On the rise
+28
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 28 points across 6 contests since Mar 18, 2022 — from 1534 up to 1562.
- 6 contests since Mar 18, 2022
- now 1562
Free Range Friends BBQ
Free Range Friends BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 7th of 13 at the Fountains at Greenbriar Blaze Off (2019). They are ranked #1530 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1562
peak 1562 · rated over 16 contests
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
Mar 15, 2019
latest Oct 7, 2022 · 3.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
24% of 17 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 48%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
679.57 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 669.82 (+9.75)
Walk rate
65%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±17.29
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 168.18 · weakest Pork Ribs (166.80)
Road miles
417
across 17 mapped stops · furthest 46 mi
Schedule strength
72%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1592)
Purse competed for
$144K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 16 state-championship entries
Master avg
669.82 / 720
16 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 | #365 (623 pts) | #266 (873 pts) | #284 (881 pts) | #387 (618 pts) | #432 (533 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #703 (205 pts) | #673 (245 pts) | #682 (245 pts) | #960 (120 pts) | #782 (180 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #461 (230 pts) | #531 (200 pts) | #444 (265 pts) | #458 (250 pts) | #503 (225 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #720 (433 pts) | #759 (433 pts) | #725 (463 pts) | #592 (578 pts) | #643 (528 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Free Range Friends BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
55 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,539 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1567
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Free Range Friends BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Free Range Friends BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,537 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1565
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 3 years before Free Range Friends BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,533 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1562
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,536 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 62%
- Peak
- 1577
Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,541 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1580
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 20 contests, alongside a 45% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,542 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1563
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before Free Range Friends BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 15 | 3 | 12 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| LOVE 2 Q | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| HIGH i QUE | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Flying W North BBQ | 9 | 9 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| ROCK N BLUES BBQ | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| MAD MUTT'S BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Happy Grillmore | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Shark Q | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| GEO SMOKERS | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' SAUCED | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Wildhouse BBQ | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| Barking Dog BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 16 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 178.2972 | 149.6800 | 168.09 | top 47% |
| Pork Ribs | 17 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 176.5600 | 150.1828 | 166.80 | top 46% |
| Pork | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 177.7028 | 153.0628 | 168.18 | top 46% |
| Brisket | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172 | 154.2172 | 167.22 | top 44% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 54% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 39% |
| Large (40+) | 11 | 0 | top 50% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Trails | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 41% | Sep 11, 2020 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
7 contests
Contests a season
4.3
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
15 of 17 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
15
1 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
17 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls
Opponents faced
398
finished ahead 416 times, behind 409
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20222 milestones
- Peak power rating (1562) Meat Inferno (JUDGING FULL)
- Most recent contest Meat Inferno (JUDGING FULL)
20213 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Trails
- Career-best overall score697.6800 Smoke on the Trails
- Career-best single call (Chicken)178.2972 Smoke on the Trails
20194 milestones
- First tracked contest Qlathe BBQ Championship
- First call Grasshopper '19
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score660.4568 Grasshopper '19
- First overall top-10 Fountains at Greenbriar Blaze Off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.6 | Qlathe BBQ Championship | Mar 18, 2022 |
| +14 | Smoke on the Trails | Sep 10, 2021 |
| +10.2 | Meat Inferno (JUDGING FULL) | Oct 7, 2022 |
| +10.1 | Smoke on the Trails | Sep 11, 2020 |
| +6.9 | Smokin on the Summit | Jul 19, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.3 | Smoke in the Spring | Oct 30, 2020 |
| -3.2 | Qlathe BBQ Championship | Mar 15, 2019 |
| -2.3 | 3rd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship | Mar 19, 2021 |
| -1.6 | Grasshopper '19 | May 10, 2019 |
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 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 86% | top 37% | 95.9% | 94.6% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 43% | 96.9% | 93.8% |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 60% | 95.4% | 92% |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60% | top 57% | 94.2% | 91.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2022 | Meat Inferno (JUDGING FULL) 🏅 Edgerton, KS | 9 / 29 (690.2516) | 3 (177.7144) | 23 (162.8344) | 5 (177.7028) | 11 (172) |
| Oct 7, 2022 | Meat Inferno (ONE MEAT RIBS) (JUDGING FULL) Edgerton, KS | — | — | 4 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Sep 9, 2022 | 6th Annual Smoke on the Trails 🏅 Gardner, KS | 17 / 37 (674.7316) | 16 (170.8344) | 18 (167.3828) | 11 (173.7144) | 18 (162.8000) |
| Aug 26, 2022 | Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS | 24 / 48 (673.6116) | 6 (174.2744) | 25 (164.5488) | 29 (163.9656) | 19 (170.8228) |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off "4 Life" 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 11 / 29 (681.0400) | 8 (172.5600) | 3 (175.4172) | 18 (166.2400) | 17 (166.8228) |
| Apr 29, 2022 | Red, White, Blue BBQ Competition 🏅 Topeka, KS | 31 / 77 (678.2284) | 8 (177.7028) | 38 (168.5944) | 50 (163.9428) | 29 (167.9884) |
| Mar 18, 2022 | Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS | 10 / 71 (687.3372) | 28 (169.6916) | 5 (175.4172) | 17 (171.9656) | 23 (170.2628) |
| Sep 10, 2021 | Smoke on the Trails 🏅 Gardner, KS | 9 / 53 (697.6800) | 5 (178.2972) | 5 (176.5600) | 29 (170.8228) | 13 (172) |
| Mar 19, 2021 | 3rd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS | 48 / 70 (652.9944) | 55 (162.2516) | 28 (169.6800) | 65 (153.0628) | 29 (168) |
| Oct 30, 2020 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 84 / 93 (637.4400) | 85 (160.5144) | 89 (150.1828) | 80 (159.3600) | 51 (167.3828) |
| Sep 11, 2020 | Smoke on the Trails 🏅 Gardner, KS | 15 / 48 (686.7544) | 21 (171.9772) | 9 (174.2628) | 19 (170.8344) | 24 (169.6800) |
| Mar 13, 2020 | 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS | 39 / 68 (663.9200) | 55 (160.5372) | 55 (160.5372) | 17 (172.5828) | 17 (170.2628) |
| Oct 18, 2019 | Fountains at Greenbriar Blaze Off 🏅 Independence, MO | 7 / 13 (663.3028) | 6 (167.9656) | 6 (163.4172) | 8 (165.0972) | 4 (166.8228) |
| Sep 27, 2019 | Smoke on the Trails 🏅 Gardner, KS | 27 / 53 (648.4344) | 35 (158.8000) | 26 (162.2744) | 22 (165.1316) | 24 (162.2284) |
| Jul 19, 2019 | Smokin on the Summit 🏅 Unity Village, MO | 15 / 35 (678.2056) | 17 (167.4516) | 16 (168.5256) | 12 (170.8228) | 8 (171.4056) |
| May 10, 2019 | Grasshopper '19 🏅 DeSoto, KS | 37 / 53 (660.4568) | 30 (169.1428) | 49 (153.6800) | 10 (174.8572) | 39 (162.7768) |
| Mar 15, 2019 | Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS | 42 / 64 (642.6972) | 58 (149.6800) | 20 (167.9772) | 15 (170.8228) | 53 (154.2172) |