EAST TENNESSE Q CREW

EAST TENNESSE Q CREW is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 15 at the Fire on the Mountain (2016). They are ranked #2928 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,928

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1507

peak 1523 · rated over 16 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 10, 2013

latest Jul 16, 2021 · 8.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#810

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

25% of 16 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 59%

overall standings

Best overall

686.7544 / 720

Master · Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

632.73 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 652.86 (-20.13)

Walk rate

63%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Chicken · Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival

Consistency

±40.50

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 169.66 · weakest Pork Ribs (155.33)

Road miles

1,350

across 16 mapped stops · furthest 150 mi

Schedule strength

57%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1572)

Purse competed for

$10K

listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 1 state-championship entry

Master avg

652.86 / 720

16 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (10 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

They almost always walk

63% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 10 of 16 contests

A top-10 category call in 63% of their 16 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

686.7544 career-best overall

95.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 686.7544 at Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival — 95.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 19, 2015

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

HICKORY PRIME has finished one call ahead of EAST TENNESSE Q CREW 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 47%.

4 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 47%

A tough matchup

11–1 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKE ON THIS ahead in 92% of their meetings

SMOKE ON THIS has come out ahead in 11 of their 12 shared contests.

The weak link

−14.3 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 14.33 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 25% of the time against 50%.

Pork Ribs avg 155.33
Chicken avg 169.66
4 calls in 16 entries

A strong matchup

7–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 78% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HARLAN CO. COAL BURNERS in 7 of their 9 shared contests.

Show 3 more storylines

The comeback

5 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 5 years, then back at Chillin & Grillin In the Glades (Jul 16, 2021).

last seen Jul 22, 2016
back Jul 16, 2021

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A June team

Top 49% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 49% across 5 contests, versus top 59% the rest of the year.

5 June contests
top 59% the rest of the year

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
2021 ↗	Master	#1540 (55 pts)	#1202 (80 pts)	#1616 (50 pts)	#1043 (115 pts)	#1225 (65 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#837 (403 pts)	#604 (648 pts)	#932 (378 pts)	#843 (433 pts)	#980 (343 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#810 (421 pts)	#766 (486 pts)	#771 (476 pts)	#969 (366 pts)	#841 (411 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1425 (159 pts)	#1104 (274 pts)	#1351 (204 pts)	#1402 (184 pts)	#1290 (209 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to EAST TENNESSE Q CREW, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Smokin' Good Times

#2,940 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1532

Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Aug 17, 2024

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HASHTAG BBQ

#2,950 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 41%
Peak: 1507

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 17 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Aug 1, 2026

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JD'S LIPSMAKIN SMOKERS

#2,931 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1511

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 4 years before EAST TENNESSE Q CREW's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 17 contests

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WOODSHED BBQ

#2,938 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1508

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Oct 29, 2016

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SMOKEY BEAR'S BBQ

#2,949 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1513

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

rated over 17 contests
last seen Oct 29, 2016

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JOHNSON'S BREW N BBQ

#2,943 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1514

Level with EAST TENNESSE Q CREW on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Apr 6, 2020

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKE ON THIS	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
HARLAN CO. COAL BURNERS	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
Q-FACTOR	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
CONTAGIOUS Q	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
UNCULTURED SWINE	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
Under the Radar	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
UNCLE BUTCH BARBEQUE	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
Pappy Q	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SOGGY BOTTOM SMOKERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
HICKORY PRIME	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
PATRIOTIC RADIO NETWORK BBQ TEAM	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	16	8	1	4	178.8572	147.3256	169.66	top 37%
Pork Ribs	16	4	0	0	174.8572	20	155.33	top 61%
Pork	16	4	0	0	173.7028	143.9998	163.65	top 61%
Brisket	16	3	1	1	173.7372	151.9428	164.23	top 53%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 46%
Medium (20–39)	9	top 64%
Large (40+)	4	top 58%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
KY	5	top 37%
NC	4	top 65%
TN	4	top 64%
VA	3	top 80%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Chillin & Grillin In the Glades	3	13	0	top 80%	Jul 16, 2021
WNC BBQ Festival-	2	28	0	top 64%	Jul 22, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 5 contests

Contests a season 3.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in KY 5 of 16 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 13 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 277 finished ahead 210 times, behind 286

Longest layoff 5 yrs Jul 22, 2016 → Jul 16, 2021

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

20211 milestone

Jul 16 Most recent contest Chillin & Grillin In the Glades

20162 milestones

Jul 1 First overall podium Fire on the Mountain
Jul 1 Peak power rating (1523) Fire on the Mountain

