DAKOTA BBQ

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

Power ranking

#2542

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1518

peak 1518 · rated over 5 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-03

latest 2015-01-09

Best ToY finish

#1192

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 5 contests

Avg finish

top 43%

overall standings

Best overall

678.1712 / 720

Master · Bootleggin' BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

656.62

last 5 Master vs avg 656.62 (-0.00)

Walk rate

60%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

and counting

Best single call

171.4284

Pork Ribs · Bootleggin' BBQ

Consistency

±17.17

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 165.35 · weakest Brisket (162.27)

Road miles

439

mi across 5 mapped stops · furthest 241 mi

Schedule strength

18%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1526)

Master avg

656.62 / 720

5 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (3 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.

High-water mark

678.1712 career-best overall

94.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 678.1712 at Bootleggin' BBQ — 94.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-08-22

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

Backdraft BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

Backdraft BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

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.

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

SQUEELIN 'N' WHEELIN

#2561 of the rated field

1518 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 5 contests
last seen 2022-08-26

⚔ Head-to-head

Snow Hillbilly BBQ

#2556 of the rated field

1518 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

Level with DAKOTA BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 5 contests
last seen 2019-08-09

⚔ Head-to-head

BLIND SMOKE BBQ

#2557 of the rated field

1518 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 5 contests
last seen 2018-08-17

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKING CO

#2558 of the rated field

1518 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 5 contests
last seen 2015-06-12

⚔ Head-to-head

Porko Smoko

#2541 of the rated field

1518 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1519

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 12 years after DAKOTA BBQ did, first appearing in 2025.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2026-06-12

⚔ Head-to-head

Hole 'Nother Level

#2560 of the rated field

1518 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1524

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2019-04-26

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Behind	Win rate
Backdraft BBQ	5	5	0%	⚔ compare
G "QUE"	5	5	0%	⚔ compare
BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES	5	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	5	2	171.4056	158.2854	165.35	top 45%
Pork Ribs	5	1	171.4284	153.7028	163.77	top 45%
Pork	5	3	171.4056	157.1426	165.24	top 46%
Brisket	5	2	169.6800	157.1316	162.27	top 47%

“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
CO	4	0	top 43%
NE	1	0	top 42%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 61%
Medium (20–39)	1	top 42%
Large (40+)	2	top 25%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Bootleggin' BBQ	2	7	0	top 61%	2014-08-22

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

On the trail 1.7 yrs 2013-05-03 → 2015-01-09

Busiest season 2013 3 contests

Contests a season 1.7 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CO 4 of 5 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 4 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 5 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 165.35 · weakest Brisket (162.27)

Walk rate 60% a top-10 call in 3 of 5 contests

Overall top-10 rate 40% 2 of 5 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests — and still running

Master average 656.62 out of 720 · 5 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 126 109–58 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 439 5 mapped stops · furthest 241 mi

Schedule strength 1526 average field rating faced — tougher than 18% of rated contests

Power rating 1518 peak 1518 · #2542 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 3 First tracked contest North Platte Honky Tonk Barbecue Festival
Aug 23 First call Bootleggin' BBQ
2014
Aug 22 First overall top-10 Bootleggin' BBQ
Aug 22 First overall past 90% of a perfect score678.1712 Bootleggin' BBQ
Aug 22 Career-best overall score678.1712 Bootleggin' BBQ
Aug 22 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)171.4284 Bootleggin' BBQ
2015
Jan 9 Peak power rating (1518) National Western BBQ Throwdown
Jan 9 Most recent contest National Western BBQ Throwdown

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.8	National Western BBQ Throwdown	2015-01-09
+7.5	Colorado Barbecue Challenge	2013-06-14
+5.3	Bootleggin' BBQ	2014-08-22
+3.5	North Platte Honky Tonk Barbecue Festival	2013-05-03

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9	Bootleggin' BBQ	2013-08-23

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2015	1	1	100%	top 25%	94%	94%
2014	1	1	100%	top 41%	94.2%	94.2%
2013	3	0	33%	top 49%	89.4%	89.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2015-01-09	National Western BBQ Throwdown Denver, CO	10 / 40 (677.0512)	11 (171.4056)	20 (164.5600)	8 (171.4056)	10 (169.6800)
2014-08-22	Bootleggin' BBQ Garden City, CO	7 / 17 (678.1712)	10 (168.5372)	5 (171.4284)	9 (168.5256)	7 (169.6800)
2013-08-23	Bootleggin' BBQ Garden City, CO	13 / 16 (641.0284)	9 (163.9312)	14 (153.7028)	10 (166.2628)	11 (157.1316)
2013-06-14	Colorado Barbecue Challenge Frisco, CO	17 / 68 (642.8566)	13 (164.5714)	16 (163.9998)	31 (157.1426)	22 (157.1428)
2013-05-03	North Platte Honky Tonk Barbecue Festival North Platte, NE	16 / 38 (643.9996)	24 (158.2854)	13 (165.1430)	18 (162.8570)	25 (157.7142)

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	#1596 (135 pts)	#1713 (130 pts)	#2063 (85 pts)	#1614 (155 pts)	#1677 (135 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1192 (223 pts)	#1320 (203 pts)	#1215 (243 pts)	#1446 (173 pts)	#1494 (153 pts)