They almost always walk
67%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 26 of 39 contests
A top-10 category call in 67% of their 39 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
Kalamazoo Pit Posse
Kalamazoo Pit Posse is a competition barbecue team with 39 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 24 at The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com (2017). They are ranked #3133 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1502
peak 1580 · rated over 38 contests
Contests
39
in the data
First seen
May 24, 2013
latest Sep 11, 2026 · 13.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
3
12 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
10% of 39 contests
Avg finish
top 54%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
658.04 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 652.17 (+5.87)
Walk rate
67%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.84
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 164.87 · weakest Brisket (161.64)
Road miles
5,982
across 39 mapped stops · furthest 575 mi
Schedule strength
53%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1568)
Purse competed for
$46K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
652.17 / 720
38 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #888 (111 pts) | #829 (146 pts) | #937 (126 pts) | #956 (96 pts) | #934 (101 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1001 (101 pts) | #1175 (71 pts) | #814 (201 pts) | #1055 (101 pts) | #1007 (111 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1067 (88 pts) | #871 (158 pts) | #990 (128 pts) | #1136 (83 pts) | #1055 (98 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #793 (167 pts) | #629 (267 pts) | #787 (202 pts) | #772 (182 pts) | #806 (177 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #757 (433 pts) | #364 (953 pts) | #871 (393 pts) | #863 (383 pts) | #608 (603 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #677 (571 pts) | #477 (811 pts) | #897 (436 pts) | #884 (441 pts) | #594 (661 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1110 (262 pts) | #1512 (177 pts) | #943 (372 pts) | #828 (437 pts) | #1266 (232 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #804 (423 pts) | #820 (443 pts) | #620 (618 pts) | #804 (463 pts) | #959 (348 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #571 (544 pts) | #883 (364 pts) | #691 (479 pts) | #412 (779 pts) | #557 (574 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Kalamazoo Pit Posse, each with one reason worth a look.
112 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,127 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1524
8–1 in 9 shared contests (89% to Kalamazoo Pit Posse)
These two have cooked 9 of the same contests — Kalamazoo Pit Posse ahead 8–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,130 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1533
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Kalamazoo Pit Posse)
They've been 1533 at their best, 30 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,122 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1517
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Kalamazoo Pit Posse)
Fewer contests behind them than Kalamazoo Pit Posse has cooked, 7 to 39, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,141 of the rated field
- Contests
- 34
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 15%
- Peak
- 1509
34 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 15% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#3,126 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 15%
- Peak
- 1547
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Kalamazoo Pit Posse's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,121 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1528
Level with Kalamazoo Pit Posse 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac Attack BBQ | 26 | 8 | 18 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| iBQ'n | 24 | 1 | 23 | 4% | ⚔ compare |
| THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | 24 | 1 | 23 | 4% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG BROTHERS BBQ | 23 | 1 | 22 | 4% | ⚔ compare |
| AWW HELL | 21 | 5 | 16 | 24% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG "E" BBQ | 16 | 2 | 14 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| RACK MASTERS BBQ | 14 | 6 | 8 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| PapaDads BBQ | 14 | 5 | 9 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' IN THE D | 14 | 5 | 9 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| FIREHOUSE SMOKE | 14 | 4 | 10 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| QUAU | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ | 13 | 8 | 5 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| BONEHEAD BBQ | 12 | 7 | 5 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| CANCERSUCKSCHICAGO.COM | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 38 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 179.4400 | 149.6800 | 164.87 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 39 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 175.4172 | 146.2172 | 161.91 | top 53% |
