High-water mark
683.3144
career-best overall
94.9% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 683.3144 at Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship — 94.9% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Mar 20, 2026
Bourbon Barrel Barbecue
Bourbon Barrel Barbecue is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2024 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 21st of 27 at the Smoke N for the Kids (2024). They are ranked #5311 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1456
peak 1456 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
Jul 27, 2024
latest Sep 25, 2026 · 2.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 78%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
675.65 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 672.67 (+2.97)
Walk rate
9%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.86
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 170.66 · weakest Brisket (164.03)
Road miles
1,014
across 11 mapped stops · furthest 252 mi
Schedule strength
81%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1606)
Purse competed for
$77K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
672.67 / 720
8 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 | #846 (120 pts) | #695 (230 pts) | #506 (415 pts) | #863 (120 pts) | #872 (120 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #751 (174 pts) | #802 (184 pts) | #682 (274 pts) | #697 (224 pts) | #755 (189 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #732 (191 pts) | #733 (231 pts) | #655 (311 pts) | #764 (201 pts) | #690 (241 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Bourbon Barrel Barbecue, each with one reason worth a look.
121 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,297 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,328 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1518
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Bourbon Barrel Barbecue's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,295 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,313 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
They were already cooking in 2013, 11 years before Bourbon Barrel Barbecue's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#5,287 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1501
Level with Bourbon Barrel Barbecue on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,301 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bite Stand | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Eleven Thirteen Q | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Mulkey's BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TRIPLE H BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Take It Easy BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Rudes BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| DANG GOOD BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 176.5828 | 164.5600 | 170.59 | top 62% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 178.8572 | 163.9544 | 170.66 | top 50% |
| Pork | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 174.2744 | 157.0856 | 167.82 | top 67% |
| Brisket | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8344 | 157.6688 | 164.03 | top 78% |
“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) | 5 | 0 | top 87% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 64% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 2 | 66 | 0 | top 64% | Mar 20, 2026 |
| Smoke N for the Kids | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 84% | Aug 16, 2025 |
| Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 84% | Jul 26, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
4 contests
Contests a season
3.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
6 of 11 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
5
3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
10 entries · 1 win · 1 call
Opponents faced
325
finished ahead 133 times, behind 532
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20266 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
- Career-best overall score683.3144 Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
- First call Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
- Most recent contest Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
20243 milestones
- First tracked contest Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score673.0516 Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- Peak power rating (1494) Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +2.2 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard | Sep 25, 2026 |
| +1.1 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 20, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.6 | Trekking for CDH | Sep 14, 2024 |
| -10 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main | Jul 26, 2025 |
| -7.7 | Smoke N for the Kids | Aug 16, 2025 |
| -6.6 | Smoke N for the Kids | Aug 17, 2024 |
| -6.4 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main | Jul 27, 2024 |
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25% | top 58% | 94.9% | 94.8% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 85% | 93.5% | 93.2% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 85% | 93.5% | 92.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2026 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 45 / 71 (681.6112) | 15 (176.5828) | 1 (178.8572) | 57 (166.8112) | 67 (159.3600) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 66 / 125 (683.3144) | 56 (173.1200) | 65 (169.6800) | 37 (174.2744) | 88 (166.2400) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 46 (167.9656) | — | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 23 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Smoke N for the Kids 🏅 Troy, IL | 29 / 32 (669.5772) | 23 (169.6800) | 28 (163.9544) | 27 (166.8228) | 22 (169.1200) |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL | 29 / 32 (673.0056) | 25 (171.4056) | 30 (165.0972) | 15 (173.7028) | 27 (162.8000) |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 75 / 100 (670.7200) | 66 (170.2628) | 68 (168.5256) | 52 (170.8228) | 85 (161.1088) |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 17 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Sep 14, 2024 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 35 / 35 (659.8976) | 32 (164.5600) | 15 (172.5716) | 32 (165.0972) | 34 (157.6688) |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Smoke N for the Kids 🏅 Troy, IL | 21 / 27 (670.1944) | 16 (171.4400) | 11 (170.8344) | 26 (157.0856) | 11 (170.8344) |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL | 26 / 34 (673.0516) | 22 (170.2972) | 21 (169.6800) | 19 (167.9772) | 27 (165.0972) |