Playin with Fire

Playin with Fire is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 18th of 25 at the Marietta River City BBQ (2022). They finished #1207 in the 2022 Master Series Team of the Year standings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Playin' With Fire”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Rating

1479

Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 41 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Oct 25, 2013

latest Apr 29, 2022 · 8.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1207

Master 2022 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 6 contests

Avg finish

top 79%

overall standings

Best overall

658.1372 / 720

Master · Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival

Perfect 180s

Walk rate

17%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.8800

Pork Ribs · I Grill Because I CARE (Competitor's Series)

Consistency

±30.10

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 158.83 · weakest Pork Ribs (153.68)

Road miles

1,289

across 6 mapped stops · furthest 710 mi

Schedule strength

28%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1538)

Purse competed for

$3,000

listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

616.10 / 720

5 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (2 found in their record)

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

The weak link

−5.2 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.15 points below their pork, and turns into a call 17% of the time against 0%.

Pork Ribs avg 153.68
Pork avg 158.83
1 call in 6 entries

The comeback

3.3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.3 years, then back at Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival (Oct 18, 2019).

last seen Jun 24, 2016
back Oct 18, 2019

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	#1207 (85 pts)	#1699 (50 pts)	#1270 (95 pts)	#1170 (105 pts)	#1263 (75 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1772 (88 pts)	#1907 (83 pts)	#1861 (88 pts)	#1888 (83 pts)	#1884 (78 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Playin with Fire, each with one reason worth a look.

Playin with Fire has 4 rated contests, short of the five a power ranking needs, so its rating is still close to the 1500 every team starts on and 137 rated teams sit within a point of it.

Parrothead BBQ

#4,199 of the rated field

1479 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1479

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Playin with Fire)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Playin with Fire has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Jun 21, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

Smokin' Blind

#4,215 of the rated field

1479 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1479

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Playin with Fire)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Bowling Bro's BBQ

#4,227 of the rated field

1479 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1511

Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 5 contests
last seen May 23, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

EXTREME PORK

#4,191 of the rated field

1479 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1503

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

rated over 5 contests
last seen Sep 16, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

A & S Up In Smoke

#4,211 of the rated field

1479 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1479

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 4 years before Playin with Fire's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 5 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Bug Eaters BBQ

#4,218 of the rated field

1479 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1479

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Aug 25, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	6	1	1	173.2344	141.7028	155.52	top 73%
Pork Ribs	6	1	1	174.8800	134.2172	153.68	top 71%
Pork	5	0	0	170.8800	134.2056	158.83	top 55%
Brisket	5	0	0	162.8228	151.3828	155.86	top 68%

“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)	2	0	top 68%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 86%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
OH	2	top 68%
KS	2	top 79%
TN	1	top 99%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship	2	137	0	top 79%	Jun 24, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 2 contests

Contests a season 1.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in OH 2 of 6 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 4 1 of them more than once

Opponents faced 359 finished ahead 94 times, behind 417

Longest layoff 3.3 yrs Jun 24, 2016 → Oct 18, 2019

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

20221 milestone

Apr 29 Most recent contest Marietta River City BBQ

20192 milestones

Oct 18 First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.1372 Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
Oct 18 Career-best overall score658.1372 Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival

20151 milestone

Jun 26 Peak power rating (1490) Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship

20133 milestones

Aug 17 First tracked contest I Grill Because I CARE (Competitor's Series)
Aug 17 First call I Grill Because I CARE (Competitor's Series)
Aug 17 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.8800 I Grill Because I CARE (Competitor's Series)

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

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.3	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	Jun 26, 2015
-7.1	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship	Jun 24, 2016
-3.5	Marietta River City BBQ	Apr 29, 2022
-0.3	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival	Oct 18, 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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2022	1	0%	top 72%	87.8%	87.8%
2019	1	0%	top 64%	91.4%	91.4%
2016	1	0%	top 75%	85.3%	85.3%
2015	1	0%	top 84%	84.6%	84.6%
2013	2	50%	top 99%	78.7%	78.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Apr 29, 2022	Marietta River City BBQ 🏅 Marietta, OH	18 / 25 (632.4116)	25 (151.3828)	16 (163.9544)	14 (163.9772)	20 (153.0972)
Oct 18, 2019	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival 🏅 Nelsonville, OH	18 / 28 (658.1372)	19 (165.6800)	18 (165.0972)	19 (164.5372)	20 (162.8228)
Jun 24, 2016	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	137 / 183 (614.1252)	123 (154.2628)	167 (143.3828)	90 (160.5484)	106 (155.9312)
Jun 26, 2015	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	153 / 183 (609.1656)	172 (141.7028)	178 (140.5372)	12 (170.8800)	97 (156.0456)
Oct 25, 2013	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN	96 / 97 (566.6400)	93 (146.8344)	96 (134.2172)	94 (134.2056)	77 (151.3828)
Aug 17, 2013	I Grill Because I CARE (Competitor's Series) New Hope, AL	—	3 (173.2344)	2 (174.8800)	—	—

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

Playin with Fire

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (2 found in their record)

The weak link

The comeback

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)

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)

📉 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)