The heartbreaker
0.5256
points from the title
Came within 0.5256 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke in the Grove (Jul 30, 2021).
Kane's BBQ
Kane's BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 49 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2020 and 2024. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (2021), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #424 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1692
peak 1700 · rated over 40 contests4 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
49
in the data
First seen
Jun 26, 2020
latest Mar 23, 2024 · 3.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
3 reserve · wins it all 2% of the time
Category wins
4
24 podiums
Overall top-10s
31
63% of 49 contests
Best top-10 run
10
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 31%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
339.60 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 335.78 (+3.82)
Walk rate
78%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.78
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 168.58 · weakest Brisket (163.84)
Road miles
7,861
across 49 mapped stops · furthest 1,094 mi
Schedule strength
66%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1583)
Purse competed for
$262K
listed at 36 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 32 state-championship entries
Master avg
677.37 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
335.78 / 360
27 Backyard contests · 1 GC
Backyard (3-meat) avg
503.29 / 540
11 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #121 (517 pts) | #124 (537 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1255 (60 pts) | #1319 (60 pts) | #1432 (60 pts) | #1287 (60 pts) | #1296 (60 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #59 (770 pts) | #17 (1,174 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1309 (60 pts) | #1341 (60 pts) | #1404 (60 pts) | #1187 (100 pts) | #1333 (60 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #19 (1,101 pts) | #6 (1,271 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1133 (107 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #93 (95 pts) | #57 (195 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Kane's BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#423 of the rated field
- Contests
- 34
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 62%
- Peak
- 1693
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Kane's BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Kane's BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#425 of the rated field
- Contests
- 174
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1759
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Kane's BBQ)
They've been 1759 at their best, 67 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#426 of the rated field
- Contests
- 53
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1692
Careers of much the same size, 53 contests to 49, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#422 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1693
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 4 years before Kane's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#420 of the rated field
- Contests
- 69
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 58%
- Peak
- 1715
3–0 in 3 shared contests (100% to Kane's BBQ)
Their rating is built on 4 Grand Championships in 69 contests, alongside a 58% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#433 of the rated field
- Contests
- 42
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 55%
- Peak
- 1691
They were already cooking in 2013, 7 years before Kane's BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 31 | 13 | 16 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | 31 | 11 | 20 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| Ham Squad | 28 | 9 | 19 | 32% | ⚔ compare |
| The Fat is Where It's At | 28 | 7 | 21 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Weber's Backyard BBQ | 26 | 15 | 11 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 26 | 13 | 11 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Zoni-Q | 25 | 18 | 7 | 72% | ⚔ compare |
| Top Gun Barbecue | 25 | 12 | 11 | 48% | ⚔ compare |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 24 | 15 | 7 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | 24 | 12 | 12 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Optimus Swine | 24 | 9 | 15 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 24 | 6 | 17 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Off The Rack BBQ | 23 | 11 | 10 | 48% | ⚔ compare |
| BOGGS HOG BBQ | 22 | 12 | 8 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| Mispillion Meat Works | 22 | 6 | 16 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 44 | 26 | 0 | 7 | 177.7144 | 156.5144 | 167.56 | top 37% |
| Pork Ribs | 46 | 32 | 3 | 13 | 180 🔥 | 155.9428 | 168.58 | top 29% |
| Pork | 17 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 174.8572 | 159.9428 | 168.14 | top 31% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.2860 | 151.9200 | 163.84 | top 64% |
“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) | 8 | 0 | top 57% |
| Medium (20–39) | 15 | 0 | top 28% |
| Large (40+) | 20 | 1 | top 23% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) | 4 | 5 | 0 | top 25% | Mar 23, 2024 |
