FREE RANGE BBQ

FREE RANGE BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 25 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 31 at the Smoke in the North (2016), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1725 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,725

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1551

peak 1581 · rated over 24 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 19, 2013

latest Aug 24, 2018 · 5.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#420

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

7 podiums

Overall top-10s

16% of 25 contests

Avg finish

top 42%

overall standings

Best overall

668.0688 / 720

Master · Smoke in the North

Perfect 180s

Current form

634.40 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 641.77 (-7.37)

Walk rate

56%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7716

Pork Ribs · Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

Consistency

±15.21

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 164.36 · weakest Brisket (156.44)

Road miles

16,713

across 25 mapped stops · furthest 3,884 mi

Schedule strength

29%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1539)

Master avg

641.77 / 720

25 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (12 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

668.0688 career-best overall

92.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 668.0688 at Smoke in the North — 92.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 6, 2016

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

WILBUR'S REVENGE has finished one call ahead of FREE RANGE BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 20%.

6 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 20%

A tough matchup

13–2 behind in the head-to-head

APORKALYPSE NOW ahead in 87% of their meetings

APORKALYPSE NOW has come out ahead in 13 of their 15 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.9 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.92 points below their pork, and turns into a call 12% of the time against 28%.

Brisket avg 156.44
Pork avg 164.36
3 calls in 25 entries

A strong matchup

7–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 78% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of LITTLE CREEK BAR B CUE COMPANY in 7 of their 9 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

9 of 15 shared pork entries lost

APORKALYPSE NOW ahead 60% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, APORKALYPSE NOW has out-cooked them in 9 of 15 shared pork entries.

Show 5 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

NEW REVOLUTION Q has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An April team

Top 33% average finish in April

Something about April: average finish in the top 33% across 3 contests, versus top 42% the rest of the year.

3 April contests
top 42% the rest of the year

The long haul

16,713 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 16,713 miles across 25 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 3,884 miles to Smoke in the North.

25 mapped stops
furthest 3,884 mi

The metronome

±2.11% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.11% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.1% of a perfect score
25 contests

A standing appointment

6 years running at one contest

They've cooked New Holland Summer Fest (JUDGES FULL) every year from 2013 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.

6 visits in all
best finish 13th

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	#1860 (119 pts)	#1566 (174 pts)	#1945 (119 pts)	#1908 (119 pts)	#1923 (119 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1644 (145 pts)	#1547 (180 pts)	#1189 (275 pts)	#1613 (175 pts)	#1799 (125 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1064 (280 pts)	#941 (365 pts)	#1192 (260 pts)	#719 (520 pts)	#1219 (240 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#651 (569 pts)	#703 (539 pts)	#653 (584 pts)	#423 (894 pts)	#752 (484 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#420 (730 pts)	#515 (630 pts)	#669 (495 pts)	#456 (720 pts)	#523 (610 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to FREE RANGE BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

GRILLKUNST

#1,718 of the rated field

1551 power rating

Contests: 34
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 47%
Peak: 1573

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to FREE RANGE BBQ)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team FREE RANGE BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 32 contests
last seen Aug 11, 2018

⚔ Head-to-head

HERDING SMOKE

#1,727 of the rated field

1551 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1552

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to FREE RANGE BBQ)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Sep 26, 2015

⚔ Head-to-head

FLAMING PIG BBQ (SE)

#1,717 of the rated field

1551 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1560

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to FREE RANGE BBQ)

Fewer contests behind them than FREE RANGE BBQ has cooked, 17 to 25, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Aug 22, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

PIEDMONT PIT BBQ

#1,722 of the rated field

1551 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 80%
Peak: 1551

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to FREE RANGE BBQ)

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

rated over 5 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

The BBQ Yard

#1,732 of the rated field

1551 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1571

23 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 22% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 22 contests
last seen May 26, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

MOO COW

#1,729 of the rated field

1551 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1566

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

rated over 17 contests
last seen Jun 1, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
APORKALYPSE NOW	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
DIZZY PIG	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
4:20 Q	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare
BEERBEQUE	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare
PIGHEADED BBQ	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
3 EYZ BBQ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	11	6	5	55%	⚔ compare
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
SLOWER LOWER BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
LITTLE CREEK BAR B CUE COMPANY	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
WEEKEND SMOKERS	9	6	3	67%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	25	4	1	2	173.7372	139.3828	162.60	top 42%
Pork Ribs	25	4	1	1	173.7716	138.8916	158.37	top 50%
Pork	25	7	0	3	171.4400	157.6800	164.36	top 30%
Brisket	25	3	0	1	173.1428	142.7428	156.44	top 52%

“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	0	top 50%
Large (40+)	20	0	top 40%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
PA	8	top 44%
MD	4	top 34%
VA	4	top 42%
DE	3	top 45%
DC	2	top 46%
SE	1	top 6%
NJ	1	top 7%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
New Holland Summer Fest (JUDGES FULL)	6	13	top 43%	Aug 24, 2018
BBQ Jamboree	3	10	top 43%	May 8, 2015
Brew N Q (OPEN)	2	15	top 76%	May 27, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 6 contests

Contests a season 4.2 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in PA 8 of 25 contests · 7 states in all

Contests visited 17 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 657 finished ahead 884 times, behind 556

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

20182 milestones

Aug 24 25th tracked contest New Holland Summer Fest (JUDGES FULL)
Aug 24 Most recent contest New Holland Summer Fest (JUDGES FULL)

20164 milestones

Aug 6 First overall podium Smoke in the North
Aug 6 First Reserve Championship Smoke in the North
Aug 6 Career-best overall score668.0688 Smoke in the North
Aug 6 Peak power rating (1581) Smoke in the North

