SQUEAL OF APPROVAL

SQUEAL OF APPROVAL is a competition barbecue team with 36 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 51 at the Laurie Hillbilly BBQ (2013), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2789 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,789

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1511

peak 1558 · rated over 36 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 10, 2013

latest Sep 21, 2018 · 5.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#301

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

6% of 36 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 50%

overall standings

Best overall

683.9656 / 720

Master · Laurie Hillbilly BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

625.33 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 649.05 (-23.72)

Walk rate

36%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4744

Chicken · RiverFest Red White and Que

Consistency

±21.11

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 165.79 · weakest Brisket (159.15)

Road miles

4,487

across 36 mapped stops · furthest 940 mi

Schedule strength

27%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1536)

State championships

0 🏅

won from 10 state-championship entries

Master avg

649.05 / 720

36 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (13 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

1.7372 points from the title

Came within 1.7372 points of the Grand Championship at Laurie Hillbilly BBQ (Aug 2, 2013).

High-water mark

683.9656 career-best overall

95.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 683.9656 at Laurie Hillbilly BBQ — 95.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 2, 2013

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

GRILL CRAZY has finished one call ahead of SQUEAL OF APPROVAL 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 8 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 31%.

8 contests
2 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 31%

A tough matchup

16–2 behind in the head-to-head

B & C SMOKERS ahead in 89% of their meetings

B & C SMOKERS has come out ahead in 16 of their 18 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.6 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.65 points below their pork, and turns into a call 8% of the time against 19%.

Brisket avg 159.15
Pork avg 165.79
3 calls in 36 entries

A strong matchup

10–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 91% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of PORK 'N MINDY in 10 of their 11 shared contests.

Show 6 more storylines

Pork nemesis

14 of 22 shared pork entries lost

PIG NEWTON ahead 64% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, PIG NEWTON has out-cooked them in 14 of 22 shared pork entries.

Going the wrong way

-39 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 39 points across 5 contests since Sep 22, 2017 — from 1550 down to 1511.

5 contests since Sep 22, 2017
now 1511

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

TATTOO BOB'S BAR-B-Q has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 33% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 33% across 3 contests, versus top 50% the rest of the year.

3 July contests
top 50% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,487 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,487 miles across 36 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 940 miles to Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES).

36 mapped stops
furthest 940 mi

A standing appointment

6 years running at one contest

They've cooked Laurie Hillbilly BBQ every year from 2013 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.

6 visits in all
best finish 2nd

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
2016 ↗	Master	#891 (385 pts)	#863 (435 pts)	#821 (480 pts)	#733 (540 pts)	#968 (360 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#703 (505 pts)	#684 (555 pts)	#838 (430 pts)	#541 (720 pts)	#758 (485 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#593 (625 pts)	#655 (580 pts)	#471 (850 pts)	#529 (725 pts)	#620 (595 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#301 (1,024 pts)	#334 (914 pts)	#353 (874 pts)	#342 (889 pts)	#303 (1,009 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SQUEAL OF APPROVAL, each with one reason worth a look.

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

D-DON'S PIT CREW

#2,795 of the rated field

1511 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1512

3–2 in 5 shared contests (60% to SQUEAL OF APPROVAL)

These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — SQUEAL OF APPROVAL ahead 3–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Sep 7, 2018

⚔ Head-to-head

THE RIB DOCTOR LLC

#2,793 of the rated field

1511 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1533

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SQUEAL OF APPROVAL)

Fewer contests behind them than SQUEAL OF APPROVAL has cooked, 20 to 36, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 20 contests
last seen May 31, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

Animal House BBQ

#2,797 of the rated field

1511 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1511

3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to SQUEAL OF APPROVAL)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

QUISINE

#2,794 of the rated field

1511 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1528

1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to SQUEAL OF APPROVAL)

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

BIGED'S BBQ

#2,790 of the rated field

1511 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1517

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SQUEAL OF APPROVAL)

Level with SQUEAL OF APPROVAL on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 6 contests
last seen May 18, 2018

