The comeback
9 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 9 years, then back at Smoke on the Bricks (Aug 25, 2023).
- last seen Aug 30, 2014
- back Aug 25, 2023
Family Tradition
Family Tradition is a competition barbecue team with 3 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 6th of 26 at the Cruisin' and BBQin' (2026).
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1493
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 3
Contests
3
in the data
First seen
Aug 30, 2014
latest Jul 31, 2026 · 11.9 years on the trail
Overall top-10s
1
of 3 contests
Avg finish
top 65%
overall standings
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 161.52 · weakest Brisket (153.39)
Road miles
715
across 3 mapped stops · furthest 715 mi
Schedule strength
45%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1559)
Purse competed for
$23K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
Master avg
625.36 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
340.49 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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.
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.6684 | 153.6800 | 161.29 | top 63% |
| Pork Ribs | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8228 | 152.0116 | 161.52 | top 62% |
| Pork | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.9660 | 152.0344 | 158.00 | top 77% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 157.1200 | 149.6576 | 153.39 | top 67% |
“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.
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IA
1 of 3 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
3
a different one every time
Opponents faced
156
finished ahead 47 times, behind 110
Longest layoff
9 yrs
Aug 30, 2014 → Aug 25, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20266 milestones
- First call Cruisin' and BBQin'
- First overall top-10 Cruisin' and BBQin'
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score340.4912 Cruisin' and BBQin'
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)170.8228 Cruisin' and BBQin'
- Peak power rating (1493) Cruisin' and BBQin'
- Most recent contest Cruisin' and BBQin'
20231 milestone
- Career-best overall score635.8756 Smoke on the Bricks
20141 milestone
- First tracked contest City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 2026 | Cruisin' and BBQin' 🏅 Hampton, IA | 6 / 26 (340.4912) | 7 (169.6684) | 7 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS | 38 / 44 (635.8756) | 38 (160.5260) | 36 (161.7260) | 28 (163.9660) | 39 (149.6576) |
| Aug 30, 2014 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 64 / 76 (614.8460) | 57 (153.6800) | 58 (152.0116) | 68 (152.0344) | 35 (157.1200) |