STEEL CITY BBQ

STEEL CITY BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 34 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2020. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 33 at the Mazatzal Grill Masters-BBQ Competition & Testicle Festival (2019), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #859 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#859

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1621

peak 1632 · rated over 33 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 3, 2013

latest Aug 14, 2020 · 7.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#409

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

2 reserve

Category wins

11 podiums

Overall top-10s

44% of 34 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 39%

overall standings

Best overall

696.5028 / 720

Master · Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

668.26 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 669.21 (-0.94)

Walk rate

74%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Brisket · Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship

Consistency

±14.66

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 167.62 · weakest Pork Ribs (166.81)

Road miles

10,504

across 34 mapped stops · furthest 1,346 mi

Schedule strength

60%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)

Purse competed for

$76K

listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 6 state-championship entries

Master avg

669.21 / 720

33 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (14 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

0.5944 points from the title

Came within 0.5944 points of the Grand Championship at Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge (Jan 20, 2017).

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 brisket.

Brisket ×1

They almost always walk

74% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 25 of 34 contests

A top-10 category call in 74% of their 34 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

696.5028 career-best overall

96.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 696.5028 at Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge — 96.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jan 20, 2017

The one to beat

4× one call ahead of them

SHIG NINJA BBQ has finished one call ahead of STEEL CITY BBQ 4 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 28%.

5 contests
5 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 28%

A tough matchup

19–7 behind in the head-to-head

LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ ahead in 73% of their meetings

LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ has come out ahead in 19 of their 26 shared contests.

Show 7 more storylines

A strong matchup

14–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 82% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DJS SMOKIN' BBQ in 14 of their 17 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

18 of 21 shared brisket entries lost

BIG POPPA SMOKERS ahead 86% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BIG POPPA SMOKERS has out-cooked them in 18 of 21 shared brisket entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Karnivorous has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A March team

Top 20% average finish in March

Something about March: average finish in the top 20% across 4 contests, versus top 39% the rest of the year.

4 March contests
top 39% the rest of the year

The long haul

10,504 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 10,504 miles across 34 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,346 miles to Rim County BBQ Classic and Testicle Festival.

34 mapped stops
furthest 1,346 mi

The metronome

±2.04% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.04% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.9% of a perfect score
34 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Sam's Club National BBQ Tour every year from 2014 to 2017 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 3rd

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
2020 ↗	Master	#478 (215 pts)	#537 (195 pts)	#572 (180 pts)	#381 (305 pts)	#304 (400 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#764 (388 pts)	#906 (328 pts)	#835 (378 pts)	#632 (528 pts)	#1107 (243 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1346 (170 pts)	#1598 (120 pts)	#1614 (120 pts)	#1342 (180 pts)	#1179 (235 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#540 (724 pts)	#592 (679 pts)	#682 (589 pts)	#744 (549 pts)	#490 (809 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#905 (378 pts)	#1340 (233 pts)	#1200 (273 pts)	#895 (433 pts)	#819 (458 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#555 (678 pts)	#707 (533 pts)	#591 (658 pts)	#632 (608 pts)	#387 (968 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#492 (785 pts)	#467 (825 pts)	#526 (750 pts)	#676 (560 pts)	#530 (695 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#409 (753 pts)	#451 (703 pts)	#355 (868 pts)	#424 (758 pts)	#405 (768 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to STEEL CITY BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

SIN CITY SMOKERS

#858 of the rated field

1621 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 46%
Peak: 1631

2–3 in 5 shared contests (40% to STEEL CITY BBQ)

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

rated over 28 contests
last seen May 24, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

MADDDOG'S BBQ

#860 of the rated field

1621 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 75%
Peak: 1621

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to STEEL CITY BBQ)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 20 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Aug 21, 2021
on a 6-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

The Docfather BBQ

#855 of the rated field

1621 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1648

Careers of much the same size, 33 contests to 34, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 32 contests
last seen May 8, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

West Coast BBQ Shop

#861 of the rated field

1621 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 45%
Peak: 1630

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 31 contests, alongside a 45% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 31 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKIN T'S

#857 of the rated field

1621 power rating

Contests: 32
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1627

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

rated over 29 contests
last seen Oct 12, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

