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 pork.
- Pork ×1
Keep Calm and Sauce On
Keep Calm and Sauce On is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 5th of 65 at the Shawnee Great Grillers (2026). They are ranked #2108 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1534
peak 1534 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
May 18, 2018
latest Sep 25, 2026 · 8.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
57% of 7 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 39%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
659.37 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 663.46 (-4.10)
Walk rate
86%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±61.49
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 174.94 · weakest Chicken (171.89)
Road miles
172
across 7 mapped stops · furthest 72 mi
Schedule strength
56%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1571)
Purse competed for
$32K
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
663.46 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Keep Calm and Sauce On, each with one reason worth a look.
70 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,100 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1535
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Keep Calm and Sauce On)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Keep Calm and Sauce On has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,115 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1534
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Keep Calm and Sauce On's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,104 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1540
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,099 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1535
Level with Keep Calm and Sauce On on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,109 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1534
They were already cooking in 2013, 5 years before Keep Calm and Sauce On's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#2,103 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1534
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Keep Calm and Sauce On's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WOOD HOOK BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 178.8572 | 166.8344 | 171.89 | top 40% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 178.8572 | 171.4172 | 174.94 | top 25% |
| Pork | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 180 🔥 | 165.0740 | 172.55 | top 38% |
| Brisket | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 177.7028 | 167.9656 | 172.84 | top 25% |
“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) | 4 | 0 | top 33% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 53% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
6 contests
Contests a season
3.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
4 of 7 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
a different one every time
Opponents faced
214
finished ahead 150 times, behind 110
Longest layoff
8.2 yrs
May 18, 2018 → Jul 10, 2026
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20265 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship
- First perfect 180 (Pork) Shawnee Great Grillers
- Career-best overall score708 Shawnee Great Grillers
- Peak power rating (1534) Shawnee Great Grillers
- Most recent contest Shawnee Great Grillers
20184 milestones
- First tracked contest 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort
- First call 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort
- First overall top-10 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score683.9428 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.5 | Shawnee Great Grillers | Sep 25, 2026 |
| +14.4 | 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort | May 18, 2018 |
| +13.5 | Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship | Jul 24, 2026 |
| +9.6 | East Central State BBQ Cookoff - Paola Roots Festival | Aug 28, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13 | Smoke on the Bricks | Aug 7, 2026 |
| -4.8 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) | Jul 10, 2026 |
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 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 83% | top 44% | 98.3% | 91.6% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 16% | 95% | 95% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2026 | Shawnee Great Grillers 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 5 / 65 (708) | 22 (171.4400) | 2 (178.8572) | 3 (180) | 5 (177.7028) |
| Aug 28, 2026 | East Central State BBQ Cookoff - Paola Roots Festival 🏅 Paola, KS | 9 / 31 (691.9084) | 2 (174.2744) | 13 (171.9772) | 15 (170.2512) | 4 (175.4056) |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS | 51 / 52 (527.4288) | 4 (178.8572) | 6 (177.7144) | — | 24 (170.8572) |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Masters at the Midway: Johnson County Fair BBQ Championship 🏅 Gardner, KS | 6 / 29 (690.1944) | 16 (170.8344) | 1 (177.7028) | 12 (171.9772) | 12 (169.6800) |
| Jul 10, 2026 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) 🏅 Cameron, MO | 24 / 37 (679.3028) | 31 (166.8344) | 22 (171.9772) | 32 (165.0740) | 8 (175.4172) |
| Jul 10, 2026 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Cameron, MO | — | — | — | — | — |
| May 18, 2018 | 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort Platte City, MO | 6 / 37 (683.9428) | 20 (169.1200) | 11 (171.4172) | 4 (175.4400) | 7 (167.9656) |