Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
2013 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 74%.
BURNT FINGER BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
BURNT FINGER BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 10.39 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.
Off the trail for 5 years, then back at 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST (2019-09-12).
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.
57 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team L&C Smokin BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir last contest in the data was back in 2022, 3 years before L&C Smokin BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headCareers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-headThis is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-headBoth teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Head-to-headLevel with L&C Smokin BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BURNT FINGER BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN ELVISES | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Wabash BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Flower of the Flames | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| ROADKILL BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Three Brothers Different Mothers | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKERS PURGATORY | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Sons of a Brisket | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Moolicious Intentions | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Theslabs.com | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.5828 | 138.2856 | 155.67 | top 76% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.0344 | 124.4344 | 145.28 | top 86% |
| Pork | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.3316 | 146.2284 | 152.15 | top 81% |
| Brisket | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8572 | 118.2972 | 146.10 | top 77% |
“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.
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out | 2 | 27 | 0 | top 74% | 2014-09-19 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +1.2 | Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out | 2013-09-20 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.5 | Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out | 2014-09-19 |
| -12.7 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open | 2013-10-03 |
| -10.9 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST | 2019-09-12 |
| -9.8 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2025-11-05 |
| -9.6 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2023-09-27 |
| 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 98% | 82.3% | 82.3% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 83.7% | 83.7% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 98% | 79.6% | 79.6% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 98% | 82.9% | 82.9% |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 74% | 89.6% | 84.7% |
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 392 / 401 (592.3660) | 392 (149.1200) | 397 (124.4344) | 393 (147.9544) | 127 (170.8572) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 471 / 487 (602.7540) | 362 (162.8684) | 482 (138.8000) | 474 (146.2284) | 420 (154.8572) |
| 2019-09-12 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 457 / 468 (573.1084) | 360 (158.8456) | 442 (147.4400) | 430 (148.5256) | 464 (118.2972) |
| 2014-09-19 | Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO | 48 / 49 (597.0056) | 40 (158.8684) | 48 (145.6800) | 42 (156.5256) | 48 (135.9316) |
| 2013-10-03 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 503 / 535 (576.0000) | 519 (138.2856) | 418 (150.8572) | 473 (148.0572) | 491 (138.8000) |
| 2013-09-20 | Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO | 27 / 53 (645.1776) | 22 (164.5828) | 24 (164.0344) | 14 (166.3316) | 40 (150.2288) |
| 2013-03-15 | NKC MO State BBQ Championship N. Kansas City, MO | 62 / 79 (608.0002) | 51 (157.1428) | 69 (145.7142) | 61 (151.4288) | 47 (153.7144) |