20154 milestones

Jun 19 First category win (Chicken) Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival
Jun 19 Career-best overall score686.7544 Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival
Jun 19 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8572 Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival
Jul 24 10th tracked contest WNC BBQ Festival

20142 milestones

Mar 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.4228 Grills Gone Wild BBQ Festival
Jun 20 First overall top-10 Barbourville BBQ Festival

20132 milestones

May 10 First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
May 10 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.1	Fire on the Mountain	Jul 1, 2016
+12.2	Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival	Jun 19, 2015
+8.7	Barbourville BBQ Festival	Jun 20, 2014
+3.7	Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival	Jun 17, 2016
+3.6	Grills Gone Wild BBQ Fest	Sep 12, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.5	Smokin the Valley Blueberry Festival and Bar-B-Que Cook-Off	Jul 19, 2013
-8.4	Chillin & Grillin In the Glades	Jul 16, 2021
-6.3	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	May 10, 2013
-6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jun 3, 2016
-3.7	WNC BBQ Festival-	Jul 22, 2016

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2021	1	0	0	0%	top 96%	70.4%	70.4%
2016	5	1	1	80%	top 59%	93.9%	92%
2015	4	1	1	50%	top 52%	95.4%	93.2%
2014	4	2	0	50%	top 47%	94.5%	92.5%
2013	2	0	0	100%	top 79%	88.7%	88.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 16, 2021	Chillin & Grillin In the Glades 🏅 Wise, VA	24 / 25 (506.7544)	19 (163.9656)	25 (20)	12 (167.3944)	22 (155.3944)
Jul 22, 2016	WNC BBQ Festival- Maggie Valley, NC	35 / 49 (663.3716)	16 (170.8344)	45 (156.5256)	39 (162.2744)	11 (173.7372)
Jul 8, 2016	Chillin & Grillin In The Glades Wise, VA	19 / 26 (647.3028)	4 (170.8456)	21 (155.3828)	18 (159.3944)	15 (161.6800)
Jul 1, 2016	Fire on the Mountain Leburn, KY	3 / 15 (670.3316)	2 (172.6172)	9 (162.8344)	8 (164)	1 (170.8800)
Jun 17, 2016	Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival Barbourville, KY	16 / 32 (675.8968)	17 (170.8228)	25 (161.6456)	7 (172.0228)	6 (171.4056)
Jun 3, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Asheville, NC	22 / 27 (656.4116)	3 (175.4172)	19 (165.0972)	25 (158.2056)	25 (157.6916)
Jul 24, 2015	WNC BBQ Festival Maggie Valley, NC	28 / 49 (660.4340)	18 (169.6684)	24 (165.7144)	29 (165.1200)	34 (159.9312)
Jul 10, 2015	Chillin & Grillin in the Glades Wise, VA	13 / 18 (653.6232)	3 (172)	10 (165.6916)	11 (163.9888)	16 (151.9428)
Jun 19, 2015	Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival Barbourville, KY	7 / 25 (686.7544)	1 (178.8572)	15 (168.5372)	9 (171.9772)	14 (167.3828)
May 29, 2015	The Rotary Club of Bearden - Que Fest Knoxville, TN	20 / 39 (683.3140)	28 (168.5140)	18 (170.2744)	12 (173.7028)	19 (170.8228)
Sep 12, 2014	Grills Gone Wild BBQ Fest Greeneville, TN	8 / 17 (674.7424)	6 (173.1428)	8 (167.9656)	13 (166.8112)	7 (166.8228)
Jun 20, 2014	Barbourville BBQ Festival Barbourville, KY	10 / 27 (680.5028)	5 (174.2628)	6 (174.8572)	11 (168.5256)	18 (162.8572)
Jun 13, 2014	Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival Tryon, NC	37 / 73 (661.5884)	23 (169.6684)	29 (165.7144)	57 (157.0856)	21 (169.1200)
Mar 28, 2014	Grills Gone Wild BBQ Festival London, KY	22 / 42 (648.4228)	28 (164.5484)	19 (163.9428)	37 (157.0972)	22 (162.8344)
Jul 19, 2013	Smokin the Valley Blueberry Festival and Bar-B-Que Cook-Off Unicoi, TN	17 / 20 (637.4856)	20 (147.3256)	17 (157.6572)	9 (166.8344)	12 (165.6684)
May 10, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Knoxville, TN	21 / 29 (638.8572)	4 (172)	12 (163.4284)	28 (143.9998)	16 (159.4290)

EAST TENNESSE Q CREW

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (10 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Looking over their shoulder

A June team

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)