| Pork | 38 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 175.4172 | 151.4172 | 164.02 | top 49% |
| Brisket | 38 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 176.0344 | 140.5028 | 161.64 | top 52% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 79% |
| Medium (20–39) | 18 | 0 | top 50% |
| Large (40+) | 18 | 0 | top 55% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2) | 4 | 32 | 0 | top 67% | May 26, 2018 |
| September Fest | 3 | 11 | 0 | top 72% | Sep 11, 2026 |
| Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival | 3 | 13 | 0 | top 38% | Sep 11, 2015 |
| Bordertown BBQ Brawl | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 76% | Jul 16, 2021 |
| The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 42% | Sep 21, 2018 |
| Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 52% | Sep 1, 2017 |
| Red, White and BBQ (Day 2) | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 37% | May 23, 2015 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2018
6 contests
Contests a season
3.5
across 11 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MI
24 of 39 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
27
7 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
39 entries · 1 win · 10 calls
Opponents faced
1,328
finished ahead 1,333 times, behind 1,241
Longest layoff
3 yrs
Sep 10, 2021 → Sep 13, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest September Fest
20181 milestone
- 25th tracked contest RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2)
20174 milestones
- First overall podium The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com
- Career-best overall score692.0572 The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com
- Career-best single call (Chicken)179.4400 The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com
- Peak power rating (1580) The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com
20142 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- 10th tracked contest Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest Westmont Red, White & BBQ
- First call Dam Good BBQ Championship
- First overall top-10 Blues, Brews & Barbecues
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score652.4572 Blues, Brews & Barbecues
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16 | The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com | Sep 22, 2017 |
| +9.5 | Blues, Brews & Barbecues | Aug 23, 2013 |
| +7.7 | Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival | Sep 13, 2013 |
| +7.6 | Jimmy's Roadhouse BBQ Championship | Aug 8, 2014 |
| +7.3 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Jun 26, 2015 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.9 | Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition | Sep 10, 2021 |
| -9.9 | September Fest | Sep 13, 2024 |
| -9.3 | Bordertown BBQ Brawl | Jul 19, 2019 |
| -9.1 | Westmont Red, White & BBQ | May 24, 2013 |
| -9.1 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1 | Jun 22, 2018 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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 | 100% | top 69% | 93.4% | 93.4% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 58% | 93% | 93% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 89% | 90.4% | 90.4% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 71% | 91.6% | 90.1% |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 75% | 92.7% | 89.3% |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 66% | 92.5% | 90% |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 60% | top 47% | 96.1% | 91.2% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 40% | 92.4% | 92.4% |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 83% | top 39% | 92.1% | 91.1% |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 39% | 92.8% | 91.8% |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60% | top 49% | 90.6% | 88.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 11 / 16 (672.4916) | 7 (170.8572) | 9 (170.2972) | 14 (166.2400) | 13 (165.0972) |
| Sep 19, 2025 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 15 / 26 (669.6228) | 21 (161.6800) | 4 (173.1428) | 15 (167.3828) | 13 (167.4172) |
| Sep 13, 2024 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 16 / 18 (650.6740) | 6 (172) | 9 (166.2628) | 17 (151.9200) | 14 (160.4912) |
| Sep 10, 2021 | Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition 🏅 Mears, MI | 19 / 25 (637.5544) | 17 (164.5600) | 14 (163.9772) | 15 (162.2400) | 23 (146.7772) |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Bordertown BBQ Brawl 🏅 Sault Ste Marie, MI | 18 / 27 (659.8512) | 5 (176) | 16 (159.9428) | 19 (157.0628) | 12 (166.8456) |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Bordertown BBQ Brawl - One Meat Rib Contest Sault Ste Marie, MI | — | — | 3 (171.9884) | — | — |
