GRINDERS BBQ KANSAS CITY KS
Rating
1544
peak 1558
Contests
45
in the data
First seen
2018-12-28
latest 2026-04-10
Best ToY finish
#192
Master 2021
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
4
13 podiums
Overall top-10s
8
of 45 contests
Avg finish
top 51%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
677.40 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 673.43 (+3.97)
Walk rate
53%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±12.94
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 169.54 · weakest Chicken (168.01)
Road miles
11770
mi across 45 mapped stops · furthest 1117 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ has finished one call ahead of GRINDERS BBQ KANSAS CITY 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
NEVER EASY BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
MAN MEAT BBQ has come out ahead in 23 of their 26 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Three Brothers Different Mothers in 8 of their 9 shared contests.
📅 A July team
Something about July: average finish in the top 38% across 5 contests, versus top 51% the rest of the year.
Teams like this (closest power rating, KS first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 42 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 178.8572 | 147.9084 | 168.01 | top 52% |
| Pork Ribs | 44 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 179.4400 | 155.3600 | 169.54 | top 45% |
| Pork | 43 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 158.2400 | 168.23 | top 51% |
| Brisket | 42 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 180.0000 🔥 | 149.0400 | 168.02 | top 44% |
“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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS | 14 | 0 | top 44% |
| MO | 13 | 0 | top 54% |
| IA | 5 | 0 | top 51% |
| OK | 4 | 0 | top 57% |
| AZ | 2 | 0 | top 64% |
| NV | 1 | 0 | top 39% |
| WI | 1 | 0 | top 65% |
| FL | 1 | 0 | top 58% |
| CO | 1 | 0 | top 42% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 50% |
| Medium (20–39) | 12 | 0 | top 48% |
| Large (40+) | 29 | 0 | top 52% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2022 (10 contests)
- Cooks mostly in KS (16 of 45 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (44 entries)
- All-time average overall score: 673.43
- 2 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 661.0284 | 661.03 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 682.7544 | 677.91 |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 692.5028 | 686.79 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 697.6572 | 681.89 |
| 2022 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 693.6228 | 674.39 |
| 2021 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 686.7772 | 674.68 |
| 2020 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 682.2056 | 667.32 |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 694.8344 | 671.33 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 647.7712 | 647.77 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-10 | Smoke in the Spring (OPEN FORMAT) Osage City, KS | 91 / 101 (661.0284) | 100 (152.5372) | 80 (167.3828) | 64 (169.1428) | 45 (171.9656) |
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 238 / 401 (673.0740) | 310 (163.9656) | 40 (176.0000) | 301 (164.0000) | 171 (169.1084) |
| 2025-08-15 | BBQ & Fly-In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO | 34 / 62 (682.7544) | 14 (176.5600) | 9 (174.8572) | 46 (166.2516) | 46 (165.0856) |
| 2024-12-06 | BBQ Jackpot Las Vegas, NV | 29 / 74 (681.6116) | 10 (176.5600) | 45 (167.9772) | 46 (168.5372) | 37 (168.5372) |
| 2024-10-30 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024-10-30 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 91 / 444 (688.5256) | 329 (163.4056) | 2 (179.4400) | 209 (169.1200) | 25 (176.5600) |