| Smoke in the Grove (Day 2) | 4 | 2 | 0 | top 19% | Jul 30, 2022 |
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 6% | May 19, 2023 |
| Maryland State BBQ Bash | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 28% | Oct 13, 2023 |
| Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 11% | Jul 29, 2023 |
| New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 11% | Apr 22, 2022 |
| BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 10% | Mar 26, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2021
21 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
9.8
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
VA
15 of 49 contests · 7 states in all
Contests visited
30
7 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
46 entries · 3 wins · 32 calls
First title
May 14, 2021
Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
Opponents faced
649
finished ahead 1,674 times, behind 668
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20242 milestones
- Peak power rating (1700) BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)
- Most recent contest BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)
20232 milestones
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Maryland State BBQ Bash
- Career-best overall score692.4568 Maryland State BBQ Bash
20221 milestone
- 25th tracked contest BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) (One Meat Ribs)
20217 milestones
- First overall podium Interstate BBQ Festival - Day 2
- First category win (Pork Ribs) New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
- First Reserve Championship New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
- First Grand Championship Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- First state championship Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- Biggest field won (46 teams) Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- 10th tracked contest Almost Heaven BBQ Bash
20204 milestones
- First tracked contest York County BBQ Festival
- First call Smoke in the Grove
- First overall top-10 The Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score489.0288 The Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.1 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Apr 23, 2021 |
| +13.9 | Interstate BBQ Festival - Day 2 | Apr 17, 2021 |
| +13.2 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke | May 14, 2021 |
| +12.7 | Interstate BBQ Festival - Day 1 | Apr 16, 2021 |
| +12.1 | Smoke in the Grove | Jul 30, 2021 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.6 | Almost Heaven's Spooktacular Backyard BBQ | Oct 29, 2021 |
| -8.8 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 24, 2022 |
| -7.4 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) | Mar 23, 2024 |
| -6.6 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 | May 21, 2022 |
| -5.7 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown at Americamps - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 24, 2021 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 32% | 95.9% | 95.3% |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 100% | top 11% | 96.2% | 95.6% |
| 2022 | 18 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 67% | top 35% | 95.3% | 93% |
| 2021 | 21 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 86% | top 32% | 96.8% | 93.5% |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 30% | 90.6% | 89.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2024 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 22 / 42 (681.6576) | 34 (166.2400) | 5 (176.0116) | 23 (170.2744) | 21 (169.1316) |
| Mar 22, 2024 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 5 / 45 (690.2404) | 3 (177.7144) | 23 (168.5372) | 9 (173.7028) | 17 (170.2860) |
| Mar 22, 2024 | BBQ Gives Back (One Meat Chicken) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 3 / 23 (692.4568) | 3 (175.4056) | 1 (180) | 9 (170.8228) | 12 (166.2284) |
| Jul 29, 2023 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 7 / 40 (340.4912) | 15 (167.3712) | 3 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Jul 28, 2023 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 2 / 51 (346.2628) | 2 (177.7028) | 13 (168.5600) | — | — |
| May 19, 2023 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 3 / 37 (343.3944) | 6 (172.5600) | 4 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Nov 11, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Gadsden, AL | 84 / 91 (656.9368) | 78 (165.1084) | 61 (167.3828) | 82 (162.8000) | 74 (161.6456) |
| Oct 22, 2022 | Red White & Que: Day 2 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 8 / 27 (335.9200) | 16 (162.8000) | 3 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Oct 21, 2022 | Red White & Que: Day 1 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 10 / 29 (331.9084) | 13 (164.5140) | 7 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD | 18 / 30 (319.3484) | 16 (163.4056) | 23 (155.9428) | — | — |
| Sep 24, 2022 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 13 / 18 (496.4916) | 11 (169.7256) | 17 (163.9660) | 14 (162.8000) | — |
| Sep 23, 2022 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 9 / 20 (514.8000) | 15 (166.2284) | 3 (175.4172) | 3 (173.1544) | — |
| Jul 30, 2022 | Smoke in the Grove (Day 2) 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 14 / 42 (500.4456) | 5 (174.2744) | 23 (158.7884) | 9 (167.3828) | — |
