 | Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic | Jul 13, 2018 |
| -7.3 | Ayr Charity BBQ | Jun 22, 2018 |
| -4.7 | Jack 9 Memorial | Sep 11, 2021 |
| -4 | Ayr Charity BBQ | Jun 21, 2019 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 69% | 89.7% | 89.7% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 63% | 89.2% | 88.9% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 81% | 87.6% | 86% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 31% | 92% | 89.8% |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 64% | 85.2% | 85% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 28% | 92.5% | 92.5% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 60% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2021 | Jack 9 Memorial Delhi, ON | 11 / 16 (645.5996) | 5 (167.4284) | 12 (159.3944) | 3 (169.1312) | 14 (149.6456) |
| Jun 21, 2019 | Ayr Charity BBQ Ayr Ontario | 16 / 23 (642.2744) | 10 (169.1200) | 18 (154.8456) | 16 (160.5600) | 14 (157.7488) |
| May 25, 2019 | Capital BBQ Festival Ottawa, ON | 24 / 43 (637.1660) | 21 (162.3316) | 35 (152.5372) | 23 (159.4172) | 17 (162.8800) |
| Jul 13, 2018 | Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic Niagara Falls, ON | 20 / 24 (630.6744) | 1 (175.4400) | 16 (161.0856) | 14 (165.6916) | 24 (128.4572) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | Ayr Charity BBQ Ayr Ontario | 14 / 18 (607.2576) | 10 (160.5716) | 17 (141.0632) | 8 (161.1200) | 13 (144.5028) |
| Aug 5, 2017 | Capital BBQ Festival Ottawa, ON | 18 / 42 (630.7996) | 11 (165.7256) | 20 (157.1656) | 23 (156.5256) | 27 (151.3828) |
| Jun 9, 2017 | Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festival Drayton Ontario | 4 / 22 (662.3088) | 14 (162.2628) | 3 (168.5944) | 1 (173.1772) | 10 (158.2744) |
| Aug 6, 2016 | Fatboys Classic-Canadian BBQ Championship Ottawa, CA | 14 / 41 (613.1544) | 18 (154.2856) | 32 (145.1204) | 1 (171.4628) | 33 (142.2856) |
| Jul 8, 2016 | Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sound Festival Drayton, ON | 16 / 17 (611.3484) | 16 (146.8116) | 8 (164.0228) | 14 (157.1428) | 16 (143.3712) |
| Jul 10, 2015 | Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festval Drayton, ON | 5 / 18 (665.6804) | 16 (156.5256) | 8 (165.1088) | 6 (169.1316) | 1 (174.9144) |
| Nov 7, 2013 | World Food Championships - World Barbecue Championship (Competitor's Series) Las Vegas, NV | — | — | 64 (152.5144) | 8 (171.9772) | 23 (166.8572) |
| Jun 14, 2013 | Blue Mountain BBQ Champion Blue Mountain, On | 9 / 15 (659.4284) | 12 (161.7140) | 2 (174.8572) | 9 (168) | 11 (154.8572) |