BUTTS AND GUTS

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#2517

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1519

peak 1519 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-06-27

latest 2018-06-22

Best ToY finish

#1775

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 47%

overall standings

Best overall

665.1656 / 720

Master · 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)

Perfect 180s

Current form

653.80 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 646.03 (+7.77)

Walk rate

18%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.1772

Pork · *Kelley Wilson BBQ

Consistency

±13.52

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 164.00 · weakest Chicken (159.12)

Road miles

460

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 147 mi

Schedule strength

21%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1529)

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

646.03 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (6 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.

High-water mark

665.1656 career-best overall

92.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 665.1656 at 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) — 92.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
2017-09-01

A tough matchup

7–1 behind in the head-to-head

B & C SMOKERS ahead in 88% of their meetings

B & C SMOKERS has come out ahead in 7 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.9 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.88 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 9%.

Chicken avg 159.12
Pork avg 164.00
0 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Brewski and Barbeque in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

7 of 7 shared pork entries lost

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em has out-cooked them in 7 of 7 shared pork entries.

The metronome

±1.88% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.88% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.7% of a perfect score
11 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.

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

LOS HERMANOS DE CARNE

#2511 of the rated field

1519 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1519

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BUTTS AND GUTS)

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

JCQ

#2510 of the rated field

1519 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1525

1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to BUTTS AND GUTS)

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2022-06-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Smoking O's

#2508 of the rated field

1519 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2019-08-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Blue Island

#2515 of the rated field

1519 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1529

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 7 years after BUTTS AND GUTS did, first appearing in 2021.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2023-07-14

⚔ Head-to-head

Big Juicy BBQ

#2509 of the rated field

1519 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1519

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 7% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2026-05-23

⚔ Head-to-head

SLABS OF APPROVAL

#2512 of the rated field

1519 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1543

No shared contest yet.

Level with BUTTS AND GUTS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2017-08-18

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BROWNIES BBQ	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
B & C SMOKERS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
Dead Last BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
BIG BULLS BBQ BUNCH	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
Four Men and A Pig	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
913 BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
Brewski and Barbeque	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
DUNN UP BBQ	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
Griswold Grillers	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
ALBURNT EINSWINE	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
Hawg Wild	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
PORK 'N MINDY	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	0	0	168.5600	148.5144	159.12	top 63%
Pork Ribs	11	0	0	170.8572	152.5600	163.22	top 44%
Pork	11	1	1	177.1772	150.2856	164.00	top 42%
Brisket	11	1	0	174.2856	149.1656	159.69	top 47%

“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 state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
KS	8	0	top 43%
MO	3	0	top 57%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship	3	65	0	top 50%	2016-06-24
East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival	2	28	0	top 48%	2016-08-26

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4 yrs 2014-06-27 → 2018-06-22

Busiest season 2018 3 contests

Contests a season 2.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in KS 8 of 11 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 8 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 11 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 164.00 · weakest Chicken (159.12)

Walk rate 18% a top-10 call in 2 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 11 contests

Master average 646.03 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 1,228 1,029–1,042 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 460 11 mapped stops · furthest 147 mi

Schedule strength 1529 average field rating faced — tougher than 21% of rated contests

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2016-08-26 → 2017-09-01

Power rating 1519 peak 1519 · #2517 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Jun 27 First tracked contest Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
2015
Oct 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.4056 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open
2017
Sep 1 Career-best overall score665.1656 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
Sep 22 First call Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque
2018
Jun 1 10th tracked contest *Kelley Wilson BBQ
Jun 1 Career-best single call (Pork)177.1772 *Kelley Wilson BBQ
Jun 22 Peak power rating (1519) The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle
Jun 22 Most recent contest The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8.2	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle	2018-06-22
+7.5	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque	2017-09-22
+5	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	2015-06-26
+4.9	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	2017-09-01
+3.2	*Kelley Wilson BBQ	2018-06-01

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-6.4	Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival	2018-04-20
-6.3	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship	2016-06-24
-3.5	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open	2015-10-03

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)

Season by season

Season	Contests	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	3	33%	top 48%	91.2%	89.9%
2017	2	50%	top 36%	92.4%	92.2%
2016	2	0%	top 58%	90.5%	88.2%
2015	2	0%	top 43%	90.5%	89.9%
2014	2	0%	top 47%	88.6%	88.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-06-22	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle Lenexa, KS	45 / 185 (653.6912)	142 (153.1084)	14 (170.8572)	53 (165.7028)	46 (164.0228)
2018-06-01	*Kelley Wilson BBQ Kansas City, MO	23 / 48 (656.4800)	35 (158.2400)	21 (166.8228)	2 (177.1772)	34 (154.2400)
2018-04-20	Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO	31 / 43 (631.3596)	28 (160.4912)	35 (152.5600)	29 (158.8456)	25 (159.4628)
2017-09-22	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque 🏅 Shawnee, KS	30 / 112 (662.2856)	78 (159.4056)	45 (165.1772)	56 (163.4172)	4 (174.2856)
2017-09-01	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	181 / 407 (665.1656)	247 (163.9312)	246 (162.9144)	195 (166.2856)	57 (172.0344)
2016-08-26	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	28 / 61 (651.3028)	35 (161.0856)	50 (153.6800)	12 (171.4172)	19 (165.1200)
2016-06-24	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	129 / 183 (618.7656)	159 (148.5144)	41 (166.8456)	145 (150.2856)	117 (153.1200)
2015-10-03	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	309 / 606 (651.4056)	326 (163.3828)	339 (162.2972)	76 (172.0344)	444 (153.6912)
2015-06-26	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	65 / 183 (642.8688)	34 (168.5600)	90 (159.9544)	50 (165.1888)	141 (149.1656)
2014-08-22	East Central State BBQ Cook Off Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	34 / 69 (638.2056)	41 (158.8344)	16 (166.8684)	45 (157.6800)	36 (154.8228)
2014-06-27	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	81 / 184 (634.7652)	133 (154.8000)	27 (167.4400)	106 (155.9540)	79 (156.5712)

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
2016 ↗	Master	#1775 (120 pts)	#1883 (120 pts)	#1884 (120 pts)	#1536 (185 pts)	#1686 (150 pts)