LUCKY BRISKET

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

Power ranking

#6275

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1403

peak 1403 · rated over 19 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-31

latest 2017-09-01

Best ToY finish

#1016

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 19 contests

Avg finish

top 81%

overall standings

Best overall

656.0460 / 720

Master · *Up in Smoke BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Current form

632.40 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 630.99 (+1.41)

Walk rate

26%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.0228

Chicken · Bend of the River CookOut

Consistency

±14.41

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 160.18 · weakest Brisket (153.21)

Road miles

1,114

mi across 19 mapped stops · furthest 146 mi

Schedule strength

45%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1558)

Master avg

630.99 / 720

19 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 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.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Smokin' Pelletheads has finished one call ahead of LUCKY BRISKET 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

16–0 behind in the head-to-head

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead in 100% of their meetings

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has come out ahead in 16 of their 16 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.0 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.97 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 11%.

Brisket avg 153.21
Chicken avg 160.18
0 calls in 19 entries

A strong matchup

7–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 70% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of 3 THIRDS BBQ in 7 of their 10 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

15 of 16 shared chicken entries lost

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead 94% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has out-cooked them in 15 of 16 shared chicken entries.

Going the wrong way

-31 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 31 points across 8 contests since 2016-09-03 — from 1434 down to 1403.

8 contests since 2016-09-03
now 1403

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

The Q Crew has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±2.00% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.00% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 87.6% of a perfect score
19 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.

Party Q

#6276 of the rated field

1403 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1403

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 20 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2025-09-19

⚔ Head-to-head

PORK-N-BONES

#6277 of the rated field

1402 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1402

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 23 contests to 19, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 23 contests
last seen 2018-08-10

⚔ Head-to-head

JJ QUE

#6274 of the rated field

1403 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1403

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2022-09-09

⚔ Head-to-head

Mad Cow Angry Beaver

#6271 of the rated field

1404 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1404

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2025-06-27

⚔ Head-to-head

FLAT BOTTOM BBQ

#6279 of the rated field

1402 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1402

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2026-07-17

⚔ Head-to-head

Outlaw BBQ

#6272 of the rated field

1403 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1403

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 22 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 22 contests
last seen 2024-04-26

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
Hogline	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
CITY SLICKERS BBQ	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
CASE OF RIBS	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
GRUMPY OLD MEN BBQ	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
PIG APPROVED BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
MYASSIS SMOKIN	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
CROIX VALLEY SAUCES	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
3 THIRDS BBQ	10	7	3	70%	⚔ compare
Subtle Smoke	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
BIG CITY BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
QUETOPIA	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	19	2	1	176.0228	151.3716	160.18	top 73%
Pork Ribs	19	1	0	170.8456	142.7772	158.27	top 68%
Pork	19	4	0	173.1772	130.8228	159.33	top 68%
Brisket	19	0	0	164.5600	137.7144	153.21	top 79%

“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	Avg finish
MN	17	top 83%
WI	1	top 76%
IA	1	top 49%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	8	0	top 85%
Large (40+)	11	0	top 77%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin In Steele	3	37	top 78%	2017-06-02
Minnesota in May	2	51	top 90%	2017-05-12
Bend of the River CookOut	2	28	top 65%	2015-06-12

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.3 yrs 2013-05-31 → 2017-09-01

Busiest season 2017 7 contests

Contests a season 3.8 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MN 17 of 19 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 15 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 19 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 160.18 · weakest Brisket (153.21)

Walk rate 26% a top-10 call in 5 of 19 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 19 contests

Master average 630.99 out of 720 · 19 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 312 167–667 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,114 19 mapped stops · furthest 146 mi

Schedule strength 1558 average field rating faced — tougher than 45% of rated contests

Power rating 1403 peak 1403 · #6275 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 31 First tracked contest Smokin' in Steele
May 31 First call Smokin' in Steele
May 31 Peak power rating (1493) Smokin' in Steele
2014
Jun 27 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.8460 Bend of the River CookOut
Jun 27 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.0228 Bend of the River CookOut
2016
Jun 11 10th tracked contest *Mankato Cookout Day 2 and( Back Yard)
2017
Jul 21 Career-best overall score656.0460 *Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
Sep 1 Most recent contest 7th Annual Smokin' In The Bogs

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+7.6	*Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	2017-07-21
+1.7	Treasure Island BBQ/ Steak Food Fest	2016-06-17
+1.1	Bend of the River CookOut	2014-06-27

