LIL' SUMPIN BBQ

LIL' SUMPIN BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 15 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 8th of 32 at the Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life (2018). They are ranked #1805 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,805

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1547

peak 1547 · rated over 15 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Oct 14, 2016

latest Aug 23, 2019 · 2.9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#653

Master 2018 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

7% of 15 contests

Avg finish

top 48%

overall standings

Best overall

680.4568 / 720

Master · East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

664.92 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 661.03 (+3.89)

Walk rate

60%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176

Brisket · Smoke On the Trails

Consistency

±12.72

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 166.26 · weakest Brisket (163.93)

Road miles

482

across 15 mapped stops · furthest 101 mi

Schedule strength

59%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)

Purse competed for

$8,300

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

661.03 / 720

15 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

60% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 9 of 15 contests

A top-10 category call in 60% of their 15 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

680.4568 career-best overall

94.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 680.4568 at East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival — 94.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 25, 2017

A tough matchup

12–0 behind in the head-to-head

SLAPS BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

SLAPS BBQ has come out ahead in 12 of their 12 shared contests.

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BUBBA AND THE BOYS BARBEQUE in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

10 of 12 shared pork ribs entries lost

SLAPS BBQ ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SLAPS BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 12 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SMOKIN' R'S 2.0 has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An August team

Top 38% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 38% across 3 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.

3 August contests
top 48% the rest of the year

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±1.77% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.77% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.8% of a perfect score
15 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
2019 ↗	Master	#969 (275 pts)	#909 (325 pts)	#1215 (205 pts)	#580 (590 pts)	#1227 (195 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#653 (526 pts)	#775 (441 pts)	#622 (591 pts)	#637 (586 pts)	#598 (611 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#839 (440 pts)	#908 (430 pts)	#839 (470 pts)	#1051 (340 pts)	#799 (485 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2274 (60 pts)	#2353 (60 pts)	#2349 (60 pts)	#2326 (60 pts)	#2345 (60 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to LIL' SUMPIN BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

HOGS GONE WILD BBQ

#1,803 of the rated field

1548 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1580

They've been 1580 at their best, 32 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Jan 28, 2022

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Bastian's Barbecue Co.

#1,810 of the rated field

1547 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1550

Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Jul 25, 2026

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TRIPLE 5 COMPETITION BBQ

#1,798 of the rated field

1548 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1548

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 11 contests, alongside a 9% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 23, 2022

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SOAKED IN SMOKE

#1,808 of the rated field

1547 power rating

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

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 4 years before LIL' SUMPIN BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 10 contests

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Smoke 44

#1,799 of the rated field

1548 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1552

They turned up 9 years after LIL' SUMPIN BBQ did, first appearing in 2025.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

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PIPKIN CREEK BBQ CO.

#1,797 of the rated field

1548 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 78%
Peak: 1560

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

rated over 9 contests
last seen Apr 25, 2026

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SLAPS BBQ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
3 PIGS SMOKIN	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' SAUCED	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
A BBQ TEAM - MO	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
SMOKE RINGERS	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BUBBA AND THE BOYS BARBEQUE	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
PORKY MCBEEF AND THE CLUCKERS	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
HIGH i QUE	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
2 DRUNK 2 QUE	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' R'S 2.0	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
LOVE 2 Q	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
RUB THAT MEAT BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	15	2	0	0	174.2628	152.5372	165.39	top 51%
Pork Ribs	15	4	0	0	173.7028	154.2744	166.26	top 47%
Pork	15	3	1	1	175.4400	156.5028	165.46	top 48%
Brisket	15	2	0	0	176	152.4684	163.93	top 48%

“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)	6	0	top 48%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 48%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
KS	11	0	top 44%
MO	4	0	top 59%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival	3	11	top 38%	Aug 23, 2019
Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life	2	8	top 27%	Jun 14, 2019
Smoke On the Trails	2	22	top 41%	Sep 28, 2018
Racing for the BBQ	2	18	top 45%	Jul 27, 2018
Brew, Blues, & Bar-B-Q	2	13	top 49%	May 4, 2018

More numbers

Busiest season 2018 6 contests

Contests a season 3.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in KS 11 of 15 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 9 5 of them more than once

