BBQ Bandits

BBQ Bandits is a competition barbecue team with 31 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 26 at the Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off (2013). They are ranked #6451 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#6,451

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1359

peak 1514 · rated over 25 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 26, 2013

latest Aug 16, 2025 · 12.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#505

Master 2022 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

3% of 31 contests

Avg finish

top 83%

overall standings

Best overall

665.6800 / 720

Master · Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off

Perfect 180s

Current form

643.18 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 630.67 (+12.51)

Walk rate

19%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Pork Ribs · Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off

Consistency

±21.35

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 160.67 · weakest Brisket (155.40)

Road miles

27,754

across 31 mapped stops · furthest 3,502 mi

Schedule strength

38%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1550)

Purse competed for

$101K

listed at 20 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 20 state-championship entries

Master avg

630.67 / 720

25 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (10 found in their record)

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

A multi-meat day

1 contest with 2+ category wins

They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off (Jul 26, 2013).

Pork Ribs 1st
Pork 1st

High-water mark

665.6800 career-best overall

92.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 665.6800 at Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off — 92.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 26, 2013

A tough matchup

18–0 behind in the head-to-head

ELJEFE SMOKE ahead in 100% of their meetings

ELJEFE SMOKE has come out ahead in 18 of their 18 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.3 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.26 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 4% of the time against 4%.

Brisket avg 155.40
Chicken avg 160.67
1 call in 25 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Professor Smoke in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The comeback

4.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 4.9 years, then back at Kora Kare For Kids Shriner's Ride-In and BBQ Competition (Aug 20, 2021).

last seen Sep 24, 2016
back Aug 20, 2021

Chicken nemesis

17 of 18 shared chicken entries lost

ELJEFE SMOKE ahead 94% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, ELJEFE SMOKE has out-cooked them in 17 of 18 shared chicken entries.

Show 3 more storylines

Announced themselves early

3rd at their very first contest

Finished 3 of 26 at their very first tracked contest, Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off (Jul 26, 2013).

Jul 26, 2013
26-team field

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Mullen It Over BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The long haul

27,754 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 27,754 miles across 31 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 3,502 miles to Gruenenwalds BBQ Battle.

31 mapped stops
furthest 3,502 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
2025 ↗	Master	#551 (306 pts)	#561 (356 pts)	#485 (472 pts)	#528 (356 pts)	#567 (311 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#1182 (60 pts)	#1228 (65 pts)	#1317 (60 pts)	#1231 (60 pts)	#1204 (60 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#513 (365 pts)	#482 (445 pts)	#364 (696 pts)	#523 (380 pts)	#438 (460 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#505 (408 pts)	#539 (403 pts)	#525 (463 pts)	#500 (448 pts)	#487 (463 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#1579 (51 pts)	#872 (156 pts)	#1614 (51 pts)	#1574 (51 pts)	#1566 (51 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1179 (226 pts)	#1907 (101 pts)	#1101 (276 pts)	#1099 (276 pts)	#1826 (111 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

BBQBrewCrew

#6,452 of the rated field

1358 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1503

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to BBQ Bandits)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BBQ Bandits has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 24 contests
last seen Oct 25, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

MOSSY ROCK BBQ

#6,453 of the rated field

1358 ▼ 2 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1358

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 27 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 27 contests
last seen Sep 13, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

Junk Yard Hog

#6,450 of the rated field

1362 ▲ 2 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1362

Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 4 years before BBQ Bandits's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 20 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Wiggle Butts BBQ

#6,454 of the rated field

1356 ▼ 3 power rating

Contests: 50
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 2%
Peak: 1356

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 50 contests to 31.

rated over 50 contests
last seen Jul 9, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

ACME BBQ

#6,449 of the rated field

1363 ▲ 3 power rating

Contests: 79
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1531

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

rated over 79 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Mark's Meats and Treats

#6,447 of the rated field

1364 ▲ 4 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1364

They turned up 9 years after BBQ Bandits did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 23 contests
last seen May 30, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
ELJEFE SMOKE	18	0	18	0%	⚔ compare
FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY	18	0	18	0%	⚔ compare
PADDY MCQ'S	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
Mullen It Over BBQ	15	3	12	20%	⚔ compare
Let It Smoke Barbecue	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
Up-2 BBQ	15	0	15	0%	⚔ compare
FOUR SMOKING GUYS	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
Matt's Backyard BBQ	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
CIDER BOYS BBQ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
CycloneBBQ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
HOG WASH BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
Live Q or Die	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
SUWHEE Q	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	25	1	0	0	171.4400	141.1084	160.67	top 72%
Pork Ribs	31	4	1	1	179.4400	133.6344	158.61	top 75%
Pork	25	2	1	1	176	129.6460	157.05	top 77%
Brisket	25	1	0	0	169.1316	140.5716	155.40	top 75%

