High-water mark
677.6684
career-best overall
94.1% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 677.6684 at 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST — 94.1% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Sep 12, 2019
Butts & Guts
Butts & Guts is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 103rd of 468 at the 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST (2019). They are ranked #4776 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1467
peak 1512 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Oct 29, 2016
latest Nov 5, 2025 · 9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 70%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
629.00 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 641.89 (-12.89)
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±19.52
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 168.20 · weakest Brisket (154.81)
Road miles
12
across 8 mapped stops
Schedule strength
68%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1587)
Purse competed for
$335K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
641.89 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Butts & Guts, each with one reason worth a look.
143 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,782 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1467
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Butts & Guts)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Butts & Guts has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,791 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1467
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Butts & Guts)
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 7 years before Butts & Guts's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,752 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1468
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Butts & Guts)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,767 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1468
3–4 in 7 shared contests (43% to Butts & Guts)
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 16 contests to 8.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,778 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1467
Level with Butts & Guts on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,777 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1514
They've been 1514 at their best, 46 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine & Swine | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| ATTITUDES OF SMOKE | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke & Beer BBQ | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| PORK RADIO 810 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Black & Veatch | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Brewski and Barbeque | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| HI-TECH SMOKERS | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| Splitlog Smokers | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Rocks Famous BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Slow & Easy | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Moolicious Intentions | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| On the Dotte Smokers | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Burn Rate! | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| DIXIE MOON | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 175.4400 | 163.3944 | 168.20 | top 45% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.4172 | 146.7656 | 159.60 | top 72% |
| Pork | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 176.0228 | 148.0116 | 159.28 | top 71% |
| Brisket | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 175.4400 | 145.0400 | 154.81 | top 75% |
“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.
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 | 3 | 388 | 0 | top 88% | Sep 27, 2023 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2 | 356 | 0 | top 88% | Nov 5, 2025 |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 8 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
8 of 8 contests
Contests visited
5
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,606
finished ahead 1,043 times, behind 2,741
Longest layoff
2 yrs
Sep 12, 2019 → Sep 16, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
20192 milestones
- Career-best overall score677.6684 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
- Peak power rating (1512) 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
20163 milestones
- First tracked contest 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.6572 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
- Career-best single call (Pork)176.0228 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +8.3 | 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Oct 29, 2016 |
| +6.2 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST | Sep 12, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 27, 2023 |
| -9.8 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST | Sep 16, 2021 |
| -8.7 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST | Sep 29, 2022 |
| -8.1 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Nov 5, 2025 |
| -7.6 | 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 89% | 89% | 89% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 87% | 88.1% | 88.1% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 94% | 85.8% | 85.8% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 88% | 87.5% | 87.5% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 83% | 86.4% | 86.4% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 22% | 94.1% | 94.1% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 67% | 89.8% | 89.8% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 33% | 92.5% | 92.5% |
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 | 356 / 401 (640.9828) | 231 (168.5600) | 391 (146.7656) | 289 (165.1200) | 320 (160.5372) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 385 / 444 (634.1144) | 323 (163.9772) | 326 (164.5256) | 358 (160.5716) | 418 (145.0400) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 458 / 487 (617.5200) | 279 (166.8800) | 466 (150.2172) | 464 (150.7772) | 453 (149.6456) |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 445 / 505 (630.1260) | 350 (163.3944) | 395 (160.5600) | 396 (159.9888) | 472 (146.1828) |
| Sep 16, 2021 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 388 / 467 (622.2520) | 276 (163.4288) | 310 (162.8116) | 432 (148.0116) | 422 (148) |
| Sep 12, 2019 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 103 / 468 (677.6684) | 108 (170.8228) | 170 (167.4172) | 267 (163.9884) | 29 (175.4400) |
| Sep 15, 2018 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 314 / 467 (646.8228) | 33 (175.4400) | 349 (159.9544) | 430 (149.7256) | 279 (161.7028) |
| Oct 29, 2016 | 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 186 / 557 (665.6572) | 59 (173.1200) | 285 (164.5600) | 15 (176.0228) | 446 (151.9544) |