TORNADO ALLEY

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#2500

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1520

peak 1520 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2018-09-15

latest 2025-11-05

Best ToY finish

#1148

Master 2025

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 6 contests

Avg finish

top 49%

overall standings

Best overall

687.9200 / 720

Master · American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest

Perfect 180s

Current form

675.25 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 671.74 (+3.50)

Walk rate

33%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Pork · American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest

Consistency

±12.23

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.64 · weakest Pork (165.90)

Road miles

740

mi across 6 mapped stops · furthest 306 mi

Schedule strength

67%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1584)

Purse competed for

$220K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 5 state-championship entries

Master avg

671.74 / 720

6 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (4 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

High-water mark

687.9200 career-best overall

95.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 687.9200 at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest — 95.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
2025-11-05

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

AMERICAN FIRE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

AMERICAN FIRE BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The comeback

4 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 4 years, then back at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST (2022-09-29).

last seen 2018-09-15
back 2022-09-29

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

LOS HERMANOS DE CARNE

#2511 of the rated field

1519 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1519

2–3 in 5 shared contests (40% to TORNADO ALLEY)

These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — LOS HERMANOS DE CARNE ahead 3–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN RETURNS

#2501 of the rated field

1520 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1522

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to TORNADO ALLEY)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2019-09-12

⚔ Head-to-head

M & K BBQ

#2505 of the rated field

1520 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1533

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to TORNADO ALLEY)

20 contests to 6: their number has had years to settle where TORNADO ALLEY's is still finding its level.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2025-10-17

⚔ Head-to-head

JACK'S OLD SOUTH

#2496 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 115
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1697

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to TORNADO ALLEY)

Their rating is built on 3 Grand Championships in 115 contests, alongside a 28% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 109 contests
last seen 2025-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

1752 BARBECUE

#2495 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 8 years before TORNADO ALLEY's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 6 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

PORK BUTT AND CHICKEN LEGS

#2493 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2013, 5 years before TORNADO ALLEY's first contest.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2013-08-16

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Win rate
3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
Smoke Me Tender BBQ	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
HI-TECH SMOKERS	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
Slow & Easy	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
PORK RADIO 810	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
SQUIRRELS 2 BBQ	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
Tractor Shed BBQ	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
Moolicious Intentions	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
Splitlog Smokers	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
The Porkscrews	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
Pig Riggin BBQ	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
On the Dotte Smokers	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
Wine & Swine	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
BonePileBBQ	5	5	100%	⚔ compare
SOCIAL SMOKERS BBQ SQUAD	5	5	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	6	0	174.2744	160.5372	168.64	top 47%
Pork Ribs	6	1	173.7028	164.5828	168.57	top 49%
Pork	6	1	178.8572	153.0968	165.90	top 55%
Brisket	6	1	171.9884	164.5600	168.64	top 42%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	0	top 63%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 47%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	2	112	0	top 45%	2025-11-05
American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	2	94	0	top 42%	2023-09-27

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 7.1 yrs 2018-09-15 → 2025-11-05

Busiest season 2023 2 contests

Contests a season 1.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in KS 6 of 6 contests

Contests visited 4 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 6 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 168.64 · weakest Pork (165.90)

Walk rate 33% a top-10 call in 2 of 6 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 6 contests

Master average 671.74 out of 720 · 6 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 1,154 1,234–1,082 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 740 6 mapped stops · furthest 306 mi

Schedule strength 1584 average field rating faced — tougher than 67% of rated contests

Purse competed for $220,275 listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 5 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 4 yrs 2018-09-15 → 2022-09-29

Power rating 1520 peak 1520 · #2500 of 6,413 rated

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

2018
Sep 15 First tracked contest 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
Sep 15 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.2396 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
2023
Aug 25 First call Keating Tractor Antique Tractor Show
2025
Nov 5 Career-best overall score687.9200 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
Nov 5 Career-best single call (Pork)178.8572 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
Nov 5 Peak power rating (1520) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
Nov 5 Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.6	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST	2022-09-29
+10.1	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	2025-11-05
+0.4	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	2018-09-15

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-1.9	Keating Tractor Antique Tractor Show	2023-08-25
-1.7	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	2023-09-27
-0.9	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	2024-10-30

Category scores over time

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2025	1	100%	top 28%	95.5%	95.5%
2024	1	0%	top 62%	92.6%	92.6%
2023	2	50%	top 64%	93.8%	92.8%
2022	1	0%	top 19%	95.1%	95.1%
2018	1	0%	top 59%	90.9%	90.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2025-11-05	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	112 / 401 (687.9200)	84 (174.2744)	208 (169.1200)	10 (178.8572)	246 (165.6684)
2024-10-30	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	277 / 444 (666.8116)	285 (166.2516)	286 (166.2972)	198 (169.7028)	276 (164.5600)
2023-09-27	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	317 / 487 (661.0624)	97 (174.2628)	324 (164.5828)	452 (153.0968)	183 (169.1200)
2023-08-25	Keating Tractor Antique Tractor Show 🏅 Liberal, KS	12 / 19 (675.3596)	15 (164.5600)	7 (173.7028)	14 (167.4284)	10 (169.6684)
2022-09-29	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	94 / 505 (685.0740)	134 (171.9656)	113 (172.5600)	180 (169.7028)	120 (170.8456)
2018-09-15	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	276 / 467 (654.2396)	347 (160.5372)	252 (165.1312)	374 (156.5828)	76 (171.9884)

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

Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2025 ↗	Master	#1148 (60 pts)	#1221 (60 pts)	#1293 (60 pts)	#897 (135 pts)	#1190 (60 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#1182 (60 pts)	#1242 (60 pts)	#1317 (60 pts)	#1231 (60 pts)	#1204 (60 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#1255 (60 pts)	#1319 (60 pts)	#1432 (60 pts)	#1287 (60 pts)	#1296 (60 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#1309 (60 pts)	#1341 (60 pts)	#1404 (60 pts)	#1348 (60 pts)	#1333 (60 pts)