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.3	Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off	2013-06-28
-10.8	Treasure Island International BBQ Championship	2013-06-15
-10	*Mankato Cookout Day 1	2016-06-10
-9.6	Minnesota in May	2017-05-12
-9.2	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship	2017-03-03

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	7	14%	top 85%	91.1%	86.8%
2016	6	17%	top 78%	89.5%	88.2%
2015	2	50%	top 79%	89.9%	88.6%
2014	1	100%	top 56%	91%	91%
2013	3	33%	top 83%	87.3%	86.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-09-01	7th Annual Smokin' In The Bogs Warrens, WI	22 / 29 (611.7832)	27 (151.3716)	28 (142.7772)	18 (159.9772)	19 (157.6572)
2017-07-21	*Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	24 / 49 (656.0460)	6 (173.1200)	31 (162.3088)	6 (173.1772)	48 (147.4400)
2017-06-10	*Mankato Cookout Day 2 Mankato, MN	32 / 33 (642.2288)	30 (158.2516)	29 (159.3828)	30 (160.0344)	22 (164.5600)
2017-06-09	*Mankato Cookout Day 1 and (BACKYARD) Mankato, MN	34 / 35 (630.3092)	29 (161.7488)	15 (166.8572)	34 (152.0344)	35 (149.6688)
2017-06-02	Smokin In Steele Owatonna, MN	40 / 46 (621.6344)	41 (157.1200)	40 (153.1544)	40 (158.2628)	35 (153.0972)
2017-05-12	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	68 / 71 (603.3484)	57 (156.0000)	40 (161.1544)	71 (130.8228)	49 (155.3712)
2017-03-03	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship Onamia, MN	45 / 47 (607.9660)	41 (159.4632)	47 (143.9884)	35 (158.2856)	43 (146.2288)
2016-09-03	Big Muddy Brew n Que(COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Winona, MN	14 / 20 (635.3140)	16 (156.5828)	11 (161.7028)	13 (161.6340)	13 (155.3944)
2016-06-17	Treasure Island BBQ/ Steak Food Fest Red Wing, MN	20 / 34 (644.5260)	26 (158.8572)	12 (164.5716)	27 (157.6800)	13 (163.4172)
2016-06-11	*Mankato Cookout Day 2 and( Back Yard) Mankato, MN	30 / 32 (634.8340)	29 (160.5828)	32 (150.2512)	8 (169.7372)	29 (154.2628)
2016-06-10	*Mankato Cookout Day 1 Mankato, MN	33 / 33 (619.9204)	33 (157.1544)	30 (157.1200)	32 (152.5372)	30 (153.1088)
2016-06-03	Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN	40 / 53 (635.9656)	31 (162.8800)	38 (157.6800)	37 (159.9656)	39 (155.4400)
2016-05-13	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	51 / 71 (639.9200)	41 (161.6800)	52 (158.2856)	39 (162.8572)	48 (157.0972)
2015-06-12	Bend of the River CookOut Mankato, MN	31 / 42 (647.3488)	28 (165.1316)	6 (170.8456)	10 (168.5600)	41 (142.8116)
2015-05-15	Minnesota in May St. Paul, MN	51 / 60 (629.0628)	51 (153.7028)	40 (159.3944)	57 (151.4056)	24 (164.5600)
2014-06-27	Bend of the River CookOut Mankato, MN	28 / 50 (654.8460)	2 (176.0228)	11 (169.7144)	40 (160.5944)	47 (148.5144)
2013-06-28	Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off Mankato, MN	27 / 30 (620.5718)	25 (158.8572)	28 (149.1428)	25 (157.1430)	26 (155.4288)
2013-06-15	Treasure Island International BBQ Championship Welch, MN	59 / 68 (624.5714)	59 (153.7144)	52 (160.0000)	49 (161.7142)	63 (149.1428)
2013-05-31	Smokin' in Steele Owatonna, MN	37 / 51 (628.5714)	36 (161.1428)	30 (158.8572)	9 (170.8570)	49 (137.7144)

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
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#2266 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1016 (319 pts)	#1143 (294 pts)	#1002 (359 pts)	#963 (389 pts)	#985 (354 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1676 (120 pts)	#1778 (120 pts)	#1286 (235 pts)	#1458 (195 pts)	#1728 (125 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2084 (75 pts)	#1172 (275 pts)	#1730 (145 pts)	#2172 (75 pts)	#2148 (75 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1256 (205 pts)	#1310 (205 pts)	#1345 (205 pts)	#1053 (290 pts)	#1307 (205 pts)