LTS BBQ

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

Power ranking

#5600

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1448

peak 1448 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-06-13

latest 2021-07-16

Best ToY finish

#842

Master 2020

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 78%

overall standings

Best overall

653.6116 / 720

Master · Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition

Perfect 180s

Current form

644.47 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 628.47 (+16.00)

Walk rate

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

171.9772

Pork · BBQ'Loo & Blues Too

Consistency

±23.84

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 160.37 · weakest Brisket (152.97)

Road miles

573

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 157 mi

Schedule strength

62%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1578)

Purse competed for

$33K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

628.47 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 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.

A tough matchup

10–0 behind in the head-to-head

2 CASE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

2 CASE BBQ has come out ahead in 10 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.40 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 9%.

Brisket avg 152.97
Pork avg 160.37
0 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

5–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 71% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN BIG DAWGS in 5 of their 7 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

9 of 10 shared pork entries lost

2 CASE BBQ ahead 90% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, 2 CASE BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 10 shared pork entries.

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! every year from 2015 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 21st

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.

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

SUGAR RAY'S BBQ

#5612 of the rated field

1447 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1447

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to LTS BBQ)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team LTS BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2018-06-22

⚔ Head-to-head

BS Grilling

#5614 of the rated field

1447 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1447

No shared contest yet.

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 2019-06-29

⚔ Head-to-head

PIT 9 BBQ

#5606 of the rated field

1447 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1447

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 4 years before LTS BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 10 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Howlin BBQ

#5593 of the rated field

1448 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1448

No shared contest yet.

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 2016-06-03

⚔ Head-to-head

OFF THE GRILL BBQ

#5587 of the rated field

1448 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1448

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2022-07-07

⚔ Head-to-head

BETER WORDT HET NIET BBQ

#5595 of the rated field

1448 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1448

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2021-10-23

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
2 CASE BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKEHOUSE 72	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BAMBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN BIG DAWGS	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
DRY 2 DA BONE	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
TEAM CRAWFORD	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
MARK'S SMOKIN QUE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
OLY SMOKES	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
TREEFROG BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	0	169.1084	134.2860	159.25	top 71%
Pork Ribs	11	0	163.9772	136.0228	155.88	top 77%
Pork	11	1	171.9772	146.2628	160.37	top 65%
Brisket	11	0	162.2972	132.0456	152.97	top 75%

“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
IA	10	0	top 77%
IL	1	0	top 93%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	9	0	top 77%
Large (40+)	2	0	top 84%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	5	21	0	top 78%	2019-07-19
Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition	2	19	0	top 75%	2019-06-14

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 7.1 yrs 2014-06-13 → 2021-07-16

Busiest season 2018 3 contests

Contests a season 1.4 across 8 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IA 10 of 11 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 6 2 of them cooked more than once

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

Strongest meat Pork averages 160.37 · weakest Brisket (152.97)

Walk rate 9% a top-10 call in 1 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 11 contests

Master average 628.47 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 183 79–273 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 573 11 mapped stops · furthest 157 mi

Schedule strength 1578 average field rating faced — tougher than 62% of rated contests

Purse competed for $33,450 listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.1 yrs 2014-06-13 → 2015-07-17

Power rating 1448 peak 1448 · #5600 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Jun 13 First tracked contest Smoke on the Prairie
Jun 13 Peak power rating (1489) Smoke on the Prairie
2016
Jul 15 First call BBQ'Loo & Blues Too
Jul 15 Career-best single call (Pork)171.9772 BBQ'Loo & Blues Too
2019
Jun 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.6116 Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition
Jun 14 Career-best overall score653.6116 Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition
2020
Jul 17 10th tracked contest Real Squeal BBQ Smoke Off
2021
Jul 16 Most recent contest Real Squeal BBQ Smokeoff

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

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11	Smoke on the Prairie	2014-06-13
-9.3	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!	2018-07-20
-7.3	Real Squeal BBQ Smokeoff	2021-07-16
-7.1	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition	2018-06-15
-5.2	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	2015-07-17

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)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2021	1	0%	top 88%	89.2%	89.2%
2020	1	0%	top 67%	88.8%	88.8%
2019	2	0%	top 75%	90.8%	90.3%
2018	3	0%	top 83%	89.7%	87.4%
2017	1	0%	top 73%	86.4%	86.4%
2016	1	100%	top 66%	89.4%	89.4%
2015	1	0%	top 77%	79.8%	79.8%
2014	1	0%	top 93%	83.8%	83.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2021-07-16	Real Squeal BBQ Smokeoff 🏅 Cedar Rapids, IA	23 / 26 (642.1716)	24 (164.5372)	21 (162.8572)	19 (161.6800)	25 (153.0972)
2020-07-17	Real Squeal BBQ Smoke Off 🏅 MARION, IA	24 / 36 (639.3716)	21 (161.1772)	27 (157.6916)	24 (158.2056)	14 (162.2972)
2019-07-19	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! 🏅 Waterloo, IA	27 / 33 (647.2572)	20 (167.3828)	19 (163.9772)	25 (165.0972)	31 (150.8000)
2019-06-14	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA	21 / 31 (653.6116)	17 (167.3944)	18 (162.8572)	20 (163.3828)	22 (159.9772)
2018-10-05	*SMOKEToBERFEST Ottumwa, IA	29 / 40 (639.9200)	27 (158.2744)	34 (154.8456)	15 (168.5372)	27 (158.2628)
2018-07-20	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA	40 / 42 (600.8456)	42 (139.8624)	32 (158.2288)	29 (161.6800)	40 (141.0744)
2018-06-15	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition State Center, IA	19 / 23 (646.1256)	14 (169.1084)	17 (163.3944)	19 (156.5028)	18 (157.1200)
2017-07-14	*BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA	24 / 33 (622.1032)	14 (166.8572)	30 (143.9200)	27 (152.4916)	18 (158.8344)
2016-07-15	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too Waterloo, IA	21 / 32 (643.3372)	24 (162.2744)	22 (159.9884)	5 (171.9772)	26 (149.0972)
2015-07-17	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	30 / 39 (574.9140)	28 (160.5828)	35 (136.0228)	31 (146.2628)	32 (132.0456)
2014-06-13	Smoke on the Prairie Brimfield, IL	26 / 28 (603.4744)	28 (134.2860)	24 (150.8572)	20 (158.2856)	19 (160.0456)

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
2021 ↗	Master	#1232 (61 pts)	#1532 (56 pts)	#1260 (71 pts)	#1193 (81 pts)	#1566 (51 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#842 (65 pts)	#851 (80 pts)	#913 (60 pts)	#883 (65 pts)	#744 (115 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1412 (134 pts)	#1327 (179 pts)	#1309 (179 pts)	#1478 (139 pts)	#1501 (129 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1217 (198 pts)	#1214 (223 pts)	#1268 (208 pts)	#1134 (248 pts)	#1268 (203 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2199 (63 pts)	#1968 (113 pts)	#2823 (58 pts)	#2814 (58 pts)	#2070 (93 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2163 (77 pts)	#2342 (62 pts)	#2285 (72 pts)	#1558 (182 pts)	#2892 (57 pts)