High-water mark
677.0860
career-best overall
94.0% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 677.0860 at 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival — 94.0% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jun 27, 2014
RUBBING BUTTS BBQ
RUBBING BUTTS BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 4th of 30 at the 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival (2014). They are ranked #5321 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1455
peak 1518 · rated over 8 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
Oct 3, 2013
latest Jul 9, 2021 · 7.8 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
1
10% of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 70%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
583.49 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 608.63 (-25.15)
Walk rate
10%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±45.68
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 155.42 · weakest Brisket (148.65)
Road miles
1,116
across 10 mapped stops · furthest 903 mi
Schedule strength
47%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1560)
Purse competed for
$57K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
608.63 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to RUBBING BUTTS BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
126 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,317 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to RUBBING BUTTS BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team RUBBING BUTTS BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,322 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1455
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to RUBBING BUTTS BBQ)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 17 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,304 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,307 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 3 years before RUBBING BUTTS BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,301 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1456
They turned up 10 years after RUBBING BUTTS BBQ did, first appearing in 2023.
⚔ Compare careers#5,323 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 86%
- Peak
- 1455
4 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| THE SMOKIN' GRILL | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PIG ON FIRE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke Central BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SUE E PIGG | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| CDS BBQ | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| QUALITY QUE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE SUEDE QUE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| OFF THE GRILL BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE THIS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN SKULLIES | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 172.5828 | 139.3600 | 154.76 | top 75% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 176.0116 | 123.3028 | 149.80 | top 70% |
| Pork | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 173.7372 | 131.9656 | 155.42 | top 68% |
| Brisket | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.8228 | 130.2400 | 148.65 | top 72% |
“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 100% |
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 13% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 73% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC Festival of Discovery | 5 | 71 | 0 | top 91% | Jul 9, 2021 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
2 contests
Contests a season
1.4
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
SC
7 of 10 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
5
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
781
finished ahead 533 times, behind 649
Longest layoff
2 yrs
Jul 10, 2014 → Jul 7, 2016
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20212 milestones
- 10th tracked contest SC Festival of Discovery
- Most recent contest SC Festival of Discovery
20146 milestones
- First call 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival
- First category win (Pork Ribs) 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival
- First overall top-10 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival
- Career-best overall score677.0860 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.0116 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival
- Peak power rating (1518) 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival
20132 milestones
- First tracked contest 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score674.2628 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.5 | 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival | Jun 27, 2014 |
| +4.7 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open | Oct 3, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.9 | SC Festival of Discovery | Jul 7, 2016 |
| -11.8 | SC Festival Of Discovery | Jul 12, 2018 |
| -11.7 | Squealin on the Square | Oct 4, 2019 |
| -11.1 | SC Festival of Discovery (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) | Jul 6, 2017 |
| -8.6 | SC Festival of Discovery | Jul 9, 2021 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 88% | 85.3% | 85.3% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 83.2% | 80.9% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 96% | 75.8% | 75.8% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 82.4% | 82.4% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 94% | 78.1% | 78.1% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 13% | 94% | 94% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 28% | 93.6% | 91.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2021 | SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC | 71 / 81 (614.0800) | 66 (157.0972) | 71 (151.9428) | 71 (154.2628) | 68 (150.7772) |
| Oct 4, 2019 | Squealin on the Square 🏅 Laurens, SC | 19 / 19 (565.9884) | 19 (139.3600) | 19 (123.3028) | 11 (161.6800) | 18 (141.6456) |
| Jul 12, 2019 | SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC | 72 / 83 (598.7772) | 67 (155.4172) | 70 (149.6572) | 80 (144.0228) | 69 (149.6800) |
| Jul 12, 2018 | SC Festival Of Discovery Greenwood, SC | 85 / 89 (545.5544) | 80 (150.2516) | 86 (133.0744) | 88 (131.9656) | 86 (130.2628) |
| Jul 6, 2017 | SC Festival of Discovery (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Greenwood, SC | 83 / 89 (593.0284) | 83 (150.8456) | 83 (146.8340) | 75 (154.2400) | 83 (141.1088) |
| Jul 7, 2016 | SC Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC | 77 / 82 (562.1372) | 77 (147.9544) | 79 (133.6800) | 74 (150.2628) | 73 (130.2400) |
| Jul 10, 2014 | SC Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2014 | 2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival Omaha, NE | 4 / 30 (677.0860) | 13 (167.3944) | 1 (176.0116) | 13 (166.8572) | 7 (166.8228) |
| Oct 3, 2013 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational unrated Kansas City, MO | 32 / 174 (674.2628) | 27 (172.5828) | 97 (163.4172) | 17 (173.7372) | 92 (164.5256) |
| Oct 3, 2013 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 206 / 535 (646.7656) | 433 (151.9656) | 53 (170.2744) | 234 (161.7144) | 182 (162.8112) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.