Ric's Righteous Ribs

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#1634

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1556

peak 1574 · rated over 26 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-06-28

latest 2026-08-07

Best ToY finish

#1104

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

13 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 26 contests

Avg finish

top 45%

overall standings

Best overall

683.5200 / 720

Master · Oaktown Throwdown

Perfect 180s

Current form

662.17 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 644.00 (+18.17)

Walk rate

85%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

174.8800

Brisket · Oaktown Throwdown

Consistency

±37.42

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 163.63 · weakest Chicken (161.28)

Road miles

1,804

mi across 26 mapped stops · furthest 98 mi

Schedule strength

31%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1542)

Purse competed for

$12K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

644.00 / 720

26 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (13 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

Against the odds

34-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 66 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Oaktown Throwdown (2014-08-01) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 34-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, WOODHOUSE BARBECUE.

Happy hunting ground

1× Grand Championships here

Oaktown Throwdown is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 1st
average top 8%

They almost always walk

85% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 22 of 26 contests

A top-10 category call in 85% of their 26 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

683.5200 career-best overall

94.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 683.5200 at Oaktown Throwdown — 94.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-08-01

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

CANYON RIDERS BBQ has finished one call ahead of Ric's Righteous Ribs 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2014 1 Grand Championship

2014 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 33%.

6 contests
3 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 33%

A tough matchup

19–2 behind in the head-to-head

SON OF SMOKE ahead in 90% of their meetings

SON OF SMOKE has come out ahead in 19 of their 21 shared contests.

The drought

18 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Oaktown Throwdown on 2014-08-01 — 18 contests and 12.1 years ago.

last GC 2014-08-01
12.1 years ago

A strong matchup

9–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 90% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of PORKTERA BBQ in 9 of their 10 shared contests.

The comeback

7.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 7.8 years, then back at Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship (2026-04-24).

last seen 2018-06-22
back 2026-04-24

Pork nemesis

15 of 23 shared pork entries lost

Smokey and the Pirate ahead 65% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Smokey and the Pirate has out-cooked them in 15 of 23 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

Smokey and the Pirate has landed one call behind them 3 times.

A July team

Top 32% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 32% across 5 contests, versus top 45% the rest of the year.

5 July contests
top 45% the rest of the year

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

PITT SMOKERS

#1633 of the rated field

1556 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1563

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Ric's Righteous Ribs's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 23 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

TRANQUIL CARNIVORES

#1631 of the rated field

1556 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 34
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 41%
Peak: 1580

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 34 contests to 26, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 34 contests
last seen 2026-06-19

⚔ Head-to-head

Neighbor's Brewin' & Quein'

#1635 of the rated field

1555 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1562

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2022-09-08

⚔ Head-to-head

202 BBQ

#1632 of the rated field

1556 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1556

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2024-08-23

⚔ Head-to-head

Ghost River Smoke-A-Holics

#1636 of the rated field

1555 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1555

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2014-10-02

⚔ Head-to-head

Wine & Swine BBQ

#1630 of the rated field

1556 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1556

No shared contest yet.

Level with Ric's Righteous Ribs on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2014-08-08

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Smokey and the Pirate	24	8	16	33%	⚔ compare
SON OF SMOKE	21	2	19	10%	⚔ compare
PIRATES OF THE PIG	20	10	10	50%	⚔ compare
TOO ASHAMED TO NAME	20	5	15	25%	⚔ compare
BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
RBQ	15	8	7	53%	⚔ compare
PORK DADDY'S BBQ	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
JUICE'S SMOKEN BBQ	11	9	2	82%	⚔ compare
FLAME THROWER BBQ CO.	11	8	3	73%	⚔ compare
PORKTERA BBQ	10	9	1	90%	⚔ compare
CANYON RIDERS BBQ	10	7	3	70%	⚔ compare
SMITTY'S SMOKE PATROL	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
SLO DOG Q	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
SMOKE SHOW	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-Q'S-2GO	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	26	7	0	2	173.1544	141.7142	161.28	top 53%
Pork Ribs	25	9	0	4	174.2744	146.8344	162.53	top 44%
Pork	26	12	1	4	172.5828	149.6572	163.63	top 38%
Brisket	26	13	0	3	174.8800	141.0628	162.82	top 39%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	0	top 47%
Medium (20–39)	15	1	top 48%
Large (40+)	10	0	top 40%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Silicon Valley BBQ Championships	3	10	0	top 40%	2015-06-26
Oaktown Throwdown	2	1	1	top 8%	2015-07-31
Silicon Valley BBQ Championship	2	30	0	top 55%	2018-06-22
Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship	2	8	0	top 40%	2018-05-04
Smoke on the River	2	16	0	top 56%	2015-09-18
Smokin' on the Water	2	8	0	top 51%	2014-08-22
Wine Country Big Q	2	11	0	top 27%	2014-07-11

