Red Beards BBQ

Red Beards BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 37 at the BBQ Boogie & Blues (2022), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #3638 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Red Beard's BBQ”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,638

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1490

peak 1515 · rated over 15 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 21, 2017

latest Sep 4, 2026 · 9.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#504

Master 2025 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

13% of 16 contests

Avg finish

top 62%

overall standings

Best overall

691.4744 / 720

Master · Meat & Tater BBQ Fest

Perfect 180s

Current form

676.15 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 659.15 (+17.00)

Walk rate

50%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Pork Ribs · GMG NorUt State BBQ Championship

Consistency

±55.46

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 169.08 · weakest Brisket (165.48)

Road miles

6,966

across 16 mapped stops · furthest 2,077 mi

Schedule strength

68%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1585)

Purse competed for

$179K

listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 14 state-championship entries

Master avg

659.15 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

297.61 / 360

2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Backyard (3-meat) avg

494.17 / 540

2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

Storylines (10 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

High-water mark

691.4744 career-best overall

96.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 691.4744 at Meat & Tater BBQ Fest — 96.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 4, 2026

Their season

2022 their best year

2022 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 42%.

4 contests
1 overall top-10
1 category win
average top 42%

A tough matchup

8–1 behind in the head-to-head

CROOKED PIGS ahead in 89% of their meetings

CROOKED PIGS has come out ahead in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of That's All Smoke in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The comeback

4.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 4.8 years, then back at New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Apr 23, 2022).

last seen Jul 21, 2017
back Apr 23, 2022

Pork nemesis

7 of 8 shared pork entries lost

SLINGIN MEATS ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SLINGIN MEATS has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Tuffy's BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Show 3 more storylines

Boom or bust

±7.41% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±7.41% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 90.4% of a perfect score
best 96.0%

A June team

Top 53% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 53% across 5 contests, versus top 62% the rest of the year.

5 June contests
top 62% the rest of the year

The long haul

6,966 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,966 miles across 16 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 2,077 miles to Red White & Que: Day 1 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES.

16 mapped stops
furthest 2,077 mi

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	#1029 (70 pts)	#1141 (60 pts)	#613 (320 pts)	#863 (120 pts)	#965 (110 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#504 (366 pts)	#549 (371 pts)	#469 (496 pts)	#442 (476 pts)	#500 (391 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#705 (212 pts)	#771 (202 pts)	#802 (207 pts)	#762 (202 pts)	#640 (277 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#801 (171 pts)	#811 (191 pts)	#787 (241 pts)	#788 (186 pts)	#894 (156 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Red Beards BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

157 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

DOWNHOME COOKIN & BBQ

#3,619 of the rated field

1491 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1514

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Red Beards BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 15 contests

⚔ Compare careers

THE SAUCE & ALL THAT GOES WITH IT

#3,654 of the rated field

1490 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1512

Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Oct 12, 2018

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BURNIN BENJAMINS

#3,618 of the rated field

1491 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1509

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2021

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GRILLSPITZ BBQ HUNTERS

#3,651 of the rated field

1490 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1490

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 17 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Oct 5, 2019

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2 SONS AND THE BIG GUY

#3,613 of the rated field

1491 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1515

Level with Red Beards BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 17 contests
last seen May 19, 2017

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Reservoir Hogs

#3,642 of the rated field

1490 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1501

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Sep 19, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
CROOKED PIGS	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
1 Bite BBQ	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
SinBin BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
SLINGIN MEATS	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
Tuffy's BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
Small Axe BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
Wild West BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
RJs Smokehouse	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Bearded Boar BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Bourbon & Blues BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
GIRLS CAN GRILL	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
Texas Smoke Whisperer	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	15	2	1	1	176.5600	148.5140	165.80	top 61%
Pork Ribs	15	7	0	2	178.8572	137.0400	166.33	top 51%
Pork	13	1	0	1	174.2972	153.6688	169.08	top 55%
Brisket	11	1	0	0	173.7256	149.6916	165.48	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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 63%
Medium (20–39)	12	top 66%
Large (40+)	2	top 38%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
ID	4	top 53%
UT	3	top 70%
OR	2	top 77%
NJ	2	top 56%
GA	2	top 29%
WA	1	top 100%
IN	1	top 84%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke-N-Wings	2	14	0	top 50%	Jun 27, 2025
The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2)	2	16	0	top 77%	May 31, 2025

More numbers

Busiest season 2025 5 contests

Contests a season 2.7 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in ID 5 of 16 contests · 7 states in all

Contests visited 13 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 328 finished ahead 214 times, behind 308

Longest layoff 4.8 yrs Jul 21, 2017 → Apr 23, 2022

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20262 milestones

Sep 4 Career-best overall score691.4744 Meat & Tater BBQ Fest
Sep 4 Most recent contest Meat & Tater BBQ Fest

