GRILLIN' GRINDES

GRILLIN' GRINDES is a competition barbecue team with 27 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Tri City BBQ Fest (2026). They are ranked #3454 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Grillin Grinde's”.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,454

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1494

peak 1502 · rated over 27 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 12, 2019

latest Sep 18, 2026 · 7.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#340

Master 2026 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

11% of 27 contests

Avg finish

top 66%

overall standings

Best overall

702.2400 / 720

Master · Tri City BBQ Fest

Perfect 180s

Current form

684.25 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 662.61 (+21.65)

Walk rate

48%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Pork Ribs · Tri City BBQ Fest

Consistency

±20.45

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.23 · weakest Brisket (164.79)

Road miles

3,571

across 27 mapped stops · furthest 243 mi

Schedule strength

74%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1595)

Purse competed for

$199K

listed at 23 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

won from 27 state-championship entries

Master avg

662.61 / 720

27 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

9-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 91 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Tri City BBQ Fest (Sep 18, 2026) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 9-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, HOT DADDY'S BBQ.

On the rise

+35 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 35 points across 5 contests since Sep 19, 2025 — from 1459 up to 1494.

5 contests since Sep 19, 2025
now 1494

High-water mark

702.2400 career-best overall

97.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 702.2400 at Tri City BBQ Fest — 97.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 18, 2026

State champions

1 state championship won

They've taken 1 state championship from 27 entries at contests carrying the title.

27 state-championship entries

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Split Borders BBQ has finished one call ahead of GRILLIN' GRINDES 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2026 1 Grand Championship

2026 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 43%.

4 contests
1 overall top-10
1 category win
average top 43%

A tough matchup

12–2 behind in the head-to-head

TEAM CRAWFORD ahead in 86% of their meetings

TEAM CRAWFORD has come out ahead in 12 of their 14 shared contests.

Show 6 more storylines

A strong matchup

9–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 82% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Bucknutz BBQ in 9 of their 11 shared contests.

The comeback

1.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off Day 1 (Jul 16, 2021).

last seen Sep 20, 2019
back Jul 16, 2021

Chicken nemesis

10 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

PARROTHEAD SMOKERS ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, PARROTHEAD SMOKERS has out-cooked them in 10 of 12 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Smokin Suckers has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The long haul

3,571 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,571 miles across 27 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 243 miles to Hannibal Bar-B-Q-Festival.

27 mapped stops
furthest 243 mi

A standing appointment

6 years running at one contest

They've cooked Tri City BBQ Fest every year from 2021 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.

7 visits in all
best finish 1st

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	#340 (564 pts)	#407 (519 pts)	#348 (674 pts)	#382 (509 pts)	#502 (354 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#560 (301 pts)	#516 (411 pts)	#738 (241 pts)	#502 (386 pts)	#554 (326 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#636 (255 pts)	#605 (310 pts)	#750 (235 pts)	#629 (285 pts)	#449 (490 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#426 (462 pts)	#440 (502 pts)	#439 (552 pts)	#409 (527 pts)	#489 (402 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#538 (377 pts)	#501 (442 pts)	#607 (367 pts)	#614 (322 pts)	#392 (597 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#1004 (115 pts)	#890 (149 pts)	#867 (170 pts)	#960 (120 pts)	#871 (150 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1014 (257 pts)	#1163 (222 pts)	#1056 (267 pts)	#989 (292 pts)	#948 (312 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to GRILLIN' GRINDES, each with one reason worth a look.

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

DR. BUTTS BBQ

#3,447 of the rated field

1494 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1520

Careers of much the same size, 22 contests to 27, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Jun 22, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

Ribbin-1-Out

#3,438 of the rated field

1494 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1516

19 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 21% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 19 contests
last seen May 15, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

The Smokey Bandits

#3,441 of the rated field

1494 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 26%
Peak: 1546

They've been 1546 at their best, 52 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Oct 23, 2021

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G AND L BBQ

#3,436 of the rated field

1494 power rating

Contests: 40
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1512

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

rated over 40 contests

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PE LITTLE THRIGS

#3,463 of the rated field

1494 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before GRILLIN' GRINDES's first contest.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Nov 30, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

