RIVER CITY RUB

RIVER CITY RUB is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 20 at the Benton County Fair BBQ Contest (2013), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1412 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings and hold 1 all-time KCBS record.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

KCBS records held

1 🥇

highest pork score

Power ranking

#1,412

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1570

peak 1570 · rated over 11 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 10, 2013

latest Jun 8, 2018 · 5.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#486

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

50% of 12 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 32%

overall standings

Best overall

690.8566 / 720

Master · Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGES FULL)

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

680.69 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 678.21 (+2.48)

Walk rate

83%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Pork · Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash

Consistency

±9.75

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 172.24 · weakest Brisket (166.88)

Road miles

445

across 11 mapped stops · furthest 95 mi

Schedule strength

27%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1537)

Master avg

678.21 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

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

Signature meat

27% pork entries won

3 wins from 11 entries

When pork is on the table, watch out — they've won it in 27% of their entries (3 of 11).

best 180.0000
average 172.24
6 calls

They almost always walk

83% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 10 of 12 contests

A top-10 category call in 83% of their 12 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

690.8566 career-best overall

96.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 690.8566 at Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGES FULL) — 96.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 7, 2013

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

HEAVENLY MANNA BBQ has finished one call ahead of RIVER CITY RUB 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

7–3 behind in the head-to-head

KILLER HOGS ahead in 70% of their meetings

KILLER HOGS has come out ahead in 7 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.37 points below their pork, and turns into a call 18% of the time against 55%.

Brisket avg 166.88
Pork avg 172.24
2 calls in 11 entries

Show 4 more storylines

A strong matchup

6–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of K & K KOOKERS in 6 of their 8 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (Jun 9, 2017).

last seen Jun 12, 2015
back Jun 9, 2017

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

901Q has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±2.23% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.23% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.6% of a perfect score
12 contests

Holds 1 KCBS record (on 1 all-time board)

Where this team sits in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record they hold outright; the rest are boards they are on.

🥇 🍖 Highest pork score 180 one meat, out of 180 · won the category with it · May 31, 2013 · shared with at least 9 others

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1765 (100 pts)	#1982 (65 pts)	#1498 (145 pts)	#1569 (125 pts)	#1963 (65 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1392 (180 pts)	#1435 (195 pts)	#1246 (255 pts)	#1707 (135 pts)	#1623 (155 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1596 (135 pts)	#1778 (120 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#1148 (285 pts)	#2012 (95 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#834 (403 pts)	#981 (358 pts)	#965 (368 pts)	#606 (638 pts)	#968 (343 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#486 (637 pts)	#623 (527 pts)	#498 (667 pts)	#420 (772 pts)	#665 (487 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

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

THE DOUBLE "S" SMOKEHOUSE

#1,421 of the rated field

1570 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1570

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to RIVER CITY RUB)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team RIVER CITY RUB has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Oct 22, 2021

⚔ Head-to-head

SOUTHERN SMOKED SWINE

#1,413 of the rated field

1570 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 37%
Peak: 1584

2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to RIVER CITY RUB)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 3 years before RIVER CITY RUB's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 19 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG BITE BBQ

#1,411 of the rated field

1570 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 58%
Peak: 1576

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

rated over 12 contests
last seen May 27, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKY OKIE & COMPANY

#1,409 of the rated field

1571 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1571

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 Aug 24, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

SLOGIES BBQ

#1,417 of the rated field

1570 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1570

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

rated over 8 contests
last seen May 28, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

GOD'S COUNTRY BBQ

#1,419 of the rated field

1570 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1570

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 8 contests, alongside a 25% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 7 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
HEAVENLY MANNA BBQ	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
KILLER HOGS	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
K & K KOOKERS	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
FIRE DANCER BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
SLAB TECHS	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Poker Porkers	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
BBQR'S DELIGHT	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
Dats Cool	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
Greenway Equipment	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
Backdraft Smokers	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
L" If I Know	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
HOTTY TOTTY BBQ CREW	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
Hillbilly Hoggers	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
Organizer Portal	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	5	0	0	175.4284	159.3944	169.03	top 42%
Pork Ribs	11	4	0	1	174.2628	163.9772	170.06	top 32%
Pork	11	6	3	5	180 🔥	161.7028	172.24	top 30%
Brisket	11	2	0	0	175.4284	153.7140	166.88	top 48%