| Jul 29, 2022 | Smoke in the Grove (Day 1) 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 5 / 54 (511.9084) | 18 (169.6684) | 9 (170.2744) | 6 (171.9656) | — |
| May 21, 2022 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 🏅 Mannington, WV | 8 / 13 (339.3944) | 6 (171.4172) | 7 (167.9772) | — | — |
| May 20, 2022 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 🏅 Mannington, WV | 5 / 14 (338.2172) | 7 (165.0856) | 2 (173.1316) | — | — |
| May 13, 2022 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 3 / 39 (341.0856) | 10 (165.6684) | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Apr 23, 2022 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 4 / 41 (334.7884) | 9 (163.9312) | 2 (170.8572) | — | — |
| Apr 22, 2022 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 8 / 48 (326.1712) | 9 (163.9312) | 7 (162.2400) | — | — |
| Apr 22, 2022 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - Master of Ribs - Friday Night Blairstown, NJ | — | — | 11 (165.1316) | — | — |
| Mar 26, 2022 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 4 / 50 (514.2288) | 5 (173.1200) | 10 (169.1316) | 3 (171.9772) | — |
| Mar 25, 2022 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 6 / 53 (503.3372) | 7 (170.8228) | 14 (159.3944) | 3 (173.1200) | — |
| Mar 25, 2022 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) (One Meat Chicken) Urbanna, VA | — | 18 (163.3944) | — | — | — |
| Mar 25, 2022 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) (One Meat Ribs) Urbanna, VA | — | — | 15 (166.2744) | — | — |
| Nov 12, 2021 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Backyard unrated Shawnee, OK | 13 / 33 (338.7884) | 20 (167.9656) | 3 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Nov 11, 2021 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Open unrated Shawnee, OK | 86 / 111 (665.5772) | 43 (171.4172) | 71 (167.3828) | 17 (174.8572) | 108 (151.9200) |
| Nov 11, 2021 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Ancillary unrated Shawnee, OK | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 29, 2021 | Almost Heaven's Spooktacular Backyard BBQ Buckhannon, WV | 11 / 12 (336.5028) | 10 (165.6684) | 6 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Red White & Que: Day 1 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Jackson, NJ | 7 / 31 (321.0288) | 10 (157.0628) | 7 (163.9660) | — | — |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Red White & Que: Day 1 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES - One Meat Rib Contest Jackson, NJ | — | — | 11 (161.0972) | — | — |
| Oct 16, 2021 | Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague 🏅 Galax, VA | 8 / 15 (340.5144) | 9 (169.6800) | 7 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD | 3 / 25 (337.6916) | 3 (170.8572) | 5 (166.8344) | — | — |
| Sep 25, 2021 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown at Americamps - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 9 / 18 (505.7144) | 12 (166.2972) | 2 (175.4744) | 11 (163.9428) | — |
| Sep 24, 2021 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown at Americamps - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 12 / 19 (497.6000) | 16 (159.3828) | 9 (163.9428) | 1 (174.2744) | — |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 2 Boonsboro, MD | 8 / 20 (330.8116) | 12 (163.4172) | 4 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Aug 27, 2021 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 1 Boonsboro, MD | 12 / 24 (331.3484) | 16 (158.2056) | 4 (173.1428) | — | — |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Pig Out in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Frostburg, MD | 5 / 18 (337.6916) | 5 (170.2628) | 6 (167.4288) | — | — |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Smoke in the Grove 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 2 / 54 (343.4172) | 8 (169.6800) | 2 (173.7372) | 18 (159.9428) | — |
| Jun 18, 2021 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Roanoke, WV | 5 / 28 (338.2288) | 7 (165.0972) | 2 (173.1316) | — | — |
| May 14, 2021 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 1 / 46 (348.5484) | 2 (174.2628) | 1 (174.2856) | — | — |
| Apr 23, 2021 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 2 / 40 (339.9544) | 7 (162.2400) | 1 (177.7144) | — | — |
| Apr 17, 2021 | Interstate BBQ Festival - Day 2 🏅 Hagerstown, MD | 3 / 34 (340.5372) | 7 (170.2628) | 6 (170.2744) | — | — |
| Apr 16, 2021 | Interstate BBQ Festival - Day 1 🏅 Hagerstown, MD | 5 / 47 (341.1432) | 5 (172.5600) | 7 (168.5832) | — | — |
| Mar 27, 2021 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 7 / 40 (502.7544) | 3 (171.9656) | 8 (169.6916) | 13 (161.0972) | — |
| Mar 26, 2021 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 8 / 46 (499.9316) | 3 (170.8344) | 13 (165.1200) | 11 (163.9772) | — |
| Oct 29, 2020 | The Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q 🏅 Wytheville, VA | 10 / 33 (489.0288) | 15 (156.5144) | 4 (170.2744) | 5 (162.2400) | — |
| Jul 24, 2020 | Smoke in the Grove 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 17 / 59 (323.3488) | 10 (165.6800) | 16 (157.6688) | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2020 | York County BBQ Festival 🏅 Delta, PA | 16 / 53 (319.4172) | 11 (163.4400) | 15 (155.9772) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.