Happy hunting ground
Top 14%
average finish here
Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest is their spot: an average finish in the top 14% across 2 visits.
- 2 visits
- best finish 4th
- average top 14%
Ro-Ro's Smokehouse
Ro-Ro's Smokehouse is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 4th of 43 at the Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest (2024). They are ranked #1741 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “RoRos Smokehouse” and “Ro Ro's Smokehouse”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1550
peak 1550 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
May 1, 2015
latest Jul 11, 2025 · 10.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
7
50% of 14 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 45%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
340.42 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 342.04 (-1.62)
Walk rate
57%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.20
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 166.80 · weakest Brisket (153.78)
Road miles
1,251
across 14 mapped stops · furthest 188 mi
Schedule strength
52%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1567)
Purse competed for
$56K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
633.12 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
342.04 / 360
8 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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.
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 ↗ | Backyard | #152 (371 pts) | #120 (481 pts) | #164 (346 pts) | — | — |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Ro-Ro's Smokehouse, each with one reason worth a look.
57 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,745 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1558
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,733 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1552
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,747 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1553
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 8 years before Ro-Ro's Smokehouse's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,753 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1564
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 42% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,744 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1554
Level with Ro-Ro's Smokehouse on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#1,737 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 64%
- Peak
- 1550
3 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Reds Backyard BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| T-Dawg BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| PARTS 'R' SMOKIN | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 175.4172 | 154.8344 | 166.53 | top 47% |
| Pork Ribs | 14 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 178.2972 | 151.3828 | 166.80 | top 42% |
| Pork | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165.6916 | 151.9316 | 159.74 | top 70% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.5488 | 138.7884 | 153.78 | top 71% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 36% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 49% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 41% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 14% | Jun 13, 2025 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 20% | Mar 21, 2025 |
| Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 89% | May 6, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
5 contests
Contests a season
2
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MO
10 of 14 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
10
3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
14 entries · 1 win · 6 calls
Opponents faced
396
finished ahead 323 times, behind 246
Longest layoff
5.4 yrs
Jun 1, 2018 → Oct 27, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20253 milestones
- 10th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- Peak power rating (1550) Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off
- Most recent contest Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off
20242 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.2972 Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest
20232 milestones
- First overall top-10 Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score340.5716 Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD)
20181 milestone
- Career-best overall score645.5548 Kelley Wilson BBQ
20171 milestone
20151 milestone
- First tracked contest Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.3 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | Mar 22, 2024 |
| +14.2 | Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest | Jun 7, 2024 |
| +12.9 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) | Oct 27, 2023 |
| +10 | Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest | Jun 13, 2025 |
| +9.6 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | Mar 21, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.7 | Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship | May 6, 2016 |
| -8 | Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship | May 1, 2015 |
| -7.1 | Liberty 4th Fest BBQ Contest | Jul 3, 2015 |
| -0.2 | Kelley Wilson BBQ | Jun 1, 2018 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 60% | top 29% | 96.8% | 94% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 100% | top 20% | 97% | 96.6% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 21% | 94.6% | 94.6% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 63% | 89.7% | 89.7% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 61% | 89.5% | 89.5% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 96% | 83.6% | 83.6% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 89.3% | 88.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2025 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Cameron, MO | 9 / 36 (335.3712) | 8 (169.1084) | 8 (166.2628) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Cameron, MO | — | — | 19 (165.6912) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 7 / 36 (336.5144) | 2 (173.7144) | 17 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 24 / 49 (332.4912) | 34 (160.5256) | 14 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 8 / 33 (348.5600) | 6 (174.8456) | 9 (173.7144) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 4 / 43 (349.1428) | 8 (170.8456) | 1 (178.2972) | — | — |
| May 17, 2024 | RTrowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin (BACKYARD) Derby, KS | 5 / 14 (346.2516) | 9 (168.5372) | 2 (177.7144) | — | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 5 / 31 (347.3944) | 11 (171.9772) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 10 / 47 (340.5716) | 8 (175.4172) | 17 (165.1544) | — | — |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Kelley Wilson BBQ Kansas City, MO | 30 / 48 (645.5548) | 23 (163.9772) | 24 (166.2516) | 25 (165.6916) | 41 (149.6344) |
| Mar 31, 2017 | Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Pleasant Hill, MO | 36 / 59 (644.4004) | 43 (159.9428) | 5 (173.7144) | 54 (151.9316) | 34 (158.8116) |
| May 6, 2016 | Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship Grandview, MO | 24 / 25 (602.0804) | 21 (154.8344) | 23 (153.6688) | 22 (154.7888) | 25 (138.7884) |
| Jul 3, 2015 | Liberty 4th Fest BBQ Contest Liberty, MO | 22 / 27 (642.7548) | 18 (163.4060) | 25 (151.3828) | 16 (163.4172) | 11 (164.5488) |
| May 1, 2015 | Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship Grandview, MO | 26 / 32 (630.8232) | 27 (157.7028) | 26 (153.1432) | 19 (162.8800) | 22 (157.0972) |