Opponents faced 400 finished ahead 393 times, behind 344

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

20193 milestones

Jun 14 First category win (Pork) Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life
Aug 23 Peak power rating (1547) East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival
Aug 23 Most recent contest East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival

20182 milestones

Jun 15 First overall top-10 Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life
Jul 27 10th tracked contest Racing for the BBQ

20174 milestones

Apr 7 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.1712 The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake
May 5 First call Brew, Blues, & Bar-B-Q
Aug 25 Career-best overall score680.4568 East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival
Sep 29 Career-best single call (Brisket)176 Smoke On the Trails

20161 milestone

Oct 14 First tracked contest Balloons Blues and Barbeque

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.1	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival	Aug 25, 2017
+10.9	Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life	Jun 15, 2018
+9	Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life	Jun 14, 2019
+8	Racing for the BBQ	Jul 27, 2018
+7.6	Smoke On the Trails	Sep 29, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.4	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake	Apr 13, 2018
-4.2	Balloons Blues and Barbeque	Oct 14, 2016
-1.7	The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake	Apr 7, 2017
-0.6	Racing for the BBQ	Jul 28, 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)
2019	3	0	1	67%	top 42%	93.6%	92.9%
2018	6	1	0	50%	top 48%	93.3%	91.7%
2017	5	0	0	80%	top 45%	94.5%	92.1%
2016	1	0	0	0%	top 82%	87.8%	87.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 23, 2019	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival 🏅 Paola, KS	29 / 66 (667.9084)	27 (168)	26 (168.5256)	11 (171.4400)	38 (159.9428)
Jun 14, 2019	Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life 🏅 Kansas City, KS	11 / 38 (674.1828)	10 (171.9772)	24 (163.9656)	1 (175.4400)	22 (162.8000)
May 3, 2019	Brew, Blue & Bar-B-Q 🏅 Lansing, KS	20 / 37 (664.4684)	11 (170.2744)	21 (165.6684)	6 (170.2628)	27 (158.2628)
Sep 28, 2018	Smoke On the Trails Gardner, KS	33 / 68 (665.5656)	18 (171.9772)	33 (167.4056)	55 (156.5028)	18 (169.6800)
Aug 24, 2018	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	35 / 67 (652.4800)	30 (162.8228)	40 (162.8572)	19 (169.6800)	40 (157.1200)
Jul 27, 2018	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	18 / 66 (668.5372)	37 (162.2744)	32 (162.8228)	6 (174.2972)	12 (169.1428)
Jun 15, 2018	Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life Kansas City, KS	8 / 32 (671.9772)	21 (162.8572)	5 (172.5828)	11 (165.6800)	7 (170.8572)
May 4, 2018	Brew, Blues, & Bar-B-Q Lansing, KS	16 / 29 (664.4456)	18 (165.1316)	6 (171.9656)	21 (160.5028)	14 (166.8456)
Apr 13, 2018	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake Smithville, MO	41 / 51 (638.0572)	34 (162.2516)	29 (165.6916)	43 (157.6456)	44 (152.4684)
Sep 29, 2017	Smoke On the Trails Gardner, KS	22 / 64 (668.4340)	30 (165.0856)	27 (166.8228)	45 (160.5256)	8 (176)
Aug 25, 2017	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	11 / 57 (680.4568)	9 (174.2628)	20 (166.2628)	24 (169.1084)	14 (170.8228)
Jul 28, 2017	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	34 / 54 (657.0056)	44 (161.0972)	10 (173.7028)	44 (157.1084)	30 (165.0972)
May 5, 2017	Brew, Blues, & Bar-B-Q Lansing, KS	13 / 30 (659.3256)	15 (167.4172)	10 (170.8228)	18 (163.4400)	19 (157.6456)
Apr 7, 2017	The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake Smithville, MO	36 / 54 (650.1712)	33 (162.8456)	48 (154.2744)	24 (169.1200)	23 (163.9312)
Oct 14, 2016	Balloons Blues and Barbeque Parsons, KS	32 / 39 (632.4916)	37 (152.5372)	29 (160.5372)	27 (161.1200)	28 (158.2972)

LIL' SUMPIN 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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Pork Ribs nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

An August 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)

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)