NATIONS BEST BARBEQUE

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#2506

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1520

peak 1523 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-08-23

latest 2015-04-10

Best ToY finish

#795

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 7 contests

Avg finish

top 46%

overall standings

Best overall

660.0344 / 720

Master · Wild West BBQ Shoot Out

Perfect 180s

Current form

642.71 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 645.53 (-2.83)

Walk rate

86%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

174.3200

Chicken · Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

Consistency

±9.00

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.95 · weakest Brisket (154.66)

Road miles

1,226

mi across 7 mapped stops · furthest 417 mi

Schedule strength

24%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1533)

Master avg

645.53 / 720

7 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

Signature meat

29% pork ribs entries won

2 wins from 7 entries

When pork ribs is on the table, watch out — they've won it in 29% of their entries (2 of 7).

best 172.0116
average 163.93
3 calls

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE ahead in 100% of their meetings

GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−12.3 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 12.28 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 14% of the time against 57%.

Brisket avg 154.66
Chicken avg 166.95
1 calls in 7 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of G AND L BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BBQ PIT STOP has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

TORNADO ALLEY

#2500 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

1752 BARBECUE

#2495 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

Level with NATIONS BEST BARBEQUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2017-10-13

⚔ Head-to-head

PORK BUTT AND CHICKEN LEGS

#2493 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2013-08-16

⚔ Head-to-head

ROO-B-QUE

#2502 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2019-04-26

⚔ Head-to-head

Keep Calm and Sauce On

#2498 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1523

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 5 contests
last seen 2026-08-28

⚔ Head-to-head

TRAEGER X WHISKEY BENT BBQ

#2494 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1529

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 5 contests
last seen 2026-01-22

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
TEAM AMERICA	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
Rhythm n QUE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
G AND L BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
BBQ PIT STOP	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	7	4	1	2	174.3200	159.4172	166.95	top 30%
Pork Ribs	7	3	2	2	172.0116	155.4172	163.93	top 33%
Pork	7	4	0	0	168.5828	149.7372	160.00	top 56%
Brisket	7	1	0	0	161.7372	143.9656	154.66	top 64%

“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
UT	4	0	top 43%
NV	3	0	top 51%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 38%
Medium (20–39)	5	top 41%
Large (40+)	1	top 80%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	8	0	top 45%	2015-04-10
Wild West BBQ Shoot Out	2	8	0	top 36%	2014-08-22

The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 1.6 yrs 2013-08-23 → 2015-04-10

Busiest season 2014 3 contests

Contests a season 2.3 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in UT 4 of 7 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 5 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 7 entries · 1 win · 4 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 166.95 · weakest Brisket (154.66)

Walk rate 86% a top-10 call in 6 of 7 contests

Overall top-10 rate 43% 3 of 7 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 645.53 out of 720 · 7 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 157 119–130 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,226 7 mapped stops · furthest 417 mi

Schedule strength 1533 average field rating faced — tougher than 24% of rated contests

Power rating 1520 peak 1523 · #2506 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Aug 23 First tracked contest Wild West BBQ Shoot Out
Aug 23 First call Wild West BBQ Shoot Out
Aug 23 First overall top-10 Wild West BBQ Shoot Out
Aug 23 First overall past 90% of a perfect score660.0344 Wild West BBQ Shoot Out
Aug 23 Career-best overall score660.0344 Wild West BBQ Shoot Out
Sep 20 First category win (Pork Ribs) Utah BBQ Festival
2014
Apr 11 Career-best single call (Chicken)174.3200 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Aug 22 Peak power rating (1523) Wild West BBQ Shoot Out
2015
Apr 10 Most recent contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.2	Wild West BBQ Shoot Out	2013-08-23
+8	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2014-04-11
+5.8	Utah BBQ Festival	2013-09-20
+3.3	Days of 47 BBQ Showdown	2014-07-24
+2.4	Wild West BBQ Shoot Out	2014-08-22

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.4	Riverside Resort Casino USA Barbecue Championship	2013-10-31
-3	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2015-04-10

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2015	1	0	0	100%	top 63%	88.6%	88.6%
2014	3	1	2	100%	top 39%	90.6%	90%
2013	3	2	1	67%	top 47%	91.7%	89.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2015-04-10	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Salt Lake City, UT	19 / 30 (637.7144)	2 (171.4400)	9 (164.5944)	29 (149.7372)	26 (151.9428)
2014-08-22	Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV	15 / 31 (652.4684)	13 (167.4056)	1 (172.0116)	26 (157.6684)	25 (155.3828)
2014-07-24	Days of 47 BBQ Showdown Holladay, UT	13 / 31 (639.9544)	21 (159.4172)	21 (155.4172)	9 (163.4400)	11 (161.6800)
2014-04-11	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Salt Lake City, UT	8 / 29 (651.3600)	1 (174.3200)	15 (157.1200)	5 (167.9656)	15 (151.9544)
2013-10-31	Riverside Resort Casino USA Barbecue Championship Laughlin, NV	68 / 85 (632.0344)	36 (167.4628)	17 (169.1772)	74 (151.4288)	77 (143.9656)
2013-09-20	Utah BBQ Festival Coalville, UT	6 / 16 (645.1544)	5 (159.4400)	1 (168.5944)	8 (161.1428)	9 (155.9772)
2013-08-23	Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV	8 / 34 (660.0344)	5 (169.1316)	18 (160.5828)	9 (168.5828)	17 (161.7372)

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
2015 ↗	Master	#2000 (85 pts)	#1198 (255 pts)	#1693 (140 pts)	#2790 (55 pts)	#2783 (55 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1154 (255 pts)	#911 (395 pts)	#936 (385 pts)	#1313 (235 pts)	#1625 (160 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#795 (385 pts)	#770 (425 pts)	#699 (475 pts)	#904 (355 pts)	#995 (300 pts)