TORNADO BBQ

TORNADO BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 34 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 14th of 36 at the Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (2025). They are ranked #5676 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,676

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1447

peak 1447 · rated over 32 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 26, 2022

latest Oct 9, 2026 · 4.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#318

Master 2025 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 34 contests

Avg finish

top 74%

overall standings

Best overall

690.7656 / 720

Master · 12th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life

Perfect 180s

Current form

672.21 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 659.73 (+12.48)

Walk rate

35%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7028

Chicken · 7th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship

Consistency

±20.57

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.31 · weakest Brisket (160.77)

Road miles

2,038

across 34 mapped stops · furthest 109 mi

Schedule strength

77%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1599)

Purse competed for

$326K

listed at 33 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 32 state-championship entries

Master avg

659.73 / 720

32 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

690.7656 career-best overall

95.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 690.7656 at 12th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life — 95.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 19, 2026

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

Pine Tar BBQ has finished one call ahead of TORNADO BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2025 their best year

2025 was the year it came together: 8 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 63%.

8 contests
0 overall top-10s
1 category win
average top 63%

A tough matchup

23–0 behind in the head-to-head

Squealin N Dealin BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

Squealin N Dealin BBQ has come out ahead in 23 of their 23 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.53 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 6% of the time against 15%.

Brisket avg 160.77
Chicken avg 167.31
2 calls in 34 entries

A strong matchup

12–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 86% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BALD BEAUTIES BBQ in 12 of their 14 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

21 of 23 shared chicken entries lost

Squealin N Dealin BBQ ahead 91% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Squealin N Dealin BBQ has out-cooked them in 21 of 23 shared chicken entries.

Show 3 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

7× one call behind them

Split Borders BBQ has landed one call behind them 7 times.

A June team

Top 63% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 63% across 4 contests, versus top 74% the rest of the year.

4 June contests
top 74% the rest of the year

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Smoke on the Bricks every year from 2023 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 23rd

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	#357 (551 pts)	#314 (721 pts)	#411 (576 pts)	#322 (671 pts)	#381 (541 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#318 (682 pts)	#246 (912 pts)	#304 (847 pts)	#294 (787 pts)	#378 (587 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#349 (626 pts)	#265 (881 pts)	#360 (681 pts)	#353 (636 pts)	#276 (826 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#510 (368 pts)	#556 (348 pts)	#609 (353 pts)	#407 (528 pts)	#461 (433 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#1309 (60 pts)	#1341 (60 pts)	#1404 (60 pts)	#1348 (60 pts)	#1333 (60 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

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

Sixkiller BBQ

#5,670 of the rated field

1447 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1447

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to TORNADO BBQ)

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

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jun 12, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

BURNITA BAR-B-QUE

#5,674 of the rated field

1447 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1517

They've been 1517 at their best, 71 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 33 contests
last seen Apr 29, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

BURNT SIDE DOWN

#5,663 of the rated field

1447 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1447

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before TORNADO BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 23 contests

⚔ Compare careers

UNCLE BUTCH BBQ

#5,680 of the rated field

1447 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1447

Fewer contests behind them than TORNADO BBQ has cooked, 18 to 34, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Jul 26, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

LWS Smokin Aces

#5,673 of the rated field

1447 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1447

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Half-Inked BBQ

#5,677 of the rated field

1447 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1447

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

rated over 13 contests
last seen Aug 8, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Split Borders BBQ	23	11	12	48%	⚔ compare
MAN MEAT BBQ	23	2	21	9%	⚔ compare
Barking Dog BBQ	23	2	21	9%	⚔ compare
Squealin N Dealin BBQ	23	0	23	0%	⚔ compare
MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ	22	2	20	9%	⚔ compare
Who's Cookin'	21	3	18	14%	⚔ compare
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN	20	1	19	5%	⚔ compare
LOVE 2 Q	19	0	19	0%	⚔ compare
Ambition Que	18	1	17	6%	⚔ compare
Pine Tar BBQ	17	4	13	24%	⚔ compare
Bocephus BBQ	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
Damn Fine Beef & Swine	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
UNFAMOUS DAVE'S	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
Cities Edge BBQ	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
Cow Creek BBQ	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	34	5	0	0	177.7028	141.1428	167.31	top 60%
Pork Ribs	34	2	1	1	177.1544	147.9544	165.20	top 67%
Pork	34	4	0	1	175.4172	157.1200	166.85	top 64%
Brisket	34	2	0	1	177.7028	142.7888	160.77	top 73%