Meat Militia

#3,444 of the rated field

1494 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1494

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

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jun 6, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
TEAM CRAWFORD	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
Bucknutz BBQ	11	9	2	82%	⚔ compare
SMOKEHOUSE 72	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
HOT DADDY'S BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
BBQ Pit Bros	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
WHEN PIGS DIE	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Sweet Smokin' Jones	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
Low Eye Que	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
FAIRWAY SMOKERS	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	27	5	0	2	178.2972	142.2284	166.23	top 63%
Pork Ribs	27	6	1	1	178.8572	150.2744	165.89	top 61%
Pork	27	5	0	0	177.7144	142.7772	165.69	top 63%
Brisket	27	5	0	2	176	150.2628	164.79	top 60%

“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 62%
Medium (20–39)	19	1	top 61%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 83%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
IA	12	1	top 60%
MO	10	0	top 74%
NE	3	0	top 64%
KS	2	0	top 64%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Tri City BBQ Fest	7	1	1	top 58%	Sep 18, 2026
Shenandoah ShenDig	3	19	0	top 64%	Jul 17, 2026
Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest	3	21	0	top 72%	Apr 25, 2025
SJV Winter Rub	2	16	0	top 50%	Jan 30, 2026
Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD)	2	45	0	top 98%	Oct 25, 2024

More numbers

Busiest season 2023 6 contests

Contests a season 3.9 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IA 12 of 27 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 15 5 of them more than once

First title Sep 18, 2026 Tri City BBQ Fest

Opponents faced 418 finished ahead 293 times, behind 658

Longest layoff 1.8 yrs Sep 20, 2019 → Jul 16, 2021

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

20268 milestones

Apr 17 25th tracked contest Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke
Sep 18 First category win (Pork Ribs) Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 18 First overall podium Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 18 First Grand Championship Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 18 First state championship Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 18 Career-best overall score702.2400 Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 18 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 18 Most recent contest Tri City BBQ Fest

20221 milestone

Oct 21 10th tracked contest Border War Barbeque

20195 milestones

Apr 12 First tracked contest The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake
Jul 27 First call Hannibal Bar-B-Q-Festival
Jul 27 First overall top-10 Hannibal Bar-B-Q-Festival
Jul 27 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.0628 Hannibal Bar-B-Q-Festival
Jul 27 Peak power rating (1502) Hannibal Bar-B-Q-Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+20.7	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 18, 2026
+9.9	SJV Winter Rub	Jan 30, 2026
+9.5	Tri-City BBQ Fest	Sep 19, 2025
+8.3	Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke	Apr 17, 2026
+7.1	Hannibal Bar-B-Q-Festival	Jul 27, 2019

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 20, 2019
-9.1	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD)	Oct 27, 2023
-8.8	GOBS Que (DAY 1)	Aug 13, 2021
-8.6	Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off Day 1	Jul 16, 2021
-8.5	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD)	Oct 25, 2024

