Backwooder BBQ PA
Rating
1590
peak 1590 · rated over 36 contests
Best runs
3
straight top-10s
Contests
38
in the data
First seen
2023-05-19
latest 2026-07-25
Best ToY finish
#55
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
1
0 reserve
Category wins
3
12 podiums
Overall top-10s
15
of 38 contests
Avg finish
top 45%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
341.32 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 333.11 (+8.21)
Walk rate
79%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
3
best run (overall)
Consistency
±9.24
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 168.54 · weakest Pork (165.11)
Road miles
2159
mi across 38 mapped stops · furthest 184 mi
Schedule strength
74%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1570)
Purse competed for
$203K
listed at 35 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
GCs in 35 state-championship entries
Master avg
674.05 / 720
4 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
333.11 / 360
32 Backyard contests · 1 GC
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Leaning Jowler BBQ has finished one call ahead of Backwooder BBQ 4 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
HotMess BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Estancia in 15 of their 17 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
New Jersey State Barbecue Championship is their spot: an average finish in the top 18% across 2 visits.
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 32-team field at Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2).
Teams like this (closest power rating, PA first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All About the Wood | 31 | 10 | 21 | 32% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 31 | 6 | 25 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 29 | 8 | 21 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 26 | 6 | 20 | 23% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 22 | 4 | 17 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| UP IN SMOKERS | 21 | 15 | 5 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 BOXERS Q | 21 | 14 | 6 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Rough Cut Q | 21 | 6 | 15 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Yardogs BBQ | 19 | 7 | 12 | 37% | ⚔ compare |
| Oink N' Doink BBQ | 19 | 6 | 13 | 32% | ⚔ compare |
| Piggy & Swine BBQ | 19 | 6 | 12 | 32% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 19 | 1 | 17 | 5% | ⚔ compare |
| PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ | 18 | 10 | 7 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Castleton Q | 18 | 10 | 8 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | 18 | 8 | 9 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 37 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 177.7028 | 152.5372 | 167.92 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 37 | 20 | 2 | 9 | 177.7028 | 150.8228 | 165.79 | top 44% |
| Pork | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.2744 | 160.5372 | 165.11 | top 48% |
| Brisket | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.7028 | 158.2284 | 168.54 | top 31% |
“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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA | 22 | 1 | top 47% |
| NJ | 8 | 0 | top 33% |
| DE | 3 | 0 | top 51% |
| VA | 3 | 0 | top 53% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 7 | 0 | top 56% |
| Medium (20–39) | 26 | 1 | top 45% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 19% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring 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% | 2026-05-16 |
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 6 | 1 | 1 | top 45% | 2026-07-25 |
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 5 | 5 | 0 | top 65% | 2026-06-12 |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 4 | 4 | 0 | top 41% | 2025-10-25 |
| New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 18% | 2026-07-11 |
| Rekindled Ironman | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 30% | 2026-04-03 |
| First State BBQ Bash (SUNDAY BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 62% | 2025-09-28 |
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 54% | 2025-04-26 |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 33% | 2024-10-19 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (17 contests)
- Cooks mostly in PA (22 of 38 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (37 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) (2024-07-27)
- Wins it all in 3% of contests
- Average Master overall score: 674.05 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 333.11 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2023-05-19 — First tracked contest · Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- 📣 2024-04-05 — First call · The Ironman
- 🏆 2024-07-27 — First Grand Championship · Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- 🎖️ 2025-08-22 — 25th tracked contest · Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff
- ⭐ 2026-07-11 — Career-best overall score (682.7312) · New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
- 📈 2026-07-25 — Peak power rating (1590) · Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +19 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2024-07-27 |
| +14.8 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) | 2025-04-26 |
| +13.8 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 2024-10-19 |
| +12.8 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) | 2025-10-24 |
| +10.5 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | 2025-07-12 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11 | First State BBQ Bash (SUNDAY BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-09-28 |
| -9.4 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2025-07-26 |
