Kickin Ash

Kickin Ash is a competition barbecue team with 18 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 12th of 29 at the EffingHAM Jam (2016). They are ranked #6278 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Kickin' Ash”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#6,278

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1412

peak 1412 · rated over 14 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 25, 2014

latest Aug 15, 2026 · 12.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1182

Master 2024 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

0% of 18 contests

Avg finish

top 84%

overall standings

Best overall

654.7768 / 720

Master · EffingHAM Jam

Perfect 180s

Current form

603.03 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 612.06 (-9.03)

Walk rate

22%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

170.8456

Chicken · EffingHAM Jam

Consistency

±43.35

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 157.88 · weakest Brisket (154.72)

Road miles

3,376

across 18 mapped stops · furthest 538 mi

Schedule strength

57%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1572)

Purse competed for

$42K

listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 6 state-championship entries

Master avg

612.06 / 720

14 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (5 found in their record)

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

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

THUNDER HOG BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

THUNDER HOG BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

A strong matchup

3–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of High Voltage BBQ in 3 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at EffingHAM-JAM (Jul 22, 2022).

last seen Jul 26, 2019
back Jul 22, 2022

Chicken nemesis

5 of 6 shared chicken entries lost

THUNDER HOG BBQ ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, THUNDER HOG BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 6 shared chicken entries.

The long haul

3,376 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,376 miles across 18 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 538 miles to Jiggy With the Piggy.

18 mapped stops
furthest 538 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	#1263 (57 pts)	#1318 (57 pts)	#1359 (57 pts)	#1276 (57 pts)	#1267 (57 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#1440 (55 pts)	#1476 (55 pts)	#1535 (55 pts)	#1037 (105 pts)	#1058 (95 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#1182 (60 pts)	#1190 (75 pts)	#839 (185 pts)	#1231 (60 pts)	#1204 (60 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#1627 (50 pts)	#1195 (90 pts)	—	#1188 (85 pts)	#1296 (60 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Kickin Ash, each with one reason worth a look.

Thin Blue BBQ

#6,279 of the rated field

1412 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1412

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Kickin Ash)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Kickin Ash has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

THE OUTLAW BBQ NY

#6,281 of the rated field

1412 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1412

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Aug 16, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

SMF

#6,276 of the rated field

1413 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1413

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Sochie's BBQ

#6,282 of the rated field

1412 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

BonePileBBQ

#6,280 of the rated field

1412 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1412

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2014.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

PORK U

#6,277 of the rated field

1413 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1413

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Kickin Ash's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN' WET BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
THUNDER HOG BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
JaBs BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
HIGH ON THE HAWG	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
BONEHEAD BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	14	1	0	170.8456	137.1084	157.88	top 77%
Pork Ribs	14	2	0	169.7144	141.0628	156.94	top 75%
Pork	14	0	0	168.5256	142.8456	155.80	top 82%
Brisket	16	2	1	169.7144	126.7884	154.72	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)	1	top 67%
Medium (20–39)	8	top 85%
Large (40+)	5	top 86%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IL	10	top 82%
IN	2	top 87%
NC	2	top 92%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
EffingHAM-JAM	4	12	top 76%	Jul 22, 2022
Hoosier BBQ Classic	2	26	top 87%	Jun 6, 2025
Jiggy With the Piggy	2	64	top 92%	May 5, 2017
Route 66 Smoke Out	2	28	top 81%	May 6, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 1.6 across 11 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IL 10 of 18 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 8 4 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Brisket 16 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Opponents faced 372 finished ahead 79 times, behind 484

Longest layoff 3 yrs Jul 26, 2019 → Jul 22, 2022

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

20261 milestone

Aug 15 Most recent contest Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2)

20171 milestone

Jul 28 10th tracked contest EffingHam-Jam

20164 milestones

Jul 22 First call EffingHAM Jam
Jul 22 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.7768 EffingHAM Jam
Jul 22 Career-best overall score654.7768 EffingHAM Jam
Jul 22 Career-best single call (Chicken)170.8456 EffingHAM Jam

20142 milestones

Jul 25 First tracked contest Morton BBQ Throwdown
Jul 25 Peak power rating (1491) Morton BBQ Throwdown

