The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Tom Tom Bob A Que has finished one call ahead of Rub Me Tender BBQ Team 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Rub Me Tender BBQ Team
Rub Me Tender BBQ Team is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 34th of 63 at the New Jersey State Barbecue Championship (2025). They are ranked #4472 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1473
peak 1473 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
Jul 9, 2021
latest Jul 11, 2026 · 5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 69%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
625.89
last 5 Master vs avg 625.94 (-0.06)
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±16.71
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 158.85 · weakest Pork Ribs (150.89)
Road miles
0
across 6 mapped stops
Schedule strength
19%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1526)
Purse competed for
$55K
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
625.94 / 720
6 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 | #1020 (60 pts) | #1093 (60 pts) | #1161 (60 pts) | #1067 (60 pts) | #1051 (60 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1148 (60 pts) | #1221 (60 pts) | #1293 (60 pts) | #1190 (60 pts) | #977 (115 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1182 (60 pts) | #1242 (60 pts) | #1317 (60 pts) | #1231 (60 pts) | #1204 (60 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1255 (60 pts) | #1319 (60 pts) | #1432 (60 pts) | #1287 (60 pts) | #1296 (60 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1309 (60 pts) | #1341 (60 pts) | #1404 (60 pts) | #1348 (60 pts) | #1333 (60 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1236 (60 pts) | #1286 (60 pts) | #1309 (60 pts) | #1173 (85 pts) | #1245 (60 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Rub Me Tender BBQ Team, each with one reason worth a look.
151 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,445 of the rated field
- Contests
- 39
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1474
0–4 in 4 shared contests (0% to Rub Me Tender BBQ Team)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — Tom Tom Bob A Que ahead 4–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,449 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1474
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,468 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1505
They've been 1505 at their best, 31 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#4,470 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1473
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Rub Me Tender BBQ Team's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,465 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Rub Me Tender BBQ Team's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#4,462 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1504
Level with Rub Me Tender BBQ Team 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIG BAD WOLVES | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| POP POP'S RIBS | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| Yard Sale BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN TIME | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Ain't That Rich | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| B'S QUE | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Palm tree smokehouse | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| UP IN SMOKERS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| The Wilent Brothers BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG BOB'S SMOKIN QUE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BOGGS HOG BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PACKANACK LAKE BBQ CLUB | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.9312 | 147.3828 | 158.73 | top 65% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.9772 | 144.4800 | 150.89 | top 80% |
| Pork | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165.6800 | 149.6916 | 158.85 | top 63% |
| Brisket | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.9772 | 145.0972 | 157.48 | top 56% |
“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.
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | 5 | 34 | 0 | top 72% | Jul 11, 2026 |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NJ
6 of 6 contests
Contests visited
2
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
143
finished ahead 113 times, behind 252
Longest layoff
1 yrs
Jul 9, 2022 → Jul 14, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.7660 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
- Career-best overall score654.7660 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
- Most recent contest New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
20251 milestone
- Career-best single call (Brisket)167.9772 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
20212 milestones
- First tracked contest New Jersey State BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1499) New Jersey State BBQ Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +1.2 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 12, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.9 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 13, 2024 |
| -9.6 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 9, 2022 |
| -6.9 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 14, 2023 |
| -1.2 | New Jersey State BBQ Championship | Jul 9, 2021 |
| -0.1 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 11, 2026 |
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 58% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 54% | 88.6% | 88.6% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 87% | 84.5% | 84.5% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 86.3% | 86.3% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 84.3% | 84.3% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 58% | 87% | 87% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2026 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 36 / 62 (654.7660) | 41 (162.2744) | 37 (163.9772) | 32 (165.6800) | 34 (162.8344) |
| Jul 12, 2025 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 34 / 63 (638.0684) | 36 (163.9312) | 56 (144.4800) | 33 (161.6800) | 14 (167.9772) |
| Jul 13, 2024 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 54 / 62 (608.4116) | 57 (147.3828) | 61 (146.7772) | 57 (149.6916) | 27 (164.5600) |
| Jul 14, 2023 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 49 / 64 (621.5200) | 34 (162.8344) | 57 (145.0628) | 45 (157.7028) | 41 (155.9200) |
| Jul 9, 2022 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 51 / 61 (606.6744) | 49 (155.4172) | 51 (149.0744) | 46 (153.7028) | 46 (148.4800) |
| Jul 9, 2021 | New Jersey State BBQ Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 34 / 59 (626.2288) | 26 (160.5600) | 35 (155.9428) | 20 (164.6288) | 46 (145.0972) |