| -8.9 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) | 2025-04-25 |
| -8.4 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2024-06-29 |
| -6.3 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2025-07-25 |
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 100% | top 36% | 95.1% | 94.6% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-25 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 11 / 39 (342.2284) | 24 (164.5256) | 1 (177.7028) | — | — |
| 2026-07-24 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 9 / 43 (342.2400) | 18 (167.9656) | 4 (174.2744) | — | — |
| 2026-07-11 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 15 / 62 (682.7312) | 19 (170.8112) | 28 (167.3828) | 8 (174.2744) | 19 (170.2628) |
| 2026-06-12 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 16 / 25 (673.0744) | 3 (176.0000) | 22 (160.5372) | 19 (162.8344) | 5 (173.7028) |
| 2026-05-16 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 7 / 17 (341.6804) | 5 (174.2744) | 10 (167.4060) | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 7 / 25 (342.2516) | 11 (170.2744) | 4 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2026-04-03 | Rekindled Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA | 6 / 14 (338.2172) | 1 (177.7028) | 8 (160.5144) | — | — |
| 2025-10-25 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 15 / 32 (327.8972) | 16 (159.3600) | 10 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2025-10-25 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (One Meat Ribs) Jackson, NJ | — | — | 18 (152.5144) | — | — |
| 2025-10-24 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (One Meat Chicken) Jackson, NJ | — | 9 (173.7144) | — | — | — |
| 2025-10-24 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 4 / 31 (343.9428) | 6 (171.9656) | 3 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-09-28 | First State BBQ Bash (SUNDAY BACKYARD ONLY) Milford, DE | 13 / 14 (319.8744) | 8 (167.3828) | 14 (152.4916) | — | — |
| 2025-09-26 | First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 8 / 25 (337.6572) | 7 (171.4056) | 10 (166.2516) | — | — |
| 2025-08-22 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 8 / 16 (336.5144) | 7 (171.9772) | 11 (164.5372) | — | — |
| 2025-07-26 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 22 / 27 (320.5028) | 25 (152.5372) | 14 (167.9656) | — | — |
| 2025-07-25 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 23 / 30 (330.7884) | 21 (166.8228) | 24 (163.9656) | — | — |
| 2025-07-12 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 8 / 63 (681.0744) | 13 (172.5600) | 1 (176.0000) | 36 (160.5372) | 7 (171.9772) |
| 2025-06-28 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 5 / 10 (343.9428) | 7 (171.9656) | 4 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 11 / 26 (335.3368) | 10 (171.9656) | 12 (163.3712) | — | — |
| 2025-05-17 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 9 / 21 (329.0744) | 8 (169.6916) | 12 (159.3828) | — | — |
| 2025-05-16 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 16 / 28 (325.0516) | 7 (170.8344) | 19 (154.2172) | — | — |
| 2025-04-26 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 3 / 16 (348.5256) | 8 (171.9656) | 3 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2025-04-25 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 18 / 20 (329.6228) | 8 (172.5600) | 20 (157.0628) | — | — |
| 2025-04-04 | Rekindled Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA | 4 / 23 (338.8116) | 5 (169.6916) | 3 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2024-10-19 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Columbia, NJ | 3 / 26 (344.5140) | 9 (169.6684) | 3 (174.8456) | — | — |
| 2024-10-18 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Columbia, NJ | 15 / 28 (319.8744) | 20 (157.0744) | 12 (162.8000) | — | — |
| 2024-09-27 | "The First State" BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 7 / 26 (335.3716) | 9 (162.8000) | 2 (172.5716) | — | — |
| 2024-08-23 | New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA | 11 / 38 (322.1944) | 10 (160.5372) | 10 (161.6572) | — | — |
| 2024-07-27 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 1 / 32 (347.9772) | 2 (174.2628) | 2 (173.7144) | — | — |
| 2024-07-26 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 20 / 35 (332.4912) | 7 (171.9884) | 31 (160.5028) | — | — |
| 2024-06-29 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 18 / 19 (330.7768) | 22 (158.2168) | 3 (172.5600) | — | — |
| 2024-06-28 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 22 / 29 (322.8456) | 24 (161.7028) | 20 (161.1428) | — | — |
| 2024-05-18 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 11 / 26 (335.3600) | 13 (166.8228) | 9 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2024-05-17 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 14 / 37 (335.9200) | 17 (163.9428) | 4 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2024-04-05 | The Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA | 11 / 21 (659.3140) | 4 (172.0000) | 9 (166.2744) | 10 (162.8112) | 13 (158.2284) |
| 2023-10-21 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 18 / 29 (321.6228) | 18 (161.6572) | 17 (159.9656) | — | — |
| 2023-10-20 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 15 / 34 (322.2860) | 15 (161.1660) | 14 (161.1200) | — | — |
| 2023-05-19 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 20 / 37 (314.2056) | 15 (163.3828) | 20 (150.8228) | — | — |
Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #55 (721 pts) | #58 (701 pts) | #37 (936 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #570 (205 pts) | #498 (315 pts) | #827 (125 pts) | #557 (235 pts) | #518 (265 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 (1125 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) | — | — |