Ric's Righteous Ribs

Ric's Righteous Ribs is a competition barbecue team with 26 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Oaktown Throwdown (2014). They are ranked #1641 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,641

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1556

peak 1574 · rated over 26 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 28, 2013

latest Aug 7, 2026 · 13.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1104

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time

Category wins

13 podiums

Overall top-10s

31% of 26 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

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

Best single call

174.8800

Brisket · Oaktown Throwdown

Consistency

±37.42

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 163.63 · weakest Chicken (161.28)

Road miles

1,804

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 🏅

won from 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

644.00 / 720

26 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (13 found in their record)

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

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 (Aug 1, 2014) 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 Championship 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
Aug 1, 2014

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.

Show 6 more storylines

The drought

18 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Oaktown Throwdown on Aug 1, 2014 — 18 contests and 12.2 years ago.

last GC Aug 1, 2014
12.2 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 (Apr 24, 2026).

last seen Jun 22, 2018
back Apr 24, 2026

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

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
2014 ↗	Master	#1104 (272 pts)	#1355 (222 pts)	#1253 (247 pts)	#1273 (247 pts)	#1229 (247 pts)

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Ric's Righteous Ribs, each with one reason worth a look.

38 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

#1,640 of the rated field

1556 power rating

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

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

⚔ Compare careers

EGGHEAD-BARBECUE

#1,639 of the rated field

1556 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 63%
Peak: 1568

Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 26, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 30 contests
last seen May 18, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

Neighbor's Brewin' & Quein'

#1,642 of the rated field

1556 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1563

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

rated over 17 contests
last seen Sep 8, 2022

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OnlyCans Competition BBQ

#1,637 of the rated field

1556 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1565

They turned up 11 years after Ric's Righteous Ribs did, first appearing in 2024.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

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GRILLA WARFARE BBQ

#1,644 of the rated field

1555 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1555

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Oct 21, 2022
on a 6-contest top-10 run

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202 BBQ

#1,638 of the rated field

1556 power rating

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

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen Aug 23, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

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 field size and state

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%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Silicon Valley BBQ Championships	3	10	0	top 40%	Jun 26, 2015
Oaktown Throwdown	2	1	1	top 8%	Jul 31, 2015
Silicon Valley BBQ Championship	2	30	0	top 55%	Jun 22, 2018
Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship	2	8	0	top 40%	May 4, 2018
Smoke on the River	2	16	0	top 56%	Sep 18, 2015
Smokin' on the Water	2	8	0	top 51%	Aug 22, 2014
Wine Country Big Q	2	11	0	top 27%	Jul 11, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2014 6 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 3.7 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in CA 26 of 26 contests

Contests visited 18 7 of them more than once

First title Aug 1, 2014 Oaktown Throwdown

Opponents faced 359 finished ahead 541 times, behind 378

Longest layoff 7.8 yrs Jun 22, 2018 → Apr 24, 2026

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

20262 milestones

Apr 24 25th tracked contest Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship
Aug 7 Most recent contest Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1)

20181 milestone

May 4 Peak power rating (1574) Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship

20151 milestone

Jul 31 First category win (Pork) Oaktown Throwdown

20146 milestones

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

20133 milestones

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.7	Oaktown Throwdown	Aug 1, 2014
+13.4	2nd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship	Sep 16, 2016
+12.7	Oaktown Throwdown	Jul 31, 2015
+11.4	Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge	Jul 28, 2017
+10.3	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships	Jun 27, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.9	Oaktown Throwdown BBQ	Aug 19, 2016
-9.7	Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1)	Aug 7, 2026
-8.1	2016 Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge	Jul 29, 2016
-6.9	Elk Grove Western Festival & BBQ Championship	May 1, 2015
-5.2	Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship	Apr 24, 2026

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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)
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
Aug 7, 2026	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)
Apr 24, 2026	Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA	19 / 29 (669.0288)	24 (164.5488)	19 (166.2400)	17 (166.2744)	8 (171.9656)
Jun 22, 2018	Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA	30 / 49 (647.8400)	42 (155.4060)	31 (159.3484)	23 (164.5716)	7 (168.5140)
May 4, 2018	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)
Jul 28, 2017	Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge Gilroy, CA	5 / 26 (663.9424)	19 (159.9884)	3 (169.7028)	3 (167.4056)	4 (166.8456)
Jun 23, 2017	Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA	30 / 62 (647.9656)	25 (163.9656)	25 (162.3204)	42 (156.5140)	21 (165.1656)
May 5, 2017	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)
Sep 16, 2016	2nd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA	8 / 61 (676.0572)	9 (170.8916)	5 (172)	18 (166.2512)	17 (166.9144)
Aug 19, 2016	Oaktown Throwdown BBQ Oakland, CA	20 / 21 (473.6344)	9 (163.4516)	—	12 (155.9544)	13 (154.2284)
Jul 29, 2016	2016 Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge Gilroy, CA	15 / 20 (635.3600)	7 (165.7372)	16 (159.4284)	13 (158.2516)	18 (151.9428)
Jun 24, 2016	Silicon Valley Barbeque Championships Santa Clara, CA	27 / 54 (639.8856)	35 (155.9312)	16 (164.5944)	18 (165.1200)	35 (154.2400)
Sep 18, 2015	Smoke on the River Sacramento, CA	25 / 49 (639.3488)	17 (163.9772)	41 (146.8344)	22 (158.2516)	3 (170.2856)
Aug 7, 2015	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)
Jul 31, 2015	Oaktown Throwdown Oakland, CA	3 / 27 (668.5600)	3 (173.1544)	20 (154.8228)	1 (172)	8 (168.5828)
Jun 26, 2015	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA	20 / 49 (639.2800)	14 (162.8228)	23 (158.8228)	39 (149.6572)	7 (167.9772)
May 1, 2015	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)
Sep 5, 2014	Smoke on the River Sacramento, CA	16 / 26 (634.1828)	14 (161.1200)	8 (165.1428)	8 (166.8572)	24 (141.0628)
Aug 22, 2014	Smokin' on the Water Lakeport, CA	8 / 17 (650.2400)	13 (162.2628)	10 (159.3944)	10 (155.9772)	3 (172.6056)
Aug 1, 2014	Oaktown Throwdown Oakland, CA	1 / 22 (683.5200)	3 (167.4400)	2 (171.4628)	2 (169.7372)	2 (174.8800)
Jul 11, 2014	Wine Country Big Q Rohnert Park, CA	11 / 44 (661.6572)	8 (172.5828)	19 (161.7372)	17 (161.0972)	15 (166.2400)
Jun 27, 2014	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA	10 / 48 (647.4400)	14 (158.2972)	9 (165.1544)	5 (168.5600)	21 (155.4284)
May 2, 2014	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)
Sep 13, 2013	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)
Aug 23, 2013	Smokin' on the Water Lakeport, CA	11 / 20 (654.2744)	18 (154.2400)	14 (157.1544)	3 (172.5828)	9 (170.2972)
Jul 12, 2013	Wine Country Big Q Santa Rosa, CA	13 / 44 (649.6568)	16 (162.8684)	27 (154.8228)	14 (161.6684)	4 (170.2972)
Jun 28, 2013	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA	32 / 56 (618.8570)	49 (141.7142)	28 (160)	28 (156.5712)	18 (160.5716)

Ric's Righteous Ribs

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

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 (13 found in their record)

Against the odds

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The drought

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

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

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

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)