Scratch that Itch BBQ

Scratch that Itch BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 20 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 10th of 103 at the Smoke in the Spring (2023). They are ranked #2615 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,615

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1516

peak 1516 · rated over 17 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 8, 2022

latest Sep 13, 2024 · 2.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#318

Master 2023 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

5% of 20 contests

Avg finish

top 59%

overall standings

Best overall

697.1088 / 720

Master · Smoke in the Spring

Perfect 180s

Current form

673.73 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 664.60 (+9.13)

Walk rate

35%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Brisket · Smoke in the Spring

Consistency

±14.67

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 167.74 · weakest Chicken (164.84)

Road miles

1,155

across 20 mapped stops · furthest 133 mi

Schedule strength

68%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1586)

Purse competed for

$341K

listed at 20 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 17 state-championship entries

Master avg

664.60 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

On the rise

+38 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 38 points across 9 contests since Mar 17, 2023 — from 1479 up to 1516.

9 contests since Mar 17, 2023
now 1516

High-water mark

697.1088 career-best overall

96.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 697.1088 at Smoke in the Spring — 96.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
Apr 7, 2023

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

TAILGATE GUYS BBQ has finished one call ahead of Scratch that Itch BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

12–1 behind in the head-to-head

LOVE 2 Q ahead in 92% of their meetings

LOVE 2 Q has come out ahead in 12 of their 13 shared contests.

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Three Legged Pig BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

8 of 13 shared pork ribs entries lost

LOVE 2 Q ahead 62% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LOVE 2 Q has out-cooked them in 8 of 13 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

ROCK N BLUES BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Show 2 more storylines

A June team

Top 47% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 47% across 6 contests, versus top 59% the rest of the year.

6 June contests
top 59% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.94% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.94% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.4% of a perfect score
20 contests

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
2023 ↗	Master	#318 (670 pts)	#333 (675 pts)	#320 (800 pts)	#277 (790 pts)	#239 (900 pts)

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Scratch that Itch BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

73 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

All Fired Up and Kicking Ash MO

#2,605 of the rated field

1517 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1528

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Scratch that Itch BBQ)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Scratch that Itch BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

ABOVE THE BRIDGE BBQ

#2,612 of the rated field

1516 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1531

Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 3 years before Scratch that Itch BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 16 contests

⚔ Compare careers

SHORT BUS COOKERS

#2,608 of the rated field

1517 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1517

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Oct 28, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

Bull-B-Que

#2,617 of the rated field

1516 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1526

Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 20, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jul 24, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

GALLOWAY'S HELLFIRE BBQ

#2,622 of the rated field

1516 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1538

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 21% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen May 18, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKIN FAT BOYS BBQ

#2,621 of the rated field

1516 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1532

They were already cooking in 2015, 7 years before Scratch that Itch BBQ's first contest.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Sep 14, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LOVE 2 Q	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
Barking Dog BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
PIRATES OF BAR-B-QUE BAY	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
Damn Fine Beef & Swine	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
MAN MEAT BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' SAUCED	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
Fergolicious BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
KC Meat Sweats	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
Dr. Squealgood BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
913 BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
WOOD HOOK BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	19	1	1	1	177.1544	152.4684	164.84	top 64%
Pork Ribs	19	3	0	0	176.5600	148.5372	167.74	top 47%
Pork	19	2	0	0	176.5600	158.8800	165.81	top 63%
Brisket	19	4	0	0	178.8572	155.9200	166.62	top 46%

“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)	9	0	top 73%
Large (40+)	10	0	top 47%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
KS	12	0	top 52%
MO	7	0	top 72%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke in the Spring	2	10	0	top 51%	Apr 7, 2023
Smokin on the Osage (Day 2)	2	25	0	top 93%	Jul 23, 2022

More numbers

Busiest season 2023 11 contests

Contests a season 6.7 across 3 seasons in the data

Most contests held in KS 13 of 20 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 17 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 880 finished ahead 841 times, behind 747

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

20241 milestone

Sep 13 Most recent contest Made for KC BBQ Championship (COMPETITORS SERIES)

20235 milestones

Apr 7 First overall top-10 Smoke in the Spring
Apr 7 10th tracked contest Smoke in the Spring
Apr 7 Career-best overall score697.1088 Smoke in the Spring
Apr 7 Career-best single call (Brisket)178.8572 Smoke in the Spring
Sep 27 Peak power rating (1516) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest

