Z-QUE

Z-QUE is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 5th of 25 at the Route 66 BBQ & Steak Showdown (2019). They are ranked #1346 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,346

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1576

peak 1576 · rated over 13 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 26, 2015

latest Aug 9, 2019 · 4.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#717

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

31% of 13 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s, still running

Avg finish

top 42%

overall standings

Best overall

686.7884 / 720

Master · Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off

Perfect 180s

Current form

672.48 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 671.15 (+1.34)

Walk rate

77%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7144

Pork · Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off

Consistency

±10.66

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 171.32 · weakest Pork Ribs (164.89)

Road miles

427

across 13 mapped stops · furthest 78 mi

Schedule strength

77%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1600)

Purse competed for

$5,000

listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 1 state-championship entry

Master avg

671.15 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

On the rise

+25 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 25 points across 3 contests since Aug 10, 2018 — from 1551 up to 1576.

3 contests since Aug 10, 2018
now 1576

They almost always walk

77% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 10 of 13 contests

A top-10 category call in 77% of their 13 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

686.7884 career-best overall

95.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 686.7884 at Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off — 95.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 23, 2017

A tough matchup

11–1 behind in the head-to-head

GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 92% of their meetings

GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 11 of their 12 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.4 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.43 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 31% of the time against 38%.

Pork Ribs avg 164.89
Chicken avg 171.32
4 calls in 13 entries

A strong matchup

11–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of TAILGATE GUYS BBQ in 11 of their 11 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

9 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

GETTIN' BASTED ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GETTIN' BASTED has out-cooked them in 9 of 12 shared chicken entries.

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±1.48% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.48% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.2% of a perfect score
13 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	#1279 (175 pts)	#1234 (200 pts)	#1369 (165 pts)	#1876 (85 pts)	#1155 (225 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#765 (429 pts)	#683 (529 pts)	#981 (329 pts)	#653 (569 pts)	#887 (364 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#717 (526 pts)	#868 (451 pts)	#620 (656 pts)	#697 (596 pts)	#723 (546 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Z-QUE, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Spitballs BBQ

#1,345 of the rated field

1576 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1576

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

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Berkee Raes BBQ

#1,349 of the rated field

1576 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 54%
Peak: 1576

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jun 14, 2024

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Lip S-Macn BBQ

#1,343 of the rated field

1576 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1576

16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 56% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 16 contests
last seen May 3, 2019

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Smokin Mo's

#1,344 of the rated field

1576 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1576

Level with Z-QUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jun 8, 2019

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BACON & WHISKEY

#1,348 of the rated field

1576 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1578

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Jun 18, 2021

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BUTTS A'BLAZE BATESVILLE

#1,350 of the rated field

1576 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1576

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 25 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 25 contests
last seen Oct 6, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
GETTIN' BASTED	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
TAILGATE GUYS BBQ	11	11	0	100%	⚔ compare
YELLOW JACKET BBQ	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
SMOOTH SMOKE	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
COUNTRYSIDE BBQ PRO SHOP	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
BRICKHEAD BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
UP SAUCE CREEK	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
ELI'S PIT CREW	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
THE BOAR OF DIRECTORS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
GRAY WOLF BBQ	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
WOOD HOOK BBQ	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
Hogzilla	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
MOKAN MEATHEADS	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
A Good Rub BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	5	1	2	176	166.8228	171.32	top 37%
Pork Ribs	13	4	0	0	175.4172	146.7772	164.89	top 49%
Pork	13	5	0	2	177.7144	159.3600	168.06	top 44%
Brisket	13	4	0	2	174.8800	151.9544	166.87	top 43%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 63%
Medium (20–39)	6	top 30%
Large (40+)	6	top 50%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MO	12	0	top 42%
AR	1	0	top 38%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off	2	8	0	top 30%	Jun 29, 2018
Table Rock Boats and Bones	2	25	0	top 57%	Sep 16, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 5 contests

Contests a season 2.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 12 of 13 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 11 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 256 finished ahead 289 times, behind 202

