The heartbreaker
0.5828
points from the title
Came within 0.5828 points of the Grand Championship at Buds Blues and BBQ (Sep 5, 2025).
OnlyCans Competition BBQ
OnlyCans Competition BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 26 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2024 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 9 at the Buds Blues and BBQ (2025), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1795 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1548
peak 1565 · rated over 14 contests3 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
26
in the data
First seen
Sep 14, 2024
latest Sep 25, 2026 · 2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
3
8 podiums
Overall top-10s
6
23% of 26 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 48%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
680.93 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 687.07 (-6.14)
Walk rate
58%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.64
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 172.35 · weakest Pork Ribs (170.98)
Road miles
3,209
across 26 mapped stops · furthest 276 mi
Schedule strength
84%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1612)
Purse competed for
$221K
listed at 19 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 15 state-championship entries
Master avg
687.07 / 720
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #187 (974 pts) | #148 (1,159 pts) | #139 (1,225 pts) | #167 (1,009 pts) | #135 (1,134 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #262 (840 pts) | #321 (705 pts) | #181 (1,231 pts) | #259 (880 pts) | #306 (775 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1080 (85 pts) | #1242 (60 pts) | #1156 (100 pts) | #1041 (105 pts) | #1032 (105 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to OnlyCans Competition BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
62 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,788 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 63%
- Peak
- 1550
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to OnlyCans Competition BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team OnlyCans Competition BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,804 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1550
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to OnlyCans Competition BBQ)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,794 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1548
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to OnlyCans Competition BBQ)
Fewer contests behind them than OnlyCans Competition BBQ has cooked, 6 to 26, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,800 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1547
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before OnlyCans Competition BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,798 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1580
16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 44% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,793 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1548
They were already cooking in 2014, 10 years before OnlyCans Competition BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Take It Easy BBQ | 15 | 5 | 10 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 14 | 4 | 10 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 14 | 4 | 10 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| 1Bite Stand | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| TRIPLE H BBQ | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Eleven Thirteen Q | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| Mulkey's BBQ | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| Two Pigs And A Smoker | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| Shiggin aint easy | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| Rudes BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Wicked Pig BBQ | 9 | 8 | 1 | 89% | ⚔ compare |
| AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 178.8572 | 163.3828 | 171.78 | top 54% |
| Pork Ribs | 24 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 177.7144 | 141.1200 | 170.98 | top 49% |
| Pork | 17 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 178.2972 | 166.2400 | 172.35 | top 45% |
| Brisket | 17 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 178.8572 | 161.0856 | 172.24 | top 41% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 22% |
| Medium (20–39) | 10 | 0 | top 45% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 59% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trekking for CDH | 3 | 10 | 0 | top 45% | Sep 19, 2026 |
| Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 54% | Aug 15, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
14 contests
Contests a season
8.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
12 of 26 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
13
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
24 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls
Opponents faced
704
finished ahead 703 times, behind 795
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- Career-best overall score706.2632 Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge
- Peak power rating (1565) Rose Festival's 25th Annual KCBS BBQ Competition
- 25th tracked contest Trekking for CDH
- Most recent contest Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
20257 milestones
- First call Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First category win (Pork) Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First overall top-10 Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First overall podium Smoke N for the Kids
- First Reserve Championship Buds Blues and BBQ
- Career-best single call (Brisket)178.8572 Buds Blues and BBQ
- 10th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest
20242 milestones
- First tracked contest Trekking for CDH
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score686.2060 Trekking for CDH
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.9 | Smoke N for the Kids | Aug 16, 2025 |
| +16 | Buds Blues and BBQ | Sep 5, 2025 |
| +15.6 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge | Mar 27, 2026 |
| +9 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main | Jul 26, 2025 |
| +5.8 | Trekking for CDH | Sep 13, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.6 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 1) | Aug 14, 2026 |
| -7.3 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 20, 2026 |
| -6.3 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) | Aug 15, 2026 |
| -4.8 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard | Sep 25, 2026 |
| -0.8 | Trekking for CDH | Sep 14, 2024 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 57% | top 56% | 98.1% | 95% |
| 2025 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 64% | top 35% | 98% | 96.1% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 57% | 95.3% | 95.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2026 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 52 / 71 (675.2568) | 63 (165.0856) | 39 (171.9656) | 34 (170.8228) | 54 (167.3828) |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 10 / 27 (691.3256) | 12 (173.1200) | 13 (171.9772) | 10 (173.1084) | 10 (173.1200) |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Trekking for CDH (ONE MEAT RIBS) Pierron, IL | — | — | 14 (165.0856) | — | — |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) 🏅 Troy, IL | 21 / 32 (691.9316) | 6 (177.7028) | 20 (173.1316) | 27 (169.6800) | 18 (171.4172) |
| Aug 14, 2026 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 1) 🏅 Troy, IL | 23 / 26 (661.6112) | 8 (173.1084) | 25 (141.1200) | 17 (170.8228) | 6 (176.5600) |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Rose Festival's 25th Annual KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA | 10 / 20 (684.5032) | 13 (173.1316) | 14 (169.1200) | 14 (167.9772) | 2 (174.2744) |
| May 24, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 20 / 82 (700.5260) | 44 (174.2628) | 12 (177.7144) | 32 (174.2744) | 27 (174.2744) |
| May 23, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 88 / 117 (678.7316) | 103 (167.3828) | 66 (170.8460) | 72 (169.6800) | 56 (170.8228) |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO | 16 / 28 (678.7312) | 18 (169.6684) | 13 (171.4172) | 1 (176.5600) | 23 (161.0856) |
| Mar 28, 2026 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Robert, MO | — | — | 6 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge 🏅 St. Robert, MO | 3 / 26 (706.2632) | 2 (177.7028) | 3 (176.5716) | 12 (174.2744) | 4 (177.7144) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 91 / 125 (672.9828) | 89 (168.5256) | 22 (175.4172) | 99 (166.2400) | 103 (162.8000) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 17 (175.4172) | — | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 9 (177.1428) | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 163 / 401 (682.7312) | 284 (166.2400) | 203 (169.1200) | 81 (175.4056) | 115 (171.9656) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 105 / 158 (680.4340) | 144 (163.3828) | 83 (171.9772) | 54 (173.1084) | 61 (171.9656) |
| Sep 13, 2025 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 11 / 27 (692.5028) | 18 (171.9772) | 12 (175.4172) | 16 (168.5484) | 6 (176.5600) |
| Sep 13, 2025 | Trekking for CDH (ONE MEAT RIBS) Pierron, IL | — | — | 11 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Buds Blues and BBQ 🏅 Columbia, MO | 2 / 9 (696.5144) | 5 (173.7144) | 5 (173.1084) | 6 (170.8344) | 1 (178.8572) |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Buds Blues and BBQ (ONE MEAT RIBS) 🏅 Columbia, MO | — | — | 2 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Aug 31, 2025 | Smokin Ghost BBQ Rib Double Dip 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 6 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Aug 31, 2025 | Smokin Ghost BBQ Rib Double Dip 2 (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 7 (167.9888) | — | — |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Smoke N for the Kids 🏅 Troy, IL | 3 / 32 (705.6684) | 4 (178.8572) | 13 (173.7028) | 3 (177.7028) | 9 (175.4056) |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL | 10 / 32 (694.1940) | 10 (175.4056) | 22 (170.8228) | 1 (178.2972) | 19 (169.6684) |
| Sep 14, 2024 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 20 / 35 (686.2060) | 28 (167.3944) | 17 (171.9888) | 16 (172.5600) | 16 (174.2628) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.