Riding a hot streak
8
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 8-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 8
Lit Salami
Lit Salami is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2024. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Smokin' in the Valley (2024). They are ranked #2397 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1523
peak 1523 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Apr 30, 2022
latest Oct 11, 2024 · 2.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
0 reserve · wins it all 8% of the time
Category wins
3
8 podiums
Overall top-10s
8
62% of 13 contests
Best top-10 run
8
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 49%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
661.90 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 649.40 (+12.50)
Walk rate
100%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±21.07
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.13 · weakest Pork (159.16)
Road miles
196
across 13 mapped stops
Schedule strength
4%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1505)
Master avg
649.40 / 720
9 Master contests · 1 GC
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #272 (810 pts) | #245 (940 pts) | #263 (949 pts) | #401 (540 pts) | #262 (845 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #534 (335 pts) | #470 (464 pts) | #507 (459 pts) | #676 (245 pts) | #529 (360 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #567 (345 pts) | #491 (455 pts) | #700 (295 pts) | #552 (370 pts) | #514 (425 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Lit Salami, each with one reason worth a look.
99 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,407 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1523
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,389 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1524
Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 10 years before Lit Salami's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,406 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1532
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,387 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1530
They were already cooking in 2016, 6 years before Lit Salami's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#2,404 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1526
Level with Lit Salami on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,392 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 63%
- Peak
- 1545
Fewer contests behind them than Lit Salami has cooked, 8 to 13, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbecue Bazaar - Delta T BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin Genius | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE MIST BBQ | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| Pit Bull Smokers | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Aussie TongMasters | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Ribs n Pigs BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin Steve's BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin it up BBQ Australia | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 175.4400 | 158.2628 | 165.13 | top 48% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 172.5828 | 145.0972 | 161.07 | top 58% |
| Pork | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 170.2744 | 151.9428 | 159.16 | top 73% |
| Brisket | 9 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 180 🔥 | 154.8344 | 162.97 | top 43% |
“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.
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smokin' in the Valley | 4 | 1 | 1 | top 33% | Aug 3, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
5 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
4.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Contests visited
6
1 of them more than once
First title
Aug 3, 2024
Smokin' in the Valley
Opponents faced
32
finished ahead 54 times, behind 47
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20247 milestones
- First category win (Chicken) Chicken in Bakers (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)
- 10th tracked contest Chicken in Bakers (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)
- First Grand Championship Smokin' in the Valley
- First perfect 180 (Brisket) Smokin' in the Valley
- Career-best overall score698.2972 Smokin' in the Valley
- Peak power rating (1523) Smoking on the Swan
- Most recent contest Smoking on the Swan
20232 milestones
- First overall podium Smokin' in the Valley
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.8228 Smokin' in the Valley
20223 milestones
- First tracked contest Spit In The Hills
- First call Spit In The Hills
- First overall top-10 Smokin' BBQ Masters in the Valley
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.7 | Smokin' in the Valley | Aug 3, 2024 |
| +10.1 | Smokin' in the Valley | Nov 4, 2023 |
| +4.7 | Smoking on the Swan | Oct 11, 2024 |
| +3.7 | Chidlow BBQ Festival | Sep 9, 2022 |
| +3.5 | Smokin' BBQ Masters in the Valley | Aug 5, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.4 | Spit In The Hills | Apr 30, 2022 |
| -9.1 | Smokin' BBQ Masters in the Valley | Aug 6, 2022 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 100% | top 31% | 97% | 92.9% |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 39% | 92.1% | 90.5% |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 100% | top 67% | 89.2% | 88% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2024 | Smoking on the Swan Burswood, Western Australia | 4 / 10 (664.5488) | 8 (166.2400) | 1 (172.5828) | 8 (161.7260) | 4 (164) |
| Aug 3, 2024 | Smokin' in the Valley Perth, Western Australia | 1 / 10 (698.2972) | 2 (175.4400) | 3 (172.5828) | 6 (170.2744) | 1 (180) |
| May 4, 2024 | Smokin' in the Valley Perth, Western Australia | 6 / 14 (643.3368) | 5 (165.1084) | 8 (163.9656) | 11 (151.9884) | 3 (162.2744) |
| Feb 24, 2024 | Chicken in Bakers (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Bakers Hill, Western Australia | — | 1 (169.1200) | — | — | — |
| Feb 24, 2024 | OMC - Pork Ribs in Bakers (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bakers Hill, Western Australia | — | — | 5 (161.1200) | — | — |
| Nov 4, 2023 | Smokin' in the Valley Perth, Western Australia | 3 / 11 (662.8228) | 6 (161.6800) | 4 (167.9772) | 6 (164.6056) | 4 (168.5600) |
| Aug 5, 2023 | Smokin' BBQ Masters in the Valley Herne Hill, Western Australia | 4 / 8 (640.5028) | 4 (165.7372) | 5 (158.8228) | 7 (154.8456) | 3 (161.0972) |
| Jul 8, 2023 | Smokin with Weemala (One Meat Chicken) Carmel | — | 7 (158.2628) | — | — | — |
| Jul 8, 2023 | Smokin with Weemala (One Meat Ribs) Carmel | — | — | 6 (154.2856) | — | — |
| Nov 26, 2022 | Smokin' in the Valley Perth, Western Australia | 6 / 12 (633.1312) | 7 (160.5828) | 6 (160) | 11 (155.9884) | 6 (156.5600) |
| Sep 9, 2022 | Chidlow BBQ Festival Chidlow, Western | 8 / 17 (630.1940) | 6 (164.5828) | 14 (151.4056) | 15 (151.9428) | 3 (162.2628) |
| Aug 6, 2022 | Smokin' BBQ Masters in the Valley Perth, Western Australia | 10 / 12 (642.1716) | 4 (169.1200) | 10 (163.9772) | 10 (154.2400) | 12 (154.8344) |
| Apr 30, 2022 | Spit In The Hills Chidlow, Western | 14 / 16 (629.5996) | 11 (160.5028) | 16 (145.0972) | 5 (166.8684) | 12 (157.1312) |