The heartbreaker
0.5484
points from the title
Came within 0.5484 points of the Grand Championship at Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) (Aug 28, 2026).
Bramble BBQ
Bramble BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 40 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. They have won 3 Grand Championships, most recently at the Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) (2025), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 5 times. They are ranked #280 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1729
peak 1729 · rated over 37 contests
Contests
40
in the data
First seen
May 19, 2023
latest Oct 16, 2026 · 3.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
3
5 reserve · wins it all 8% of the time
Category wins
6
18 podiums
Overall top-10s
28
70% of 40 contests
Best top-10 run
6
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 25%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
345.69 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 344.38 (+1.31)
Walk rate
83%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.79
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 172.09 · weakest Brisket (166.71)
Road miles
5,942
across 40 mapped stops · furthest 273 mi
Schedule strength
73%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1593)
Purse competed for
$301K
listed at 37 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 23 state-championship entries
Master avg
682.20 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
344.38 / 360
28 Backyard contests · 3 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
681.66 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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.
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 ↗ | Backyard | #29 (1,063 pts) | #23 (1,083 pts) | #24 (1,088 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #583 (263 pts) | #573 (318 pts) | #598 (333 pts) | #570 (298 pts) | #612 (258 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #11 (1,309 pts) | #36 (1,095 pts) | #3 (1,334 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #601 (263 pts) | #507 (433 pts) | #537 (398 pts) | #503 (383 pts) | #967 (118 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #105 (590 pts) | #123 (520 pts) | #119 (515 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1157 (65 pts) | #1242 (60 pts) | #1190 (90 pts) | #1089 (95 pts) | #1144 (75 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #128 (463 pts) | #95 (688 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1255 (60 pts) | #1319 (60 pts) | #950 (170 pts) | #950 (130 pts) | #1296 (60 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Bramble BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#278 of the rated field
- Contests
- 56
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1729
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 52 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#279 of the rated field
- Contests
- 56
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 66%
- Peak
- 1729
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Bramble BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#281 of the rated field
- Contests
- 69
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1742
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 69 contests to 40.
⚔ Compare careers#272 of the rated field
- Contests
- 47
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1731
Their rating is built on 7 Grand Championships in 47 contests, alongside a 45% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#277 of the rated field
- Contests
- 45
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1749
They were already cooking in 2016, 7 years before Bramble BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#274 of the rated field
- Contests
- 54
- GCs
- 5
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1732
Level with Bramble 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Pit Bros | 19 | 13 | 6 | 68% | ⚔ compare |
| Rudes BBQ | 19 | 8 | 11 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 17 | 13 | 4 | 76% | ⚔ compare |
| DAWGS BBQ | 17 | 12 | 5 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| TEAM CRAWFORD | 17 | 12 | 4 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 17 | 6 | 11 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 15 | 13 | 2 | 87% | ⚔ compare |
| Bucknutz BBQ | 14 | 14 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Bear BBQ | 14 | 10 | 4 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 14 | 10 | 4 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 14 | 10 | 4 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 14 | 6 | 8 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Chester's Twisted Que | 13 | 9 | 4 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin Suckers | 13 | 8 | 5 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Ten Bones | 12 | 7 | 5 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 37 | 26 | 2 | 6 | 180 🔥 | 159.9544 | 172.09 | top 33% |
| Pork Ribs | 40 | 27 | 4 | 11 | 178.8572 | 163.3944 | 171.87 | top 30% |
| Pork | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 178.8800 | 165.0856 | 171.41 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 162.2400 | 166.71 | top 67% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 10 | 2 | top 25% |
| Medium (20–39) | 20 | 0 | top 25% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 1 | top 27% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 5 | 1 | 1 | top 30% | Jul 18, 2026 |
| Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 4 | 0 | top 26% | Aug 15, 2026 |
| Iowa State BBQ Championship | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 15% | Apr 3, 2026 |
| Minnesota in May | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 31% | May 8, 2026 |
| Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 16% | Jun 27, 2025 |
| King of the Corn | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 17% | Oct 16, 2026 |
| La Belle MO Show Me BBQ Showdown | 2 | 13 | 0 | top 38% | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Trekking for CDH | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 22% | Sep 19, 2026 |
| Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 17% | Aug 28, 2026 |
| Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 10% | Jun 19, 2026 |
| Tri-City BBQ Fest | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 15% | Sep 19, 2025 |
| King of the Corn | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 67% | May 17, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
17 contests · 3 GCs
Contests a season
10
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IA
18 of 40 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
20
12 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
40 entries · 4 wins · 27 calls
First title
May 9, 2025
Minnesota in May
Opponents faced
521
finished ahead 1,112 times, behind 357