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	4	1	1	1	75%	top 43%	97.5%	94.9%
2025	3	0	1	0	67%	top 55%	95.5%	94.5%
2024	4	0	0	0	25%	top 80%	93.6%	91.7%
2023	6	0	0	0	33%	top 70%	93.7%	91.8%
2022	4	0	0	0	75%	top 59%	94.4%	92.7%
2021	3	0	0	0	33%	top 80%	94.4%	89.6%
2019	3	0	1	0	33%	top 73%	92.4%	88.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 18, 2026	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	1 / 26 (702.2400)	9 (174.2628)	1 (178.8572)	4 (177.7144)	11 (171.4056)
Jul 17, 2026	Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	22 / 28 (674.7084)	16 (171.9656)	12 (171.9772)	17 (171.9656)	25 (158.8000)
Apr 17, 2026	Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke 🏅 Edina, MO	12 / 25 (681.0628)	3 (176.5600)	9 (170.2628)	13 (171.4400)	21 (162.8000)
Jan 30, 2026	SJV Winter Rub 🏅 Omaha, NE	16 / 38 (675.3140)	34 (162.8112)	9 (173.1200)	16 (170.8228)	15 (168.5600)
Sep 19, 2025	Tri-City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	7 / 26 (687.9432)	2 (178.2972)	15 (166.2516)	7 (174.8572)	16 (168.5372)
Jul 18, 2025	Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	19 / 30 (676.4568)	28 (161.6456)	20 (168.5256)	6 (176.0344)	13 (170.2512)
Apr 25, 2025	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	30 / 40 (676.4228)	16 (173.1200)	28 (169.6800)	35 (162.8000)	14 (170.8228)
Oct 25, 2024	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO	53 / 53 (654.6972)	42 (169.1084)	49 (162.8116)	49 (163.9772)	51 (158.8000)
Sep 20, 2024	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	22 / 30 (659.2572)	25 (163.3828)	29 (154.7888)	15 (169.6684)	14 (171.4172)
Jul 19, 2024	Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	24 / 36 (674.2284)	13 (172)	30 (165.6684)	29 (161.1428)	2 (175.4172)
Apr 26, 2024	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	36 / 44 (652.9604)	22 (170.8344)	34 (166.2400)	44 (153.6344)	33 (162.2516)
Oct 27, 2023	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO	45 / 47 (642.6748)	47 (153.0628)	34 (169.6916)	40 (163.9544)	44 (155.9660)
Oct 6, 2023	Meat Inferno (JUDGING FULL) 🏅 Edgerton, KS	15 / 19 (674.7884)	9 (174.2628)	14 (167.4400)	12 (168.5256)	16 (164.5600)
Sep 15, 2023	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	23 / 32 (664.4688)	27 (163.9772)	10 (171.4172)	15 (167.9772)	26 (161.0972)
Jul 21, 2023	Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	19 / 37 (670.1484)	15 (171.4172)	21 (167.3828)	18 (170.8228)	21 (160.5256)
Apr 21, 2023	Smokin in the Creek BBQ 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	34 / 51 (655.2336)	33 (162.8112)	41 (160.5140)	37 (165.6684)	26 (166.2400)
Jan 27, 2023	SJV Winter Rub 🏅 Omaha, NE	18 / 31 (658.7312)	19 (165.1084)	12 (170.2744)	17 (167.9656)	25 (155.3828)
Oct 21, 2022	Border War Barbeque 🏅 Osawatomie, KS	15 / 30 (679.3488)	24 (161.6916)	11 (173.7028)	11 (171.9772)	9 (171.9772)
Sep 16, 2022	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	19 / 25 (654.2400)	4 (174.3200)	19 (159.4172)	20 (155.9772)	18 (164.5256)
Jul 29, 2022	Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	13 / 27 (667.3256)	19 (164.5600)	15 (166.8228)	23 (159.9428)	2 (176)
Apr 22, 2022	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest (JUDGE'S FULL) 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	21 / 35 (668.3652)	17 (169.6684)	25 (162.7884)	25 (165.0972)	13 (170.8112)
Sep 17, 2021	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	11 / 20 (679.9428)	19 (162.7884)	5 (170.8572)	10 (171.4400)	7 (174.8572)
Aug 13, 2021	GOBS Que (DAY 1) 🏅 Arlington, NE	24 / 26 (622.0228)	17 (166.2400)	24 (155.3600)	26 (142.7772)	22 (157.6456)
Jul 16, 2021	Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off Day 1 🏅 Cameron, MO	31 / 33 (632.9712)	28 (164.5600)	29 (158.2400)	29 (155.9428)	31 (154.2284)
Sep 20, 2019	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	34 / 34 (610.2056)	34 (142.2284)	33 (150.2744)	18 (167.4400)	30 (150.2628)
Jul 27, 2019	Hannibal Bar-B-Q-Festival 🏅 Hannibal, MO	8 / 18 (665.0628)	13 (159.3940)	7 (166.8344)	8 (169.1544)	4 (169.6800)
Apr 12, 2019	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake 🏅 Smithville, MO	41 / 54 (629.5656)	43 (158.2628)	41 (159.9544)	45 (154.8572)	38 (156.4912)

GRILLIN' GRINDES

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

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

On the rise

High-water mark

State champions

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

The long haul

A standing appointment

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)

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

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)

📈 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)