On the rise
+26
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 26 points across 4 contests since Jul 25, 2025 — from 1502 up to 1527.
- 4 contests since Jul 25, 2025
- now 1527
Grillfellas
Grillfellas is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 4th of 29 at the MD State BBQ Bash (2025). They are ranked #2299 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1527
peak 1527 · rated over 17 contests
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
May 10, 2013
latest Jul 24, 2026 · 13.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
18% of 17 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 55%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
660.72 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 644.00 (+16.72)
Walk rate
65%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±21.97
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 164.69 · weakest Brisket (153.24)
Road miles
2,283
across 17 mapped stops · furthest 1,491 mi
Schedule strength
34%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1545)
Purse competed for
$53K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
644.00 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
330.26 / 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)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Grillfellas, each with one reason worth a look.
61 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,292 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1530
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 16 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,289 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1528
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Grillfellas's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,302 of the rated field
- Contests
- 23
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 48%
- Peak
- 1544
Careers of much the same size, 23 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,295 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1529
14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 7% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#2,303 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 5%
- Peak
- 1527
They turned up 8 years after Grillfellas did, first appearing in 2021.
⚔ Compare careers#2,293 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1541
Level with Grillfellas 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Lost Weekend Grill | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Estancia | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| Castleton Q | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| HARCO LOCO BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Oink N' Doink BBQ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Backdraft BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| JO-BAWB'S BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Squeals like the First Time | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| DAD'S BARBEQUE | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 BOXERS Q | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 174.8800 | 151.9998 | 164.29 | top 56% |
| Pork Ribs | 17 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 174.3200 | 145.6800 | 164.69 | top 44% |
| Pork | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 170.2856 | 153.7142 | 162.91 | top 49% |
| Brisket | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 137.1428 | 153.24 | top 65% |
“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) | 14 | 0 | top 58% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 40% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 3 | 6 | 0 | top 43% | Jul 24, 2026 |
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 3 | 12 | 0 | top 62% | Jun 12, 2026 |
| Boats, Bands, & BBQ | 3 | 11 | 0 | top 40% | May 19, 2017 |
| Wild West BBQ | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 80% | May 9, 2014 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
3 contests
Contests a season
1.9
across 9 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CO
9 of 17 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
10
4 of them more than once
Opponents faced
386
finished ahead 402 times, behind 401
Longest layoff
6.4 yrs
May 19, 2017 → Oct 13, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Peak power rating (1527) Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
20252 milestones
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.8800 MD State BBQ Bash
20231 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Maryland State BBQ Bash
20171 milestone
- Career-best overall score671.9656 Boats, Bands, & BBQ
20141 milestone
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.6112 Boats, Bands & BBQ
20132 milestones
- First tracked contest Wild West BBQ
- First call Boats, Bands and BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.2 | MD State BBQ Bash | Oct 10, 2025 |
| +14.2 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | Jul 25, 2025 |
| +11 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | Jul 24, 2026 |
| +8.8 | Boats, Bands, & BBQ | May 19, 2017 |
| +7.1 | Smokin' Brew BBQ | Aug 30, 2014 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.8 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | Oct 13, 2023 |
| -11.2 | Wild West BBQ | May 10, 2013 |
| -7.3 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | Jul 26, 2024 |
| -7 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) | Jun 28, 2024 |
| -4.3 | Wild West BBQ | May 9, 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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 40% | 94.9% | 94.3% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 27% | 96% | 94.5% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 89% | 88.8% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 130% | 84.1% | 84.1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 31% | 93.3% | 93.3% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 47% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 43% | 91.3% | 91.3% |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 50% | 92% | 90% |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 70% | 88.6% | 86.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 10 / 43 (341.7260) | 17 (168) | 7 (173.7260) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 14 / 25 (337.1200) | 16 (165.1428) | 7 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Oct 10, 2025 | MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 4 / 29 (345.7716) | 4 (174.8800) | 7 (170.8916) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2025 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 6 / 30 (343.4400) | 17 (169.1200) | 5 (174.3200) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 12 / 26 (331.9200) | 17 (163.9428) | 5 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 30 / 35 (320.5144) | 31 (157.7144) | 25 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 24 / 29 (318.8116) | 22 (165.7144) | 26 (153.0972) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 30 / 23 (302.7544) | 28 (153.0972) | 29 (149.6572) | — | — |
| May 19, 2017 | Boats, Bands, & BBQ Pueblo, CO | 11 / 36 (671.9656) | 33 (155.3828) | 2 (173.7372) | 9 (170.2856) | 7 (172.5600) |
| Jun 10, 2016 | Boats, Bands, & BBQ Pueblo, CO | 14 / 30 (654.7428) | 23 (158.8000) | 5 (172) | 18 (161.1200) | 15 (162.8228) |
| Jun 5, 2015 | Boats, Bands & BBQ Pueblo, CO | 13 / 30 (657.0628) | 14 (163.9884) | 16 (162.2744) | 13 (169.6800) | 14 (161.1200) |
| Aug 30, 2014 | Smokin' Brew BBQ Parker, CO | 17 / 48 (662.2284) | 24 (167.4172) | 16 (165.1312) | 25 (164.5716) | 16 (165.1084) |
| Jun 6, 2014 | Boats, Bands & BBQ Pueblo, CO | 12 / 29 (657.6112) | 2 (174.2972) | 6 (169.7028) | 18 (157.0856) | 20 (156.5256) |
| May 9, 2014 | Wild West BBQ Lamar, CO | 21 / 29 (623.3488) | 4 (167.4400) | 28 (145.6800) | 12 (164.5716) | 25 (145.6572) |
| Aug 30, 2013 | Smokin' Brew BBQ Parker, CO | 33 / 53 (637.6456) | 9 (171.4400) | 17 (167.9772) | 31 (158.2628) | 51 (139.9656) |
| Jun 7, 2013 | Boats, Bands and BBQ Pueblo, CO | 24 / 39 (634.2852) | 14 (164.5714) | 15 (164.5714) | 10 (166.8568) | 36 (138.2856) |
| May 10, 2013 | Wild West BBQ Lamar, CO | 27 / 31 (597.1422) | 27 (151.9998) | 21 (154.2854) | 24 (153.7142) | 29 (137.1428) |