Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork.
- Pork ×1
Mercer BBQ
Mercer BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 16th of 20 at the Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1) (2024). They are ranked #6129 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1427
peak 1427 · rated over 12 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
Aug 26, 2022
latest Apr 10, 2026 · 3.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 14 contests
Avg finish
top 88%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
663.65 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 636.07 (+27.57)
Walk rate
29%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±43.02
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 165.93 · weakest Brisket (159.47)
Road miles
923
across 14 mapped stops · furthest 210 mi
Schedule strength
82%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1608)
Purse competed for
$258K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 12 state-championship entries
Master avg
636.07 / 720
13 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 | #1065 (60 pts) | #1141 (60 pts) | #1203 (60 pts) | #1111 (60 pts) | #1102 (60 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1148 (60 pts) | #1221 (60 pts) | #1293 (60 pts) | #638 (260 pts) | #1190 (60 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #581 (295 pts) | #590 (325 pts) | #619 (335 pts) | #556 (350 pts) | #607 (300 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Mercer BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
43 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#6,133 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1427
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Mercer BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Mercer BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#6,131 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1427
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#6,130 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#6,128 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1428
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Mercer BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#6,134 of the rated field
- Contests
- 29
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1502
29 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 7% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#6,132 of the rated field
- Contests
- 49
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 2%
- Peak
- 1427
Level with Mercer BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| FINGER LEIKAM GOOD | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PARTS 'R' SMOKIN | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Cities Edge BBQ | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| Barking Dog BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MAD MUTT'S BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PIRATES OF BAR-B-QUE BAY | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| KC Meat Sweats | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Damn Fine Beef & Swine | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Pine Tar BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Split Borders BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Bocephus BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.2744 | 149.6572 | 162.82 | top 83% |
| Pork Ribs | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8344 | 138.2172 | 160.24 | top 79% |
| Pork | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 180 🔥 | 148.5372 | 165.93 | top 66% |
| Brisket | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 174.2972 | 145.6456 | 159.47 | top 80% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 87% |
| Large (40+) | 11 | 0 | top 88% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke in the Spring (OPEN FORMAT) | 4 | 73 | 0 | top 85% | Apr 10, 2026 |
| Smoke on the Bricks | 3 | 35 | 0 | top 91% | Aug 9, 2024 |
| Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2) | 2 | 16 | 0 | top 83% | Jul 27, 2024 |
| Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) | 2 | 40 | 0 | top 99% | Oct 28, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2023
6 contests
Contests a season
2.8
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
11 of 14 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
7
4 of them more than once
Opponents faced
711
finished ahead 230 times, behind 1,102
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Smoke in the Spring (OPEN FORMAT)
20251 milestone
- First perfect 180 (Pork) Smoke in the Spring
20242 milestones
- Career-best overall score670.2060 Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1)
- 10th tracked contest Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2)
20232 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.5660 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN
- First call Smoke on the Bricks
20222 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Bricks
- Peak power rating (1489) Smoke on the Bricks
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.6 | Smoke on the Bricks | Aug 25, 2023 |
| -10.6 | Smoke on the Bricks | Aug 26, 2022 |
| -9.2 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) | Oct 27, 2023 |
| -8.7 | Smoke in the Spring | Apr 7, 2023 |
| -8.7 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) | Oct 28, 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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 87% | 92.6% | 92.6% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 79% | 92.4% | 92.4% |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40% | top 83% | 93.1% | 91.7% |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17% | top 92% | 91.3% | 85.6% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 96% | 81.8% | 81.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 2026 | Smoke in the Spring (OPEN FORMAT) 🏅 Osage City, KS | 88 / 101 (666.7316) | 81 (167.3828) | 72 (168.5600) | 78 (167.9772) | 86 (162.8116) |
| Apr 11, 2025 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 73 / 92 (665.6344) | 80 (163.9656) | 86 (159.3944) | 2 (180) | 71 (162.2744) |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Made for KC BBQ Championship (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Weston, MO | 36 / 38 (650.1144) | 38 (158.2288) | 26 (167.9656) | 35 (162.2400) | 27 (161.6800) |
| Aug 9, 2024 | Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS | 35 / 46 (651.2228) | 32 (165.0972) | 20 (170.2744) | 42 (158.2056) | 37 (157.6456) |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2) 🏅 Dodge City, KS | 17 / 20 (664.4464) | 10 (174.2744) | 18 (154.2288) | 14 (169.7032) | 17 (166.2400) |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1) 🏅 Dodge City, KS | 16 / 20 (670.2060) | 17 (168.5716) | 12 (170.8344) | 9 (174.2628) | 20 (156.5372) |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 76 / 97 (665.6000) | 64 (167.3828) | 92 (157.6572) | 66 (166.2628) | 20 (174.2972) |
| Oct 28, 2023 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 40 / 40 (616.3776) | 39 (161.6916) | 40 (147.3944) | 40 (155.9316) | 40 (151.3600) |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 46 / 47 (639.8172) | 44 (161.7028) | 45 (162.2400) | 38 (165.6916) | 46 (150.1828) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 347 / 487 (653.5544) | 427 (157.6456) | 290 (166.2400) | 272 (166.8344) | 326 (162.8344) |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS | 44 / 44 (511.9200) | 35 (164.5140) | 21 (169.6916) | 4 (177.7144) | — |
| Aug 11, 2023 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Mayetta, KS | 82 / 90 (657.5660) | 83 (162.8344) | 74 (163.3944) | 50 (170.8228) | 80 (160.5144) |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 96 / 103 (616.9260) | 97 (149.6572) | 98 (147.3256) | 91 (158.8344) | 82 (161.1088) |
| Aug 26, 2022 | Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS | 46 / 48 (588.9716) | 41 (156.5716) | 47 (138.2172) | 45 (148.5372) | 45 (145.6456) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.