High-water mark
688.4684
career-best overall
95.6% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 688.4684 at Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard — 95.6% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Sep 25, 2026
Straight Bones BBQ
Straight Bones BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 16th of 45 at the WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest (2021). They are ranked #2343 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1525
peak 1525 · rated over 5 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Apr 23, 2021
latest Sep 25, 2026 · 5.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 45%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
682.21 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 680.81 (+1.40)
Walk rate
22%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.89
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 172.96 · weakest Pork (167.48)
Road miles
916
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 503 mi
Schedule strength
83%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1609)
Purse competed for
$267K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
680.81 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Straight Bones BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
76 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,340 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 12%
- Peak
- 1525
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Straight Bones BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Straight Bones BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,336 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1535
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Straight Bones BBQ)
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 20 contests to 9.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,330 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1525
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Straight Bones BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,329 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1526
They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Straight Bones BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#2,328 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1526
Level with Straight Bones BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,352 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1525
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Straight Bones BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TRIPLE H BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Eleven Thirteen Q | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| LOCAL YOKELS BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| THE BBQ BUS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| WE WILL ROCK QUE | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Mulkey's BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| T-Rex BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 165.7144 | 171.41 | top 45% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 169.6800 | 172.96 | top 33% |
| Pork | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 157.7028 | 167.48 | top 59% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 178.8572 | 160.5256 | 168.95 | 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
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
3 contests
Contests a season
2.3
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
6 of 9 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
7
a different one every time
Opponents faced
790
finished ahead 845 times, behind 751
Longest layoff
2.4 yrs
Apr 23, 2021 → Sep 27, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- Career-best overall score688.4684 Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
- Career-best single call (Brisket)178.8572 Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
- Peak power rating (1525) Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
- Most recent contest Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
20213 milestones
- First tracked contest WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest
- First call WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score667.8744 WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +10.2 | WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest | Apr 23, 2021 |
| +5.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 27, 2023 |
| +4.7 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard | Sep 25, 2026 |
| +4.1 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Oct 30, 2024 |
| +1 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 20, 2026 |
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 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 45% | 95.6% | 95.5% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 54% | 94.7% | 94.4% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 41% | 95.4% | 94.6% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 36% | 92.8% | 92.8% |
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 | 34 / 71 (688.4684) | 54 (169.6684) | 44 (170.2628) | 39 (169.6800) | 4 (178.8572) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 53 / 125 (686.7884) | 67 (170.8456) | 19 (176.5600) | 51 (172.5600) | 85 (166.8228) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 205 / 444 (677.6912) | 291 (165.7144) | 109 (173.7028) | 142 (171.4284) | 227 (166.8456) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 103 / 169 (682.1600) | 108 (169.6916) | 110 (169.6800) | 94 (170.8228) | 75 (171.9656) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 82 / 211 (686.7428) | 34 (176.5600) | 49 (174.2744) | 156 (167.3828) | 131 (168.5256) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 213 / 487 (675.9428) | 55 (176) | 110 (173.1200) | 409 (157.7028) | 184 (169.1200) |
| Apr 23, 2021 | WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest 🏅 Washington, MO | 16 / 45 (667.8744) | 14 (171.4172) | 8 (173.1200) | 32 (162.8116) | 32 (160.5256) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.