On the rise
+33
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 33 points across 13 contests since Sep 28, 2025 — from 1558 up to 1591.
- 13 contests since Sep 28, 2025
- now 1591
Backwooder BBQ
Backwooder BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 41 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) (2024). They are ranked #1137 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1591
peak 1605 · rated over 39 contests
Contests
41
in the data
First seen
May 19, 2023
latest Sep 27, 2026 · 3.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
0 reserve · wins it all 2% of the time
Category wins
3
12 podiums
Overall top-10s
16
39% of 41 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 46%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
340.06 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 333.35 (+6.71)
Walk rate
78%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±9.12
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 168.31 · weakest Pork Ribs (165.75)
Road miles
2,448
across 41 mapped stops · furthest 184 mi
Schedule strength
68%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1586)
Purse competed for
$213K
listed at 38 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 37 state-championship entries
Master avg
673.50 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
333.35 / 360
34 Backyard contests · 1 GC
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #67 (723 pts) | #58 (779 pts) | #40 (964 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #547 (285 pts) | #454 (440 pts) | #783 (185 pts) | #522 (335 pts) | #526 (325 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #55 (902 pts) | #69 (764 pts) | #47 (959 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #784 (155 pts) | #695 (247 pts) | #580 (363 pts) | #1190 (60 pts) | #808 (165 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #61 (859 pts) | #76 (778 pts) | #22 (1,125 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #946 (116 pts) | #778 (196 pts) | #976 (131 pts) | #934 (121 pts) | #1029 (106 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #226 (174 pts) | #214 (184 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Backwooder BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
38 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,133 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 85%
- Peak
- 1592
2–3 in 5 shared contests (40% to Backwooder BBQ)
These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — Pit Master Matt ahead 3–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,132 of the rated field
- Contests
- 37
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 51%
- Peak
- 1592
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 37 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,138 of the rated field
- Contests
- 36
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1629
Careers of much the same size, 36 contests to 41, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,141 of the rated field
- Contests
- 54
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 15%
- Peak
- 1610
54 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 15% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,140 of the rated field
- Contests
- 60
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1622
They were already cooking in 2015, 8 years before Backwooder BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,139 of the rated field
- Contests
- 63
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1654
Level with Backwooder BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All About the Wood | 33 | 12 | 21 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 33 | 6 | 27 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 32 | 9 | 23 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 28 | 7 | 21 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Rough Cut Q | 24 | 6 | 18 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| UP IN SMOKERS | 22 | 15 | 6 | 68% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 22 | 4 | 17 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 BOXERS Q | 21 | 14 | 6 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Oink N' Doink BBQ | 21 | 6 | 15 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Castleton Q | 20 | 10 | 10 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | 20 | 9 | 10 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| Yardogs BBQ | 20 | 8 | 12 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| 3 EYZ BBQ | 20 | 7 | 12 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| Piggy & Swine BBQ | 20 | 7 | 12 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 20 | 1 | 18 | 5% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 39 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 177.7028 | 152.5372 | 168.31 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 40 | 21 | 2 | 9 | 177.7028 | 150.8228 | 165.75 | top 45% |
| Pork | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.2744 | 160.5372 | 166.03 | top 47% |
| Brisket | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.7028 | 158.2284 | 167.74 | top 39% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 8 | 0 | top 59% |
| Medium (20–39) | 28 | 1 | top 45% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 19% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | 7 | 7 | 0 | top 43% | May 16, 2026 |
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 6 | 1 | 1 | top 45% | Jul 25, 2026 |
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 5 | 5 | 0 | top 65% | Jun 12, 2026 |
| First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) | 4 | 8 | 0 | top 65% | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 4 | 4 | 0 | top 41% | Oct 25, 2025 |
| Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 44% | Aug 21, 2026 |
| New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 18% | Jul 11, 2026 |
| Rekindled Ironman | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 30% | Apr 3, 2026 |
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 54% | Apr 26, 2025 |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 33% | Oct 19, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
17 contests
Contests a season
10.3
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
PA
22 of 41 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
13
10 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
40 entries · 2 wins · 21 calls
First title
Jul 27, 2024
Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
Opponents faced
379
finished ahead 959 times, behind 798
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- Career-best overall score682.7312 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.7028 Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- Peak power rating (1605) Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff
- Most recent contest First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY)
20252 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
- 25th tracked contest Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff
20248 milestones
- First call The Ironman
