Riding a hot streak
4
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 4-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 4
Kamado BONO
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1551
peak 1551 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
2023-08-05
latest 2026-08-22
Best ToY finish
#153
Master 2026
Grand champs
0
3 reserve
Category wins
3
7 podiums
Overall top-10s
5
of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 30%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
691.84 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 676.52 (+15.32)
Walk rate
100%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
and counting
Consistency
±35.30
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.71 · weakest Brisket (164.93)
Road miles
2,418
mi across 6 mapped stops
Schedule strength
25%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1534)
Master avg
676.52 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (14 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
The heartbreaker
2.8572
points from the title
Came within 2.8572 points of the Grand Championship at Polish Open Grill and BBQ Championships (2026-06-05).
Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork.
- Pork ×1
On the rise
+49
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 49 points across 5 contests since 2026-04-11 — from 1502 up to 1551.
- 5 contests since 2026-04-11
- now 1551
Signature meat
33%
pork ribs entries won
2 wins from 6 entries
When pork ribs is on the table, watch out — they've won it in 33% of their entries (2 of 6).
- best 179.4400
- average 169.99
- 5 calls
Happy hunting ground
Top 20%
average finish here
Smoke in the North (Day 2) is their spot: an average finish in the top 20% across 2 visits.
- 2 visits
- best finish 2nd
- average top 20%
A multi-meat day
1
contests with 2+ category wins
They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at Polish Open Grill and BBQ Championships (2026-06-05).
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
High-water mark
703.9888
career-best overall
97.8% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 703.9888 at Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 — 97.8% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2026-08-14
A tough matchup
3–1
behind in the head-to-head
BBQ Hot Yard ahead in 75% of their meetings
BBQ Hot Yard has come out ahead in 3 of their 4 shared contests.
The weak link
−6.8
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.78 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 67% of the time against 100%.
- Brisket avg 164.93
- Chicken avg 171.71
- 4 calls in 6 entries
A strong matchup
3–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of This'll do it BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
The comeback
2.7 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2.7 years, then back at BBQ Expo Master's Challenge (2026-04-11).
- last seen 2023-08-05
- back 2026-04-11
Always the bridesmaid
3
reserve championships
Runner-up for the whole thing 3 times against 0 Grand Championships — close enough to touch it, over and over.
- 0 Grand Championships
- 6 contests
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
No Name has landed one call behind them 2 times.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.
63 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1711 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1551
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#1716 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1551
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2018, 5 years before Kamado BONO's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#1710 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1553
No shared contest yet.
Level with Kamado BONO on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#1722 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1551
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Kamado BONO's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#1715 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1551
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Kamado BONO's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#1718 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1551
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Kamado BONO's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 177.1428 | 154.8800 | 171.71 | top 33% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 179.4400 | 138.8232 | 169.99 | top 32% |
| Pork | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 180.0000 🔥 | 149.7144 | 169.89 | top 34% |
| Brisket | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 171.4172 | 156.5256 | 164.93 | top 52% |
“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 contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 34% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 20% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 38% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke in the North (Day 2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 20% | 2026-08-22 |
The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3 yrs
2023-08-05 → 2026-08-22
Busiest season
2026
5 contests
Contests a season
3
across 2 seasons in the data
Contests visited
5
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
6 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 171.71 · weakest Brisket (164.93)
Walk rate
100%
a top-10 call in 6 of 6 contests
Overall top-10 rate
83%
5 of 6 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight contests — and still running
Master average
676.52
out of 720 · 6 contests · 0 GCs
Perfect 180s
1
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
92
98–31 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
2,418
6 mapped stops
Schedule strength
1534
average field rating faced — tougher than 25% of rated contests
Longest layoff
2.7 yrs
2023-08-05 → 2026-04-11
Power rating
1551
peak 1551 · #1717 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2023
- First tracked contest Fire in the Valley at Valleyfest 2023 - Smoke Masters
- First call Fire in the Valley at Valleyfest 2023 - Smoke Masters
- First overall top-10 Fire in the Valley at Valleyfest 2023 - Smoke Masters
- 2026
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score677.0172 BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Polish Open Grill and BBQ Championships
- First overall podium Polish Open Grill and BBQ Championships
- First Reserve Championship Polish Open Grill and BBQ Championships
- First multi-meat day Polish Open Grill and BBQ Championships
- First perfect 180 (Pork) Polish Open Grill and BBQ Championships
- Career-best overall score703.9888 Cars & BBQ Festival 2026
- Peak power rating (1551) Smoke in the North (Day 2)
- Most recent contest Smoke in the North (Day 2)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.9 | Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 | 2026-08-14 |
| +14.4 | Smoke in the North (Day 2) | 2026-08-22 |
| +14 | Polish Open Grill and BBQ Championships | 2026-06-05 |
| +6 | Smoke in the North (Day 1) | 2026-08-21 |
| +5.5 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge | 2026-04-11 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -3.8 | Fire in the Valley at Valleyfest 2023 - Smoke Masters | 2023-08-05 |
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 100% | top 21% | 97.8% | 96.1% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 75% | 83.3% | 83.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-22 | Smoke in the North (Day 2) Boras, 50113 | 2 / 26 (694.2512) | 6 (175.4056) | 1 (179.4400) | 12 (167.9884) | 7 (171.4172) |
| 2026-08-21 | Smoke in the North (Day 1) Boras, 50113 | 9 / 28 (686.2056) | 8 (172.5484) | 5 (176.5600) | 9 (173.1200) | 22 (163.9772) |
| 2026-08-14 | Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 Tallinn, 15026 | 2 / 17 (703.9888) | 2 (177.1428) | 3 (178.2972) | 3 (178.8572) | 9 (169.6916) |
| 2026-06-05 | Polish Open Grill and BBQ Championships Mazowieckie, 05-090 | 2 / 14 (697.7372) | 4 (173.7028) | 1 (177.7144) | 1 (180.0000) | 7 (166.3200) |
| 2026-04-11 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge PARMA, 43126 | 16 / 42 (677.0172) | 7 (176.5600) | 19 (169.1200) | 15 (169.6800) | 28 (161.6572) |
| 2023-08-05 | Fire in the Valley at Valleyfest 2023 - Smoke Masters Chew Magna, Near Bristol, BS40 8SZ | 6 / 8 (599.9432) | 7 (154.8800) | 8 (138.8232) | 5 (149.7144) | 3 (156.5256) |
Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #153 (975 pts) | #182 (910 pts) | #155 (1025 pts) | #184 (845 pts) | #310 (555 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #927 (124 pts) | #1005 (124 pts) | #890 (189 pts) | #1089 (114 pts) | #1079 (114 pts) |