⚔ Head-to-head

ROCK BOTTOM BBQ

#2,803 of the rated field

1511 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1515

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to SQUEAL OF APPROVAL)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 4 years before SQUEAL OF APPROVAL's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 5 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
PIG NEWTON	22	7	15	32%	⚔ compare
F.O.M.S.B.	18	8	10	44%	⚔ compare
Theslabs.com	18	3	15	17%	⚔ compare
B & C SMOKERS	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
JAESTAR BBQ	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
Four Men and A Pig	15	3	12	20%	⚔ compare
Dead Last BBQ	14	7	7	50%	⚔ compare
3 GUYS WITH WOOD	14	6	8	43%	⚔ compare
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
T'S SMOKIN PIT	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
Bare Bones BBQ Team	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
KCQ	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
BURNT FINGER BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKING JOE'S BARBERQ	12	6	6	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	36	3	1	1	175.4744	142.8228	161.64	top 57%
Pork Ribs	36	4	0	0	174.8456	140.4912	162.47	top 50%
Pork	36	7	1	2	175.4056	150.7884	165.79	top 40%
Brisket	36	3	0	1	175.4172	128.5372	159.15	top 54%

“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)	7	0	top 68%
Large (40+)	29	0	top 45%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
KS	19	top 48%
MO	13	top 52%
NE	3	top 40%
SC	1	top 92%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Laurie Hillbilly BBQ	6	2	top 48%	Aug 3, 2018
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship	4	14	top 29%	Sep 23, 2016
Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship	4	23	top 26%	Jun 24, 2016
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque	2	23	top 50%	Sep 21, 2018
RiverFest Red White and Que	2	4	top 22%	Jul 17, 2015
Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest	2	29	top 63%	Jun 6, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2014 8 contests

Contests a season 6 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in KS 19 of 36 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 22 6 of them more than once

Opponents faced 2,168 finished ahead 2,808 times, behind 2,615

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

20181 milestone

Sep 21 Most recent contest Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque

20161 milestone

Jun 24 25th tracked contest Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship

20141 milestone

May 2 10th tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

201310 milestones

May 10 First tracked contest Platte City BBQ Cook-Off
May 10 First call Platte City BBQ Cook-Off
May 10 First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.7140 Platte City BBQ Cook-Off
Jul 19 First category win (Chicken) RiverFest Red White and Que
Jul 19 First overall top-10 RiverFest Red White and Que
Jul 19 Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4744 RiverFest Red White and Que
Aug 2 First overall podium Laurie Hillbilly BBQ
Aug 2 First Reserve Championship Laurie Hillbilly BBQ
Aug 2 Career-best overall score683.9656 Laurie Hillbilly BBQ
Oct 3 Peak power rating (1558) 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ	Aug 2, 2013
+13.2	RiverFest Red White and Que	Jul 19, 2013
+12.5	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	Oct 3, 2013
+11.4	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship	Jun 26, 2015
+10.9	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship	Sep 27, 2013

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.5	Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)	Nov 10, 2017
-11.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	May 2, 2014
-10.3	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest	Jun 6, 2014
-10.2	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	Oct 2, 2014
-9.9	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque	Sep 21, 2018

