RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE

RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2017. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Big Muddy Brew N Que (2017). They are ranked #1976 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,976

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1539

peak 1539 · rated over 10 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 13, 2016

latest Sep 2, 2017 · 1.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#690

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 10% of the time

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

20% of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 46%

overall standings

Best overall

682.7888 / 720

Master · Up in Smoke BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Current form

661.44 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 661.96 (-0.52)

Walk rate

50%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.2972

Brisket · Smoke on the Waterfall

Consistency

±13.48

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.81 · weakest Pork (160.99)

Road miles

1,061

across 10 mapped stops · furthest 116 mi

Schedule strength

57%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1573)

Master avg

661.96 / 720

10 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

Against the odds

23-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 77 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Big Muddy Brew N Que (Sep 2, 2017) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 23-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, TRUE SMOKE BBQ.

High-water mark

682.7888 career-best overall

94.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 682.7888 at Up in Smoke BBQ Bash — 94.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 22, 2016

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead in 100% of their meetings

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.8 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.82 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 10% of the time against 20%.

Pork avg 160.99
Chicken avg 167.81
1 call in 10 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

7 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

PIG APPROVED BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±1.87% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.87% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.9% of a perfect score
10 contests

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	#690 (551 pts)	#721 (561 pts)	#773 (521 pts)	#995 (366 pts)	#567 (696 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#867 (406 pts)	#1051 (331 pts)	#860 (451 pts)	#1235 (266 pts)	#611 (656 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE, each with one reason worth a look.

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

FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ

#1,980 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 64%
Peak: 1539

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen May 9, 2026

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United Pork Smokers

#1,971 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1553

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Apr 14, 2023

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HEAVY SMOKERS

#1,973 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1542

Level with RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Mar 1, 2024

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Grills of Mississippi

#1,965 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1550

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 13 contests, alongside a 31% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Apr 28, 2023

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OLY SMOKES

#1,964 of the rated field

1540 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1558

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Aug 13, 2021

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BRINGINGTHEHEATBBQ

#1,969 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1539

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Oct 4, 2019

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
CROIX VALLEY SAUCES	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
Hogline	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
QUETOPIA	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Eggspert BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
BARK 'N BONES BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
WHITEWATER BBQ COMPANY	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
PIG APPROVED BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
BLACK DOG BBQ IA	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
NECTAR OF THE HOGS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	2	0	0	170.3200	165.1428	167.81	top 44%
Pork Ribs	10	2	0	0	173.7144	157.7028	166.09	top 43%
Pork	10	1	0	0	167.4172	147.3600	160.99	top 69%
Brisket	10	4	2	4	178.2972	155.3368	167.07	top 38%

“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)	5	1	top 51%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 41%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MN	9	1	top 48%
IA	1	0	top 23%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
SMSU Smokefest	2	23	0	top 70%	Aug 18, 2017

More numbers

Contests a season 5 across 2 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MN 9 of 10 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 9 1 of them more than once

First title Sep 2, 2017 Big Muddy Brew N Que

Opponents faced 202 finished ahead 232 times, behind 185

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

20175 milestones

Sep 2 First overall podium Big Muddy Brew N Que
Sep 2 First Grand Championship Big Muddy Brew N Que
Sep 2 10th tracked contest Big Muddy Brew N Que
Sep 2 Peak power rating (1539) Big Muddy Brew N Que
Sep 2 Most recent contest Big Muddy Brew N Que

20167 milestones

May 13 First tracked contest Minnesota in May
May 13 First overall past 90% of a perfect score667.8744 Minnesota in May
Jun 24 First call Smoke on the Waterfall
Jun 24 First category win (Brisket) Smoke on the Waterfall
Jun 24 First overall top-10 Smoke on the Waterfall
Jun 24 Career-best single call (Brisket)178.2972 Smoke on the Waterfall
Jul 22 Career-best overall score682.7888 Up in Smoke BBQ Bash

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.5	Big Muddy Brew N Que	Sep 2, 2017
+12	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	Jul 22, 2016
+10.3	Smoke on the Waterfall	Jun 24, 2016
+9	Minnesota in May	May 13, 2016
+3.2	Minnesota in May	May 12, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.1	SMSU Smokefest	Aug 19, 2016
-3.4	Mankato Cookout Day 1 and (BACKYARD)	Jun 9, 2017
-0.9	9th Annual Big Island BBQ	Aug 26, 2016
-0.4	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jul 21, 2017

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)
2017	5	1	1	1	60%	top 48%	94.3%	91.9%
2016	5	0	1	1	40%	top 44%	94.8%	92%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 2, 2017	Big Muddy Brew N Que Winona, MN	1 / 21 (678.8688)	4 (170.3200)	11 (166.2400)	9 (167.4172)	1 (174.8916)
Aug 18, 2017	SMSU Smokefest Marshall, MN	23 / 41 (661.0860)	22 (165.1428)	8 (169.1316)	26 (162.8344)	22 (163.9772)
Jul 21, 2017	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Eagan, MN	18 / 30 (655.9084)	14 (166.8344)	23 (157.7028)	27 (157.1084)	3 (174.2628)
Jun 9, 2017	Mankato Cookout Day 1 and (BACKYARD) Mankato, MN	27 / 35 (657.0744)	20 (167.9772)	12 (167.4172)	32 (158.8228)	25 (162.8572)
May 12, 2017	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	31 / 71 (654.2520)	18 (168.5716)	45 (159.9888)	29 (164.5600)	37 (161.1316)
Aug 26, 2016	9th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	28 / 48 (656.3424)	26 (168.5256)	15 (169.6800)	33 (162.8000)	34 (155.3368)
Aug 19, 2016	SMSU Smokefest Marshall, MN	31 / 37 (633.4968)	23 (166.2284)	22 (163.9428)	35 (147.3600)	27 (155.9656)
Jul 22, 2016	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	11 / 47 (682.7888)	22 (169.6800)	7 (173.7144)	38 (162.2400)	2 (177.1544)
Jun 24, 2016	Smoke on the Waterfall Redwoodfalls, MN	7 / 26 (671.9200)	10 (168.5372)	15 (163.4400)	18 (161.6456)	1 (178.2972)
May 13, 2016	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	18 / 71 (667.8744)	27 (166.2628)	16 (169.6916)	31 (165.0972)	26 (166.8228)

RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

Against the odds

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

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)