Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.
- Chicken ×1
BALLS OUT BBQ
BALLS OUT BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2020. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) (2017). They are ranked #1455 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1568
peak 1575 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
Jul 28, 2017
latest Oct 16, 2020 · 3.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
0 reserve · wins it all 14% of the time
Category wins
3
6 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
57% of 7 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 32%
overall standings
Best overall
695.9428 / 720
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
676.93 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 681.22 (-4.29)
Walk rate
100%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.70
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 173.05 · weakest Brisket (164.21)
Road miles
1,537
across 7 mapped stops · furthest 385 mi
Schedule strength
89%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1623)
Purse competed for
$7,200
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
681.22 / 720
7 Master contests · 1 GC
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1499 (170 pts) | #1617 (160 pts) | #1506 (180 pts) | #1489 (180 pts) | #1982 (110 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to BALLS OUT BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
41 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,457 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1568
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 10 contests to 7.
⚔ Compare careers#1,462 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1567
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 3 years before BALLS OUT BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,456 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1568
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,452 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1572
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 12 contests, alongside a 25% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,461 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1568
Level with BALLS OUT BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#1,450 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1568
They turned up 5 years after BALLS OUT BBQ did, first appearing in 2022.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 180 🔥 | 157.0744 | 171.16 | top 32% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 178.2972 | 166.8228 | 172.81 | top 29% |
| Pork | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 176.5600 | 169.6800 | 173.05 | top 16% |
| Brisket | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 153.6456 | 164.21 | top 61% |
“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) | 6 | 1 | top 32% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 33% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
5 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
3.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
SC
4 of 7 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
7
a different one every time
First title
Jul 28, 2017
Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Opponents faced
212
finished ahead 176 times, behind 74
Longest layoff
2.3 yrs
Dec 1, 2017 → Mar 13, 2020
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20203 milestones
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show
- Peak power rating (1575) Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show
- Most recent contest Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club
20178 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
- First call Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
- First category win (Pork) Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
- First overall podium Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
- First Grand Championship Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score695.9428 Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
- Career-best overall score695.9428 Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +20.7 | Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) | Jul 28, 2017 |
| +14.7 | The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier) | Oct 13, 2017 |
| +12.3 | Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) | Nov 10, 2017 |
| +12.1 | Smokin up the Campground (GBC Qualifier) | Dec 1, 2017 |
| +11.2 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) | Oct 27, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -6.7 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club | Oct 16, 2020 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 68% | 93.5% | 92.2% |
| 2017 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 100% | top 17% | 96.7% | 95.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2020 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club Summerville, SC | 21 / 24 (654.1144) | 23 (157.0744) | 13 (168.5372) | 7 (169.6800) | 22 (158.8228) |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show 🏅 Darlington, SC | 14 / 29 (673.0284) | 1 (180) | 21 (166.8228) | 2 (172.5600) | 25 (153.6456) |
| Dec 1, 2017 | Smokin up the Campground (GBC Qualifier) Calhoun, GA | 6 / 30 (685.6572) | 7 (171.4172) | 5 (172) | 5 (172.5600) | 14 (169.6800) |
| Nov 10, 2017 | Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Mt. Pleasant, SC | 3 / 25 (685.0628) | 6 (168.5256) | 3 (176.5716) | 4 (173.1200) | 7 (166.8456) |
| Oct 27, 2017 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 31 / 95 (686.7772) | 49 (170.2744) | 6 (178.2972) | 12 (176.5600) | 77 (161.6456) |
| Oct 13, 2017 | The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier) Lyons, GA | 5 / 29 (687.9428) | 1 (177.7028) | 8 (172.0116) | 7 (171.4056) | 17 (166.8228) |
| Jul 28, 2017 | Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Summerville, SC | 1 / 25 (695.9428) | 5 (173.1084) | 3 (175.4056) | 1 (175.4516) | 8 (171.9772) |