BARREL BOYS BBQ

#856 of the rated field

1621 power rating

Contests: 43
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1653

Level with STEEL CITY BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 38 contests
last seen Jun 13, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ	26	7	19	27%	⚔ compare
Bad Boyz BBQ	25	10	15	40%	⚔ compare
KNIFE PORK AND SPOON	21	10	11	48%	⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS	21	3	18	14%	⚔ compare
Rhythm n QUE	20	7	13	35%	⚔ compare
Your Behind BBQ	19	13	6	68%	⚔ compare
Phil the Grill	18	12	6	67%	⚔ compare
DJS SMOKIN' BBQ	17	14	3	82%	⚔ compare
COW TIPPIN BBQ	17	7	10	41%	⚔ compare
MONSOON BBQ	14	13	1	93%	⚔ compare
SHIG NINJA BBQ	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
SMOKERS PURGATORY	13	10	3	77%	⚔ compare
THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
Karnivorous	12	10	2	83%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	33	11	2	178.8572	145.6456	167.27	top 50%
Pork Ribs	33	12	1	174.8570	154.2400	166.81	top 44%
Pork	32	13	3	177.1428	153.7140	167.53	top 44%
Brisket	33	16	5	180 🔥	155.9772	167.62	top 34%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 53%
Medium (20–39)	20	top 35%
Large (40+)	12	top 46%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
AZ	21	top 38%
NV	8	top 42%
CA	2	top 25%
UT	1	top 43%
AR	1	top 70%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	4	3	top 20%	Mar 17, 2017
Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge	3	2	top 45%	Jan 17, 2020
Arizona National BBQ Stampede	2	26	top 63%	Dec 27, 2019
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	2	8	top 63%	Apr 22, 2016
Northern Arizona BBQ Festival	2	8	top 44%	Jun 13, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 7 contests

Contests a season 3.8 across 9 seasons in the data

Most contests held in AZ 21 of 34 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 25 5 of them more than once

Opponents faced 520 finished ahead 798 times, behind 496

Longest layoff 1 yrs Aug 14, 2020 → Aug 20, 2021

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

20211 milestone

Aug 20 Most recent contest Western Legends BBQ Contest

20191 milestone

Sep 27 Peak power rating (1632) Mazatzal Grill Masters-BBQ Competition & Testicle Festival

20173 milestones

Jan 20 First Reserve Championship Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
Jan 20 Career-best overall score696.5028 Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
Sep 29 25th tracked contest Rim County BBQ Classic and Testicle Festival

20161 milestone

Mar 18 First overall podium Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

20151 milestone

Oct 9 First perfect 180 (Brisket) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship

20141 milestone

May 2 10th tracked contest 2nd Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown

20134 milestones

May 3 First tracked contest 1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown
May 3 First call 1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown
May 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.4286 1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown
May 24 First overall top-10 9th Annual Best Dam Barbecue Challenge