| 2024-08-16 | BBQ & Fly-In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO | 27 / 65 (684.5032) | 26 (172.5716) | 19 (172.5716) | 31 (169.6800) | 32 (169.6800) |
| 2024-07-19 | Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ Shenandoah, IA | 6 / 36 (692.5028) | 22 (167.9656) | 2 (177.1544) | 4 (176.5600) | 14 (170.8228) |
| 2023-08-18 | BBQ & Fly-In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO | 7 / 57 (697.6572) | 4 (177.7028) | 2 (178.8572) | 23 (172.5600) | 26 (168.5372) |
| 2023-06-09 | Made for KC BBQ Championship (COMPETITORS SERIES) Kansas City, MO | 35 / 44 (666.1252) | 30 (166.8456) | 40 (163.3712) | 27 (168.5256) | 21 (167.3828) |
| 2022-10-29 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship Day 2 Oak Grove, MO | 24 / 32 (675.9428) | 31 (164.5256) | 21 (170.8688) | 22 (168.5828) | 14 (171.9656) |
| 2022-10-28 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship Oak Grove, MO | 33 / 40 (666.7656) | 21 (169.1200) | 37 (161.1200) | 13 (170.8456) | 31 (165.6800) |
| 2022-10-01 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022-09-29 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST Kansas City, KS | 286 / 505 (663.2912) | 227 (168.5256) | 447 (155.9772) | 167 (170.8228) | 190 (167.9656) |
| 2022-09-16 | 34th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO | 8 / 33 (693.6228) | 1 (178.8572) | 22 (163.9428) | 4 (171.9772) | 2 (180.0000) |
| 2022-08-26 | 10th Annual Deaths Door Barbeque Washington Island, WI | 17 / 26 (654.1028) | 19 (162.2512) | 2 (173.1200) | 9 (169.6916) | 22 (149.0400) |
| 2022-07-29 | Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship Shenandoah, IA | 9 / 27 (686.1828) | 11 (169.1200) | 20 (162.8000) | 8 (174.2628) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2022-06-10 | Made for KC BBQ Championship (COMPETITORS SERIES) Kansas City, MO | 14 / 36 (685.0740) | 23 (170.8572) | 4 (176.0000) | 29 (166.2512) | 17 (171.9656) |
| 2022-05-01 | KCBS Media Pro-Am Presented by Prairie Fresh KANSAS CITY, MO | — | — | 4 (175.4056) | — | — |
| 2022-01-28 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 35 / 60 (670.1372) | 42 (167.3828) | 47 (162.2516) | 4 (176.5600) | 37 (163.9428) |
| 2021-10-30 | Boo-B-Que - Day 2 Unity Village, MO | 29 / 33 (673.5656) | 23 (171.9656) | 26 (167.3944) | 25 (167.3828) | 25 (166.8228) |
| 2021-10-29 | Boo-B-Que - Day 1 Unity Village, MO | 20 / 41 (686.7772) | 16 (172.5716) | 16 (171.9772) | 4 (176.5600) | 33 (165.6684) |
| 2021-09-16 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST Kansas City, KS | 144 / 467 (672.4568) | 84 (172.5600) | 124 (170.8228) | 272 (163.4056) | 214 (165.6684) |
| 2021-09-03 | Mozingo Lake BBQ Maryville, MO | 6 / 12 (680.4456) | 7 (171.9772) | 9 (165.6684) | 4 (171.9656) | 2 (170.8344) |
| 2021-08-20 | Smoke on the Bricks Baldwin City, KS | 25 / 46 (659.2452) | 34 (162.7884) | 3 (174.8572) | 33 (162.2512) | 29 (159.3484) |
| 2021-07-23 | Smokin' Hot Cars & BBQ Iola, KS | 14 / 28 (672.4112) | 17 (165.0856) | 8 (170.8228) | 22 (164.5372) | 8 (171.9656) |
| 2021-07-09 | Sand Creek Summer Daze Saucy & Glazed BBQ Competition Newton, KS | 3 / 21 (685.6228) | 3 (177.1428) | 3 (173.1316) | 13 (169.1084) | 8 (166.2400) |
| 2021-05-07 | Bixby Rotary BBQ'N Blues Festival Bixby, OK | 19 / 53 (681.0056) | 33 (165.0856) | 5 (178.8572) | 30 (163.9428) | 8 (173.1200) |
| 2021-04-23 | WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO | 38 / 45 (651.8400) | 42 (155.9312) | 23 (167.9772) | 28 (162.8344) | 19 (165.0972) |
| 2021-03-19 | 3rd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship Olathe, KS | 20 / 70 (683.4056) | 1 (177.7028) | 6 (176.6172) | 50 (165.1200) | 43 (163.9656) |
| 2020-10-02 | Ottumwa Smoketoberfest Ottumwa, IA | 41 / 66 (663.3028) | 53 (162.2284) | 19 (167.9772) | 26 (169.1544) | 42 (163.9428) |