“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)	2	top 88%
Medium (20–39)	15	top 82%
Large (40+)	8	top 85%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MA	6	top 89%
ME	5	top 93%
CT	3	top 78%
NH	3	top 86%
VT	2	top 83%
DE	1	top 100%
TX	1	top 80%
EU	1	top 72%
CA	1	top 12%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2)	3	24	top 78%	Apr 12, 2025
Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	3	29	top 86%	Jun 1, 2024
Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)	3	28	top 91%	Sep 23, 2023
Massachusetts in May (Day 2)	2	21	top 85%	May 17, 2025
Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)	2	16	top 83%	Sep 17, 2022

More numbers

Busiest season 2023 9 contests

Contests a season 3.4 across 9 seasons in the data

Most contests held in ME 8 of 31 contests · 9 states in all

Contests visited 17 5 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 31 entries · 1 win · 4 calls

Opponents faced 385 finished ahead 146 times, behind 728

Longest layoff 4.9 yrs Sep 24, 2016 → Aug 20, 2021

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

20252 milestones

Apr 11 25th tracked contest Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1)
Aug 16 Most recent contest Kora Kares for Kids

20221 milestone

Aug 27 10th tracked contest Kora Shriner's BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS)

201310 milestones

Jul 26 First tracked contest Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
Jul 26 First call Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
Jul 26 First category win (Pork Ribs) Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
Jul 26 First overall top-10 Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
Jul 26 First overall podium Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
Jul 26 First multi-meat day Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
Jul 26 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.6800 Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
Jul 26 Career-best overall score665.6800 Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
Jul 26 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)179.4400 Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
Jul 26 Peak power rating (1514) Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.9	Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off	Jul 26, 2013

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.4	3rd Ruhrpott BBQ 2016	Sep 24, 2016
-11.7	Kora Kare For Kids Shriner's Ride-In and BBQ Competition	Aug 20, 2021
-10.3	Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Jun 4, 2022
-9.9	Kora Shriner's BBQ Competition	Aug 27, 2022
-8.6	Bynum School's Best of the Basin	Apr 22, 2016

