High-water mark
682.1712
career-best overall
94.7% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 682.1712 at Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship — 94.7% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jul 24, 2026
Black Sail BBQ
Black Sail BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 14th of 29 at the Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship (2026). They are ranked #3255 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1499
peak 1501 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Sep 1, 2017
latest Sep 30, 2026 · 9.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 13 contests
Avg finish
top 62%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
673.71 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 662.74 (+10.97)
Walk rate
23%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±16.08
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 167.86 · weakest Chicken (162.31)
Road miles
294
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 56 mi
Schedule strength
68%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1586)
Purse competed for
$211K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
662.74 / 720
10 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 | #512 (330 pts) | #617 (275 pts) | #560 (370 pts) | #504 (370 pts) | #370 (570 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Black Sail BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
115 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,261 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1504
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Black Sail BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Black Sail BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,271 of the rated field
- Contests
- 110
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1620
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Black Sail BBQ)
They've been 1620 at their best, 121 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,251 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1516
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,259 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1511
Level with Black Sail BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,272 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1508
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Black Sail BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,249 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1499
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOVE 2 Q | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| AMERICAN FIRE BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Dr. Squealgood BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| PARTS 'R' SMOKIN | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| WOOD HOOK BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN ELVISES | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Sons of a Brisket | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Barking Dog BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| 913 BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BRR-B-Q | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke Me Tender BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.1200 | 150.7884 | 162.31 | top 76% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1316 | 156.5488 | 166.95 | top 51% |
| Pork | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 179.4400 | 162.8228 | 167.86 | top 51% |
| Brisket | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 177.7028 | 145.0400 | 165.62 | top 49% |
“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) | 2 | 0 | top 50% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 0 | top 66% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 3 | 168 | 0 | top 57% | Sep 30, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
5 contests
Contests a season
3.3
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
13 of 13 contests
Contests visited
8
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,264
finished ahead 861 times, behind 1,301
Longest layoff
4.5 yrs
Sep 22, 2017 → Mar 18, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20266 milestones
- First call Smokin in the Valley
- 10th tracked contest Smokin in the Valley
- First category win (Brisket) Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship
- Career-best overall score682.1712 Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship
- Career-best single call (Pork)179.4400 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides
20173 milestones
- First tracked contest 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.9544 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
- Peak power rating (1501) 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +5.2 | Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship | Jul 24, 2026 |
| +5.2 | Smokin in the Valley | Apr 3, 2026 |
| +5.1 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 30, 2026 |
| +1 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Sep 1, 2017 |
| +0.7 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 27, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.5 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque | Sep 22, 2017 |
| -3.6 | 8th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship | Mar 20, 2026 |
| -2.1 | Smoke in the Spring | Apr 7, 2023 |
| -1.6 | Qlathe BBQ Championship | Mar 18, 2022 |
| -0.3 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST | Sep 29, 2022 |
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 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 60% | top 55% | 94.7% | 93.8% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 67% | 92.5% | 92.4% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 66% | 91.4% | 91.4% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 70% | 91.1% | 88.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 168 / 360 (681.6576) | 248 (167.3944) | 270 (165.6916) | 8 (179.4400) | 173 (169.1316) |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship 🏅 Gardner, KS | 14 / 29 (682.1712) | 22 (166.8228) | 6 (173.1200) | 24 (164.5256) | 1 (177.7028) |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Smokin in the Valley 🏅 Linn Valley, KS | 16 / 31 (674.7316) | 19 (169.1200) | 20 (165.1088) | 17 (167.3828) | 6 (173.1200) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | 8th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS | 50 / 68 (663.8512) | 55 (165.0972) | 36 (167.9656) | 51 (166.8228) | 49 (163.9656) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 295 / 487 (666.1484) | 383 (161.6572) | 300 (165.7144) | 263 (167.3712) | 130 (171.4056) |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 75 / 103 (663.8512) | 62 (168.5256) | 53 (169.6800) | 74 (162.8228) | 76 (162.8228) |
| Oct 1, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 321 / 505 (658.1828) | 480 (150.7884) | 102 (173.1316) | 322 (163.9772) | 135 (170.2856) |
| Mar 18, 2022 | Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS | 48 / 71 (658.1484) | 54 (162.2628) | 46 (162.2744) | 29 (169.6684) | 41 (163.9428) |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 93 / 112 (622.6976) | 93 (153.6916) | 79 (156.5488) | 32 (167.4172) | 107 (145.0400) |
| Sep 1, 2017 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 231 / 407 (655.9544) | 322 (157.7144) | 113 (170.2744) | 128 (169.1772) | 288 (158.7884) |