Single Barrel BBQ

Single Barrel BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 4th of 29 at the Route 66 Smoke Out (2017). They are ranked #2016 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,016

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1538

peak 1538 · rated over 11 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 5, 2013

latest May 3, 2019 · 5.8 years on the trail

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

18% of 11 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 48%

overall standings

Best overall

686.8572 / 720

Master · Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)

Perfect 180s

Current form

661.77 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 656.87 (+4.90)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Pork · Route 66 Smoke Out

Consistency

±17.15

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 169.45 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.37)

Road miles

1,277

across 11 mapped stops · furthest 493 mi

Schedule strength

53%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1568)

State championships

0 🏅

won from 1 state-championship entry

Master avg

656.87 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

320.54 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

Storylines (10 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

Happy hunting ground

Top 12% average finish here

Route 66 Smoke Out is their spot: an average finish in the top 12% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 4th
average top 12%

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 8 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

686.8572 career-best overall

95.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 686.8572 at Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) — 95.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 1, 2015

A tough matchup

4–0 behind in the head-to-head

SLAPS BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

SLAPS BBQ has come out ahead in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

The weak link

−10.1 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 10.08 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 18% of the time against 55%.

Pork Ribs avg 159.37
Chicken avg 169.45
2 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

5–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of QUAU in 5 of their 6 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Route 66 Smoke Out (May 5, 2017).

last seen May 1, 2015
back May 5, 2017

Show 3 more storylines

Chicken nemesis

3 of 4 shared chicken entries lost

PORKY BUTTS BBQ ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, PORKY BUTTS BBQ has out-cooked them in 3 of 4 shared chicken entries.

A May team

Top 32% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 32% across 5 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.

5 May contests
top 48% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.36% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.36% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.0% of a perfect score
11 contests

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Single Barrel BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

81 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

Grinders BBQ

#2,015 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1538

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Single Barrel BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Single Barrel BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

In Hognito

#2,026 of the rated field

1537 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1546

Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

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Skinny's BBQ

#2,007 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1538

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Sep 16, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

SOMETHING BORROWED SOMETHING BLUE BBQ

#2,010 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1538

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 4 years before Single Barrel BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

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ROCKSTAR BBQ

#2,003 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1541

They turned up 10 years after Single Barrel BBQ did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

GRILLDROIDS

#2,020 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 78%
Peak: 1541

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 9 contests, alongside a 78% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Mar 14, 2025
on a 4-contest top-10 run

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
QUAU	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
CHANNABILLY BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
RACK MASTERS BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
CARNIVORE'S PARADISE	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO.	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	6	1	176	162.8344	169.45	top 29%
Pork Ribs	11	2	1	174.3200	149.7260	159.37	top 63%
Pork	10	4	1	176.5600	148.4684	167.12	top 34%
Brisket	10	2	1	173.7028	133.1426	160.09	top 54%

“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 45%
Large (40+)	8	0	top 49%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IL	6	top 42%
NE	2	top 61%
AL	1	top 31%
KS	1	top 34%
MO	1	top 88%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2)	2	26	0	top 52%	May 26, 2018
Route 66 Smoke Out	2	4	0	top 12%	May 5, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2018 4 contests

Contests a season 1.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IL 6 of 11 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 9 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 400 finished ahead 310 times, behind 238

Longest layoff 2 yrs May 1, 2015 → May 5, 2017

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20192 milestones

May 3 Peak power rating (1538) The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
May 3 Most recent contest The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ

20181 milestone

Jun 23 10th tracked contest Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 2

20171 milestone

May 5 Career-best single call (Pork)176.5600 Route 66 Smoke Out

20152 milestones

May 1 First overall top-10 Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)
May 1 Career-best overall score686.8572 Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)

20141 milestone

Apr 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score656.5600 VFW Post 846 6th Annual BBQ Challenge (10 TEAM SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE)

20132 milestones

Jul 5 First tracked contest Crossroads BBQ Cook-off
Jul 5 First call Crossroads BBQ Cook-off

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.5	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)	May 1, 2015
+14.4	Route 66 Smoke Out	May 5, 2017
+7.1	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ	May 3, 2019
+7	VFW Post 846 6th Annual BBQ Challenge (10 TEAM SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE)	Apr 25, 2014
+3.3	RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1)	May 25, 2018

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.5	Crossroads BBQ Cook-off	Jul 5, 2013
-1.2	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-Eye Steak Cookoff Challenge	Aug 30, 2014
-0.4	2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival	Jun 27, 2014

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	100%	top 31%	89%	89%
2018	4	0	50%	top 57%	91.7%	91.1%
2017	1	1	100%	top 14%	95.1%	95.1%
2015	1	1	100%	top 10%	95.4%	95.4%
2014	3	0	67%	top 52%	91.2%	90.1%
2013	1	0	100%	top 88%	87.1%	87.1%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
May 3, 2019	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL	17 / 54 (320.5368)	7 (166.2856)	42 (154.2512)	—	—
Jun 23, 2018	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 2 Belvidere, IL	28 / 44 (650.8004)	29 (162.8344)	20 (164.5716)	15 (165.1316)	31 (158.2628)
Jun 22, 2018	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1 Belvidere, IL	30 / 51 (659.9660)	3 (176)	46 (149.7260)	22 (163.9772)	14 (170.2628)
May 26, 2018	RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2) Westmont, IL	31 / 60 (659.9660)	13 (171.4172)	50 (153.1316)	20 (169.7372)	26 (165.6800)
May 25, 2018	RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1) Westmont, IL	26 / 49 (653.0520)	7 (171.4400)	41 (154.2632)	8 (170.8344)	38 (156.5144)
May 5, 2017	Route 66 Smoke Out Dwight, IL	4 / 29 (685.0740)	5 (174.2628)	21 (160.5484)	2 (176.5600)	3 (173.7028)
May 1, 2015	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Dwight, IL	4 / 40 (686.8572)	5 (173.1772)	8 (172.5716)	10 (169.6800)	7 (171.4284)
Aug 30, 2014	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-Eye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE	19 / 29 (643.3712)	8 (171.4284)	27 (150.8116)	17 (164.5828)	19 (156.5484)
Jun 27, 2014	2nd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival Omaha, NE	17 / 30 (645.6112)	15 (166.3200)	2 (174.3200)	27 (148.4684)	19 (156.5028)
Apr 25, 2014	VFW Post 846 6th Annual BBQ Challenge (10 TEAM SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE) Overland Park, KS	22 / 65 (656.5600)	25 (165.1200)	30 (161.7716)	11 (170.8456)	42 (158.8228)
Jul 5, 2013	Crossroads BBQ Cook-off Cameron, MO	35 / 40 (627.4278)	20 (165.7140)	30 (157.1426)	8 (171.4286)	40 (133.1426)

Single Barrel BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Storylines (10 found in their record)

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

A May team

The metronome

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)