| Sep 20, 2019 | Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com 🏅 Grand Haven, MI | 19 / 28 (667.3144) | 21 (165.6800) | 25 (162.2516) | 9 (170.2628) | 16 (169.1200) |
| Jul 19, 2019 | Bordertown BBQ Brawl 🏅 Sault Ste Marie, MI | 24 / 28 (642.7772) | 7 (171.4056) | 27 (153.6916) | 26 (151.4172) | 13 (166.2628) |
| May 25, 2019 | Red, White, and BBQ- Day 2 🏅 Westmont, IL | 40 / 48 (622.1484) | 19 (166.2512) | 44 (148.5144) | 36 (153.6800) | 39 (153.7028) |
| May 24, 2019 | Red, White, and BBQ Day 1 🏅 Westmont, IL | 26 / 40 (641.0172) | 36 (155.9428) | 26 (159.4172) | 28 (161.1316) | 19 (164.5256) |
| Sep 21, 2018 | The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com Grand Haven, MI | 20 / 28 (647.8400) | 14 (167.9884) | 28 (154.2288) | 21 (160.5028) | 11 (165.1200) |
| Sep 14, 2018 | Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI | 14 / 48 (666.2056) | 3 (176) | 17 (164.5600) | 27 (155.3600) | 7 (170.2856) |
| Jun 23, 2018 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 2 Belvidere, IL | 36 / 44 (639.3260) | 4 (175.4516) | 32 (159.3944) | 23 (163.9772) | 44 (140.5028) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1 Belvidere, IL | 43 / 51 (634.0684) | 11 (172.0116) | 48 (146.2172) | 38 (159.3484) | 44 (156.4912) |
| May 26, 2018 | RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2) Westmont, IL | 40 / 60 (652.4688) | 4 (174.2628) | 51 (151.3944) | 40 (162.8344) | 29 (163.9772) |
| May 25, 2018 | RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1) Westmont, IL | 32 / 49 (648.4916) | 28 (165.1200) | 44 (151.9888) | 26 (162.8228) | 10 (168.5600) |
| Sep 22, 2017 | The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com Grand Haven, MI | 3 / 24 (692.0572) | 1 (179.4400) | 14 (166.8572) | 12 (169.7256) | 2 (176.0344) |
| Sep 1, 2017 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Traverse City, MI | 14 / 27 (657.0512) | 16 (161.0972) | 16 (162.2512) | 11 (165.1200) | 9 (168.5828) |
| Jul 21, 2017 | BBQ & BREWS Birch Run, MI | 13 / 37 (653.0168) | 18 (163.4056) | 14 (161.7028) | 20 (162.2400) | 11 (165.6684) |
| May 27, 2017 | RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2) Westmont, IL | 32 / 59 (650.1600) | 1 (176.0228) | 28 (163.9544) | 32 (163.4172) | 53 (146.7656) |
| May 26, 2017 | RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1) Westmont, IL | 33 / 40 (630.6624) | 32 (157.6684) | 32 (157.0972) | 32 (154.2284) | 20 (161.6684) |
| May 28, 2016 | Red, White & BBQ (Day 2) Westmont, IL | 22 / 55 (665.1200) | 26 (168) | 24 (163.4172) | 3 (173.7372) | 34 (159.9656) |
| Oct 3, 2015 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO | 215 / 606 (662.2284) | 468 (157.1200) | 239 (166.2744) | 98 (170.8456) | 168 (167.9884) |
| Sep 11, 2015 | Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI | 18 / 34 (654.1596) | 17 (165.0856) | 8 (170.8456) | 27 (154.7884) | 13 (163.4400) |
| Aug 28, 2015 | Ribstock II: Ribs & Racing Marne, MI | 12 / 32 (643.3944) | 25 (154.2172) | 16 (158.2744) | 2 (173.1428) | 14 (157.7600) |
| Jul 10, 2015 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Indianapolis, IN | 11 / 28 (663.3600) | 13 (166.8344) | 20 (158.8344) | 12 (167.9656) | 6 (169.7256) |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Ypsilanti, MI | 10 / 30 (651.8624) | 18 (159.9768) | 8 (163.9772) | 3 (169.6800) | 22 (158.2284) |
| May 23, 2015 | Red, White and BBQ (Day 2) Westmont, IL | 21 / 58 (662.2172) | 35 (163.4172) | 4 (172.5828) | 13 (169.1200) | 39 (157.0972) |
| Oct 2, 2014 | 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 253 / 552 (657.0628) | 299 (164.5256) | 453 (154.2744) | 28 (175.4172) | 257 (162.8456) |
| Sep 12, 2014 | Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI | 13 / 43 (666.1828) | 31 (160) | 2 (175.4172) | 15 (168.5256) | 21 (162.2400) |
| Aug 8, 2014 | Jimmy's Roadhouse BBQ Championship Newaygo, MI | 10 / 32 (667.9084) | 9 (170.8456) | 11 (168.5372) | 12 (166.2628) | 17 (162.2628) |
| Jul 25, 2014 | Taste of Grand Rapids 2014 Grand Rapids, MI | 20 / 55 (655.9312) | 13 (166.8456) | 11 (165.6800) | 21 (164.5600) | 28 (158.8456) |
| Jul 4, 2014 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Traverse City, MI | 11 / 21 (656.5368) | 16 (157.7028) | 1 (174.2972) | 5 (167.4400) | 14 (157.0968) |
| May 24, 2014 | Red, White, And BBQ Westmont, IL | 27 / 72 (660.4800) | 46 (161.6800) | 12 (171.4400) | 44 (160.5372) | 15 (166.8228) |
| Sep 13, 2013 | Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI | 14 / 47 (642.1256) | 29 (158.2400) | 35 (151.3828) | 17 (162.8228) | 5 (169.6800) |
| Aug 23, 2013 | Blues, Brews & Barbecues Birch Run, MI | 8 / 31 (652.4572) | 23 (157.6572) | 7 (164.5600) | 2 (173.7028) | 16 (156.5372) |
| Aug 9, 2013 | Dam Good BBQ Championship Newaygo, MI | 16 / 31 (643.2800) | 27 (149.6800) | 15 (161.6800) | 2 (173.1200) | 19 (158.8000) |
| Jun 21, 2013 | 5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off Auburn Hills, MI | 18 / 30 (626.2852) | 17 (157.7144) | 23 (151.4286) | 20 (158.2854) | 13 (158.8568) |
| May 24, 2013 | Westmont Red, White & BBQ Westmont, IL | 56 / 70 (617.1428) | 61 (152.5714) | 53 (152.5714) | 38 (161.7144) | 58 (150.2856) |