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	3	0	0	33%	top 79%	88.2%	87.8%
2017	4	0	0	0%	top 58%	92.7%	88.2%
2016	6	0	0	33%	top 45%	92.4%	91.4%
2015	7	0	0	43%	top 48%	92.7%	90.8%
2014	8	0	0	25%	top 58%	92.7%	89.3%
2013	8	2	2	63%	top 31%	95%	91.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 21, 2018	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque 🏅 Shawnee, KS	84 / 107 (631.1996)	100 (151.4172)	50 (165.0740)	79 (158.7884)	74 (155.9200)
Sep 15, 2018	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	366 / 467 (635.2568)	436 (151.9772)	341 (160.5140)	261 (163.3944)	320 (159.3712)
Aug 3, 2018	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	28 / 35 (630.0804)	26 (162.2516)	34 (146.7772)	4 (174.2628)	30 (146.7888)
Nov 10, 2017	Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Mt. Pleasant, SC	23 / 25 (563.2796)	23 (142.8228)	22 (140.4912)	21 (151.4284)	24 (128.5372)
Sep 22, 2017	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque 🏅 Shawnee, KS	23 / 112 (666.8228)	70 (160.0344)	13 (172.5484)	59 (163.3828)	13 (170.8572)
Sep 1, 2017	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	279 / 407 (643.9316)	327 (157.1200)	298 (158.8344)	212 (165.6800)	236 (162.2972)
Aug 4, 2017	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	21 / 40 (667.2452)	19 (169.1084)	26 (164.5256)	17 (168.5256)	24 (165.0856)
Oct 29, 2016	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	273 / 557 (655.3604)	384 (159.4632)	360 (161.0972)	25 (175.4056)	336 (159.3944)
Sep 23, 2016	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS	30 / 111 (664.9596)	11 (173.7144)	60 (161.0740)	35 (167.3828)	44 (162.7884)
Sep 9, 2016	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	51 / 76 (647.7944)	64 (156.5144)	55 (159.3600)	35 (168.5372)	41 (163.3828)
Aug 5, 2016	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	31 / 50 (660.9828)	35 (162.8344)	24 (167.3828)	26 (165.0856)	27 (165.6800)
Jun 24, 2016	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	37 / 183 (656.4228)	70 (162.2744)	95 (159.3828)	8 (174.2628)	74 (160.5028)
May 6, 2016	Sertoma 48 BBQ Lawrence, KS	20 / 42 (662.7544)	24 (166.8456)	6 (173.1200)	9 (171.4288)	33 (151.3600)
Oct 3, 2015	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	294 / 606 (653.0400)	315 (163.4400)	419 (158.8228)	133 (169.6684)	318 (161.1088)
Sep 25, 2015	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS	60 / 112 (643.2228)	53 (162.8228)	53 (163.9428)	30 (168.5256)	96 (147.9316)
Sep 11, 2015	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	48 / 76 (633.4968)	9 (173.1428)	69 (148.4800)	43 (159.3712)	59 (152.5028)
Jul 31, 2015	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	21 / 38 (667.3144)	32 (162.8000)	23 (165.1544)	3 (174.2628)	24 (165.0972)
Jul 17, 2015	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	14 / 45 (662.7080)	17 (166.2628)	32 (158.2284)	7 (170.8456)	13 (167.3712)
Jun 26, 2015	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	23 / 183 (662.7996)	51 (165.1428)	47 (165.6912)	31 (168)	48 (163.9656)
May 23, 2015	Sugar Mound BBQ Festival Mound City, KS	44 / 62 (652.9828)	23 (169.7028)	46 (159.9428)	21 (170.2628)	51 (153.0744)
Oct 2, 2014	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	454 / 552 (623.1536)	495 (151.3484)	504 (149.6340)	467 (153.6456)	138 (168.5256)
Sep 26, 2014	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS	24 / 112 (663.8512)	68 (160.5372)	16 (170.2628)	24 (170.8112)	51 (162.2400)
Aug 30, 2014	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-Eye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE	22 / 29 (638.7432)	27 (150.2400)	12 (167.4288)	18 (163.9772)	18 (157.0972)
Aug 1, 2014	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	15 / 47 (667.3484)	29 (165.1200)	5 (174.8456)	22 (166.2284)	24 (161.1544)
Jun 27, 2014	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	31 / 184 (655.9200)	36 (166.8800)	13 (172.0116)	26 (167.3828)	125 (149.6456)
Jun 6, 2014	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest Mayetta, KS	45 / 54 (626.6628)	35 (162.2628)	26 (162.8344)	51 (150.7884)	46 (150.7772)
May 2, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Overland Park, KS	25 / 29 (624.3772)	20 (160.5600)	25 (152.5028)	6 (169.6684)	28 (141.6460)
Apr 25, 2014	VFW Post 846 6th Annual BBQ Challenge (10 TEAM SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE) Overland Park, KS	41 / 65 (641.0056)	33 (163.9888)	43 (157.1084)	48 (159.4056)	32 (160.5028)
Oct 18, 2013	Fountains Blaze Off and Senior Q Independence, MO	17 / 22 (640.3880)	21 (157.1428)	17 (158.2056)	16 (159.3712)	7 (165.6684)
Oct 3, 2013	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	43 / 535 (669.7252)	118 (167.4284)	63 (169.1428)	76 (169.1656)	152 (163.9884)
Sep 27, 2013	Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS	14 / 114 (668.4112)	23 (167.4056)	38 (165.0972)	61 (160.4912)	3 (175.4172)
Aug 2, 2013	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	2 / 51 (683.9656)	7 (171.4400)	16 (168)	1 (174.8456)	8 (169.6800)
Jul 19, 2013	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	4 / 32 (668.6060)	1 (175.4744)	5 (169.7028)	12 (162.8688)	14 (160.5600)
Jun 21, 2013	Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	96 / 183 (629.1424)	167 (143.4286)	50 (163.9998)	36 (166.8570)	106 (154.8570)
Jun 7, 2013	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest Mayetta, KS	29 / 69 (653.1426)	38 (160)	20 (168)	31 (163.9998)	36 (161.1428)
May 10, 2013	Platte City BBQ Cook-Off Platte City, MO	20 / 52 (649.7140)	41 (156)	9 (169.7142)	31 (160.5712)	20 (163.4286)

SQUEAL OF APPROVAL

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (13 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

Going the wrong way

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

The long haul

A standing appointment

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, 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

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)