20143 milestones

Aug 15 First category win (Pork Ribs) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Aug 15 10th tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Aug 15 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)173.7716 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

20134 milestones

Apr 19 First tracked contest Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival
Apr 19 First call Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival
Apr 19 First overall top-10 Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival
Apr 19 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.1422 Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.2	Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival	Apr 19, 2013
+13.3	DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship	Oct 5, 2013
+12.9	Smoke in the North	Aug 6, 2016
+9.6	BBQ Jamboree	May 9, 2014
+9.4	New Holland Summer Fest	Aug 23, 2013

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.7	Brew N Q (OPEN)	May 27, 2017
-14	BBQ Jamboree	May 8, 2015
-5.9	Boo-B-Que	Oct 20, 2017
-5.5	New Holland Summer Fest (JUDGES FULL)	Aug 24, 2018
-3.7	The Ironman	Apr 3, 2015

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	2	0	0	0%	top 66%	89.7%	87.9%
2017	4	0	0	0%	top 68%	91.6%	89.1%
2016	4	1	1	50%	top 39%	92.8%	90.2%
2015	4	0	0	50%	top 54%	90.1%	87.1%
2014	5	1	1	80%	top 30%	91.6%	89.6%
2013	6	2	0	100%	top 20%	91.3%	89.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 24, 2018	New Holland Summer Fest (JUDGES FULL) New Holland, PA	48 / 71 (619.2344)	46 (154.2400)	58 (147.3372)	11 (166.8572)	47 (150.8000)
Jun 23, 2018	Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle Washington, DC	27 / 42 (646.1832)	27 (162.2628)	26 (163.9888)	16 (166.2400)	30 (153.6916)
Oct 20, 2017	Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE	47 / 69 (631.2912)	52 (161.1084)	56 (150.8000)	29 (162.8800)	45 (156.5028)
Aug 25, 2017	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	35 / 69 (643.8856)	27 (164.5256)	42 (158.8460)	11 (166.2512)	46 (154.2628)
May 27, 2017	Brew N Q (OPEN) Burton Upon Trent	32 / 34 (631.4172)	14 (168.5944)	33 (150.2628)	26 (161.1312)	32 (151.4288)
May 26, 2017	Brew N Q (INVITATIONAL) unrated Burton Upon Trent	15 / 26 (659.4400)	19 (165.7600)	12 (164.0116)	15 (164.5600)	11 (165.1084)
Aug 26, 2016	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	29 / 66 (643.8744)	45 (156.5716)	12 (169.1316)	28 (162.8228)	39 (155.3484)
Aug 6, 2016	Smoke in the North Gothenburg, Sweden	2 / 31 (668.0688)	1 (173.7372)	21 (154.8804)	7 (166.3084)	2 (173.1428)
Jun 3, 2016	Beltway BBQ Showdown Fort Washington, MD	20 / 37 (643.8632)	13 (166.2972)	6 (173.1660)	19 (161.6572)	31 (142.7428)
May 6, 2016	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	26 / 51 (641.6572)	33 (157.1428)	17 (163.3944)	20 (160.5600)	24 (160.5600)
Oct 30, 2015	Boo B Que By the Sea Rehobeth Beach, DE	17 / 59 (648.5028)	28 (161.7028)	25 (160.5944)	3 (169.1200)	29 (157.0856)
Aug 28, 2015	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	31 / 70 (638.2400)	25 (163.4400)	21 (165.1544)	37 (157.6800)	44 (151.9656)
May 8, 2015	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	57 / 65 (590.2400)	64 (139.3828)	63 (138.8916)	15 (165.1772)	54 (146.7884)
Apr 3, 2015	The Ironman Shady Grove, PA	27 / 48 (632.4916)	5 (173.1656)	46 (141.6688)	14 (164.5828)	32 (153.0744)
Aug 22, 2014	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	23 / 70 (642.7656)	16 (166.2628)	28 (158.8572)	9 (166.8456)	43 (150.8000)
Aug 15, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Harrisburg, PA	11 / 28 (649.6456)	23 (156.5028)	1 (173.7716)	15 (159.9884)	16 (159.3828)
Jun 21, 2014	Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle Washington, DC	11 / 41 (659.4288)	20 (159.4516)	24 (159.4172)	2 (169.7028)	8 (170.8572)
May 9, 2014	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	10 / 64 (644.0228)	8 (166.2856)	23 (159.4744)	4 (169.1428)	42 (149.1200)
Apr 11, 2014	Delaware's Triple Threat BBQ Festival at the Fair Harrington, DE	41 / 109 (629.6340)	21 (164)	63 (151.9312)	12 (167.4972)	80 (146.2056)
Oct 18, 2013	Autumnfest Woodstock, VA	16 / 40 (634.1488)	2 (173.1316)	37 (141.6800)	16 (162.8344)	17 (156.5028)
Oct 5, 2013	DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship Atlantic City, NJ	6 / 85 (656.4796)	13 (166.8456)	23 (161.0856)	2 (171.4400)	25 (157.1084)
Aug 23, 2013	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	13 / 71 (649.6804)	18 (163.9544)	5 (169.7716)	30 (158.2400)	27 (157.7144)
Jun 14, 2013	Central MD Swinetastic BBQ Festival Frederick, MD	15 / 63 (649.1428)	26 (161.7142)	37 (154.8572)	20 (164)	9 (168.5714)
May 10, 2013	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	15 / 60 (633.7140)	27 (155.4284)	22 (157.7144)	9 (162.2856)	14 (158.2856)
Apr 19, 2013	Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival Salisbury, MD	7 / 106 (657.1422)	24 (163.4282)	7 (168.5714)	28 (161.1426)	12 (164)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

FREE RANGE BBQ

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 (12 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

An April 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)