High-water mark
693.1432
career-best overall
96.3% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 693.1432 at The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship — 96.3% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jun 26, 2026
Great Shepherd BBQ
Great Shepherd BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2025 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 11th of 157 at The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship (2026). They are ranked #5076 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1461
peak 1461 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Mar 21, 2025
latest Jul 24, 2026 · 1.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 74%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
656.91 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 647.39 (+9.53)
Walk rate
22%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±25.91
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 164.62 · weakest Brisket (159.23)
Road miles
3,180
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 670 mi
Schedule strength
49%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)
Purse competed for
$79K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
647.39 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
303.83 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #447 (399 pts) | #351 (604 pts) | #571 (339 pts) | #486 (379 pts) | #394 (494 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #407 (58 pts) | #406 (58 pts) | #413 (58 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #689 (203 pts) | #758 (203 pts) | #698 (263 pts) | #769 (183 pts) | #732 (198 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Great Shepherd BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
134 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,060 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1508
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Great Shepherd BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Great Shepherd BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,069 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1461
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,082 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1461
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Great Shepherd BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,091 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1461
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,084 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
They were already cooking in 2014, 11 years before Great Shepherd BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#5,063 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1461
Level with Great Shepherd BBQ 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brinkerhoff BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Monarchbbq | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 178.2972 | 151.9428 | 164.62 | top 65% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 173.1544 | 146.8344 | 160.75 | top 70% |
| Pork | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8344 | 150.2400 | 159.72 | top 76% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.7028 | 135.9316 | 159.23 | top 61% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 84% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 7% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 83% | Jul 24, 2026 |
| Wild West BBQ Cook-Off | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 91% | Apr 24, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
5 contests
Contests a season
4.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
WY
3 of 9 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
7
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
287
finished ahead 180 times, behind 197
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- First call The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
- Career-best overall score693.1432 The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
- Career-best single call (Chicken)178.2972 The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
- Most recent contest Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off
20253 milestones
- First tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score162.2512 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off
- Peak power rating (1487) American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.2 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 26, 2026 |
| +1 | Smokin in the Valley | Apr 3, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.7 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | Mar 21, 2025 |
| -12.9 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off | Mar 21, 2025 |
| -10.7 | Wild West BBQ Cook-Off | Apr 25, 2025 |
| -6.8 | Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off | Jul 24, 2026 |
| -5.8 | Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off | Jul 25, 2025 |
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 59% | 96.3% | 92.1% |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 90.1% | 87.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2026 | Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Laramie, WY | 26 / 32 (659.8744) | 23 (167.9772) | 28 (162.2516) | 31 (157.0856) | 9 (172.5600) |
| Jun 26, 2026 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 11 / 157 (693.1432) | 4 (178.2972) | 21 (173.1544) | 64 (167.9888) | 15 (173.7028) |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Wild West BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Lamar, CO | 22 / 27 (633.5888) | 12 (168.5600) | 26 (146.8344) | 24 (155.9544) | 16 (162.2400) |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Smokin in the Valley 🏅 Linn Valley, KS | 21 / 31 (666.1144) | 15 (170.8228) | 21 (161.6572) | 11 (170.8344) | 21 (162.8000) |
| Aug 15, 2025 | Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships and Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY | 19 / 27 (631.8512) | 26 (151.9428) | 17 (163.9656) | 21 (159.4056) | 17 (156.5372) |
| Jul 25, 2025 | Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Laramie, WY | 22 / 26 (639.8976) | 16 (167.9888) | 19 (164.5372) | 24 (156.5372) | 25 (150.8344) |
| Apr 25, 2025 | Wild West BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Lamar, CO | 30 / 30 (607.2460) | 29 (155.3944) | 18 (165.6800) | 30 (150.2400) | 30 (135.9316) |
| Mar 21, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 33 / 33 (303.8284) | 32 (155.9428) | 32 (147.8856) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off Kansas City, MO | 14 (162.2512) | — | — | — | — |