They almost always walk
67%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 6 of 9 contests
A top-10 category call in 67% of their 9 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
KO BBQ
KO BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 14th of 19 at the Field, Fire Fork! (2023). They are ranked #4707 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1469
peak 1469 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Apr 28, 2023
latest Aug 8, 2026 · 3.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 75%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
669.71 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 663.68 (+6.03)
Walk rate
67%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.42
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 168.49 · weakest Brisket (159.89)
Road miles
1,105
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 401 mi
Schedule strength
64%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1581)
Purse competed for
$79K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
663.68 / 720
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #425 (423 pts) | #356 (598 pts) | #479 (443 pts) | #358 (548 pts) | #438 (433 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to KO BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
152 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,681 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1469
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#4,676 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1469
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before KO BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,678 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1505
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,680 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1469
They were already cooking in 2016, 7 years before KO BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#4,703 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1469
Level with KO BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,693 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1510
They've been 1510 at their best, 41 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BONE RUBBIN BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Bad Bears BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Cynical BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Pops BBQ 22 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Cherry Anchor BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BULL MARKET BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin Colt | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Cat BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| OM BBQ COMPANY | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Bliss BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Rio Good BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 178.2972 | 158.8344 | 166.96 | top 67% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.7028 | 163.3944 | 168.49 | top 58% |
| Pork | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 177.1544 | 157.0628 | 168.35 | top 56% |
| Brisket | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.6684 | 149.0972 | 159.89 | top 73% |
“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) | 2 | 0 | top 81% |
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 72% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 79% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 74% | Aug 8, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
5 contests
Contests a season
2.3
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CA
8 of 9 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
8
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
117
finished ahead 64 times, behind 178
Longest layoff
1.4 yrs
Mar 1, 2024 → Aug 9, 2025
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- Career-best overall score676.4572 Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
- Career-best single call (Chicken)178.2972 Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
- Most recent contest Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2)
20234 milestones
- First tracked contest Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship
- First call Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score664.4916 Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1499) Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +2.4 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) | Aug 7, 2026 |
| +0.5 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest | Mar 20, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.5 | 3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) | Aug 9, 2025 |
| -6.4 | The Golden State Battle VI | Mar 1, 2024 |
| -5.5 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) | Aug 8, 2026 |
| -5 | 11th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge | Jan 16, 2026 |
| -4.4 | Field, Fire Fork! | Sep 29, 2023 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60% | top 72% | 94% | 93% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 88.4% | 88.4% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 85% | 92.4% | 92.4% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 66% | 92.3% | 91.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2026 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) 🏅 Felton, CA | 15 / 17 (674.1948) | 12 (171.9888) | 15 (170.2628) | 5 (177.1544) | 17 (154.7888) |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) 🏅 Felton, CA | 15 / 25 (673.0284) | 24 (163.3828) | 11 (171.4056) | 6 (175.4172) | 19 (162.8228) |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA | 20 / 29 (666.1712) | 11 (171.9884) | 15 (170.2628) | 27 (157.0972) | 15 (166.8228) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 17 / 27 (676.4572) | 2 (178.2972) | 22 (163.3944) | 15 (169.6800) | 16 (165.0856) |
| Jan 16, 2026 | 11th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 42 / 53 (658.6856) | 49 (158.8344) | 41 (165.0972) | 42 (165.0856) | 23 (169.6684) |
| Aug 9, 2025 | 3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) 🏅 Felton, CA | 20 / 21 (636.3544) | 19 (162.8344) | 14 (166.8228) | 18 (157.0628) | 20 (149.6344) |
| Mar 1, 2024 | The Golden State Battle VI 🏅 Hollister, CA | 28 / 33 (665.5884) | 9 (174.2628) | 8 (173.7028) | 20 (168.5256) | 32 (149.0972) |
| Sep 29, 2023 | Field, Fire Fork! 🏅 Los Banos, CA | 14 / 19 (658.1604) | 17 (159.9428) | 11 (163.4172) | 7 (174.2744) | 13 (160.5260) |
| Apr 28, 2023 | Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA | 16 / 27 (664.4916) | 24 (161.0856) | 9 (172) | 10 (170.8344) | 19 (160.5716) |