BURNING COAL BBQ

BURNING COAL BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 6th of 15 at the Stuttering John's Smokehouse BBQ Competition (2023). They are ranked #2959 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,959

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1507

peak 1508 · rated over 9 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 9, 2017

latest Jun 17, 2023 · 6 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#842

Master 2023 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

33% of 9 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s, still running

Avg finish

top 55%

overall standings

Best overall

662.8116 / 720

Master · Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic

Perfect 180s

Current form

636.27 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 633.24 (+3.03)

Walk rate

78%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

172.5600

Brisket · Summer Daze BBQ Classic

Consistency

±21.19

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 163.43 · weakest Brisket (154.63)

Road miles

1,918

across 9 mapped stops · furthest 625 mi

Schedule strength

32%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1543)

Purse competed for

$12K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 1 state-championship entry

Master avg

633.24 / 720

9 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

78% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 7 of 9 contests

A top-10 category call in 78% of their 9 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

662.8116 career-best overall

92.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 662.8116 at Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic — 92.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 13, 2018

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

WHISKEY'N'CLEAVERS has finished one call ahead of BURNING COAL BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS ahead in 100% of their meetings

SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.80 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 33% of the time against 44%.

Brisket avg 154.63
Chicken avg 163.43
3 calls in 9 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BBQ Blokes in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

3.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.8 years, then back at Stuttering John's Smokehouse BBQ Competition (Jun 17, 2023).

last seen Aug 23, 2019
back Jun 17, 2023

Show 1 more storyline

Chicken nemesis

4 of 6 shared chicken entries lost

SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS has out-cooked them in 4 of 6 shared chicken entries.

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
2023 ↗	Master	#842 (155 pts)	#757 (215 pts)	#1100 (125 pts)	#777 (190 pts)	#970 (125 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1188 (193 pts)	#1204 (208 pts)	#985 (298 pts)	#1425 (153 pts)	#1012 (283 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1228 (194 pts)	#1079 (269 pts)	#1515 (144 pts)	#1420 (169 pts)	#1217 (224 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#975 (350 pts)	#869 (450 pts)	#857 (455 pts)	#844 (470 pts)	#1122 (295 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BURNING COAL BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

HASHTAG BBQ

#2,950 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 41%
Peak: 1507

3–0 in 3 shared contests (100% to BURNING COAL BBQ)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — BURNING COAL BBQ ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Aug 1, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG DADDY DAN'S BBQ

#2,960 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1508

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Jun 9, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

LITTLE BIT OF R AND R

#2,961 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1510

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 7 years before BURNING COAL BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 9 contests

⚔ Compare careers

BIG DOG BBQ CANADA

#2,954 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1513

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Nov 21, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

Jarheadbbq

#2,951 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1517

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jul 25, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

THE ROLLING GRILL BBQ

#2,957 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1508

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jun 24, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
MEAN MOE'S BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
BEHIND BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
TRANQUIL CARNIVORES	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
WHISKEY'N'CLEAVERS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
Cousin's Catering and BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	4	1	170.8800	150.8800	163.43	top 43%
Pork Ribs	9	3	1	172.0228	146.7884	157.24	top 57%
Pork	9	3	0	168.5372	142.2284	157.94	top 55%
Brisket	9	3	1	172.5600	138.2172	154.63	top 57%

“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 40%
Medium (20–39)	4	top 57%
Large (40+)	4	top 58%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
ON	4	top 43%
NY	2	top 50%
NJ	1	top 77%
IA	1	top 82%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Oinktoberfest	2	12	0	top 50%	Sep 22, 2018

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 4 contests

Contests a season 2.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in ON 4 of 9 contests · 4 states and provinces in all

Contests visited 8 1 of them more than once

Opponents faced 191 finished ahead 133 times, behind 164

Longest layoff 3.8 yrs Aug 23, 2019 → Jun 17, 2023

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

20231 milestone

Jun 17 Most recent contest Stuttering John's Smokehouse BBQ Competition

20191 milestone

Aug 23 Career-best single call (Brisket)172.5600 Summer Daze BBQ Classic

20183 milestones

Jul 13 First overall top-10 Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic
Jul 13 Career-best overall score662.8116 Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic
Jul 13 Peak power rating (1508) Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic

20173 milestones

Jun 9 First tracked contest Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festival
Jun 9 First call Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festival
Sep 22 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.2512 Oinktoberfest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11	Oinktoberfest	Sep 22, 2017
+7.3	Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic	Jul 13, 2018
+6	Stuttering John's Smokehouse BBQ Competition	Jun 17, 2023
+5.8	Summer Daze BBQ Classic	Aug 23, 2019
+0.7	Capital BBQ Festival	Aug 5, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.1	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!	Jul 14, 2017
-7	Oinktoberfest	Sep 22, 2018
-5.6	New Jersey KnoQ-out CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Apr 27, 2019
-4.2	Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festival	Jun 9, 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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	1	1	100%	top 40%	89.7%	89.7%
2019	2	1	100%	top 58%	90.6%	88.7%
2018	2	1	50%	top 57%	92.1%	87.4%
2017	4	0	75%	top 57%	90.9%	87.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 17, 2023	Stuttering John's Smokehouse BBQ Competition Seagrave, ON	6 / 15 (645.5772)	3 (168.0460)	9 (155.9200)	4 (166.2628)	9 (155.3484)
Aug 23, 2019	Summer Daze BBQ Classic Niagara Falls, ON	9 / 23 (651.9888)	22 (150.8800)	4 (170.2972)	16 (158.2516)	3 (172.5600)
Apr 27, 2019	New Jersey KnoQ-out CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	33 / 43 (625.6800)	9 (170.3200)	17 (162.8800)	32 (154.2628)	42 (138.2172)
Sep 22, 2018	Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY	39 / 51 (595.2912)	23 (157.1544)	41 (146.7884)	36 (147.3600)	39 (143.9884)
Jul 13, 2018	Niagara Summer Daze BBQ Classic Niagara Falls, ON	9 / 24 (662.8116)	4 (170.8572)	18 (158.2400)	13 (165.7144)	6 (168)
Sep 22, 2017	Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY	12 / 53 (654.2512)	6 (170.8800)	2 (172.0228)	34 (155.4056)	25 (155.9428)
Aug 5, 2017	Capital BBQ Festival Ottawa, ON	23 / 42 (628.4116)	16 (162.2744)	30 (147.3600)	4 (168.5372)	28 (150.2400)
Jul 14, 2017	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA	27 / 33 (607.3028)	18 (164.5600)	27 (149.6572)	31 (142.2284)	24 (150.8572)
Jun 9, 2017	Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festival Drayton Ontario	15 / 22 (627.8400)	19 (155.9084)	19 (151.9772)	8 (163.4172)	12 (156.5372)

BURNING COAL BBQ

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)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

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)