The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
PARK AVENUE PORK has finished one call ahead of Men of Erin 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Men of Erin
Men of Erin is a competition barbecue team with 19 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 4th of 23 at the UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series) (2015). They are ranked #5058 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1461
peak 1508 · rated over 15 contests4 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
19
in the data
First seen
Sep 26, 2014
latest Jun 26, 2026 · 11.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
21% of 19 contests
Avg finish
top 60%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
636.37 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 633.01 (+3.36)
Walk rate
26%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.46
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 161.46 · weakest Brisket (156.84)
Road miles
114
across 19 mapped stops
Schedule strength
19%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1527)
Purse competed for
$172K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 11 state-championship entries
Master avg
633.01 / 720
18 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Men of Erin, each with one reason worth a look.
137 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,060 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1461
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Men of Erin)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Men of Erin has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,074 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1461
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Men of Erin)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,075 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1532
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Men of Erin)
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Men of Erin's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,064 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1461
5–1 in 6 shared contests (83% to Men of Erin)
Fewer contests behind them than Men of Erin has cooked, 6 to 19, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,041 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1462
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Men of Erin)
Level with Men of Erin on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,062 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1461
16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 13% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 913 BBQ | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| PARK AVENUE PORK | 12 | 2 | 10 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Most Wanted BBQ | 11 | 8 | 3 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| KC Rib doctor | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| Hawg Wild | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| OINK, MOO & COCK-A-DOODLE DOO | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| B & C SMOKERS | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BURNT FINGER BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Hoggy Style BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| This is Nice | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Griswold Grillers | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Fork BBQ | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.5716 | 138.7884 | 158.95 | top 60% |
| Pork Ribs | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 170.2856 | 140.5028 | 156.85 | top 63% |
| Pork | 19 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 173.7372 | 152.5372 | 161.46 | top 52% |
| Brisket | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 169.7028 | 141.6456 | 156.84 | top 56% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 55% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 25% |
| Large (40+) | 14 | 0 | top 66% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | 6 | 67 | 0 | top 63% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitors Invitational Only Series) | 4 | 4 | 0 | top 45% | May 4, 2018 |
| Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship | 2 | 42 | 0 | top 51% | Sep 23, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
3 contests
Contests a season
1.6
across 12 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
13 of 19 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
10
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,557
finished ahead 937 times, behind 2,346
Longest layoff
1.8 yrs
Sep 12, 2019 → Jun 25, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
20231 milestone
- Career-best overall score657.0744 The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
20181 milestone
- 10th tracked contest 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
20161 milestone
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.5772 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship
20154 milestones
- First call UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series)
- First overall top-10 UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series)
- Career-best single call (Pork)173.7372 UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series)
- Peak power rating (1508) UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series)
20141 milestone
- First tracked contest Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12 | UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series) | May 1, 2015 |
| +5.3 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 23, 2023 |
| +4.2 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship | Sep 23, 2016 |
| +2.3 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle | Jun 22, 2018 |
| +1.2 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 21, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 27, 2025 |
| -10.3 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 24, 2022 |
| -9.7 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST | Sep 12, 2019 |
| -7.7 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open | Oct 3, 2015 |
| -7.1 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship | Jun 21, 2019 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 64% | 89.3% | 89.3% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 85.9% | 85.9% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 89.8% | 89.8% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 40% | 91.3% | 91.3% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 88% | 85.7% | 85.7% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 89.4% | 89.4% |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 67% | 90.8% | 87.8% |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 73% | 88.9% | 86.6% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 50% | 88.8% | 88.6% |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 36% | 90.8% | 88.4% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 49% | 89.9% | 88.3% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 64% | 88% | 88% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 2026 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 101 / 157 (642.7548) | 26 (172.5716) | 117 (158.2516) | 141 (152.5488) | 100 (159.3828) |
| Jun 27, 2025 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 148 / 159 (618.2060) | 142 (154.2516) | 76 (166.2972) | 128 (156) | 154 (141.6572) |
| Jun 21, 2024 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 91 / 172 (646.7656) | 84 (162.8572) | 33 (170.2628) | 136 (155.9884) | 110 (157.6572) |
| Jun 23, 2023 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 67 / 167 (657.0744) | 90 (161.7028) | 107 (160.5716) | 25 (173.7028) | 89 (161.0972) |
| Jun 24, 2022 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 144 / 164 (617.0284) | 155 (146.7772) | 146 (149.7028) | 51 (168.5828) | 141 (151.9656) |
| Jun 25, 2021 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 77 / 145 (643.3488) | 81 (161.0972) | 129 (149.1316) | 35 (168) | 53 (165.1200) |
| Sep 12, 2019 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 413 / 468 (618.2284) | 332 (160.5716) | 410 (153.7028) | 404 (152.5712) | 398 (151.3828) |
| Jun 21, 2019 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 137 / 183 (624.9712) | 77 (162.2516) | 167 (144.5140) | 131 (157.0856) | 86 (161.1200) |
| May 3, 2019 | UMB Smokin Vault BBQ Contest (Invitational Competitor's Series) unrated Kansas City, MO | 6 / 16 (653.6572) | 11 (160.5488) | 4 (170.2856) | 10 (158.8572) | 5 (163.9656) |
| Sep 15, 2018 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 379 / 467 (630.1824) | 344 (160.5712) | 384 (156.5144) | 148 (168.5712) | 435 (144.5256) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle Lenexa, KS | 82 / 185 (639.9088) | 46 (164.0116) | 129 (155.3716) | 74 (162.8456) | 89 (157.6800) |
| May 4, 2018 | UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitors Invitational Only Series) unrated Kansas City, MO | 13 / 14 (600.9252) | 12 (154.8000) | 13 (141.0968) | 6 (163.3828) | 12 (141.6456) |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 73 / 112 (637.0168) | 112 (138.7884) | 34 (167.4056) | 28 (168) | 46 (162.8228) |
| May 5, 2017 | UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitors Invitational Series) unrated Kansas City, MO | 6 / 17 (639.3944) | 9 (154.8116) | 13 (152.5828) | 5 (163.9772) | 2 (168.0228) |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 42 / 111 (653.5772) | 69 (160.5144) | 47 (164.5256) | 84 (158.8344) | 14 (169.7028) |
| May 6, 2016 | UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitors Invitational Series) unrated Kansas City, MO | 8 / 24 (619.2912) | 18 (151.3712) | 9 (158.8228) | 11 (152.5372) | 8 (156.5600) |
| Oct 3, 2015 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO | 486 / 606 (624.4228) | 238 (166.2400) | 587 (140.5028) | 430 (158.8344) | 360 (158.8456) |
| May 1, 2015 | UMB Smokin' Vault (Competitor's Series) Kansas City, MO | 4 / 23 (647.4516) | 4 (165.1544) | 10 (156.6056) | 3 (173.7372) | 12 (151.9544) |
| Sep 26, 2014 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 72 / 112 (633.5656) | 66 (161.1200) | 45 (163.9772) | 91 (153.6456) | 73 (154.8228) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.