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.3140 The Ironman
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- First overall podium Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- First Grand Championship Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- First state championship Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- Biggest field won (32 teams) Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
20231 milestone
- First tracked contest Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +19.4 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | Jul 27, 2024 |
| +15.2 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) | Apr 26, 2025 |
| +14.1 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | Oct 19, 2024 |
| +12.9 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) | Oct 24, 2025 |
| +10.6 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 12, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.9 | First State BBQ Bash (SUNDAY BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 28, 2025 |
| -9.1 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | Jul 26, 2025 |
| -8.6 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) | Apr 25, 2025 |
| -8 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | Jun 29, 2024 |
| -8 | First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) | Sep 27, 2026 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 90% | top 42% | 95.2% | 94.3% |
| 2025 | 17 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 82% | top 48% | 96.8% | 92.7% |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 82% | top 44% | 96.7% | 92.3% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 89.5% | 88.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2026 | First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) Milford, DE | 13 / 16 (331.3372) | 8 (170.8228) | 14 (160.5144) | — | — |
| Sep 25, 2026 | First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 21 / 39 (671.3144) | 12 (173.7028) | 29 (163.3944) | 17 (169.6800) | 27 (164.5372) |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 10 / 26 (342.8000) | 16 (170.8228) | 8 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 11 / 39 (342.2284) | — | 1 (177.7028) | — | — |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 9 / 43 (342.2400) | 18 (167.9656) | 4 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2026 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 15 / 62 (682.7312) | 19 (170.8112) | 28 (167.3828) | 8 (174.2744) | 19 (170.2628) |
| Jun 12, 2026 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 16 / 25 (673.0744) | 3 (176) | 22 (160.5372) | 19 (162.8344) | 5 (173.7028) |
| May 16, 2026 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 7 / 17 (341.6804) | 5 (174.2744) | 10 (167.4060) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 7 / 25 (342.2516) | 11 (170.2744) | 4 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Rekindled Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA | 6 / 14 (338.2172) | 1 (177.7028) | 8 (160.5144) | — | — |
| Oct 25, 2025 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 15 / 32 (327.8972) | 16 (159.3600) | 10 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Oct 25, 2025 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (One Meat Ribs) Jackson, NJ | — | — | 18 (152.5144) | — | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 4 / 31 (343.9428) | 6 (171.9656) | 3 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (One Meat Chicken) Jackson, NJ | — | 9 (173.7144) | — | — | — |
| Sep 28, 2025 | First State BBQ Bash (SUNDAY BACKYARD ONLY) Milford, DE | 13 / 14 (319.8744) | 8 (167.3828) | 14 (152.4916) | — | — |
| Sep 26, 2025 | First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 8 / 25 (337.6572) | 7 (171.4056) | 10 (166.2516) | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 8 / 16 (336.5144) | 7 (171.9772) | 11 (164.5372) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 22 / 27 (320.5028) | 25 (152.5372) | 14 (167.9656) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2025 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 23 / 30 (330.7884) | 21 (166.8228) | 24 (163.9656) | — | — |
| Jul 12, 2025 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 8 / 63 (681.0744) | 13 (172.5600) | 1 (176) | 36 (160.5372) | 7 (171.9772) |
| Jun 28, 2025 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 5 / 10 (343.9428) | 7 (171.9656) | 4 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 11 / 26 (335.3368) | 10 (171.9656) | 12 (163.3712) | — | — |
| May 17, 2025 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 9 / 21 (329.0744) | 8 (169.6916) | 12 (159.3828) | — | — |
| May 16, 2025 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 16 / 28 (325.0516) | 7 (170.8344) | 19 (154.2172) | — | — |
| Apr 26, 2025 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 3 / 16 (348.5256) | 8 (171.9656) | 3 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Apr 25, 2025 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 18 / 20 (329.6228) | 8 (172.5600) | 20 (157.0628) | — | — |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Rekindled Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA | 4 / 23 (338.8116) | 5 (169.6916) | 3 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Oct 19, 2024 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Columbia, NJ | 3 / 26 (344.5140) | 9 (169.6684) | 3 (174.8456) | — | — |
| Oct 18, 2024 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Columbia, NJ | 15 / 28 (319.8744) | 20 (157.0744) | 12 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Sep 27, 2024 | "The First State" BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 7 / 26 (335.3716) | 9 (162.8000) | 2 (172.5716) | — | — |
| Aug 23, 2024 | New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA | 11 / 38 (322.1944) | 10 (160.5372) | 10 (161.6572) | — | — |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 1 / 32 (347.9772) | 2 (174.2628) | 2 (173.7144) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 20 / 35 (332.4912) | 7 (171.9884) | 31 (160.5028) | — | — |
| Jun 29, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 18 / 19 (330.7768) | 22 (158.2168) | 3 (172.5600) | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 22 / 29 (322.8456) | 24 (161.7028) | 20 (161.1428) | — | — |
| May 18, 2024 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 11 / 26 (335.3600) | 13 (166.8228) | 9 (168.5372) | — | — |
| May 17, 2024 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 14 / 37 (335.9200) | 17 (163.9428) | 4 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Apr 5, 2024 | The Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA | 11 / 21 (659.3140) | 4 (172) | 9 (166.2744) | 10 (162.8112) | 13 (158.2284) |
| Oct 21, 2023 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 18 / 29 (321.6228) | 18 (161.6572) | 17 (159.9656) | — | — |
| Oct 20, 2023 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 15 / 34 (322.2860) | 15 (161.1660) | 14 (161.1200) | — | — |
| May 19, 2023 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 20 / 37 (314.2056) | 15 (163.3828) | 20 (150.8228) | — | — |