High-water mark
672.4112
career-best overall
93.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 672.4112 at 35th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out — 93.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Sep 15, 2023
Absolute Bull
Absolute Bull is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 13th of 22 at the Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ (2023). They are ranked #5404 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1454
peak 1454 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Jun 9, 2023
latest Jul 10, 2026 · 3.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 78%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
654.23 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 654.75 (-0.52)
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±16.58
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.61 · weakest Brisket (161.73)
Road miles
612
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 204 mi
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$52K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
654.75 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Absolute Bull, each with one reason worth a look.
126 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,413 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1453
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Absolute Bull)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Absolute Bull has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,409 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1453
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,425 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1453
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,403 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Absolute Bull's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,408 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1453
They were already cooking in 2017, 6 years before Absolute Bull's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#5,382 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1454
Level with Absolute Bull on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambition Que | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Damn Fine Beef & Swine | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 151.9200 | 165.61 | top 61% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8456 | 157.1088 | 162.44 | top 75% |
| Pork | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 155.9200 | 164.97 | top 69% |
| Brisket | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 147.3600 | 161.73 | top 69% |
“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) | 7 | 0 | top 76% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 85% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 82% | Jul 10, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
3 contests
Contests a season
2.3
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MO
6 of 9 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
8
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
232
finished ahead 62 times, behind 273
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1)
20241 milestone
- Career-best single call (Brisket)174.2628 36th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out
20235 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest
- First call Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.7200 Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ
- Career-best overall score672.4112 35th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out
- Peak power rating (1488) 35th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +1.2 | Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ | Jun 30, 2023 |
| +0.7 | 35th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out | Sep 15, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.9 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest | Jun 9, 2023 |
| -9 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) | Jul 10, 2026 |
| -8.3 | East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship | Aug 23, 2024 |
| -7.5 | 37th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out | Sep 19, 2025 |
| -5.5 | Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest | Apr 26, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 92% | 91.2% | 91.2% |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 93.3% | 92.1% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 78% | 92.3% | 89.9% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 73% | 93.4% | 91.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2026 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) 🏅 Cameron, MO | 34 / 37 (656.4576) | 19 (172.0116) | 35 (161.6800) | 24 (169.6916) | 36 (153.0744) |
| Sep 19, 2025 | 37th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out 🏅 Kearney, MO | 26 / 30 (654.6400) | 15 (168.5372) | 25 (158.2172) | 26 (160.5028) | 20 (167.3828) |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Cameron, MO | 26 / 36 (671.8856) | 22 (169.1200) | 32 (161.6800) | 17 (171.4172) | 12 (169.6684) |
| Sep 20, 2024 | 36th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out 🏅 Kearney, MO | 20 / 32 (664.4000) | 14 (171.9772) | 24 (162.2400) | 30 (155.9200) | 9 (174.2628) |
| Aug 23, 2024 | East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship 🏅 Paola, KS | 38 / 42 (623.7600) | 39 (154.1940) | 38 (157.1088) | 40 (157.0856) | 31 (155.3716) |
| Apr 26, 2024 | Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO | 35 / 44 (653.5544) | 42 (151.9200) | 18 (170.8456) | 35 (163.9544) | 27 (166.8344) |
| Sep 15, 2023 | 35th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out 🏅 Kearney, MO | 16 / 26 (672.4112) | 6 (173.1200) | 19 (163.3828) | 13 (169.6800) | 19 (166.2284) |
| Jun 30, 2023 | Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ 🏅 Council Bluffs, IA | 13 / 22 (666.7200) | 8 (170.2744) | 8 (169.1200) | 6 (171.9772) | 20 (155.3484) |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 31 / 32 (628.9028) | 31 (159.3600) | 30 (157.6456) | 24 (164.5372) | 32 (147.3600) |