Their season
2024
their best year
2024 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 57%.
- 4 contests
- 1 overall top-10
- 0 category wins
- average top 57%
BBQ Buddies
BBQ Buddies is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 9 at the 1st Annual Hy-Vee Ribs & Rides (BBQ Challenge and Car Show) (BACKYARD ONLY) (2024), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #4540 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1472
peak 1472 · rated over 6 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
Oct 11, 2013
latest Aug 17, 2024 · 10.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
9% of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 75%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
18%
contests with a top-10 call
Best single call
173.7028
Consistency
±16.40
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 161.06 · weakest Brisket (137.06)
Road miles
1,315
across 11 mapped stops · furthest 529 mi
Schedule strength
11%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1516)
Purse competed for
$19K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
Master avg
448.76 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
322.60 / 360
3 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
476.40 / 540
1 Backyard (3-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #179 (290 pts) | #183 (290 pts) | #148 (373 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | — | #847 (182 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #331 (64 pts) | #322 (89 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1125 (90 pts) | #1158 (100 pts) | #1254 (105 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #306 (83 pts) | #187 (203 pts) | — | — |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to BBQ Buddies, each with one reason worth a look.
148 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,546 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1472
Fewer contests behind them than BBQ Buddies has cooked, 6 to 11, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#4,560 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1472
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 3 years before BBQ Buddies's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,518 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1473
Level with BBQ Buddies on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,515 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1473
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 6 years before BBQ Buddies's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,543 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1504
They've been 1504 at their best, 32 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#4,558 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1472
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 173.7028 | 149.6800 | 155.97 | top 76% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 170.8228 | 151.3716 | 161.06 | top 65% |
| Pork | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.2744 | 149.6800 | 158.44 | top 69% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 137.0628 | 137.0628 | 137.06 | top 94% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 75% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 70% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 92% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 89% | Sep 15, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
4 contests
Contests a season
2.2
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
10 of 11 contests · 2 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
7
1 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
11 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls
Opponents faced
148
finished ahead 42 times, behind 150
Longest layoff
8.1 yrs
Oct 11, 2013 → Nov 5, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20247 milestones
- First overall top-10 1st Annual Hy-Vee Ribs & Rides (BBQ Challenge and Car Show) (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium 1st Annual Hy-Vee Ribs & Rides (BBQ Challenge and Car Show) (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship 1st Annual Hy-Vee Ribs & Rides (BBQ Challenge and Car Show) (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score344.5256 1st Annual Hy-Vee Ribs & Rides (BBQ Challenge and Car Show) (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)173.7028 1st Annual Hy-Vee Ribs & Rides (BBQ Challenge and Car Show) (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 10th tracked contest Rib Double Dip (2) (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Most recent contest Rib Double Dip (1) (ONE MEAT RIBS)
20222 milestones
- First call Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1489) Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY)
20211 milestone
- Career-best overall score642.7428 Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)
20131 milestone
- First tracked contest Central Illinois Bragging Rights
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +11.6 | 1st Annual Hy-Vee Ribs & Rides (BBQ Challenge and Car Show) (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 8, 2024 |
| +1.3 | Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 28, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.8 | Stuttering John's Smokehouse BBQ Competition | Jun 17, 2023 |
| -12.3 | Central Illinois Bragging Rights | Oct 11, 2013 |
| -10.5 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 17, 2024 |
| -3.9 | Westmont Red White & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 27, 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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25% | top 57% | 95.7% | 90.2% |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 88.2% | 72.8% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 50% | 88.4% | 88.4% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 78% | 89.3% | 89.3% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 92% | 82.8% | 82.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2024 | Rib Double Dip (1) (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 18 (156.5144) | — | — |
| Sep 1, 2024 | Rib Double Dip (2) (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 13 (165.6800) | — | — |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 24 / 26 (305.0744) | 24 (153.7028) | 23 (151.3716) | — | — |
| Jun 8, 2024 | 1st Annual Hy-Vee Ribs & Rides (BBQ Challenge and Car Show) (BACKYARD ONLY) Sycamore, IL | 2 / 9 (344.5256) | 2 (173.7028) | 3 (170.8228) | 4 (170.2744) | — |
| Sep 15, 2023 | Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) unrated Yorkville, IL | 17 / 17 (634.6396) | 17 (151.9312) | 13 (163.9656) | — | — |
| Sep 15, 2023 | Saluting with Smoke Single Meat - Rib Burn (ONE MEAT RIBS) Yorkville, IL | — | — | 14 (169.7372) | — | — |
| Jun 17, 2023 | Stuttering John's Smokehouse BBQ Competition Seagrave, ON | 15 / 15 (301.6572) | 13 (149.7260) | 12 (151.9312) | — | — |
| May 27, 2023 | Westmont Red White & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 23 / 34 (476.4000) | 24 (159.3600) | 19 (161.6800) | 24 (155.3600) | — |
| May 28, 2022 | Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 14 / 28 (318.2056) | 19 (153.6456) | 4 (164.5600) | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2021 | Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) unrated Yorkville, IL | 14 / 18 (642.7428) | 15 (155.9884) | 15 (155.9084) | — | — |
| Oct 11, 2013 | Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL | 49 / 53 (595.8628) | 43 (149.6800) | 30 (159.4400) | 48 (149.6800) | 50 (137.0628) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.