Their season
2013
their best year
2013 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 43%.
- 3 contests
- 0 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 43%
Firehouse BBQ
Firehouse BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 19th of 23 at the Florida Heritage BBQ Classic (2015). They are ranked #4933 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “FireHouse, BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1464
peak 1506 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Jan 25, 2013
latest Aug 5, 2023 · 10.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 13 contests
Avg finish
top 75%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
618.31 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 622.78 (-4.47)
Walk rate
8%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±31.66
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 158.97 · weakest Brisket (154.75)
Road miles
8,969
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 1,421 mi
Schedule strength
28%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1538)
Purse competed for
$15K
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
622.78 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Firehouse BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
133 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,939 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1464
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Firehouse BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Firehouse BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,921 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1464
Fewer contests behind them than Firehouse BBQ has cooked, 6 to 13, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#4,924 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1464
Level with Firehouse BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,930 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1503
They've been 1503 at their best, 39 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#4,950 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1464
Fewer contests behind them than Firehouse BBQ has cooked, 6 to 13, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#4,938 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1464
They turned up 6 years after Firehouse BBQ did, first appearing in 2019.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.6916 | 139.3712 | 158.18 | top 68% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8688 | 134.2516 | 157.64 | top 64% |
| Pork | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.3200 | 150.8344 | 158.97 | top 67% |
| Brisket | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.5716 | 127.9544 | 154.75 | top 62% |
“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) | 4 | 0 | top 91% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 43% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
3 contests
Contests a season
2.2
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
4 of 13 contests · 6 states in all
Contests visited
6
a different one every time
Opponents faced
234
finished ahead 92 times, behind 161
Longest layoff
7.2 yrs
Jun 3, 2016 → Aug 5, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)
20231 milestone
- 10th tracked contest East Helena Smoke Show
20152 milestones
- First call Florida Heritage BBQ Classic
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)170.8688 Florida Heritage BBQ Classic
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.7260 Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off
- Career-best overall score653.7260 Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off
- Peak power rating (1506) Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +5.2 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 25, 2013 |
| +1 | Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off | Sep 19, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.4 | Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-Eye Steak Cookoff Challenge | Aug 30, 2014 |
| -11.3 | East Helena Smoke Show | Aug 5, 2023 |
| -11.3 | 22nd Annual State Barbeque Championship of Nebraska | Aug 15, 2014 |
| -8.1 | Florida Heritage BBQ Classic | Mar 26, 2015 |
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 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 96% | 78.9% | 78.9% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 83% | 90.3% | 90.3% |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 86.8% | 84.7% |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 43% | 90.8% | 90.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cleveland, AL | — | 18 (169.6916) | — | — | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT PORK) Cleveland, AL | — | — | — | 23 (153.6228) | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Cleveland, AL | — | — | 16 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Aug 5, 2023 | East Helena Smoke Show 🏅 East Helena, MT | 23 / 24 (567.8396) | 23 (139.3712) | 23 (144.0228) | 18 (156.4912) | 23 (127.9544) |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Up In smoke on the Square Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 5, 2015 | Up In Smoke On The Square Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 26, 2015 | Florida Heritage BBQ Classic Kissimmee, FL | 19 / 23 (650.1488) | 18 (162.8344) | 5 (170.8688) | 23 (153.0628) | 12 (163.3828) |
| Aug 30, 2014 | Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-Eye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE | 28 / 29 (594.8004) | 28 (146.2628) | 29 (134.2516) | 28 (150.8344) | 13 (163.4516) |
| Aug 22, 2014 | Up In Smoke On The Square Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 15, 2014 | 22nd Annual State Barbeque Championship of Nebraska LaPlatte, NE | 34 / 38 (625.0404) | 29 (157.6916) | 18 (162.2972) | 31 (158.2628) | 33 (146.7888) |
| Nov 7, 2013 | World Food Championships - World Barbecue Championship (Competitor's Series) Las Vegas, NV | — | — | 47 (162.2512) | 25 (165.7028) | 29 (164.5716) |
| Sep 19, 2013 | Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off Murphysboro, IL | 39 / 76 (653.7260) | 37 (164.5716) | 47 (160.5944) | 18 (170.3200) | 53 (158.2400) |
| Jan 25, 2013 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 24 / 70 (645.1430) | 12 (166.8572) | 38 (156) | 19 (163.4286) | 30 (158.8572) |