Knights of the Holy Grill

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#1215

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1584

peak 1584 · rated over 22 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-08-23

latest 2026-06-26

Best ToY finish

#1762

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 22 contests

Avg finish

top 38%

overall standings

Best overall

687.3140 / 720

Master · The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship

Perfect 180s

Current form

680.25 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 656.52 (+23.73)

Walk rate

36%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Pork Ribs · The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship

Consistency

±17.84

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.88 · weakest Brisket (158.51)

Road miles

381

mi across 22 mapped stops

Schedule strength

22%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1530)

Purse competed for

$117K

listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 13 state-championship entries

Master avg

656.52 / 720

22 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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.

High-water mark

687.3140 career-best overall

95.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 687.3140 at The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship — 95.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
2025-06-27

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Double Stack BBQ has finished one call ahead of Knights of the Holy Grill 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

16–4 behind in the head-to-head

B & C SMOKERS ahead in 80% of their meetings

B & C SMOKERS has come out ahead in 16 of their 20 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.36 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 14%.

Brisket avg 158.51
Chicken avg 167.88
0 calls in 22 entries

A strong matchup

16–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 89% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DUNN UP BBQ in 16 of their 18 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship (2021-06-25).

last seen 2019-06-21
back 2021-06-25

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Broken Bottle BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A June team

Top 27% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 27% across 13 contests, versus top 38% the rest of the year.

13 June contests
top 38% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.48% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.48% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.2% of a perfect score
22 contests

A standing appointment

6 years running at one contest

They've cooked *East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival every year from 2013 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.

6 visits in all
best finish 17th

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.

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

BIG PAPA'S COUNTRY KITCHEN

#1219 of the rated field

1584 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1597

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Knights of the Holy Grill's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 22 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ

#1217 of the rated field

1584 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1593

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 26 contests to 22, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2018-10-12

⚔ Head-to-head

BUSH LEAGUE BBQ (inactive)

#1212 of the rated field

1584 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1584

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 26 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2017-03-03

⚔ Head-to-head

Gardenvalley Smokers

#1218 of the rated field

1584 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1606

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 20 contests, alongside a 40% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2024-03-01

⚔ Head-to-head

Loose Cannon BBQ

#1216 of the rated field

1584 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 68%
Peak: 1584

No shared contest yet.

10 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2023-09-15

⚔ Head-to-head

Needs More Cowbell BBQ

#1221 of the rated field

1584 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 41
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 34%
Peak: 1591

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 9 years after Knights of the Holy Grill did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 39 contests
last seen 2025-04-25

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
B & C SMOKERS	20	4	16	20%	⚔ compare
DUNN UP BBQ	18	16	2	89%	⚔ compare
BEAUX HAWG BBQ	16	6	10	38%	⚔ compare
Griswold Grillers	15	9	6	60%	⚔ compare
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
B&D BBQ	14	14	0	100%	⚔ compare
Royal Smoke	13	11	2	85%	⚔ compare
Four Men and A Pig	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
913 BBQ	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
The Drizzlers	12	12	0	100%	⚔ compare
Too Hot to Handle	12	12	0	100%	⚔ compare
Grill on Grill Action	12	11	1	92%	⚔ compare
No Clue BBQ	12	11	1	92%	⚔ compare
Slow Cookin' Cats	12	11	1	92%	⚔ compare
Smokin Engineers	12	11	1	92%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	22	3	0	1	176.0000	158.8344	167.88	top 30%
Pork Ribs	22	2	1	1	178.8572	150.8228	165.19	top 41%
Pork	22	3	0	0	177.7028	153.0856	164.94	top 41%
Brisket	22	0	0	0	174.2744	138.1944	158.51	top 53%

“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 state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
KS	21	0	top 39%
MO	1	0	top 24%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	6	21	top 24%	2026-06-26
*East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival	6	17	top 51%	2018-08-24
Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship	3	28	top 36%	2016-06-24

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 12.8 yrs 2013-08-23 → 2026-06-26

Busiest season 2018 3 contests

Contests a season 1.7 across 13 seasons in the data

Cooks most in KS 21 of 22 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 10 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 22 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 167.88 · weakest Brisket (158.51)

Walk rate 36% a top-10 call in 8 of 22 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 22 contests

Master average 656.52 out of 720 · 22 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 823 1,808–860 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 381 22 mapped stops

Schedule strength 1530 average field rating faced — tougher than 22% of rated contests

Purse competed for $117,350 listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 13 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 2 yrs 2019-06-21 → 2021-06-25

Power rating 1584 peak 1584 · #1215 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Aug 23 First tracked contest East Central State BBQ Cook-Off Paola Roots Festival
Aug 23 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.6800 East Central State BBQ Cook-Off Paola Roots Festival
2014
Jun 27 First call Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
2017
Aug 25 10th tracked contest *East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival
2023
Jun 23 First category win (Pork Ribs) The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
Jun 23 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
2025
Jun 27 Career-best overall score687.3140 The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
2026
Jun 26 Peak power rating (1584) The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
Jun 26 Most recent contest The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.5	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	2022-06-24
+10.8	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	2015-06-26
+10.7	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	2023-06-23
+10.3	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle	2018-06-22
+9.8	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	2025-06-27

