KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES

KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 11 at the Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off (2021), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #3716 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,716

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1489

peak 1489 · rated over 12 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 25, 2017

latest Jun 16, 2022 · 4.8 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#537

Master 2021 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

8% of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 65%

overall standings

Best overall

678.2168 / 720

Master · Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off

Perfect 180s

Current form

653.84 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 647.10 (+6.74)

Walk rate

46%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7028

Brisket · Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off

Consistency

±18.73

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.31 · weakest Pork Ribs (158.63)

Road miles

5,495

across 13 mapped stops · furthest 1,601 mi

Schedule strength

49%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)

Purse competed for

$64K

listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 7 state-championship entries

Master avg

647.10 / 720

12 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

0.0116 points from the title

Came within 0.0116 points of the Grand Championship at Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off (Oct 15, 2021).

High-water mark

678.2168 career-best overall

94.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 678.2168 at Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off — 94.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 15, 2021

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

7 SINS BBQ has finished one call ahead of KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2018 their best year

2018 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 55%.

4 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 55%

A tough matchup

9–0 behind in the head-to-head

SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.7 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.68 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 17% of the time against 25%.

Pork Ribs avg 158.63
Chicken avg 166.31
2 calls in 12 entries

A strong matchup

4–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of FLAME THROWER BBQ CO. in 4 of their 5 shared contests.

Show 2 more storylines

Chicken nemesis

8 of 9 shared chicken entries lost

SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ ahead 89% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ has out-cooked them in 8 of 9 shared chicken entries.

The long haul

5,495 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,495 miles across 13 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,601 miles to Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League.

13 mapped stops
furthest 1,601 mi

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	#925 (144 pts)	#782 (229 pts)	#992 (159 pts)	#1125 (114 pts)	#804 (199 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#537 (315 pts)	#589 (290 pts)	#640 (270 pts)	#717 (210 pts)	#492 (390 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1165 (202 pts)	#1091 (242 pts)	#1341 (172 pts)	#1101 (242 pts)	#1139 (232 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#979 (290 pts)	#699 (510 pts)	#1101 (265 pts)	#1159 (240 pts)	#926 (345 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2935 (52 pts)	#2920 (52 pts)	#2830 (57 pts)	#2114 (87 pts)	#2914 (52 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES, each with one reason worth a look.

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

PIT"SBURGH SMOKERS

#3,690 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1489

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen May 22, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

ROCKABILLY BBQ

#3,696 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1489

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 4 years before KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Turnpike Smokers

#3,705 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1489

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Oct 8, 2016

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SMACKIN' BUTTS BBQ, NE

#3,711 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1489

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Apr 4, 2025

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Stitt Show BBQ

#3,738 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1503

They turned up 5 years after KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 13 contests
last seen May 3, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

BLAZED N' GLAZED

#3,730 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1489

Level with KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jan 27, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
RBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' AXE BBQ	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-CUDA BBQ	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Old Town Franklin BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Pops BBQ 22	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
Saltworks BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
BULL MARKET BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
THIN BLUE QUE	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
7 SINS BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
Cynical BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
Smokey and the Pirate	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
PIRATES OF THE PIG	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
FU MAN QUE CREW	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	3	0	1	173.1656	149.1200	166.31	top 48%
Pork Ribs	12	2	0	0	168.5372	146.8116	158.63	top 73%
Pork	12	1	0	0	167.4400	150.7888	160.74	top 68%
Brisket	12	4	1	1	173.7028	134.2968	161.41	top 52%

“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 18%
Medium (20–39)	6	top 70%
Large (40+)	6	top 67%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
CA	10	top 63%
CO	1	top 51%
MO	1	top 77%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship	2	16	0	top 58%	May 3, 2019
Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship	2	30	0	top 68%	Apr 26, 2019

More numbers

Busiest season 2018 4 contests

Contests a season 2.2 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in CA 10 of 13 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 11 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 303 finished ahead 173 times, behind 355