The story so far (20 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 13.1 yrs 2013-06-28 → 2026-08-07

Busiest season 2014 6 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 3.7 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CA 26 of 26 contests

Contests visited 18 7 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 26 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 163.63 · weakest Chicken (161.28)

Walk rate 85% a top-10 call in 22 of 26 contests

Overall top-10 rate 31% 8 of 26 contests

Wins it all 4% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2014-08-01 Oaktown Throwdown

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 644.00 out of 720 · 26 contests · 1 GC

Opponents faced 362 541–378 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,804 26 mapped stops · furthest 98 mi

Schedule strength 1542 average field rating faced — tougher than 31% of rated contests

Purse competed for $12,000 listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 2 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 7.8 yrs 2018-06-22 → 2026-04-24

Power rating 1556 peak 1574 · #1634 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Jun 28 First tracked contest Silicon Valley BBQ Championships
Jul 12 First call Wine Country Big Q
Jul 12 First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.6568 Wine Country Big Q
2014
Jun 27 First overall top-10 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships
Aug 1 First overall podium Oaktown Throwdown
Aug 1 First Grand Championship Oaktown Throwdown
Aug 1 Career-best overall score683.5200 Oaktown Throwdown
Aug 1 Career-best single call (Brisket)174.8800 Oaktown Throwdown
Sep 5 10th tracked contest Smoke on the River
2015
Jul 31 First category win (Pork) Oaktown Throwdown
2018
May 4 Peak power rating (1574) Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship
2026
Apr 24 25th tracked contest Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship
Aug 7 Most recent contest Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.7	Oaktown Throwdown	2014-08-01
+13.3	2nd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship	2016-09-16
+12.7	Oaktown Throwdown	2015-07-31
+11.4	Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge	2017-07-28
+10.3	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships	2014-06-27

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.9	Oaktown Throwdown BBQ	2016-08-19
-9.7	Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1)	2026-08-07
-8.1	2016 Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge	2016-07-29
-6.9	Elk Grove Western Festival & BBQ Championship	2015-05-01
-5.2	Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship	2026-04-24