“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 31%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 32%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
AR	5	top 30%
TN	3	top 35%
MS	3	top 32%
MO	1	—

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	5	10	0	top 30%	Jun 8, 2018
Mississippi Springfest	2	10	0	top 43%	May 9, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 4 contests

Contests a season 2 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in AR 5 of 12 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 7 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 380 finished ahead 338 times, behind 212

Longest layoff 2 yrs Jun 12, 2015 → Jun 9, 2017

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

20182 milestones

Jun 8 Peak power rating (1570) Delta Smoke BBQ Contest
Jun 8 Most recent contest Delta Smoke BBQ Contest

20171 milestone

Jun 9 10th tracked contest Delta Smoke BBQ Contest

20138 milestones

May 10 First call Mississippi Springfest
May 10 First overall top-10 Mississippi Springfest
May 10 First overall past 90% of a perfect score663.4278 Mississippi Springfest
May 31 First category win (Pork) Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash
May 31 First perfect 180 (Pork) Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash
Jun 7 Career-best overall score690.8566 Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGES FULL)
Aug 23 First overall podium Benton County Fair BBQ Contest
Aug 23 First Reserve Championship Benton County Fair BBQ Contest

—1 milestone

First tracked contest American Royal World Series Of Barbecue Rub Contest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.4	Benton County Fair BBQ Contest	Aug 23, 2013
+9.5	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGE LIST IS FULL)	Jun 12, 2015
+9.4	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	Jun 13, 2014
+8.6	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGES FULL)	Jun 7, 2013
+6.7	Fourth Annual Bull Moose	Apr 4, 2014

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
—	1	0	0	0%	—	87.6%	87.6%
2018	1	0	0	100%	top 39%	95.1%	95.1%
2017	2	0	0	50%	top 44%	93.5%	93.2%
2015	1	1	1	100%	top 20%	95.2%	95.2%
2014	3	2	1	100%	top 34%	95.9%	93.9%
2013	4	3	1	100%	top 26%	96%	94.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 8, 2018	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest Wynne, AR	17 / 44 (685.0284)	24 (171.4172)	9 (173.1200)	12 (173.1084)	24 (167.3828)
Sep 8, 2017	International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN Millington, TN	18 / 42 (669.5424)	10 (173.7028)	12 (170.8228)	27 (166.2284)	30 (158.7884)
Jun 9, 2017	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest Wynne, AR	20 / 45 (673.0172)	35 (162.2400)	11 (172.5716)	22 (168.5256)	18 (169.6800)
Jun 12, 2015	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGE LIST IS FULL) Wynne, AR	10 / 49 (685.6456)	13 (172)	28 (165.1200)	1 (178.8572)	18 (169.6684)
Jun 13, 2014	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest Wynne, AR	10 / 49 (690.2056)	10 (172)	14 (171.9656)	2 (176.5600)	17 (169.6800)
May 9, 2014	Mississippi Springfest Ashland, MS	12 / 23 (662.7312)	8 (170.8112)	11 (163.9772)	18 (161.7028)	15 (166.2400)
Apr 4, 2014	Fourth Annual Bull Moose Somerville, TN	9 / 31 (675.8972)	23 (159.3944)	12 (169.1200)	1 (176.5600)	10 (170.8228)
Aug 23, 2013	Benton County Fair BBQ Contest Ashland, MS	2 / 20 (686.7884)	11 (168)	2 (174.2628)	2 (176.5600)	12 (167.9656)
Jun 7, 2013	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGES FULL) Wynne, AR	10 / 40 (690.8566)	7 (175.4284)	9 (173.7142)	28 (166.2856)	4 (175.4284)
May 31, 2013	Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash Memphis, TN	14 / 43 (677.1426)	20 (166.2856)	27 (164.5712)	1 (180)	18 (166.2858)
May 10, 2013	Mississippi Springfest Ashland, MS	10 / 29 (663.4278)	8 (167.9998)	4 (171.4284)	6 (170.2856)	24 (153.7140)
—	American Royal World Series Of Barbecue Rub Contest unrated Kansas City, MO	92 (157.7028)	—	—	—	—

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

RIVER CITY RUB

At a glance (the record in numbers)

KCBS records held

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

Master avg

Storylines (11 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

Signature meat

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Looking over their shoulder

The metronome

Holds 1 KCBS record (on 1 all-time board)

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

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)