Sudden Sam's BBQ

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

Power ranking

#4043

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1482

peak 1482 · rated over 14 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-04-24

latest 2025-11-05

Best ToY finish

#961

Master 2019

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 16 contests

Avg finish

top 65%

overall standings

Best overall

669.7604 / 720

Master · 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST

Perfect 180s

Current form

662.08 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 639.27 (+22.81)

Walk rate

38%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5944

Pork · The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake

Consistency

±44.51

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 165.55 · weakest Brisket (159.27)

Road miles

615

mi across 16 mapped stops · furthest 75 mi

Schedule strength

64%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1580)

Purse competed for

$210K

listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 8 state-championship entries

Master avg

639.27 / 720

14 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 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

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
2019-09-12

Their season

2018 their best year

2018 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 53%.

5 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 53%

A tough matchup

11–0 behind in the head-to-head

SLAPS BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

SLAPS BBQ has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.3 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.28 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 7% of the time against 20%.

Brisket avg 159.27
Pork Ribs avg 165.55
1 calls in 14 entries

A strong matchup

4–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DUSTY ROADS BBQ in 4 of their 5 shared contests.

The comeback

3.2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.2 years, then back at 10th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life (2024-06-14).

last seen 2021-04-09
back 2024-06-14

Pork Ribs nemesis

9 of 11 shared pork ribs entries lost

SLAPS BBQ ahead 82% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SLAPS BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 11 shared pork ribs entries.

A September team

Top 40% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 40% across 3 contests, versus top 65% the rest of the year.

3 September contests
top 65% the rest of the year

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.

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

KANSAS CITY PETERBILT

#4051 of the rated field

1482 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1510

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Sudden Sam's BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Sudden Sam's BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2023-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

Slab Slappers

#4031 of the rated field

1482 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1509

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Sudden Sam's BBQ)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 7 years before Sudden Sam's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 8 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

SWINE SONG

#4032 of the rated field

1482 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1505

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2018-09-21

⚔ Head-to-head

TJOPPIE DOPPIE BBQ TEAM

#4041 of the rated field

1482 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1522

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1522 at their best, 41 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2026-05-22

⚔ Head-to-head

KRAZE-E'S BBQ

#4034 of the rated field

1482 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1505

No shared contest yet.

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 12% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2022-04-29

⚔ Head-to-head

DEAD MONEY BBQ

#4055 of the rated field

1482 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1482

No shared contest yet.

Level with Sudden Sam's BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2020-04-06

⚔ Head-to-head

Familiar 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	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	14	1	0	171.9772	150.2056	163.44	top 61%
Pork Ribs	15	3	2	174.3316	138.8000	165.55	top 45%
Pork	14	4	0	176.5944	149.0740	163.23	top 59%
Brisket	14	1	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 state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
KS	9	0	top 67%
MO	5	0	top 60%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	8	0	top 66%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 64%

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	276	0	top 71%	2025-11-05
Smokin' in the Ville	2	25	0	top 90%	2016-04-29

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

On the trail 10.5 yrs 2015-04-24 → 2025-11-05

Busiest season 2018 5 contests

Contests a season 2.3 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in KS 11 of 16 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 12 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 15 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 165.55 · weakest Brisket (159.27)

Walk rate 38% a top-10 call in 6 of 16 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 16 contests

Master average 639.27 out of 720 · 14 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 1,107 682–1,111 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 615 16 mapped stops · furthest 75 mi

Schedule strength 1580 average field rating faced — tougher than 64% of rated contests

Purse competed for $209,660 listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 8 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 3.2 yrs 2021-04-09 → 2024-06-14

Power rating 1482 peak 1482 · #4043 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
Apr 24 First tracked contest Smokin' in the Ville
2018
May 19 First call *Tasty Expo BBQ Battle of the Grill (BACKYARD ONLY)
Jul 27 First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.4112 *Racing for the BBQ
2019
Apr 12 Career-best single call (Pork)176.5944 The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake
Jul 5 10th tracked contest Johnson County BBQ Challenge
Sep 12 Career-best overall score669.7604 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
Sep 12 Peak power rating (1494) 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
2025
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
+7.7	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST	2019-09-12
+7.2	Johnson County BBQ Challenge	2019-07-05
+4.5	*Racing for the BBQ	2018-07-27
+4.1	*Smoking in the Golden Valley	2018-09-28
+2.8	Hog Wild West BBQ Contest	2018-09-07

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.7	Smokin' in the Ville	2015-04-24
-10.9	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake	2019-04-12
-7.7	Smokin' in the Ville	2016-04-29
-6.7	Smoke in the Spring	2021-04-09
-3.2	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	0%	top 69%	92.2%	92.2%
2024	3	0%	top 69%	92.8%	92.1%
2021	1	0%	top 79%	90.4%	90.4%
2019	4	75%	top 58%	93%	84.3%
2018	5	60%	top 53%	91.4%	90.8%
2016	1	0%	top 83%	85.4%	85.4%
2015	1	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
2025-11-05	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)
2024-10-30	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
2024-10-30	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)
2024-06-14	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)
2021-04-09	Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS	83 / 105 (651.2340)	100 (155.9312)	26 (173.1200)	96 (156.5028)	71 (165.6800)
2019-09-12	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)
2019-07-05	Johnson County BBQ Challenge 🏅 Warrensburg, MO	17 / 37 (669.6456)	18 (168.5828)	28 (159.9428)	8 (170.8228)	9 (170.2972)
2019-05-03	Brew, Blue & Bar-B-Q 🏅 Lansing, KS	25 / 37 (652.4800)	17 (166.8344)	31 (158.2972)	7 (170.2628)	30 (157.0856)
2019-04-12	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake 🏅 Smithville, MO	52 / 54 (499.4860)	—	20 (166.8916)	5 (176.5944)	39 (156.0000)
2018-09-28	*Smoking in the Golden Valley Clinton, MO	12 / 25 (658.1596)	12 (163.9540)	3 (167.4172)	8 (166.2400)	16 (160.5484)
2018-09-07	Hog Wild West BBQ Contest Leavenworth, KS	13 / 25 (652.9596)	19 (159.9312)	8 (170.2972)	12 (165.6800)	14 (157.0512)
2018-08-10	*Smokin Trackside BBQ Bash Winston, MO	17 / 25 (656.4456)	15 (166.2628)	13 (166.2400)	15 (163.9428)	20 (160.0000)
2018-07-27	*Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	29 / 66 (648.4112)	44 (157.0512)	24 (165.6800)	27 (165.1428)	27 (160.5372)
2018-05-19	*Tasty Expo BBQ Battle of the Grill (BACKYARD ONLY) Overland Park, KS	—	6 (164.0000)	2 (172.5828)	—	—
2016-04-29	Smokin' in the Ville Edwardsville, KS	25 / 30 (614.6856)	17 (165.1544)	21 (159.3828)	29 (149.0740)	30 (141.0744)
2015-04-24	Smokin' in the Ville Edwardsville, KS	28 / 29 (587.1312)	29 (150.2056)	28 (138.8000)	27 (153.6456)	26 (144.4800)

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
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)