High-water mark
669.7604
career-best overall
93.0% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 669.7604 at 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST — 93.0% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Sep 12, 2019
Sudden Sam's BBQ
Sudden Sam's BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 12th of 25 at the Smoking in the Golden Valley (2018). They are ranked #4087 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Sudden Sams BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1482
peak 1482 · rated over 14 contests
Contests
16
in the data
First seen
Apr 24, 2015
latest Nov 5, 2025 · 10.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 16 contests
Avg finish
top 65%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
662.08 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 639.27 (+22.81)
Walk rate
38%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±44.51
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 165.55 · weakest Brisket (159.27)
Road miles
615
across 16 mapped stops · furthest 75 mi
Schedule strength
63%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1580)
Purse competed for
$210K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
639.27 / 720
14 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #961 (280 pts) | #1057 (255 pts) | #1058 (265 pts) | #603 (565 pts) | #917 (325 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1701 (115 pts) | #1742 (115 pts) | #1229 (225 pts) | #1492 (145 pts) | #1825 (95 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #2910 (55 pts) | #2154 (95 pts) | #2265 (75 pts) | #2918 (55 pts) | #2921 (55 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Sudden Sam's BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
132 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,092 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1537
They've been 1537 at their best, 55 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#4,098 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 19%
- Peak
- 1538
Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,084 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1515
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Sudden Sam's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,080 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1482
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#4,070 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1482
Level with Sudden Sam's BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,086 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1482
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2015.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLAPS BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| DIRT ROAD BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LOVE 2 Q | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Wabash BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| 913 BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PARTS 'R' SMOKIN | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 DRUNK 2 QUE | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Three Brothers Different Mothers | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Sons of a Brisket | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' SAUCED | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| AMERICAN FIRE BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Fergolicious BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 150.2056 | 163.44 | top 61% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 174.3316 | 138.8000 | 165.55 | top 45% |
| Pork | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 176.5944 | 149.0740 | 163.23 | top 59% |
| Brisket | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.2972 | 141.0744 | 159.27 | top 66% |
“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) | 8 | 0 | top 66% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 64% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2 | 276 | 0 | top 71% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Smokin' in the Ville | 2 | 25 | 0 | top 90% | Apr 29, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2018
5 contests
Contests a season
2.3
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
11 of 16 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
12
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
15 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls
Opponents faced
1,107
finished ahead 682 times, behind 1,111
Longest layoff
3.2 yrs
Apr 9, 2021 → Jun 14, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
20194 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork)176.5944 The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake
- 10th tracked contest Johnson County BBQ Challenge
- Career-best overall score669.7604 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
- Peak power rating (1493) 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
20182 milestones
- First call Tasty Expo BBQ Battle of the Grill (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.4112 Racing for the BBQ
20151 milestone
- First tracked contest Smokin' in the Ville
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +7.7 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST | Sep 12, 2019 |
| +7.2 | Johnson County BBQ Challenge | Jul 5, 2019 |
| +4.5 | Racing for the BBQ | Jul 27, 2018 |
| +4 | Smoking in the Golden Valley | Sep 28, 2018 |
| +2.8 | Hog Wild West BBQ Contest | Sep 7, 2018 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.8 | Smokin' in the Ville | Apr 24, 2015 |
| -10.9 | The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake | Apr 12, 2019 |
| -7.7 | Smokin' in the Ville | Apr 29, 2016 |
| -6.7 | Smoke in the Spring | Apr 9, 2021 |
| -3.3 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Oct 30, 2024 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 69% | 92.2% | 92.2% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 69% | 92.8% | 92.1% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 90.4% | 90.4% |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75% | top 58% | 93% | 85.4% |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60% | top 53% | 91.4% | 90.8% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 83% | 85.4% | 85.4% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 81.5% | 81.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 276 / 401 (663.8628) | 154 (171.9772) | 135 (171.9772) | 348 (161.0856) | 339 (158.8228) |
| 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 | 323 / 444 (657.0172) | 333 (162.8572) | 270 (167.3944) | 296 (165.1200) | 336 (161.6456) |
| Jun 14, 2024 | 10th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 22 / 34 (668.5144) | 25 (164.0116) | 12 (170.8344) | 27 (163.4056) | 15 (170.2628) |
| Apr 9, 2021 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 83 / 105 (651.2340) | 100 (155.9312) | 26 (173.1200) | 96 (156.5028) | 71 (165.6800) |
| Sep 12, 2019 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 97 / 468 (477.5996) | 93 (171.4516) | 39 (174.3316) | 359 (157.6800) | 187 (166.2972) |
| Jul 5, 2019 | Johnson County BBQ Challenge 🏅 Warrensburg, MO | 17 / 37 (669.6456) | 18 (168.5828) | 28 (159.9428) | 8 (170.8228) | 9 (170.2972) |
| May 3, 2019 | Brew, Blue & Bar-B-Q 🏅 Lansing, KS | 25 / 37 (652.4800) | 17 (166.8344) | 31 (158.2972) | 7 (170.2628) | 30 (157.0856) |
| Apr 12, 2019 | The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake 🏅 Smithville, MO | 52 / 54 (499.4860) | — | 20 (166.8916) | 5 (176.5944) | 39 (156) |
| Sep 28, 2018 | Smoking in the Golden Valley Clinton, MO | 12 / 25 (658.1596) | 12 (163.9540) | 3 (167.4172) | 8 (166.2400) | 16 (160.5484) |
| Sep 7, 2018 | Hog Wild West BBQ Contest Leavenworth, KS | 13 / 25 (652.9596) | 19 (159.9312) | 8 (170.2972) | 12 (165.6800) | 14 (157.0512) |
| Aug 10, 2018 | Smokin Trackside BBQ Bash Winston, MO | 17 / 25 (656.4456) | 15 (166.2628) | 13 (166.2400) | 15 (163.9428) | 20 (160) |
| Jul 27, 2018 | Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO | 29 / 66 (648.4112) | 44 (157.0512) | 24 (165.6800) | 27 (165.1428) | 27 (160.5372) |
| May 19, 2018 | Tasty Expo BBQ Battle of the Grill (BACKYARD ONLY) Overland Park, KS | — | 6 (164) | 2 (172.5828) | — | — |
| Apr 29, 2016 | Smokin' in the Ville Edwardsville, KS | 25 / 30 (614.6856) | 17 (165.1544) | 21 (159.3828) | 29 (149.0740) | 30 (141.0744) |
| Apr 24, 2015 | Smokin' in the Ville Edwardsville, KS | 28 / 29 (587.1312) | 29 (150.2056) | 28 (138.8000) | 27 (153.6456) | 26 (144.4800) |