Longest layoff 1.2 yrs Apr 6, 2020 → Jun 4, 2021

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

20221 milestone

Jun 16 Most recent contest Frisco BBQ Challenge

20218 milestones

Jun 4 10th tracked contest 2nd Annual Throwdown in the Vineyards
Oct 15 First category win (Brisket) Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off
Oct 15 First overall top-10 Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off
Oct 15 First overall podium Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off
Oct 15 First Reserve Championship Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off
Oct 15 Career-best overall score678.2168 Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off
Oct 15 Career-best single call (Brisket)173.7028 Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off
Oct 15 Peak power rating (1495) Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off

20182 milestones

Apr 20 First call Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship
May 4 First overall past 90% of a perfect score656.5028 Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship

20171 milestone

Aug 25 First tracked contest Grills N Grills

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.2	Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off	Oct 15, 2021
+4	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship	May 4, 2018
+3.1	Frisco BBQ Challenge	Jun 16, 2022
+2.8	Temecula State BBQ Championship	Oct 12, 2018
+1	4th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship	Sep 14, 2018

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.4	Grills N Grills	Aug 25, 2017
-9.1	3rd Annual Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship	Apr 29, 2022
-6.2	5th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship	Sep 20, 2019
-4.9	Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship	Apr 26, 2019
-2.4	2nd Annual Throwdown in the Vineyards	Jun 4, 2021

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)
2022	2	0	0	100%	top 69%	91.6%	89.8%
2021	2	1	1	100%	top 44%	94.2%	92.4%
2020	1	0	0	0%	top 77%	87.6%	87.6%
2019	3	0	0	0%	top 74%	89.8%	89.1%
2018	4	0	0	50%	top 55%	92.4%	90.9%
2017	1	0	0	0%	top 96%	83.3%	83.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 16, 2022	Frisco BBQ Challenge 🏅 Frisco, CO	19 / 37 (659.3256)	19 (168)	16 (165.6800)	29 (155.9772)	9 (169.6684)
Apr 29, 2022	3rd Annual Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA	25 / 29 (634.2748)	9 (171.4172)	26 (152.0344)	27 (158.8572)	27 (151.9660)
Oct 15, 2021	Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Susanville, CA	2 / 11 (678.2168)	2 (173.1656)	7 (164.5372)	6 (166.8112)	1 (173.7028)
Jun 4, 2021	2nd Annual Throwdown in the Vineyards 🏅 Murphy, CA	20 / 29 (651.8512)	25 (158.8228)	10 (168.5372)	24 (156.5256)	10 (167.9656)
Apr 6, 2020	Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League unrated washington, MO	84 / 109 (157.7600)	—	—	—	—
Sep 20, 2019	5th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship 🏅	35 / 44 (645.5312)	38 (158.7768)	39 (157.0972)	22 (166.8228)	25 (162.8344)
May 3, 2019	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship 🏅 Elk Grove, CA	19 / 27 (646.2628)	14 (168.5484)	27 (146.8116)	14 (167.4400)	13 (163.4628)
Apr 26, 2019	Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA	35 / 48 (632.4460)	22 (166.2856)	32 (161.1088)	38 (150.7888)	33 (154.2628)
Oct 12, 2018	Temecula State BBQ Championship Temecula, CA	24 / 46 (665.0400)	12 (171.9656)	39 (160.5600)	28 (165.6800)	23 (166.8344)
Sep 14, 2018	4th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA	25 / 43 (653.0856)	17 (169.1428)	30 (159.4056)	26 (163.4172)	27 (161.1200)
May 4, 2018	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	16 / 35 (656.5028)	11 (169.7028)	20 (161.0972)	25 (157.7372)	8 (167.9656)
Apr 20, 2018	Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship Lodi, CA	30 / 48 (642.6972)	8 (170.8228)	45 (149.0744)	32 (159.9428)	25 (162.8572)
Aug 25, 2017	Grills N Grills penn Valley, CA	26 / 27 (599.9424)	25 (149.1200)	24 (157.6572)	18 (158.8684)	27 (134.2968)

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

KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES

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 (9 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

The long haul

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)