Category scores over time

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)
2026	2	0	0	0	50%	top 75%	92.9%	92.4%
2018	2	0	1	0	100%	top 42%	92.8%	91.4%
2017	3	0	1	0	67%	top 42%	92.2%	90.5%
2016	4	0	1	0	75%	top 58%	93.9%	84.2%
2015	5	0	2	1	100%	top 39%	92.9%	89.5%
2014	6	1	3	0	100%	top 33%	94.9%	90.7%
2013	4	0	0	0	75%	top 42%	90.9%	89.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-08-07	Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) 🏅 Felton, CA	21 / 25 (662.1716)	14 (167.4172)	14 (170.2744)	18 (167.9656)	24 (156.5144)
2026-04-24	Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA	19 / 29 (669.0288)	24 (164.5488)	19 (166.2400)	17 (166.2744)	8 (171.9656)
2018-06-22	Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA	30 / 49 (647.8400)	42 (155.4060)	31 (159.3484)	23 (164.5716)	7 (168.5140)
2018-05-04	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	8 / 35 (667.8856)	10 (170.2856)	15 (162.8116)	9 (169.6800)	10 (165.1084)
2017-07-28	Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge Gilroy, CA	5 / 26 (663.9424)	19 (159.9884)	3 (169.7028)	3 (167.4056)	4 (166.8456)
2017-06-23	Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA	30 / 62 (647.9656)	25 (163.9656)	25 (162.3204)	42 (156.5140)	21 (165.1656)
2017-05-05	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	19 / 33 (642.2172)	26 (154.2628)	2 (174.2744)	13 (163.4172)	25 (150.2628)
2016-09-16	2nd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA	8 / 61 (676.0572)	9 (170.8916)	5 (172.0000)	18 (166.2512)	17 (166.9144)
2016-08-19	Oaktown Throwdown BBQ Oakland, CA	20 / 21 (473.6344)	9 (163.4516)	—	12 (155.9544)	13 (154.2284)
2016-07-29	2016 Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge Gilroy, CA	15 / 20 (635.3600)	7 (165.7372)	16 (159.4284)	13 (158.2516)	18 (151.9428)
2016-06-24	Silicon Valley Barbeque Championships Santa Clara, CA	27 / 54 (639.8856)	35 (155.9312)	16 (164.5944)	18 (165.1200)	35 (154.2400)
2015-09-18	Smoke on the River Sacramento, CA	25 / 49 (639.3488)	17 (163.9772)	41 (146.8344)	22 (158.2516)	3 (170.2856)
2015-08-07	Grills N' Grilles- Nevada County United Way Penn Valley, CA	6 / 24 (656.5716)	16 (160.5484)	2 (172.6288)	8 (167.9656)	13 (155.4288)
2015-07-31	Oaktown Throwdown Oakland, CA	3 / 27 (668.5600)	3 (173.1544)	20 (154.8228)	1 (172.0000)	8 (168.5828)
2015-06-26	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA	20 / 49 (639.2800)	14 (162.8228)	23 (158.8228)	39 (149.6572)	7 (167.9772)
2015-05-01	Elk Grove Western Festival & BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	22 / 32 (619.8744)	31 (146.8000)	19 (156.5600)	9 (161.7144)	18 (154.8000)
2014-09-05	Smoke on the River Sacramento, CA	16 / 26 (634.1828)	14 (161.1200)	8 (165.1428)	8 (166.8572)	24 (141.0628)
2014-08-22	Smokin' on the Water Lakeport, CA	8 / 17 (650.2400)	13 (162.2628)	10 (159.3944)	10 (155.9772)	3 (172.6056)
2014-08-01	Oaktown Throwdown Oakland, CA	1 / 22 (683.5200)	3 (167.4400)	2 (171.4628)	2 (169.7372)	2 (174.8800)
2014-07-11	Wine Country Big Q Rohnert Park, CA	11 / 44 (661.6572)	8 (172.5828)	19 (161.7372)	17 (161.0972)	15 (166.2400)
2014-06-27	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA	10 / 48 (647.4400)	14 (158.2972)	9 (165.1544)	5 (168.5600)	21 (155.4284)
2014-05-02	Elk Grove Western Festival & BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	13 / 33 (639.8516)	24 (153.6456)	21 (153.6688)	8 (165.6800)	5 (166.8572)
2013-09-13	RubStock BBQ Championship: A Groovin' Time in the Foothills Cameron Park, CA	11 / 39 (654.7316)	22 (159.9312)	8 (164.0004)	7 (164.5256)	7 (166.2744)
2013-08-23	Smokin' on the Water Lakeport, CA	11 / 20 (654.2744)	18 (154.2400)	14 (157.1544)	3 (172.5828)	9 (170.2972)
2013-07-12	Wine Country Big Q Santa Rosa, CA	13 / 44 (649.6568)	16 (162.8684)	27 (154.8228)	14 (161.6684)	4 (170.2972)
2013-06-28	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA	32 / 56 (618.8570)	49 (141.7142)	28 (160.0000)	28 (156.5712)	18 (160.5716)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2014 ↗	Master	#1104 (272 pts)	#1355 (222 pts)	#1253 (247 pts)	#1273 (247 pts)	#1229 (247 pts)