20251 milestone

May 30 10th tracked contest The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1)

20231 milestone

Jun 9 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 GMG NorUt State BBQ Championship

20226 milestones

Apr 23 First call New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
Apr 29 First category win (Chicken) BBQ Boogie & Blues
Apr 29 First overall top-10 BBQ Boogie & Blues
Apr 29 First overall podium BBQ Boogie & Blues
Apr 29 First Reserve Championship BBQ Boogie & Blues
Apr 29 Peak power rating (1515) BBQ Boogie & Blues

20172 milestones

Jul 21 First tracked contest Smoke on the Square
Jul 21 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.6688 Smoke on the Square

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.6	BBQ Boogie & Blues	Apr 29, 2022
+8.1	Meat & Tater BBQ Fest	Sep 4, 2026
+5.5	Smoke-N-Wings	Jun 28, 2024
+4.7	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Apr 23, 2022
+4.1	Pitmaster's NorUt State BBQ Championship	Jun 21, 2024

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15.1	DuPont-Hudson's Bay BBQ Competition	Aug 19, 2023
-11.7	The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2)	May 31, 2025
-10	Blaze of 47	Jul 18, 2025
-9.3	Red White & Que: Day 1 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Oct 21, 2022
-5.9	Smoke on the Square	Jul 21, 2017

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	2	0	0	50%	top 44%	96%	96%
2025	5	0	0	40%	top 74%	95%	93.4%
2024	2	0	0	50%	top 51%	95%	94.8%
2023	2	1	0	50%	top 81%	95.3%	81.5%
2022	4	1	1	75%	top 42%	94.7%	87.1%
2017	1	0	0	0%	top 84%	91.3%	91.3%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 4, 2026	Meat & Tater BBQ Fest 🏅 Meridian, ID	23 / 52 (691.4744)	44 (165.1544)	2 (178.2972)	13 (174.2972)	15 (173.7256)
Sep 4, 2026	Meat & Tater BBQ Fest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Meridian, ID	—	—	29 (166.2400)	—	—
Aug 29, 2025	Meat & Tater BBQ Fest 🏅 Meridian, ID	27 / 39 (677.0628)	30 (168.5256)	32 (162.8344)	13 (173.7028)	13 (172)
Jul 18, 2025	Blaze of 47 🏅 Salt Lake City, UT	25 / 26 (669.0400)	23 (164.5600)	9 (174.8572)	22 (169.6684)	25 (159.9544)
Jun 27, 2025	Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID	16 / 32 (683.9088)	16 (168.5256)	8 (175.4172)	16 (171.4288)	23 (168.5372)
May 31, 2025	The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2) 🏅 Sweet Home, OR	28 / 28 (659.2684)	21 (169.1200)	24 (166.8228)	20 (169.7028)	28 (153.6228)
May 30, 2025	The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1) 🏅 Sweet Home, OR	16 / 30 (673.5772)	21 (167.3944)	18 (169.1200)	14 (169.6800)	16 (167.3828)
Jun 28, 2024	Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID	14 / 28 (681.6688)	16 (169.7028)	10 (173.1316)	20 (166.2516)	6 (172.5828)
Jun 21, 2024	Pitmaster's NorUt State BBQ Championship 🏅 Ogden, UT	15 / 29 (683.9084)	15 (174.2744)	20 (168.5256)	11 (173.1084)	14 (168)
Aug 19, 2023	DuPont-Hudson's Bay BBQ Competition 🏅 DuPont, WA	30 / 30 (486.8228)	19 (168.5256)	—	18 (168.6056)	30 (149.6916)
Jun 9, 2023	GMG NorUt State BBQ Championship 🏅 Ogden, UT	10 / 16 (686.2284)	12 (170.8456)	2 (178.8572)	14 (170.2628)	13 (166.2628)
Oct 21, 2022	Red White & Que: Day 1 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	23 / 29 (287.8400)	23 (150.8000)	24 (137.0400)	—	—
Jun 3, 2022	Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA	13 / 25 (476.9716)	7 (163.9428)	14 (159.3600)	16 (153.6688)	—
Apr 29, 2022	BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA	2 / 37 (511.3600)	1 (176.5600)	10 (162.8000)	3 (172)	—
Apr 23, 2022	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	13 / 41 (307.3712)	13 (148.5140)	10 (158.8572)	—	—
Jul 21, 2017	Smoke on the Square Vernon, IN	21 / 25 (657.6688)	21 (160.5600)	20 (162.8460)	20 (165.7028)	12 (168.5600)

Red Beards BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Backyard (3-meat) avg

Storylines (10 found in their record)

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

Boom or bust

A June team

The long haul

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)