A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
KESNER FAMILY BBQ
KESNER FAMILY BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 29th of 61 at the Kelley Wilson BBQ (2017). They are ranked #4379 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1475
peak 1502 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
Jun 2, 2017
latest Sep 29, 2022 · 5.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 72%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
611.99 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 616.74 (-4.76)
Walk rate
14%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.46
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 159.60 · weakest Chicken (150.91)
Road miles
64
across 7 mapped stops
Schedule strength
62%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1578)
Purse competed for
$68K
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
616.74 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1309 (60 pts) | #1341 (60 pts) | #1404 (60 pts) | #1348 (60 pts) | #1333 (60 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1236 (60 pts) | #1286 (60 pts) | #1309 (60 pts) | #1262 (60 pts) | #1245 (60 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1955 (60 pts) | #2049 (60 pts) | #1489 (135 pts) | #2029 (60 pts) | #2010 (60 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1954 (60 pts) | #2012 (60 pts) | #1996 (60 pts) | #2030 (60 pts) | #1990 (60 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2212 (60 pts) | #2286 (60 pts) | #2304 (60 pts) | #2260 (60 pts) | #2266 (60 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to KESNER FAMILY BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
143 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,364 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1476
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to KESNER FAMILY BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team KESNER FAMILY BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,387 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1475
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to KESNER FAMILY BBQ)
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,373 of the rated field
- Contests
- 23
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1531
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to KESNER FAMILY BBQ)
They've been 1531 at their best, 56 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,350 of the rated field
- Contests
- 33
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 3%
- Peak
- 1516
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to KESNER FAMILY BBQ)
33 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 3% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,394 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
They turned up 8 years after KESNER FAMILY BBQ did, first appearing in 2025.
⚔ Compare careers#4,349 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1476
Level with KESNER FAMILY BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLAPS BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' SAUCED | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| HIGH i QUE | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| AMERICAN FIRE BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| END OF THE ROAD BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| ROADKILL BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| LOVE 2 Q | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Sons of a Brisket | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 DRUNK 2 QUE | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| UNFAMOUS DAVE'S | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| 913 BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| DIRT ROAD BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2744 | 135.3484 | 150.91 | top 86% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.6172 | 146.2056 | 159.60 | top 62% |
| Pork | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.0228 | 134.2400 | 152.93 | top 80% |
| Brisket | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.9656 | 139.3488 | 153.30 | top 75% |
“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
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
2 contests
Contests a season
1.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
6 of 7 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
a different one every time
Opponents faced
1,115
finished ahead 527 times, behind 1,444
Longest layoff
1.5 yrs
Mar 19, 2021 → Sep 29, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20221 milestone
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES
20193 milestones
- First call 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score499.3484 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.6172 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
20173 milestones
- First tracked contest Kelley Wilson BBQ
- Career-best overall score640.5256 Kelley Wilson BBQ
- Peak power rating (1502) Kelley Wilson BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.1 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST | Sep 12, 2019 |
| +2.2 | Kelley Wilson BBQ | Jun 2, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.6 | 3rd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship | Mar 19, 2021 |
| -10.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST | Sep 29, 2022 |
| -9.3 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Sep 15, 2018 |
| -8.8 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Sep 1, 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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 84.3% | 84.3% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 99% | 82.9% | 82.9% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 11% | 92.5% | 92.5% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 90% | 85.3% | 85.3% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 67% | 89% | 87.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 479 / 505 (607.2920) | 486 (149.7028) | 378 (162.2516) | 443 (155.9888) | 490 (139.3488) |
| Mar 19, 2021 | 3rd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS | 69 / 70 (597.0056) | 62 (158.2512) | 63 (151.3944) | 70 (134.2400) | 62 (153.1200) |
| Sep 12, 2019 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 53 / 468 (499.3484) | 463 (135.3484) | 10 (176.6172) | 425 (150.2400) | 296 (159.9656) |
| Sep 15, 2018 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 420 / 467 (614.1372) | 318 (162.2744) | 443 (146.2056) | 409 (152.5600) | 390 (153.0972) |
| Sep 1, 2017 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 355 / 407 (619.3256) | 391 (146.2400) | 332 (155.4056) | 297 (160.5372) | 296 (157.1428) |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Kelley Wilson BBQ Kansas City, MO | 29 / 61 (640.5256) | 43 (153.6684) | 19 (165.7028) | 24 (164.0228) | 29 (157.1316) |