COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY

COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 16th of 25 at the Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash (2021). They are ranked #3916 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,916

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1485

peak 1485 · rated over 5 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Sep 15, 2018

latest Sep 27, 2023 · 5 years on the trail

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 7 contests

Avg finish

top 69%

overall standings

Best overall

678.7544 / 720

Master · Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Walk rate

14%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.0116

Chicken · Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash

Consistency

±198.32

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 163.70 · weakest Brisket (152.96)

Road miles

151

across 7 mapped stops · furthest 65 mi

Schedule strength

72%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1591)

Purse competed for

$155K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

544.69 / 720

5 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (4 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

High-water mark

678.7544 career-best overall

94.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 678.7544 at Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash — 94.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 13, 2021

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

A strong matchup

3–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DUSTY ROADS BBQ in 3 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

1.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.9 years, then back at Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash (Aug 13, 2021).

last seen Sep 12, 2019
back Aug 13, 2021

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY, each with one reason worth a look.

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

THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM

#3,890 of the rated field

1485 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1485

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Sep 12, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

TURN'N 2 BBQ

#3,932 of the rated field

1485 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1485

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 5 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Smokin' Barrel BBQ

#3,894 of the rated field

1485 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1485

Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Jul 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Smokey Bandits

#3,891 of the rated field

1485 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1506

Level with COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Jun 13, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

Big Fig BBQ

#3,917 of the rated field

1485 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1502

They turned up 6 years after COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY did, first appearing in 2024.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Apr 11, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

POPS BBQ

#3,892 of the rated field

1485 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1485

Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Apr 28, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Heavy Smoke BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
LOVE 2 Q	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
S&S BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
HIGH i QUE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	5	1	176.0116	150.2400	162.82	top 65%
Pork Ribs	4	0	171.9888	153.7260	163.70	top 62%
Pork	4	0	168.5256	146.8116	160.67	top 70%
Brisket	4	0	170.8228	143.4172	152.96	top 83%

“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)	1	0	top 64%
Large (40+)	4	0	top 70%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
KS	4	0	top 70%
MO	1	0	top 64%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	2	370	0	top 82%	Sep 27, 2023

More numbers

Busiest season 2023 2 contests

Contests a season 1.4 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in KS 6 of 7 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 4 1 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 5 entries · 0 wins · 1 call

Opponents faced 1,074 finished ahead 518 times, behind 1,428

Longest layoff 1.9 yrs Sep 12, 2019 → Aug 13, 2021

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

20231 milestone

Sep 27 Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides

20214 milestones

Aug 13 First call Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash
Aug 13 Career-best overall score678.7544 Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash
Aug 13 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.0116 Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash
Aug 13 Peak power rating (1498) Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash

20191 milestone

Sep 12 First overall past 90% of a perfect score491.9316 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST

20181 milestone

Sep 15 First tracked contest 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.1	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST	Sep 12, 2019
+0.4	Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash	Aug 13, 2021

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.8	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	Sep 15, 2018
-9.1	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	Sep 27, 2023
-3.8	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST	Sep 29, 2022

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	2	0%	top 90%	87%	87%
2022	2	0%	top 73%	90.1%	90.1%
2021	1	100%	top 64%	94.3%	94.3%
2019	1	0%	top 16%	91.1%	91.1%
2018	1	0%	top 100%	20.9%	20.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 27, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 27, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	440 / 487 (626.6860)	394 (160.5028)	306 (165.6800)	473 (146.8116)	430 (153.6916)
Oct 1, 2022	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 29, 2022	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	370 / 505 (649.0288)	264 (167.3828)	123 (171.9888)	278 (166.2400)	477 (143.4172)
Aug 13, 2021	Smokin' Trackside BBQ Bash 🏅 Winston, MO	16 / 25 (678.7544)	6 (176.0116)	18 (163.3944)	15 (168.5256)	14 (170.8228)
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	75 / 468 (491.9316)	345 (159.9772)	407 (153.7260)	320 (161.1200)	442 (143.9088)
Sep 15, 2018	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	467 / 467 (150.2400)	444 (150.2400)	—	—	—

COOK & LADDER BBQ COMPANY

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (4 found in their record)

High-water mark

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)