A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
SmokinGhost BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
SmokinGhost BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
Rub Runners BBQ
Rub Runners BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 6th of 6 at the Smokin' Deltana BBQ Challenge (2021). They are ranked #5840 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1441
peak 1441 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Jul 16, 2021
latest Jun 27, 2025 · 3.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
11% of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 88%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
630.68 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 610.44 (+20.24)
Walk rate
11%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±59.06
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 159.31 · weakest Pork Ribs (142.82)
Road miles
5,852
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 2,782 mi
Schedule strength
67%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1584)
Purse competed for
$43K
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
610.44 / 720
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1481 (51 pts) | #1161 (76 pts) | #938 (146 pts) | #1494 (51 pts) | #1437 (56 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1209 (70 pts) | #1319 (60 pts) | #1339 (85 pts) | #1287 (60 pts) | #1249 (70 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #491 (360 pts) | #520 (355 pts) | #443 (473 pts) | #464 (405 pts) | #532 (350 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Rub Runners BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
85 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,845 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1441
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,831 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1441
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 3 years before Rub Runners BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,841 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1441
They were already cooking in 2016, 5 years before Rub Runners BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#5,848 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1441
Level with Rub Runners BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,838 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1441
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 4 years before Rub Runners BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,837 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1441
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 8 years before Rub Runners BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Rusty Pig BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MOON KING BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Risky Brisket | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HEFTY LEFTY BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.2628 | 146.2400 | 159.31 | top 87% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 163.3944 | 20 | 142.82 | top 87% |
| Pork | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.6684 | 145.0972 | 158.24 | top 85% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 161.1200 | 147.3716 | 154.88 | top 87% |
“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 100% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 85% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 78% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 90% | Jun 27, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2021
5 contests
Contests a season
2.3
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
8 of 9 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
1 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
9 entries · 0 wins · 1 call
Opponents faced
145
finished ahead 27 times, behind 200
Longest layoff
2 yrs
Jul 14, 2023 → Jun 27, 2025
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown
20217 milestones
- First tracked contest Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown - One Meat Rib Contest
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.9604 Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1
- Career-best overall score648.9604 Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1
- Career-best single call (Pork)169.6684 Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1
- Peak power rating (1493) Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1
- First call Smokin' Deltana BBQ Challenge
- First overall top-10 Smokin' Deltana BBQ Challenge
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -15.1 | Smokin' Deltana BBQ Challenge | Jul 23, 2021 |
| -11.9 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 2 | Jul 17, 2021 |
| -8.8 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | Jun 27, 2025 |
| -8.5 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | Jul 14, 2023 |
| -7.3 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 | Jul 16, 2021 |
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 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 96% | 89.8% | 89.8% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 88.1% | 88.1% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 78% | 89% | 89% |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20% | top 90% | 90.1% | 81.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2025 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 25 / 26 (646.7316) | 20 (166.2628) | 25 (160.5372) | 25 (162.8116) | 24 (157.1200) |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Eureka, IL | — | — | 14 (161.6572) | — | — |
| Jul 14, 2023 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 21 / 25 (634.5944) | 23 (161.6572) | 18 (161.6456) | 23 (154.7888) | 21 (156.5028) |
| Sep 23, 2022 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 36 / 46 (640.4460) | 36 (162.8572) | 39 (158.8000) | 41 (157.6688) | 32 (161.1200) |
| Sep 24, 2021 | Praise the Lard Murphysboro BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 33 / 39 (632.3312) | 32 (161.0856) | 36 (151.9544) | 30 (161.6456) | 31 (157.6456) |
| Jul 23, 2021 | Smokin' Deltana BBQ Challenge Delta Junction, AK | 6 / 6 (599.2916) | 6 (146.2400) | 6 (149.6916) | 6 (155.9884) | 6 (147.3716) |
| Jul 17, 2021 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 2 🏅 Eureka, IL | 19 / 19 (470.6972) | 18 (154.8228) | 19 (20) | 18 (145.0972) | 18 (150.7772) |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 🏅 Eureka, IL | 19 / 25 (648.9604) | 21 (162.2516) | 14 (163.3944) | 11 (169.6684) | 22 (153.6460) |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown - One Meat Rib Contest Eureka, IL | — | — | 16 (157.6572) | — | — |