The heartbreaker
1.2452
points from the title
Came within 1.2452 points of the Grand Championship at Smokin Barrel Fest (Jun 14, 2025).
The King and His Q
The King and His Q is a competition barbecue team with 24 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. They have won 4 Grand Championships, most recently at the Smokin in the Valley (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 4 times. They are ranked #1176 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1588
peak 1597 · rated over 17 contests4 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
24
in the data
First seen
May 31, 2019
latest May 24, 2026 · 7 years on the trail
Grand champs
4
4 reserve · wins it all 17% of the time
Category wins
12
28 podiums
Overall top-10s
14
58% of 24 contests
Best top-10 run
9
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 36%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
652.40 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 670.15 (-17.75)
Walk rate
63%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±37.67
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 171.35 · weakest Brisket (166.32)
Road miles
57,388
across 24 mapped stops · furthest 10,663 mi
Schedule strength
23%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1532)
Purse competed for
$155K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
670.15 / 720
20 Master contests · 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #230 (872 pts) | #160 (1,145 pts) | #260 (900 pts) | #241 (852 pts) | #272 (772 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #291 (754 pts) | #342 (675 pts) | #345 (759 pts) | #282 (819 pts) | #325 (724 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #408 (501 pts) | #452 (476 pts) | #430 (561 pts) | #426 (501 pts) | #435 (501 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #711 (212 pts) | #765 (212 pts) | #745 (262 pts) | #865 (162 pts) | #882 (162 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #136 (811 pts) | #199 (621 pts) | #110 (966 pts) | #129 (856 pts) | #195 (596 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #262 (1,102 pts) | #335 (937 pts) | #252 (1,112 pts) | #358 (927 pts) | #536 (627 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to The King and His Q, each with one reason worth a look.
46 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,183 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1588
0–4 in 4 shared contests (0% to The King and His Q)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — East Bow Que ahead 4–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,173 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1589
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to The King and His Q)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 28 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,180 of the rated field
- Contests
- 56
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1610
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to The King and His Q)
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 56 contests to 24.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,175 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1594
Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 15 contests, alongside a 60% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,174 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1589
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before The King and His Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,169 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 35%
- Peak
- 1596
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before The King and His Q's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribs n Pigs BBQ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin Genius | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| Aussie TongMasters | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Pit Bull Smokers | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE MIST BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Squealin N Dealin BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Mulkey's BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 20 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 179.4400 | 163.9888 | 170.16 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 20 | 14 | 5 | 10 | 177.7372 | 165.1316 | 171.20 | top 30% |
| Pork | 19 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 177.7028 | 161.6912 | 171.35 | top 34% |
| Brisket | 19 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 175.4056 | 146.8228 | 166.32 | top 45% |
“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) | 10 | 3 | top 29% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 17% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 1 | top 50% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smokin in the Valley | 5 | 1 | 2 | top 34% | Apr 25, 2026 |
| Smokin' in the Valley | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 17% | Nov 4, 2023 |
| Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 69% | Oct 26, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
6 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
3.4
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
TN
3 of 24 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
14
3 of them more than once
First title
Jun 29, 2019
Queensland BBQ Championship
Opponents faced
750
finished ahead 619 times, behind 638
Longest layoff
2.8 yrs
Feb 8, 2020 → Nov 26, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- 10th category win Smokin in the Valley