| 2020-09-19 | The Oklahoma Grand BBQ Championship Day 2 Shawnee, OK | 27 / 56 (682.2056) | 6 (177.1428) | 50 (162.8228) | 39 (166.8228) | 11 (175.4172) |
| 2020-09-18 | The Oklahoma Grand BBQ Championship Day 1 Shawnee, OK | 42 / 56 (670.1488) | 10 (173.1316) | 28 (169.6800) | 38 (168.5372) | 50 (158.8000) |
| 2020-09-05 | Mozingo Lake BBQ Maryville, MO | 8 / 34 (682.2056) | 14 (167.9656) | 16 (169.6800) | 13 (168.5600) | 1 (176.0000) |
| 2020-08-07 | 15th Annual HANOR Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK | 38 / 54 (651.2684) | 51 (147.9084) | 26 (166.2628) | 8 (172.0000) | 28 (165.0972) |
| 2020-07-24 | Farm Stock Smoke Off Lane, KS | 16 / 21 (673.0744) | 18 (167.4172) | 8 (172.5716) | 19 (164.5256) | 10 (168.5600) |
| 2020-06-27 | Back to Mayberry Day 2 Rodney, IA | 30 / 47 (664.5028) | 15 (170.2972) | 16 (169.1428) | 46 (158.2400) | 21 (166.8228) |
| 2020-06-26 | Back to Mayberry Day 1 Rodney, IA | 41 / 53 (651.8628) | 49 (157.0628) | 39 (161.7144) | 18 (170.2628) | 31 (162.8228) |
| 2019-08-23 | East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS | 26 / 66 (669.0856) | 19 (169.1544) | 33 (166.2628) | 25 (169.1428) | 28 (164.5256) |
| 2019-06-14 | 26th Annual Colorado BBQ Challenge Frisco, CO | 23 / 55 (664.3884) | 30 (165.6800) | 13 (168.5372) | 22 (167.3828) | 29 (162.7884) |
| 2019-05-10 | Grasshopper '19 DeSoto, KS | 8 / 53 (694.8344) | 15 (174.8572) | 8 (175.4172) | 17 (172.5944) | 16 (171.9656) |
| 2019-05-03 | Brew, Blue & Bar-B-Q Lansing, KS | 24 / 37 (657.0056) | 24 (163.3828) | 15 (166.8572) | 23 (163.3828) | 20 (163.3828) |
| 2019-04-05 | VFW Post 846 Battle of the Pits Overland Park, KS | 12 / 53 (679.3484) | 20 (169.6684) | 18 (169.1200) | 12 (169.7028) | 11 (170.8572) |
| 2019-01-18 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 30 / 63 (663.3260) | 33 (168.0000) | 29 (165.6916) | 50 (159.3716) | 17 (170.2628) |
| 2018-12-28 | Arizona National BBQ Stampede Phoenix, AZ | 38 / 47 (647.7712) | 39 (161.0856) | 43 (155.3600) | 36 (162.8000) | 15 (168.5256) |
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #791 (60 pts) | #866 (60 pts) | #903 (60 pts) | #823 (60 pts) | #814 (60 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #726 (180 pts) | #601 (310 pts) | #695 (265 pts) | #774 (180 pts) | #774 (180 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #581 (295 pts) | #779 (195 pts) | #395 (610 pts) | #575 (330 pts) | #701 (235 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #683 (225 pts) | #657 (270 pts) | #654 (320 pts) | #950 (130 pts) | #989 (120 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #365 (623 pts) | #325 (743 pts) | #306 (839 pts) | #281 (863 pts) | #257 (893 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #192 (979 pts) | #152 (1154 pts) | #114 (1379 pts) | #208 (929 pts) | #165 (1069 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #198 (605 pts) | #145 (795 pts) | #167 (680 pts) | #174 (685 pts) | #122 (855 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #415 (775 pts) | #495 (695 pts) | #431 (805 pts) | #517 (670 pts) | #324 (995 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #446 (797 pts) | #278 (1137 pts) | #415 (877 pts) | #426 (847 pts) | #369 (937 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #258 (1300 pts) | #190 (1435 pts) | #293 (1170 pts) | #151 (1600 pts) | #112 (1779 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #297 (1174 pts) | #237 (1299 pts) | #291 (1199 pts) | #178 (1494 pts) | #221 (1424 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #496 (766 pts) | #410 (931 pts) | #342 (1046 pts) | #688 (553 pts) | #342 (1041 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #614 (608 pts) | #477 (803 pts) | #629 (608 pts) | #626 (613 pts) | #614 (598 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #341 (908 pts) | #209 (1256 pts) | #316 (953 pts) | #379 (827 pts) | #297 (1015 pts) |