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- Career-best overall score700.5372 King of the Corn
- Peak power rating (1729) King of the Corn
- Most recent contest King of the Corn
20256 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Iowa State BBQ Championship
- First Grand Championship Minnesota in May
- First state championship Minnesota in May
- Biggest field won (58 teams) Minnesota in May
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) King of the Corn
- 25th tracked contest Tri-City BBQ Fest
20241 milestone
- First category win (Chicken) Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY)
20236 milestones
- First tracked contest King of the Corn
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score668.5032 King of the Corn
- First call Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off
- First overall top-10 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off
- First overall podium Anchor City Cook-Off
- First Reserve Championship Anchor City Cook-Off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.4 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off | Jul 7, 2023 |
| +15 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Apr 4, 2025 |
| +14.8 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) | Jun 27, 2025 |
| +14.6 | Minnesota in May | May 9, 2025 |
| +14.5 | Anchor City Cook-Off | Sep 8, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.9 | Minnesota in May | May 8, 2026 |
| -7.9 | Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke | Apr 17, 2026 |
| -7.5 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) | Jul 11, 2025 |
| -3.4 | King of the Corn | May 17, 2024 |
| -3.1 | La Belle MO Show Me BBQ Showdown | Oct 2, 2026 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 86% | top 28% | 98.3% | 95.6% |
| 2025 | 17 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 88% | top 21% | 98.3% | 95.8% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 75% | top 29% | 97.1% | 94.6% |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 60% | top 30% | 96.3% | 94.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2026 | King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 2 / 31 (700.5372) | 12 (175.4172) | 10 (173.1200) | 7 (175.4400) | 6 (176.5600) |
| Oct 2, 2026 | La Belle MO Show Me BBQ Showdown 🏅 La Belle, MO | 14 / 33 (683.3256) | 9 (174.2628) | 14 (173.1200) | 9 (173.7028) | 25 (162.2400) |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 4 / 27 (337.0856) | 5 (166.8228) | 3 (170.2628) | — | — |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) Cherry Valley, IL | 6 / 24 (345.6916) | 11 (170.8344) | 6 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) Cherry Valley, IL | 2 / 25 (353.7260) | 2 (177.7144) | 6 (176.0116) | — | — |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 4 / 18 (350.2860) | 8 (171.4288) | 1 (178.8572) | — | — |
| Jul 31, 2026 | Cruisin' and BBQin' 🏅 Hampton, IA | 4 / 26 (341.6572) | 8 (168.5372) | 3 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 5 / 28 (348.5372) | 6 (175.4056) | 10 (173.1316) | — | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 13 / 27 (337.6916) | 20 (166.2744) | 11 (171.4172) | — | — |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 5 / 41 (350.2628) | 10 (174.2628) | 6 (176) | — | — |
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 47 / 77 (677.0172) | 65 (166.8344) | 22 (171.9656) | 65 (165.0856) | 18 (173.1316) |
| May 1, 2026 | SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL) 🏅 Cambridge, IA | 6 / 17 (681.6572) | 13 (171.9772) | 8 (171.9772) | 12 (173.1428) | 22 (164.5600) |
| Apr 17, 2026 | Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke 🏅 Edina, MO | 17 / 25 (676.4684) | 12 (172.5600) | 8 (170.2628) | 16 (166.8228) | 14 (166.8228) |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 7 / 42 (345.1088) | 2 (177.7144) | 21 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Oct 3, 2025 | La Belle MO Show Me BBQ Showdown 🏅 La Belle, MO | 13 / 39 (693.0972) | 6 (176.5600) | 14 (175.4172) | 2 (178.8800) | 32 (162.2400) |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Tri-City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 5 / 26 (327.3716) | 5 (159.9544) | 5 (167.4172) | — | — |
| Sep 13, 2025 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 8 / 27 (335.9316) | 9 (167.3944) | 6 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 2 / 31 (350.2628) | 13 (173.7028) | 2 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 5 / 17 (342.2516) | 1 (178.8572) | 12 (163.3944) | — | — |
| Jul 12, 2025 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 1 / 16 (353.1316) | 4 (177.7144) | 1 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 11 / 18 (339.3484) | 8 (170.8228) | 10 (168.5256) | 6 (172) | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) 🏅 Spencer, IA | 4 / 15 (343.3944) | 6 (171.9656) | 3 (171.4288) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) Spencer, IA | 1 / 17 (350.8456) | 2 (176) | 1 (174.8456) | — | — |
| Jun 20, 2025 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 3 / 36 (353.7028) | 4 (177.7028) | 4 (176) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 12 / 36 (337.6572) | 7 (171.9772) | 22 (165.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 36 (347.4288) | 15 (171.9772) | 2 (175.4516) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 14 (169.7028) | — | — |
| May 16, 2025 | King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 9 / 33 (687.3716) | 2 (180) | 16 (170.8228) | 12 (170.8344) | 25 (165.7144) |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 1 / 58 (350.8572) | 5 (176.0116) | 1 (174.8456) | — | — |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 24 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 3 / 49 (351.4172) | 6 (174.8572) | 4 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 3 / 30 (335.3712) | 6 (164.5256) | 3 (170.8456) | — | — |
| Jul 12, 2024 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) Miles, IA | 2 / 11 (349.6800) | 1 (177.7028) | 6 (171.9772) | 7 (165.0972) | — |
| May 17, 2024 | King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 24 / 36 (671.3028) | 33 (166.8228) | 19 (168.5256) | 18 (169.6800) | 22 (166.2744) |
| Mar 29, 2024 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 9 / 42 (342.2284) | 15 (170.8228) | 8 (171.4056) | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Anchor City Cook-Off 🏅 Centralia, MO | 2 / 13 (334.8000) | 4 (162.8228) | 2 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 4 / 16 (339.9772) | 9 (169.1200) | 6 (170.8572) | — | — |
| Jul 7, 2023 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Cameron, MO | 4 / 30 (346.8344) | 6 (172.5600) | 4 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Jul 7, 2023 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Cameron, MO | — | — | 14 (170.8228) | — | — |
| May 19, 2023 | King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 30 / 45 (668.5032) | 31 (167.4172) | 39 (163.3944) | 11 (174.8572) | 35 (162.8344) |