High-water mark
676.0004
career-best overall
93.9% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 676.0004 at Black Forrest Smoke & Wine Festival — 93.9% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jul 23, 2016
Beer & Bones
Beer & Bones is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 10th of 30 at the W.E.S.T.Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest (2017). They are ranked #4668 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1470
peak 1470 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
May 2, 2015
latest Apr 26, 2024 · 9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
1
10% of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 68%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
648.06 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 623.95 (+24.11)
Walk rate
40%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±57.47
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 163.03 · weakest Pork Ribs (148.77)
Road miles
8,525
across 10 mapped stops · furthest 4,687 mi
Schedule strength
20%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1528)
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
623.95 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1666 (130 pts) | #2088 (90 pts) | #1716 (140 pts) | #1561 (170 pts) | #2006 (105 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #906 (377 pts) | #1178 (282 pts) | #819 (482 pts) | #882 (442 pts) | #1057 (322 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1528 (150 pts) | #1713 (130 pts) | #1214 (255 pts) | #1630 (150 pts) | #1629 (145 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Beer & Bones, each with one reason worth a look.
141 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,686 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1506
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Beer & Bones)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Beer & Bones has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,665 of the rated field
- Contests
- 46
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 4%
- Peak
- 1470
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Beer & Bones)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 45 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,679 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1469
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,693 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1469
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 5 years before Beer & Bones's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,688 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1469
Level with Beer & Bones on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,690 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1505
They've been 1505 at their best, 36 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ LONGHORN RANCH HANDS | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MISS PIGGY'S U.K. | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| DRAGON BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SOUTHERN DUTCH BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8228 | 141.1428 | 157.57 | top 78% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 177.1772 | 20 | 148.77 | top 53% |
| Pork | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 150.8572 | 163.03 | top 51% |
| Brisket | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.0232 | 142.7196 | 154.58 | top 70% |
“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) | 6 | 0 | top 71% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 63% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke By the River | 2 | 16 | 0 | top 85% | Apr 30, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2016
4 contests
Contests a season
2
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
DE
2 of 10 contests · 6 states in all
Contests visited
8
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
232
finished ahead 115 times, behind 211
Longest layoff
5.6 yrs
Sep 14, 2018 → Apr 26, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20242 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest
- Most recent contest Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest
20171 milestone
- First overall top-10 W.E.S.T.Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
20164 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Black Forrest Smoke & Wine Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score676.0004 Black Forrest Smoke & Wine Festival
- Career-best overall score676.0004 Black Forrest Smoke & Wine Festival
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.1772 Black Forrest Smoke & Wine Festival
20153 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke by the River
- First call Smoke by the River
- Peak power rating (1491) Smoke by the River
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.4 | 3rd Ruhrpott BBQ 2016 | Sep 24, 2016 |
| +7.5 | W.E.S.T.Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest | Jan 14, 2017 |
| +5.5 | Black Forrest Smoke & Wine Festival | Jul 23, 2016 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -15 | 2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015 | Sep 25, 2015 |
| -14.1 | Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch | May 12, 2018 |
| -11 | Smoke By the River | Apr 30, 2016 |
| -8.7 | Smoke by the River | May 2, 2015 |
| -5.8 | EUregio Barbecue Festival | Aug 20, 2016 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 93.2% | 93.2% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 84% | 84% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 33% | 92.9% | 92.9% |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 50% | top 59% | 93.9% | 89.8% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 90% | 83.9% | 75.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 2024 | Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO | 30 / 44 (671.3144) | 24 (170.8228) | 22 (170.8344) | 17 (171.4172) | 37 (158.2400) |
| Sep 14, 2018 | Riverfest BBQ and Music Festival Decatur, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| May 12, 2018 | Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch Aldersyde | 30 / 30 (604.5944) | 30 (145.6916) | 17 (158.8800) | 14 (157.1772) | 30 (142.8456) |
| Jan 14, 2017 | W.E.S.T.Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest Rein in Taufers, BZ | 10 / 30 (669.1204) | 18 (164.5600) | 9 (170.8916) | 6 (170.8228) | 15 (162.8460) |
| Sep 24, 2016 | 3rd Ruhrpott BBQ 2016 Waltrop NRW, DE | 14 / 67 (656.5372) | 45 (158.8112) | 23 (164.5944) | 7 (171.9772) | 26 (161.1544) |
| Aug 20, 2016 | EUregio Barbecue Festival Waldfeutch-Haaren/NRW, NR | 22 / 28 (638.7312) | 25 (158.8112) | 25 (157.6572) | 22 (161.7028) | 20 (160.5600) |
| Jul 23, 2016 | Black Forrest Smoke & Wine Festival Millheim, DE | 13 / 29 (676.0004) | 23 (165.1200) | 1 (177.1772) | 15 (169.6800) | 16 (164.0232) |
| Apr 30, 2016 | Smoke By the River Brugg, Switzerland | 18 / 20 (614.7428) | 13 (162.8916) | 18 (152.0116) | 13 (157.1200) | 17 (142.7196) |
| Sep 25, 2015 | 2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015 Herten, NRW | 67 / 67 (480.4456) | 60 (150.2516) | 67 (20) | 43 (156.5256) | 43 (153.6684) |
| May 2, 2015 | Smoke by the River Brugg | 16 / 20 (604.0804) | 20 (141.1428) | 4 (166.9260) | 16 (150.8572) | 17 (145.1544) |