“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)	18	0	top 70%
Large (40+)	16	0	top 79%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
KS	23	0	top 73%
MO	11	0	top 75%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Bricks	4	23	top 64%	Aug 7, 2026
Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ	4	16	top 74%	Apr 17, 2026
Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1)	3	14	top 65%	Jul 10, 2026
Smoke on the Water	2	17	top 62%	Oct 9, 2026
Made for KC BBQ Championship 2026 (COMPETITORS SERIES)	2	33	top 84%	Aug 21, 2026
Smoke in the Spring	2	71	top 79%	Apr 11, 2025
Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD)	2	51	top 97%	Oct 26, 2024

More numbers

Busiest season 2024 11 contests

Contests a season 6.8 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in KS 23 of 34 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 22 7 of them more than once

Opponents faced 493 finished ahead 360 times, behind 1,168

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

20262 milestones

Jun 19 Career-best overall score690.7656 12th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life
Oct 9 Most recent contest Smoke on the Water

20253 milestones

Mar 21 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7028 7th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship
Sep 19 25th tracked contest 37th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out
Oct 10 First category win (Pork Ribs) Smoke on the Water

20241 milestone

Apr 26 10th tracked contest Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest

20232 milestones

Aug 25 First call Smoke on the Bricks
Aug 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score674.1712 Smoke on the Bricks

20222 milestones

Aug 26 First tracked contest East Central State BBQ Cook-Off-Paola Roots Festival
Aug 26 Peak power rating (1491) East Central State BBQ Cook-Off-Paola Roots Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8	11th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life	Jun 13, 2025
+5.8	12th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life	Jun 19, 2026
+5.4	Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off	Jul 11, 2025
+5.2	Smoke on the Water	Oct 10, 2025
+4.4	10th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life	Jun 14, 2024

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.8	5th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship	Mar 17, 2023
-9.4	Big Blue BBQ Championship	Jun 2, 2023
-9.2	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off-Paola Roots Festival	Aug 26, 2022
-7.3	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD)	Oct 25, 2024
-7.1	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD)	Oct 26, 2024

