BURNIN BENJAMINS

BURNIN BENJAMINS is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 10th of 42 at the Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off (2018). They are ranked #3612 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,612

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1491

peak 1509 · rated over 17 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 19, 2017

latest Jun 26, 2021 · 4.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#699

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

6% of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 64%

overall standings

Best overall

667.2568 / 720

Master · Jim Beam BBQ Classic

Perfect 180s

Current form

648.53 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 642.64 (+5.89)

Walk rate

47%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Chicken · Grill Games

Consistency

±17.39

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 163.45 · weakest Pork (158.18)

Road miles

2,721

across 17 mapped stops · furthest 389 mi

Schedule strength

68%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1586)

Purse competed for

$59K

listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 5 state-championship entries

Master avg

642.64 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (10 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

667.2568 career-best overall

92.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 667.2568 at Jim Beam BBQ Classic — 92.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 4, 2019

Their season

2019 their best year

2019 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 54%.

3 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 54%

A tough matchup

10–0 behind in the head-to-head

One2BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

One2BBQ has come out ahead in 10 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.3 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.27 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 12% of the time against 24%.

Pork avg 158.18
Chicken avg 163.45
2 calls in 17 entries

A strong matchup

7–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 88% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ROLL THE BONES BBQ in 7 of their 8 shared contests.

The comeback

1.7 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.7 years, then back at Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day one) (Jun 25, 2021).

last seen Oct 18, 2019
back Jun 25, 2021

Chicken nemesis

9 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

BIG "E" BBQ ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BIG "E" BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 12 shared chicken entries.

Show 3 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

ACE OF DIAMONDS BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An October team

Top 52% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 52% across 6 contests, versus top 64% the rest of the year.

6 October contests
top 64% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.42% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.42% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.3% of a perfect score
17 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
2021 ↗	Master	#917 (120 pts)	#978 (120 pts)	#1023 (120 pts)	#960 (120 pts)	#957 (120 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1151 (205 pts)	#868 (355 pts)	#1197 (210 pts)	#1150 (230 pts)	#934 (320 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#796 (410 pts)	#650 (570 pts)	#837 (415 pts)	#594 (625 pts)	#693 (520 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#699 (540 pts)	#558 (715 pts)	#733 (545 pts)	#747 (545 pts)	#679 (590 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BURNIN BENJAMINS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

P.I.G.

#3,592 of the rated field

1491 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1491

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BURNIN BENJAMINS)

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

rated over 9 contests
last seen Jun 17, 2022

⚔ Head-to-head

Big Rich BBQ

#3,586 of the rated field

1491 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1491

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BURNIN BENJAMINS)

Fewer contests behind them than BURNIN BENJAMINS has cooked, 5 to 17, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Jun 14, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

2 SONS AND THE BIG GUY

#3,606 of the rated field

1491 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1515

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

rated over 17 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Sons of Hamarchy

#3,619 of the rated field

1491 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1491

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Jul 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

SEDALIA MASTERBASTERS

#3,621 of the rated field

1491 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1520

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 19 contests, alongside a 11% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Sep 15, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

ITALIAN STYLE BBQ TEAM

#3,610 of the rated field

1491 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 39%
Peak: 1491

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

rated over 18 contests
last seen Sep 14, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BIG "E" BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
QUE U	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
WICKED SMOKE BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
D.F.G.'S BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
TOPPGATOR BBQ	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
CARNIVORE'S PARADISE	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
Second Hand Smoke SLV	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO.	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
One2BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
ROLL THE BONES BBQ	8	7	1	88%	⚔ compare
CHOCOLATE CITY BBQ	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
THE REAL SMOKIN ACES	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
43RD PARALLEL BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
Monsters of the Ribway	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	4	1	1	176.5600	150.2972	163.45	top 55%
Pork Ribs	17	1	0	0	171.4172	149.6228	159.77	top 63%
Pork	17	2	1	1	173.1200	145.6684	158.18	top 65%
Brisket	17	2	0	0	173.1200	145.6688	161.24	top 53%

“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)	5	0	top 68%
Large (40+)	12	0	top 62%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IL	7	top 76%
WI	7	top 49%
KY	3	top 69%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day Two)	3	29	top 85%	Jun 26, 2021
Jim Beam BBQ Classic	3	20	top 69%	Oct 4, 2019
Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1	2	30	top 67%	Jun 21, 2019
Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off	2	10	top 25%	Oct 19, 2018
Grill Games	2	15	top 41%	Aug 24, 2018
McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ	2	24	top 73%	Aug 18, 2018

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 7 contests

Contests a season 4.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IL 7 of 17 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 9 6 of them more than once

