High-water mark
665.0168
career-best overall
92.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 665.0168 at 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST — 92.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Sep 12, 2019
Smokin' Bunz BBQ
Smokin' Bunz BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 21st of 55 at the Kelley Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ) (2021). They are ranked #3551 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “SMOKIN BUNZ BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1492
peak 1501 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Jun 24, 2016
latest Nov 5, 2025 · 9.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 13 contests
Avg finish
top 58%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
653.37 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 645.42 (+7.94)
Walk rate
15%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.26
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.38 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.72)
Road miles
103
across 13 mapped stops
Schedule strength
42%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1555)
Purse competed for
$172K
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
645.42 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2852 (55 pts) | #1697 (140 pts) | #2304 (60 pts) | #2851 (55 pts) | #2840 (55 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smokin' Bunz BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
138 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,541 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1517
2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to Smokin' Bunz BBQ)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,565 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1525
2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to Smokin' Bunz BBQ)
They've been 1525 at their best, 33 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,546 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1508
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Smokin' Bunz BBQ)
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 4 years before Smokin' Bunz BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,525 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1501
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,559 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1510
15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 13% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#3,558 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1492
Level with Smokin' Bunz 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 913 BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| B & C SMOKERS | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Brewski and Barbeque | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| B&D BBQ | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| BROWNIES BBQ | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| OINK, MOO & COCK-A-DOODLE DOO | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke Me Tender BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Hawg Wild | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| PARK AVENUE PORK | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Sons of a Brisket | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Sublime BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HIGH i QUE | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.8456 | 157.6800 | 165.38 | top 46% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.9656 | 146.8116 | 157.72 | top 70% |
| Pork | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176 | 152.5600 | 163.24 | top 54% |
| Brisket | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 175.4056 | 137.0628 | 159.09 | top 55% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
| Large (40+) | 12 | 0 | top 54% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
4 contests
Contests a season
1.9
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
10 of 13 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
13
a different one every time
Opponents faced
1,351
finished ahead 1,169 times, behind 1,531
Longest layoff
3.4 yrs
Jun 3, 2022 → Nov 5, 2025
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
20211 milestone
- Peak power rating (1501) Kelley Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ)
20192 milestones
- 10th tracked contest 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
- Career-best overall score665.0168 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
20173 milestones
- First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Career-best single call (Pork)176 Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score652.4684 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
20161 milestone
- First tracked contest Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +6.1 | Kelley Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ) | Jun 4, 2021 |
| +5.7 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship | Jun 23, 2017 |
| +3.4 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle | Jun 22, 2018 |
| +2.6 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Sep 15, 2018 |
| +1.9 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship | Jun 21, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.8 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Apr 28, 2017 |
| -6.1 | Kelley Wilson Memorial BBQ Competition | Jun 3, 2022 |
| -4.3 | VFW Post 846 Battle of the Pits | Apr 5, 2019 |
| -3.1 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Nov 5, 2025 |
| -1.5 | Kelly Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ) | May 31, 2019 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 71% | 92% | 92% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 78% | 87.9% | 87.9% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 38% | 92.1% | 92.1% |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 56% | 92.4% | 89.7% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 47% | 91.4% | 90.3% |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 65% | 90.6% | 88.8% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 52% | 87.6% | 87.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 284 / 401 (662.6740) | 221 (169.6800) | 247 (167.3828) | 284 (165.6684) | 329 (159.9428) |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Kelley Wilson Memorial BBQ Competition 🏅 Kansas City, MO | 32 / 41 (633.0748) | 33 (157.6916) | 37 (150.8116) | 12 (171.4516) | 31 (153.1200) |
| Jun 4, 2021 | Kelley Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ) 🏅 Kansas City, MO | 21 / 55 (662.7884) | 40 (157.6800) | 20 (167.9656) | 22 (167.4172) | 12 (169.7256) |
| Sep 12, 2019 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 196 / 468 (665.0168) | 272 (163.9312) | 291 (162.8228) | 279 (162.8572) | 35 (175.4056) |
| Jun 21, 2019 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 86 / 183 (643.2800) | 120 (157.6800) | 161 (146.8116) | 24 (170.8228) | 40 (167.9656) |
| May 31, 2019 | Kelly Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ) 🏅 Kansas City, MO | 34 / 56 (642.0912) | 25 (166.8456) | 43 (153.6456) | 31 (161.0856) | 28 (160.5144) |
| Apr 5, 2019 | VFW Post 846 Battle of the Pits 🏅 Overland Park, KS | 39 / 53 (633.5772) | 31 (165.6800) | 47 (151.9888) | 44 (157.0856) | 38 (158.8228) |
| Sep 15, 2018 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 245 / 467 (658.2056) | 215 (167.3944) | 221 (166.8228) | 382 (155.4284) | 136 (168.5600) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle Lenexa, KS | 77 / 185 (641.6688) | 12 (170.8572) | 111 (157.1316) | 65 (164.0344) | 139 (149.6456) |
| Sep 1, 2017 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 247 / 407 (652.4684) | 53 (174.8456) | 250 (162.8344) | 249 (163.3828) | 341 (151.4056) |
| Jun 23, 2017 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 65 / 184 (642.7888) | 93 (158.2400) | 150 (148.5372) | 5 (176) | 74 (160.0116) |
| Apr 28, 2017 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Overland Park, KS | 30 / 30 (622.1028) | 9 (171.9772) | 24 (160.5028) | 29 (152.5600) | 30 (137.0628) |
| Jun 24, 2016 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 96 / 183 (630.7656) | 35 (167.4172) | 137 (153.1316) | 132 (154.2740) | 104 (155.9428) |