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	8	0	50%	top 69%	95.9%	93.3%
2025	8	1	50%	top 63%	95.2%	93.1%
2024	11	0	18%	top 79%	93.7%	92%
2023	6	0	33%	top 81%	93.6%	88.1%
2022	1	0	0%	top 89%	86.1%	86.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 9, 2026	Smoke on the Water 🏅 Topeka, KS	17 / 25 (671.2912)	15 (168.5256)	18 (165.6684)	10 (170.8572)	14 (166.2400)
Sep 18, 2026	38th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out 🏅 Kearney, MO	18 / 26 (660.9828)	15 (168.5372)	16 (166.8228)	21 (163.9428)	19 (161.6800)
Aug 21, 2026	Made for KC BBQ Championship 2026 (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Weston, MO	33 / 43 (671.8516)	32 (168.5372)	30 (169.6800)	36 (166.2400)	25 (167.3944)
Aug 7, 2026	Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS	38 / 52 (664.4228)	41 (166.2400)	38 (167.3828)	35 (166.8228)	40 (163.9772)
Jul 10, 2026	Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) 🏅 Cameron, MO	29 / 37 (673.6000)	5 (176.5600)	26 (170.8344)	33 (164.5600)	32 (161.6456)
Jun 19, 2026	12th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life 🏅 Kansas City, KS	17 / 33 (690.7656)	17 (171.4172)	10 (176.5600)	13 (174.2628)	19 (168.5256)
Apr 17, 2026	Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ 🏅 Iola, KS	16 / 27 (679.8972)	12 (171.9888)	19 (166.2400)	5 (173.1428)	18 (168.5256)
Mar 20, 2026	8th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	54 / 68 (658.7196)	51 (166.2400)	30 (169.1084)	55 (165.6684)	57 (157.7028)
Oct 10, 2025	Smoke on the Water 🏅 Topeka, KS	17 / 30 (676.4804)	27 (163.3944)	1 (177.1544)	3 (175.4172)	25 (160.5144)
Sep 19, 2025	37th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out 🏅 Kearney, MO	17 / 30 (672.4112)	19 (167.3828)	14 (169.6800)	17 (167.9656)	19 (167.3828)
Aug 8, 2025	Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS	40 / 53 (659.8168)	27 (172.5600)	45 (159.9428)	36 (167.9656)	42 (159.3484)
Jul 11, 2025	Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Cameron, MO	14 / 36 (685.6112)	13 (173.1084)	18 (173.1200)	12 (172)	21 (167.3828)
Jun 13, 2025	11th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life 🏅 Kansas City, KS	14 / 30 (680.4800)	6 (176.5716)	18 (169.6800)	21 (167.9772)	18 (166.2512)
May 16, 2025	Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ 🏅 Iola, KS	18 / 27 (672.5256)	5 (176.5828)	23 (160.5600)	19 (164.5600)	16 (170.8228)
Apr 11, 2025	Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS	78 / 92 (657.5312)	71 (166.2400)	19 (175.4172)	65 (166.2628)	88 (149.6112)
Mar 21, 2025	7th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	57 / 70 (658.6856)	5 (177.7028)	56 (164.5372)	64 (159.9428)	63 (156.5028)
Oct 26, 2024	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO	55 / 56 (658.1716)	20 (173.1428)	42 (166.8344)	44 (168)	56 (150.1944)
Oct 25, 2024	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO	51 / 53 (662.1716)	45 (167.3828)	26 (171.4172)	22 (172.5600)	52 (150.8116)
Sep 13, 2024	Made for KC BBQ Championship (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Weston, MO	35 / 38 (660.9828)	21 (170.8228)	35 (161.6800)	34 (162.8000)	21 (165.6800)
Aug 31, 2024	Smoke on the River 🏅 Burlington, KS	26 / 28 (652.3312)	4 (176.5600)	28 (152.4800)	25 (163.9428)	28 (159.3484)
Aug 9, 2024	Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS	26 / 46 (668.3768)	20 (170.8228)	28 (167.3828)	32 (165.0972)	30 (165.0740)
Jul 12, 2024	2024 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Cameron, MO	22 / 28 (659.8628)	15 (170.2628)	11 (171.4172)	23 (164.5600)	26 (153.6228)
Jun 14, 2024	10th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life 🏅 Kansas City, KS	19 / 34 (674.8000)	15 (170.8572)	25 (162.8228)	26 (163.4172)	2 (177.7028)
May 17, 2024	Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ 🏅 Iola, KS	26 / 31 (657.5540)	25 (166.8572)	26 (163.3828)	28 (161.0856)	23 (166.2284)
Apr 26, 2024	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	28 / 44 (674.7772)	32 (164.5256)	19 (170.8344)	19 (170.2628)	18 (169.1544)
Apr 5, 2024	Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS	71 / 97 (670.1600)	52 (169.7028)	83 (163.3828)	56 (168.5372)	53 (168.5372)
Mar 15, 2024	6th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	48 / 58 (643.2688)	37 (168.5372)	48 (161.6916)	33 (168.5600)	56 (144.4800)
Sep 9, 2023	7th Annual Smoke on the Trails 🏅 Gardner, KS	28 / 38 (650.7660)	33 (159.4400)	29 (162.8344)	7 (174.2628)	29 (154.2288)
Aug 25, 2023	Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS	23 / 44 (674.1712)	32 (165.1084)	24 (168.5600)	22 (168.5256)	9 (171.9772)
Jul 28, 2023	Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ 🏅 Iola, KS	22 / 25 (625.5888)	24 (153.0972)	24 (150.2972)	12 (166.8344)	24 (155.3600)
Jun 2, 2023	Big Blue BBQ Championship 🏅 Marysville, KS	27 / 28 (619.3372)	25 (156.5828)	26 (150.2284)	26 (157.1200)	25 (155.4060)
Apr 21, 2023	Smokin in the Creek BBQ 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	41 / 51 (641.6232)	44 (154.2744)	31 (164.5372)	35 (166.8572)	40 (155.9544)
Mar 17, 2023	5th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	66 / 68 (595.3828)	68 (141.1428)	67 (147.9544)	60 (160.0228)	64 (146.2628)
Aug 26, 2022	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off-Paola Roots Festival 🏅 Paola, KS	40 / 45 (619.9544)	37 (157.7028)	35 (156.5828)	31 (162.8800)	42 (142.7888)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

TORNADO 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 (10 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A June team

A standing appointment

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)