- Most recent contest Chicken & Ribs BBQ Smoke-Off (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)
20252 milestones
- Career-best single call (Chicken)179.4400 Smokin in the Valley
- Peak power rating (1597) Smokin in the Valley
20241 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD)
201911 milestones
- First tracked contest Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL)
- First overall top-10 Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score675.8856 Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL)
- First call Queensland BBQ Championship
- First overall podium Queensland BBQ Championship
- First Grand Championship Queensland BBQ Championship
- Biggest field won (41 teams) Queensland BBQ Championship
- Career-best overall score697.2000 Queensland BBQ Championship
- First Reserve Championship Burleigh BBQ Championships
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Heatbeads BBQ Turf Wars
- First multi-meat day Heatbeads BBQ Turf Wars
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.6 | Queensland BBQ Championship | Jun 29, 2019 |
| +14.3 | Smokin in the Valley | Nov 9, 2019 |
| +12.8 | Burleigh BBQ Championships | Aug 3, 2019 |
| +12.3 | Smokin in the Valley | Apr 25, 2026 |
| +12.2 | Smokin' in the Valley | Nov 4, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -20.3 | Smokin in the Valley | Nov 1, 2025 |
| -11.7 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) | Oct 25, 2024 |
| -1.1 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Oct 30, 2024 |
| -0.2 | Northeast Beerbq Festival | Jan 24, 2020 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 50% | top 57% | 96.7% | 95.2% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 100% | top 44% | 96% | 88.6% |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 55% | 96.1% | 94.2% |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 100% | top 9% | 95.5% | 95.5% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 25% | 91.5% | 91.5% |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 34% | 94.1% | 93.1% |
| 2019 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 80% | top 12% | 96.8% | 94.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2026 | Chicken & Ribs BBQ Smoke-Off (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Herne Hill, Australia | — | 1 (177.7028) | — | — | — |
| Jun 21, 2026 | Chicken & Ribs BBQ Smoke-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Herne Hill, Australia | — | — | 4 (173.1544) | — | — |
| May 24, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 59 / 82 (687.3600) | 63 (171.4172) | 36 (174.8572) | 14 (177.7028) | 77 (163.3828) |
| May 23, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 103 / 117 (672.4344) | 88 (169.1200) | 67 (170.8344) | 90 (167.3828) | 101 (165.0972) |
| May 22, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Chicken Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | 70 (165.1200) | — | — | — |
| Apr 25, 2026 | Smokin in the Valley Herne Hill, Western Australia | 1 / 9 (695.9656) | 4 (172.5600) | 1 (176) | 3 (176.5600) | 1 (170.8456) |
| Nov 1, 2025 | Smokin in the Valley Herne Hill, Western Australia | 9 / 9 (514.8344) | — | 2 (170.2972) | 5 (170.2628) | 2 (174.2744) |
| Aug 2, 2025 | Smokin in the Valley Herne Hill, Western Australia | 2 / 12 (691.3828) | 1 (179.4400) | 5 (166.8228) | 3 (177.1544) | 5 (167.9656) |
| Jun 14, 2025 | Smokin Barrel Fest Nanson, WA | 2 / 10 (682.8116) | 1 (177.1428) | 6 (165.1316) | 2 (176) | 4 (164.5372) |
| Apr 26, 2025 | Smokin' in the Valley Herne Hill, Western Australia | 5 / 13 (663.9432) | 6 (163.9888) | 3 (170.2744) | 3 (169.1200) | 7 (160.5600) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 241 / 444 (673.5884) | 299 (165.1200) | 195 (170.2628) | 134 (171.9656) | 249 (166.2400) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 43 / 169 (691.9200) | 88 (171.9772) | 79 (171.4172) | 51 (173.1200) | 38 (175.4056) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 26, 2024 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 26 / 56 (683.3144) | 30 (171.9772) | 13 (174.2860) | 42 (168.5256) | 28 (168.5256) |
| Oct 25, 2024 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 49 / 53 (665.0632) | 48 (165.1544) | 41 (167.3944) | 50 (163.3828) | 28 (169.1316) |
| Nov 4, 2023 | Smokin' in the Valley Perth, Western Australia | 1 / 11 (687.3828) | 2 (166.2400) | 1 (174.8800) | 1 (174.2628) | 1 (172) |
| Nov 26, 2022 | Smokin' in the Valley Perth, Western Australia | 3 / 12 (658.7660) | 3 (166.2744) | 1 (171.4172) | 5 (163.3828) | 5 (157.6916) |
| Feb 8, 2020 | Western Australia's Smokin Charity BBQ Governors Cup Perth | 2 / 11 (663.4168) | 7 (164.5484) | 3 (165.1428) | 3 (169.7028) | 5 (164.0228) |
| Jan 24, 2020 | Northeast Beerbq Festival Bundalong, Vic | 5 / 10 (677.6800) | 4 (170.8572) | 3 (169.7028) | 3 (174.2972) | 7 (162.8228) |
| Nov 9, 2019 | Smokin in the Valley Herne Hill WA | 1 / 17 (670.3316) | 4 (168.0344) | 1 (170.3316) | 6 (161.6912) | 2 (170.2744) |
| Nov 4, 2019 | Heatbeads BBQ Turf Wars Cranbourne Melbourne | 8 / 28 (657.1312) | 15 (164) | 1 (172.5828) | 1 (173.7256) | 26 (146.8228) |
| Aug 3, 2019 | Burleigh BBQ Championships Queensland | 2 / 32 (692.5028) | 2 (176.5600) | 8 (171.4172) | 5 (172.5484) | 6 (171.9772) |
| Jun 29, 2019 | Queensland BBQ Championship Cleveland Queensland | 1 / 41 (697.2000) | 6 (176.0228) | 2 (177.7372) | 5 (174.9028) | 17 (168.5372) |
| May 31, 2019 | Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL) 🏅 Norco, CA | 9 / 49 (675.8856) | — | — | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.