The comeback
1.9 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 1.9 years, then back at 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) (Sep 1, 2017).
- last seen Oct 3, 2015
- back Sep 1, 2017
Sauce Optional
Sauce Optional is a competition barbecue team with 3 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 19th of 23 at the UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series) (2015).
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1473
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 3
Contests
3
in the data
First seen
May 1, 2015
latest Sep 1, 2017 · 2.3 years on the trail
Avg finish
top 85%
overall standings
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±21.38
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 153.30 · weakest Brisket (143.39)
Road miles
13
across 3 mapped stops
Schedule strength
35%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1547)
Master avg
600.83 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2856 | 143.3828 | 152.72 | top 77% |
| Pork Ribs | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 159.4400 | 142.2628 | 151.41 | top 68% |
| Pork | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.2512 | 134.8000 | 153.30 | top 67% |
| Brisket | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.9884 | 134.8116 | 143.39 | top 79% |
“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.
More numbers
Busiest season
2015
2 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MO
2 of 3 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
3
a different one every time
Opponents faced
822
finished ahead 152 times, behind 881
Longest layoff
1.9 yrs
Oct 3, 2015 → Sep 1, 2017
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20171 milestone
- Most recent contest 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
20155 milestones
- First tracked contest UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series)
- First call UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series)
- Peak power rating (1490) UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series)
- Career-best overall score624.9940 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open
- Career-best single call (Pork)170.2512 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2017 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 385 / 407 (604.4800) | 265 (162.2856) | 356 (152.5256) | 351 (154.8572) | 395 (134.8116) |
| Oct 3, 2015 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO | 480 / 606 (624.9940) | 530 (152.4916) | 581 (142.2628) | 121 (170.2512) | 342 (159.9884) |
| May 1, 2015 | UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series) Kansas City, MO | 19 / 23 (573.0056) | 18 (143.3828) | 5 (159.4400) | 22 (134.8000) | 19 (135.3828) |