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+7.5	EffingHAM Jam	Jul 22, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.3	Jiggy With the Piggy	May 6, 2016
-11	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown	Jul 14, 2023
-10.9	Route 66 Smoke Out	May 6, 2016
-10.2	Effingham -Jam	Jul 26, 2019
-9.1	Morton BBQ Throwdown	Jul 25, 2014

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	0%	top 100%	87%	87%
2025	1	0%	top 87%	90.9%	90.9%
2024	2	50%	top 87%	89.7%	89.7%
2023	1	0%	top 100%	66.2%	66.2%
2022	1	0%	top 96%	85%	85%
2019	1	0%	top 96%	82.1%	82.1%
2018	1	100%	—	—	—
2017	3	33%	top 78%	87.1%	86.6%
2016	4	25%	top 78%	90.9%	84.7%
2015	2	0%	top 68%	88.1%	87.9%
2014	1	0%	top 83%	85.9%	85.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 15, 2026	Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) 🏅 Troy, IL	32 / 32 (626.5940)	32 (151.3600)	32 (154.7884)	32 (154.7656)	31 (165.6800)
Jun 6, 2025	Hoosier BBQ Classic 🏅 Franklin, IN	26 / 30 (654.7316)	28 (158.8000)	29 (157.6916)	15 (168.5256)	17 (169.7144)
Jun 7, 2024	Hoosier BBQ Classic 🏅 Franklin, IN	33 / 38 (645.5316)	22 (169.6800)	31 (161.6572)	38 (153.0972)	29 (161.0972)
Jun 7, 2024	Hoosier BBQ Classic (ONE MEAT RIBS) Franklin, IN	—	—	9 (169.7144)	—	—
Jul 14, 2023	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL	25 / 25 (476.4456)	17 (166.8228)	—	18 (162.2628)	23 (147.3600)
Jul 22, 2022	EffingHAM-JAM 🏅 Effingham, IL	24 / 25 (611.8400)	22 (161.6684)	25 (141.0628)	22 (160.5716)	23 (148.5372)
Jul 26, 2019	Effingham -Jam 🏅 Effingham, IL	25 / 26 (591.2568)	26 (137.1084)	25 (148.5256)	24 (150.8000)	24 (154.8228)
Jun 8, 2018	Kentucky's Fort Harrod Beef Festival Grill-Off (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Harrodsburg, KY	—	—	—	—	7 (157.1316)
Jul 28, 2017	EffingHam-Jam Effingham, IL	25 / 35 (627.2800)	27 (157.6916)	24 (155.9884)	24 (157.6456)	21 (155.9544)
Jun 9, 2017	Kentucky's Fort Harrod Beef Festival Grill-Off (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Harrodsburg, KY	—	—	—	—	3 (168.5828)
May 5, 2017	Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC	64 / 75 (619.8288)	46 (162.2744)	72 (149.0628)	72 (148.5372)	36 (159.9544)
Jul 22, 2016	EffingHAM Jam Effingham, IL	12 / 29 (654.7768)	5 (170.8456)	5 (169.7028)	22 (154.2400)	16 (159.9884)
Jun 10, 2016	KY Fort Harrod Beef Festival Grill-off (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Harrodsburg, KY	—	—	—	—	—
May 6, 2016	Route 66 Smoke Out Dwight, IL	37 / 40 (580.3996)	32 (155.3944)	32 (155.3712)	38 (142.8456)	40 (126.7884)
May 6, 2016	Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC	75 / 76 (595.2348)	69 (150.8228)	73 (143.9432)	67 (154.8344)	71 (145.6344)
Jul 24, 2015	Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship Effingham, IL	12 / 18 (634.2516)	14 (162.2744)	12 (159.4172)	12 (159.9772)	16 (152.5828)
May 1, 2015	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Dwight, IL	28 / 40 (631.9312)	39 (145.0968)	16 (168.5944)	23 (160.5256)	30 (157.7144)
Jul 25, 2014	Morton BBQ Throwdown Morton, IL	40 / 48 (618.6968)	32 (160.5484)	27 (161.6800)	44 (152.5256)	46 (143.9428)

Kickin Ash

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 (5 found in their record)

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

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)