Opponents faced 299 finished ahead 266 times, behind 454

Longest layoff 1.7 yrs Oct 18, 2019 → Jun 25, 2021

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

20211 milestone

Jun 26 Most recent contest Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day Two)

20192 milestones

Oct 4 Career-best overall score667.2568 Jim Beam BBQ Classic
Oct 18 Peak power rating (1509) Best of the Midwest

20184 milestones

Aug 24 First category win (Chicken) Grill Games
Aug 24 10th tracked contest Grill Games
Aug 24 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.5600 Grill Games
Oct 19 First overall top-10 Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off

20173 milestones

May 19 First tracked contest ASTOPâ€™s BBQ 4 ASTOP
Aug 25 First call Grill Games
Oct 6 First overall past 90% of a perfect score656.4800 Jim Beam BBQ Classic

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.7	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off	Oct 19, 2018
+10.9	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off	Oct 20, 2017
+6	Grill Games	Aug 25, 2017
+5.7	Jim Beam BBQ Classic	Oct 4, 2019
+5.7	Grill Games	Aug 24, 2018

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.4	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day one)	Jun 25, 2021
-7	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day Two)	Jun 26, 2021
-6.8	Badger Brews & Que	Aug 4, 2017
-5.5	Jim Beam BBQ Classic	Oct 6, 2017
-5.2	McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ	Aug 18, 2018

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)
2021	2	0	0	0%	top 92%	89.8%	88.6%
2019	3	0	0	67%	top 54%	92.7%	91.1%
2018	5	1	2	80%	top 59%	92.5%	89.6%
2017	7	0	0	29%	top 62%	91.2%	88.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 26, 2021	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day Two) 🏅 Belvidere, IL	39 / 43 (646.7432)	32 (166.8688)	30 (166.2628)	42 (149.0744)	27 (164.5372)
Jun 25, 2021	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day one) 🏅 Belvidere, IL	46 / 49 (628.4000)	37 (159.9884)	43 (158.8116)	49 (147.9312)	37 (161.6688)
Oct 18, 2019	Best of the Midwest 🏅 Union Grove, WI	29 / 52 (647.8172)	42 (154.2516)	19 (165.0972)	23 (164.5256)	22 (163.9428)
Oct 4, 2019	Jim Beam BBQ Classic 🏅 Springfield, KY	20 / 42 (667.2568)	5 (173.7028)	32 (162.7884)	17 (167.9772)	30 (162.7884)
Jun 21, 2019	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1 🏅 Belvidere, IL	30 / 50 (652.4572)	15 (170.3088)	36 (157.0972)	45 (151.9312)	5 (173.1200)
Oct 19, 2018	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off Union Grove, WI	10 / 42 (665.6916)	17 (165.1544)	23 (159.4172)	7 (172)	6 (169.1200)
Oct 5, 2018	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	32 / 42 (657.0056)	27 (165.1428)	42 (149.6228)	1 (173.1200)	12 (169.1200)
Aug 24, 2018	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	18 / 42 (655.9200)	1 (176.5600)	28 (160.5372)	34 (154.2284)	16 (164.5944)
Aug 18, 2018	McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ McHenry, IL	24 / 30 (604.9604)	23 (155.9656)	18 (155.4060)	27 (147.9200)	26 (145.6688)
Jun 22, 2018	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1 Belvidere, IL	38 / 51 (642.1484)	33 (164.5256)	10 (170.2744)	46 (151.9656)	45 (155.3828)
Oct 20, 2017	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off Union Grove, WI	14 / 52 (656.0116)	5 (170.8800)	37 (155.3944)	21 (165.7372)	21 (164)
Oct 6, 2017	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	36 / 44 (656.4800)	38 (160.5484)	15 (171.4172)	37 (163.9544)	33 (160.5600)
Aug 25, 2017	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	15 / 39 (646.1712)	4 (172.5600)	31 (154.8000)	21 (160)	20 (158.8112)
Aug 19, 2017	McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ McHenry, IL	24 / 36 (622.1256)	29 (150.2972)	27 (151.3600)	12 (165.1200)	17 (155.3484)
Aug 4, 2017	Badger Brews & Que Port Washington, WI	24 / 30 (617.0972)	21 (157.7028)	24 (151.4516)	26 (152)	20 (155.9428)
Jun 23, 2017	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Belvidere, IL	29 / 42 (634.2172)	33 (158.2400)	21 (164.0116)	40 (145.6684)	13 (166.2972)
May 19, 2017	ASTOPâ€™s BBQ 4 ASTOP Fond du Lac, WI	22 / 30 (624.4568)	23 (155.9656)	13 (162.2744)	19 (155.9884)	23 (150.2284)

BURNIN BENJAMINS

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 (10 found in their record)

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

An October 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)