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

20192 milestones

Aug 9 Peak power rating (1576) Route 66 BBQ & Steak Showdown
Aug 9 Most recent contest Route 66 BBQ & Steak Showdown

20181 milestone

Jun 29 10th tracked contest Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off

20172 milestones

Jun 23 Career-best overall score686.7884 Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off
Jun 23 Career-best single call (Pork)177.7144 Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off

20155 milestones

Jun 26 First tracked contest 3rd Annual Willard Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off
Jun 26 First call 3rd Annual Willard Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off
Jun 26 First category win (Chicken) 3rd Annual Willard Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off
Jun 26 First overall top-10 3rd Annual Willard Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off
Jun 26 First overall past 90% of a perfect score678.7316 3rd Annual Willard Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.7	Smoke EM IF You Got EM	Nov 9, 2018
+12.3	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off	Jun 23, 2017
+10.8	Route 66 BBQ & Steak Showdown	Aug 9, 2019
+9.3	3rd Annual Willard Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off	Jun 26, 2015
+8	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off	Jun 29, 2018

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-0.9	Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off	Jun 24, 2016
-0.7	Route 66 Barbeque Throwdown (JUDGES FULL)	Aug 10, 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)
2019	1	1	0	100%	top 20%	94.6%	94.6%
2018	4	1	0	75%	top 42%	94.1%	93.1%
2017	5	1	0	60%	top 40%	95.4%	93.6%
2016	2	0	0	100%	top 61%	92.6%	91.3%
2015	1	1	1	100%	top 32%	94.3%	94.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 9, 2019	Route 66 BBQ & Steak Showdown 🏅 Springfiled, MO	5 / 25 (681.0516)	4 (173.7028)	6 (171.4288)	18 (161.6456)	3 (174.2744)
Nov 9, 2018	Smoke EM IF You Got EM Springfield, MO	6 / 30 (677.7144)	3 (174.2972)	15 (165.1660)	9 (170.8684)	14 (167.3828)
Aug 10, 2018	Route 66 Barbeque Throwdown (JUDGES FULL) Springfield, MO	12 / 19 (656.9600)	8 (171.9656)	17 (157.6688)	12 (167.3828)	14 (159.9428)
Jun 29, 2018	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	19 / 52 (675.9316)	17 (172.5600)	40 (161.0972)	2 (177.7028)	26 (164.5716)
May 25, 2018	Shepherd's Smokin Summer Kick Off Branson, MO	25 / 50 (670.7656)	30 (167.9772)	21 (169.1084)	32 (163.9772)	18 (169.7028)
Sep 16, 2017	Table Rock Boats and Bones Kimberling, MO	26 / 47 (669.5884)	27 (169.1200)	14 (171.4172)	28 (167.4056)	34 (161.6456)
Jul 8, 2017	Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway Wheatland, MO	14 / 31 (681.0632)	22 (166.8228)	5 (175.4172)	8 (172.5716)	21 (166.2516)
Jun 23, 2017	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	8 / 35 (686.7884)	18 (169.1428)	8 (170.2628)	3 (177.7144)	10 (169.6684)
Apr 21, 2017	Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO	20 / 55 (658.1372)	12 (173.1428)	43 (150.7772)	19 (166.2516)	13 (167.9656)
Apr 1, 2017	Smoke on the Border Gravette Chambers of Commerce Gravette, AR	14 / 37 (673.0056)	17 (169.6800)	9 (170.2628)	29 (161.6572)	8 (171.4056)
Sep 17, 2016	Table Rock Boats and Bones Kimberling City, MO	25 / 43 (666.7776)	6 (176)	12 (171.4172)	23 (167.4060)	38 (151.9544)
Jun 24, 2016	Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	31 / 49 (648.4116)	29 (167.3944)	48 (146.7772)	29 (159.3600)	3 (174.8800)
Jun 26, 2015	3rd Annual Willard Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	10 / 31 (678.7316)	1 (175.4172)	19 (162.8000)	8 (170.8344)	11 (169.6800)

Z-QUE

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

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)

On the rise

They almost always walk

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

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)