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14	Mazatzal Grill Masters-BBQ Competition & Testicle Festival	Sep 27, 2019
+13.8	Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge	Jan 20, 2017
+12.1	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Mar 18, 2016
+10.7	9th Annual Best Dam Barbecue Challenge	May 24, 2013
+10.4	2nd Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown	May 2, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.3	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	Apr 22, 2016
-9.7	Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge	Jan 17, 2020
-8.1	Rim County BBQ Classic and Testicle Festival	Sep 29, 2017
-4.8	Northern Arizona BBQ Festival	Jun 14, 2013
-4.6	Arizona National BBQ Stampede	Dec 28, 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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2021	1	0	0%	—	—	—
2020	2	0	50%	top 60%	94.2%	91.6%
2019	3	1	67%	top 39%	96%	93.6%
2018	3	0	33%	top 49%	94.5%	93.1%
2017	5	3	80%	top 33%	96.7%	93.9%
2016	3	1	67%	top 57%	95.3%	92.8%
2015	5	4	100%	top 34%	95.9%	94.9%
2014	5	5	100%	top 28%	93.8%	93%
2013	7	1	71%	top 39%	92.3%	91%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 20, 2021	Western Legends BBQ Contest 🏅 Kanab, UT	—	—	—	—	—
Aug 14, 2020	Western Legends Heritage and Music Festival 🏅 Kanab, UT	18 / 42 (678.2400)	29 (165.7028)	29 (162.2400)	5 (175.4400)	5 (174.8572)
Jan 17, 2020	Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ	45 / 59 (641.5196)	53 (155.9428)	52 (156.5028)	46 (158.8112)	11 (170.2628)
Dec 27, 2019	Arizona National BBQ Stampede 🏅 Phoenix, AZ	26 / 44 (669.0512)	22 (168)	28 (167.3828)	—	20 (166.8228)
Sep 27, 2019	Mazatzal Grill Masters-BBQ Competition & Testicle Festival 🏅 Payson, AZ	2 / 33 (690.8456)	4 (174.2856)	4 (173.7372)	3 (176)	14 (166.8228)
May 3, 2019	7th Annual Show Low BBQ Throw down 🏅 Show Low, AZ	23 / 45 (661.6684)	42 (158.8456)	15 (168)	3 (177.1428)	27 (157.6800)
Dec 28, 2018	Arizona National BBQ Stampede Phoenix, AZ	31 / 47 (663.3368)	33 (166.2628)	27 (166.8228)	34 (164.5484)	23 (165.7028)
May 4, 2018	City of Show Low's 6th Annual BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	15 / 52 (680.5028)	30 (166.8228)	31 (167.4172)	13 (172.5600)	6 (173.7028)
Jan 19, 2018	Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ	37 / 70 (666.1940)	26 (170.8228)	45 (164.5484)	43 (164)	34 (166.8228)
Sep 29, 2017	Rim County BBQ Classic and Testicle Festival Payson, AZ	25 / 36 (642.6740)	33 (145.6456)	14 (167.9772)	23 (163.3828)	20 (165.6684)
May 26, 2017	Best Dam BBQ Boulder City, NV	13 / 37 (680.5028)	9 (174.2744)	10 (173.1200)	26 (162.2628)	8 (170.8456)
May 5, 2017	City of Show Low's 5th Annual BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	10 / 36 (678.2284)	20 (167.3828)	18 (165.7256)	8 (170.8228)	3 (174.2972)
Mar 17, 2017	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Tucson, AZ	8 / 29 (681.0396)	10 (174.2628)	14 (168.5484)	16 (166.8228)	7 (171.4056)
Jan 20, 2017	Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ	2 / 40 (696.5028)	2 (178.8572)	10 (170.2744)	7 (175.4056)	6 (171.9656)
Dec 9, 2016	Down Town Throw Down Barbecue Championships Las Vegas, NV	17 / 28 (669.0400)	18 (167.4056)	24 (158.8116)	3 (174.8456)	9 (167.9772)
Apr 22, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Las Vegas, NV	30 / 30 (648.5376)	28 (161.6800)	30 (160.5488)	18 (165.7372)	23 (160.5716)
Mar 18, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Tucson, AZ	3 / 30 (686.2516)	18 (167.3828)	7 (171.4172)	13 (170.8572)	2 (176.5944)
Dec 11, 2015	2015 Downtown Barbecue Throwdown Las Vegas, NV	5 / 30 (690.2056)	7 (175.4172)	15 (165.6800)	6 (173.1084)	2 (176)
Oct 9, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship Bentonville, AR	35 / 50 (686.2516)	26 (172)	24 (173.1544)	50 (161.0972)	2 (180)
Jul 10, 2015	Holbrook Holbrook, AZ	10 / 29 (677.6572)	22 (165.1084)	13 (166.2744)	7 (173.1200)	3 (173.1544)
Apr 24, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Las Vegas, NV	8 / 30 (685.6456)	23 (168.5256)	4 (173.7372)	14 (171.4056)	11 (171.9772)
Mar 20, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Tucson, AZ	7 / 29 (677.1084)	5 (174.8456)	6 (173.1772)	14 (166.8344)	16 (162.2512)
Sep 5, 2014	AZ Rhythm & Ribs Cottonwood, AZ	9 / 17 (675.3256)	11 (166.2284)	6 (171.4172)	12 (165.7028)	6 (171.9772)
Jun 13, 2014	Northern Arizona BBQ Festival Williams, AZ	8 / 35 (663.3372)	8 (170.2512)	4 (174.3088)	21 (161.6800)	24 (157.0972)
May 2, 2014	2nd Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	5 / 35 (673.6800)	9 (170.8572)	8 (168.5716)	18 (165.7028)	7 (168.5484)
Mar 21, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Tucson, AZ	6 / 30 (667.3824)	7 (171.4056)	6 (168.0344)	9 (165.6912)	15 (162.2512)
Feb 28, 2014	Havasu Landing California BBQ Championship Havasu Landing, CA	8 / 28 (668.4912)	2 (174.8456)	24 (154.2400)	9 (170.2628)	4 (169.1428)
Oct 31, 2013	Riverside Resort Casino USA Barbecue Championship Laughlin, NV	32 / 85 (662.7084)	25 (169.7028)	40 (164.5372)	37 (166.2400)	40 (162.2284)
Oct 4, 2013	Dana Point State BBQ Championship Dana Point, CA	21 / 99 (664.4456)	12 (172.5600)	16 (168)	46 (160.4912)	35 (163.3944)
Aug 31, 2013	Smokin in Mesquite BBQ Championship Mesquite, NV	19 / 54 (650.7544)	23 (162.2744)	24 (158.2628)	27 (159.3944)	5 (170.8228)
Jul 12, 2013	3rd Annual Holbrook Holbrook, AZ	11 / 27 (650.7772)	21 (158.8344)	7 (169.1544)	10 (166.8112)	18 (155.9772)
Jun 14, 2013	Northern Arizona BBQ Festival Williams, AZ	21 / 32 (641.7136)	27 (156.5712)	2 (174.8570)	31 (153.7140)	18 (156.5714)
May 24, 2013	9th Annual Best Dam Barbecue Challenge Boulder City, NV	7 / 35 (658.8566)	4 (168.5712)	25 (154.8572)	6 (170.2856)	14 (165.1426)
May 3, 2013	1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	12 / 24 (655.4286)	22 (158.2854)	11 (163.4286)	5 (170.8570)	10 (162.8576)

STEEL CITY BBQ

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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (14 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Perfect scores on the board

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Brisket nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A March team

The long haul

The metronome

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)