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.1	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival	2016-08-26
-5.3	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship	2016-06-24
-3.6	10th Annual VFW Post 846 BBQ Challenge	2018-04-20
-3.1	*East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival	2018-08-24
-1.7	Qlathe BBQ Championship	2022-03-18

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	0	100%	top 22%	94.1%	94.1%
2025	1	0	0%	top 13%	95.5%	95.5%
2024	1	0	0%	top 19%	93.8%	93.8%
2023	1	1	100%	top 13%	94.8%	94.8%
2022	2	0	50%	top 37%	94.3%	93.2%
2021	1	0	100%	top 45%	90.1%	90.1%
2019	2	0	0%	top 39%	92.5%	91.6%
2018	3	0	33%	top 49%	91.5%	90.2%
2017	2	0	50%	top 41%	92.4%	90.4%
2016	3	0	33%	top 58%	93.1%	88.7%
2015	2	0	0%	top 35%	91.3%	90.5%
2014	2	0	50%	top 36%	89.4%	89.2%
2013	1	0	0%	top 25%	91.3%	91.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-06-26	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	34 / 157 (677.6116)	16 (176.0000)	110 (159.3600)	10 (176.0000)	61 (166.2516)
2025-06-27	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	21 / 159 (687.3140)	32 (173.1200)	44 (172.5600)	36 (171.9656)	44 (169.6684)
2024-06-21	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	32 / 172 (675.3144)	31 (171.9772)	18 (171.9772)	35 (170.8572)	90 (160.5028)
2023-06-23	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	21 / 167 (682.2516)	99 (161.1544)	1 (178.8572)	68 (167.9656)	16 (174.2744)
2022-06-24	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	20 / 164 (678.7656)	18 (172.5600)	55 (166.2628)	5 (177.7028)	73 (162.2400)
2022-03-18	Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	44 / 71 (663.2800)	52 (162.8228)	18 (171.9772)	48 (165.0972)	45 (163.3828)
2021-06-25	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	65 / 145 (648.4572)	47 (165.0972)	6 (176.5600)	75 (161.7028)	127 (145.0972)
2019-06-21	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	61 / 183 (652.5256)	111 (158.8344)	44 (167.9656)	104 (160.5712)	54 (165.1544)
2019-04-05	VFW Post 846 Battle of the Pits 🏅 Overland Park, KS	24 / 53 (666.1716)	14 (172.5600)	34 (163.3944)	34 (163.9544)	21 (166.2628)
2018-08-24	*East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	42 / 67 (638.1376)	39 (159.3716)	26 (166.8460)	34 (162.8000)	54 (149.1200)
2018-06-22	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle Lenexa, KS	30 / 185 (658.8228)	85 (160.5372)	22 (169.7144)	41 (167.4056)	67 (161.1656)
2018-04-20	10th Annual VFW Post 846 BBQ Challenge Overland Park, KS	32 / 46 (651.8512)	24 (165.1084)	39 (156.5028)	10 (168.5484)	29 (161.6916)
2017-08-25	*East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	19 / 57 (665.5656)	3 (176.0000)	23 (165.0972)	38 (160.5256)	24 (163.9428)
2017-06-23	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	90 / 184 (635.8856)	14 (170.8572)	94 (159.9884)	139 (154.2400)	129 (150.8000)
2016-08-26	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	53 / 61 (620.3888)	8 (171.4172)	48 (156.5028)	49 (154.2744)	59 (138.1944)
2016-06-24	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	115 / 183 (624.9484)	48 (165.1084)	85 (160.5144)	136 (153.0856)	146 (146.2400)
2016-06-03	Smokin' on the Summit BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	16 / 67 (670.1368)	15 (170.8112)	24 (167.3828)	16 (170.8228)	32 (161.1200)
2015-08-28	East Central State BBQ Cook Off Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	35 / 65 (646.1828)	15 (168.5256)	38 (161.7144)	28 (163.9656)	49 (151.9772)
2015-06-26	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	28 / 183 (657.7148)	14 (170.8572)	78 (160.5832)	38 (166.8572)	80 (159.4172)
2014-08-22	East Central State BBQ Cook Off Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	29 / 69 (641.1316)	17 (168.5600)	22 (162.8572)	15 (167.4516)	62 (142.2628)
2014-06-27	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	54 / 184 (643.3600)	4 (173.1544)	142 (150.8228)	86 (158.2856)	56 (161.0972)
2013-08-23	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off Paola Roots Festival Paola, KS	17 / 68 (657.6800)	41 (158.8344)	24 (166.8228)	20 (164.5828)	14 (167.4400)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1920 (65 pts)	#1702 (115 pts)	#2026 (60 pts)	#2029 (60 pts)	#1868 (80 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2084 (75 pts)	#1953 (115 pts)	#2081 (90 pts)	#1908 (125 pts)	#2148 (75 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1762 (115 pts)	#2073 (75 pts)	#2017 (80 pts)	#1942 (100 pts)	#1700 (130 pts)