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2025	7	0	0	14%	top 86%	90.8%	89.3%
2024	1	0	0	0%	top 78%	90.2%	90.2%
2023	9	0	0	11%	top 86%	91.3%	89.1%
2022	7	0	0	14%	top 88%	88.7%	87.2%
2021	2	0	0	100%	top 94%	86.1%	85.2%
2016	2	0	0	0%	top 90%	83.2%	81.5%
2015	1	0	0	0%	top 78%	84.8%	84.8%
2014	1	0	0	0%	top 72%	84.6%	84.6%
2013	1	1	2	100%	top 12%	92.5%	92.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 16, 2025	Kora Kares for Kids 🏅 Hiram, ME	39 / 40 (623.2456)	39 (158.2400)	38 (154.2744)	38 (147.9544)	32 (162.7768)
Aug 16, 2025	Kora Kares for Kids (ONE MEAT RIBS) Hiram, ME	—	—	29 (162.2516)	—	—
May 17, 2025	Massachusetts in May (Day 2) 🏅 Wrentham, MA	27 / 29 (640.4228)	23 (165.1316)	26 (160.5256)	28 (159.9656)	25 (154.8000)
May 16, 2025	Massachusetts in May (Day 1) 🏅 Wrentham, MA	21 / 27 (653.5772)	21 (159.9428)	19 (165.6916)	10 (167.4056)	20 (160.5372)
Apr 12, 2025	Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Bristol, CT	29 / 35 (651.8976)	25 (167.4056)	26 (164.5488)	31 (159.9888)	27 (159.9544)
Apr 12, 2025	Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT	—	—	14 (167.4288)	—	—
Apr 11, 2025	Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) 🏅 Bristol, CT	24 / 30 (646.7548)	16 (169.1200)	25 (160.5488)	25 (161.6800)	24 (155.4060)
Jun 1, 2024	Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Merrimack, NH	29 / 37 (649.6800)	24 (166.2628)	27 (163.9772)	28 (164)	31 (155.4400)
Sep 23, 2023	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Southwick, MA	40 / 42 (630.1140)	40 (154.8228)	40 (155.9428)	34 (161.1428)	36 (158.2056)
Sep 23, 2023	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) 🏅 Southwick, MA	—	—	13 (164.5140)	—	—
Sep 22, 2023	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Southwick, MA	28 / 31 (650.1600)	26 (165.6684)	31 (153.7032)	27 (161.6568)	11 (169.1316)
Aug 19, 2023	Kora Shriners BBQ Competition 🏅 Hiram, ME	39 / 46 (641.6800)	15 (171.4400)	45 (153.1316)	24 (167.4056)	44 (149.7028)
Aug 19, 2023	Kora Shriners BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) Hiram, ME	—	—	32 (143.3716)	—	—
Jun 3, 2023	Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Merrimack, NH	33 / 39 (639.8628)	19 (168.5372)	34 (157.7028)	28 (161.6456)	35 (151.9772)
May 20, 2023	Somerset Sizzle 🏅 Somerset, MA	21 / 24 (630.2284)	21 (155.3828)	20 (157.7144)	19 (158.8228)	16 (158.3084)
Apr 15, 2023	Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Bristol, CT	31 / 43 (657.6572)	32 (165.1428)	20 (168.0116)	36 (160.5372)	26 (163.9656)
Apr 15, 2023	Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT	—	—	8 (170.2972)	—	—
Oct 1, 2022	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Southwick, MA	29 / 33 (628.4688)	24 (161.7028)	31 (155.3600)	24 (156.5372)	24 (154.8688)
Sep 17, 2022	Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Braintree, VT	20 / 26 (637.5316)	21 (158.8000)	15 (165.0972)	15 (164.5372)	25 (149.0972)
Sep 16, 2022	Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Braintree, VT	16 / 18 (638.7088)	16 (157.0972)	13 (162.8344)	13 (162.2628)	16 (156.5144)
Aug 27, 2022	Kora Shriner's BBQ Competition 🏅 Hiram, ME	30 / 31 (628.5144)	28 (160.0344)	23 (159.3712)	30 (146.2400)	14 (162.8688)
Aug 27, 2022	Kora Shriner's BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) Hiram, ME	—	—	6 (170.2972)	—	—
Jun 25, 2022	Second Annual Central Maine BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Skowhegan, ME	21 / 25 (637.0512)	22 (162.7884)	20 (160)	22 (153.6800)	17 (160.5828)
Jun 4, 2022	Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Merrimack, NH	35 / 37 (595.8628)	30 (156.0228)	37 (133.6344)	32 (158.2628)	33 (147.9428)
Oct 2, 2021	Gruenenwalds BBQ Battle Bremen	14 / 16 (619.9432)	15 (153.6800)	8 (160.5716)	16 (148.5944)	9 (157.0972)
Aug 20, 2021	Kora Kare For Kids Shriner's Ride-In and BBQ Competition 🏅 Hiram, ME	26 / 26 (606.8000)	7 (170.8572)	26 (148.5600)	26 (141.1084)	26 (146.2744)
Sep 24, 2016	3rd Ruhrpott BBQ 2016 Waltrop NRW, DE	67 / 67 (574.2060)	66 (143.3712)	34 (160.6172)	67 (129.6460)	64 (140.5716)
Apr 22, 2016	Bynum School's Best of the Basin Midland, TX	37 / 46 (599.2796)	42 (141.1084)	39 (145.6572)	33 (155.3828)	25 (157.1312)
Sep 25, 2015	2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015 Herten, NRW	52 / 67 (610.3548)	18 (166.8916)	63 (141.1428)	29 (160.6288)	61 (141.6916)
Oct 10, 2014	Ruhrpott BBQ Gelsenkirchen, Germany, EU	42 / 58 (609.1316)	26 (161.7716)	46 (150.8000)	55 (141.1428)	26 (155.4172)
Jul 26, 2013	Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off Montague, CA	3 / 26 (665.6800)	15 (155.4172)	1 (179.4400)	1 (176)	13 (154.8228)

BBQ Bandits

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

Storylines (10 found in their record)

A multi-meat day

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Announced themselves early

Looking over their shoulder

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, 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

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)