20224 milestones

Apr 8 First tracked contest Smoke in the Spring
Apr 22 First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.0404 Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest (JUDGE'S FULL)
Jun 3 First call McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual
Jun 10 First category win (Chicken) Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18.6	Smoke in the Spring	Apr 7, 2023
+11.6	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	Jun 24, 2022
+11.4	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	Jun 23, 2023
+4.6	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	Sep 27, 2023
+4.5	Red, White, Blue BBQ Competition	Apr 29, 2022

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.2	Smokin on the Osage (Day 2)	Jul 23, 2022
-9.2	Smoke in the Spring	Apr 8, 2022
-7.2	Smokin on the Osage (Day 1)	Jul 22, 2022
-7	Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest	Jun 10, 2022
-4.5	Smoke on the River	Sep 1, 2023

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	1	0	0	0%	top 87%	92.4%	92.4%
2023	11	1	0	45%	top 52%	96.8%	93.2%
2022	8	0	1	25%	top 66%	93.6%	91.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 13, 2024	Made for KC BBQ Championship (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Weston, MO	33 / 38 (665.5660)	31 (167.9772)	13 (170.8344)	36 (160.5144)	18 (166.2400)
Sep 27, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	221 / 487 (675.3256)	179 (170.8228)	246 (168.5372)	298 (165.6800)	149 (170.2856)
Sep 27, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 9, 2023	7th Annual Smoke on the Trails 🏅 Gardner, KS	23 / 38 (669.5656)	17 (172.5600)	16 (171.4056)	16 (169.6800)	27 (155.9200)
Sep 1, 2023	Smoke on the River 🏅 Burlington, KS	16 / 20 (669.6344)	17 (164.5716)	19 (159.9428)	7 (173.1200)	5 (172)
Aug 18, 2023	BBQ & Fly-In on the River 🏅 Excelsior Springs, MO	28 / 57 (675.8628)	31 (168.5256)	11 (175.4172)	33 (169.6800)	39 (162.2400)
Jun 23, 2023	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	28 / 167 (678.2400)	31 (170.2972)	43 (169.7144)	34 (171.9656)	54 (166.2628)
Jun 9, 2023	Made for KC BBQ Championship (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Kansas City, MO	29 / 44 (671.3032)	36 (165.0972)	9 (174.2744)	38 (164.5372)	16 (167.3944)
Jun 2, 2023	McLouth BBQ Blowout 32nd Annual 🏅 McLouth, KS	22 / 36 (651.9544)	24 (162.8344)	22 (162.8572)	28 (158.8800)	13 (167.3828)
Apr 21, 2023	Smokin in the Creek BBQ 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	25 / 51 (668.4112)	42 (155.8968)	33 (162.2400)	6 (176.5600)	10 (173.7144)
Apr 7, 2023	Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS	10 / 103 (697.1088)	12 (176.0116)	23 (174.2744)	61 (167.9656)	6 (178.8572)
Mar 17, 2023	5th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	53 / 68 (656.4228)	64 (152.4684)	7 (176.5600)	56 (162.2972)	46 (165.0972)
Jul 23, 2022	Smokin on the Osage (Day 2) 🏅 Osceola, MO	25 / 26 (642.6972)	25 (159.3600)	19 (165.0856)	26 (159.9772)	22 (158.2744)
Jul 22, 2022	Smokin on the Osage (Day 1) 🏅 Osceola, MO	25 / 28 (651.3144)	26 (161.7144)	23 (161.0856)	25 (162.8000)	19 (165.7144)
Jun 24, 2022	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	30 / 164 (672.4456)	94 (161.6800)	18 (171.9656)	81 (165.6800)	12 (173.1200)
Jun 10, 2022	Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	18 / 29 (663.3372)	1 (177.1544)	21 (164.5372)	19 (163.9656)	25 (157.6800)
Jun 3, 2022	McLouth BBQ Blowout 31st Annual 🏅 McLouth, KS	17 / 30 (658.8116)	28 (157.1200)	9 (171.4516)	17 (163.4172)	9 (166.8228)
Apr 29, 2022	Red, White, Blue BBQ Competition 🏅 Topeka, KS	37 / 77 (673.6232)	46 (166.8344)	20 (172.5716)	26 (170.8228)	39 (163.3944)
Apr 22, 2022	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest (JUDGE'S FULL) 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	23 / 35 (661.0404)	25 (162.8344)	22 (165.6916)	27 (163.3944)	17 (169.1200)
Apr 8, 2022	Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS	86 / 94 (632.4116)	84 (158.2516)	91 (148.5372)	82 (159.3828)	54 (166.2400)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

Scratch that Itch BBQ

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 (9 found in their record)

On the rise

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Pork Ribs nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A June team

The metronome

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)

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)