SASSY SMOKE BBQ WI
Rating
1618
peak 1618 · rated over 17 contests
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
21
in the data
First seen
2025-04-25
latest 2026-08-15
Best ToY finish
#11
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
3
2 reserve
Category wins
3
8 podiums
Overall top-10s
12
of 21 contests
Avg finish
top 29%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
343.16 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 341.26 (+1.90)
Walk rate
57%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±6.89
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.98 · weakest Pork Ribs (169.64)
Road miles
3053
mi across 21 mapped stops · furthest 614 mi
Schedule strength
82%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1582)
Purse competed for
$90K
listed at 18 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
3 🏅
GCs in 8 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
341.26 / 360
16 Backyard contests · 3 GCs
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ has finished one call ahead of SASSY SMOKE BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Big Ten Bones has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Big Bear BBQ in 11 of their 14 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Minnesota in May is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 0.0344 points of the Grand Championship at Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026-08-15).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 77-team field at Minnesota in May.
📅 A May team
Something about May: average finish in the top 19% across 5 contests, versus top 29% the rest of the year.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 3 of 24 at their very first tracked contest, Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025-04-25).
Teams like this (closest power rating, WI first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAWGS BBQ | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Bear BBQ | 14 | 11 | 3 | 79% | ⚔ compare |
| Sensuous BBQ | 13 | 10 | 3 | 77% | ⚔ compare |
| FENDER BENDER BBQ | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Ten Bones | 12 | 8 | 4 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 12 | 7 | 5 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Mike's Smokehouse | 10 | 8 | 2 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Porket About It | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| WHEN PIGS DIE | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| Wapatui Smokers | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| SmoQued On Main St | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| SPITFIRE | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Briskey Business BBQ | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| NECTAR OF THE HOGS | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 180.0000 🔥 | 167.9656 | 171.98 | top 31% |
| Pork Ribs | 18 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 178.3200 | 161.7256 | 169.64 | top 38% |
| Pork | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WI | 7 | 1 | top 32% |
| MN | 5 | 2 | top 17% |
| MO | 2 | 0 | top 76% |
| IA | 2 | 0 | top 16% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 50% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 24% |
| Medium (20–39) | 8 | 1 | top 38% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 2 | top 18% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 32% | 2026-06-12 |
| Minnesota in May | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 9% | 2026-05-08 |
| Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 32% | 2026-08-15 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 49% | 2026-06-13 |
| Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 19% | 2026-04-24 |
| Art of the Que (Backyard 2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 16% | 2025-06-27 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (11 contests)
- Cooks mostly in WI (8 of 21 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (18 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Smokin' in Steele (2025-05-30)
- Wins it all in 14% of contests
- Average Backyard overall score: 341.26 / 360
- 1 perfect 180 on the books 🔥
Milestones
- 🚩 2025-04-25 — First tracked contest · Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📣 2025-04-25 — First call · Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 🏆 2025-05-30 — First Grand Championship · Smokin' in Steele
- 🔥 2026-08-15 — First perfect 180 (Chicken) · Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
- ⭐ 2026-08-15 — Career-best overall score (353.1200) · Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📈 2026-08-15 — Peak power rating (1618) · Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.2 | Smokin' in Steele | 2025-05-30 |
| +16.6 | Minnesota in May | 2026-05-08 |
| +16.6 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) | 2025-06-27 |
| +16.5 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-04-25 |
| +15.6 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2026-06-12 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off | 2026-03-20 |
| -8.9 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | 2026-03-20 |
| -1.7 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2025-06-14 |
| -0.8 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) | 2026-05-24 |
| -0.3 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2025-06-13 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 45% | top 29% | 98.1% | 95.2% |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 70% | top 30% | 96.3% | 94.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-15 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 2 / 18 (353.1200) | 1 (180.0000) | 7 (173.1200) | — | — |
| 2026-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 15 / 37 (335.3484) | 13 (169.6684) | 17 (165.6800) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 1 / 40 (351.9772) | 4 (176.5600) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2026-05-24 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) Lebanon, TN | 41 / 82 (333.1088) | 39 (167.9656) | 42 (165.1432) | — | — |
| 2026-05-22 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Chicken Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) Lebanon, TN | — | 39 (171.9772) | — | — | — |
| 2026-05-22 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 24 (175.4056) | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) Chippewa Falls, WI | 5 / 21 (342.2628) | 8 (170.8456) | 6 (171.4172) | — | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 1 / 77 (350.2744) | 3 (175.4056) | 4 (174.8688) | — | — |
| 2026-04-24 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 6 / 24 (341.7028) | 13 (168.0000) | 3 (173.7028) | — | — |
| 2026-03-20 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 25 / 33 (333.6912) | 13 (171.9656) | 28 (161.7256) | — | — |
| 2026-03-20 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off Kansas City, MO | 9 (167.3944) | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-08-16 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 9 / 17 (333.0972) | 7 (170.8112) | 13 (162.2860) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) Spencer, IA | 2 / 17 (341.6916) | 1 (177.7028) | 8 (163.9888) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) 🏅 Spencer, IA | 3 / 15 (343.4056) | 2 (173.1428) | 4 (170.2628) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (One Meat Ribs) Spencer, IA | — | — | 9 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2025-06-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 21 / 36 (330.7772) | 14 (168.5372) | 25 (162.2400) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 22 / 36 (335.3944) | 22 (168.0000) | 19 (167.3944) | — | — |
| 2025-05-30 | Smokin' in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 1 / 28 (345.1772) | 2 (173.7256) | 4 (171.4516) | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 10 / 58 (342.2628) | 18 (170.8228) | 8 (171.4400) | — | — |
| 2025-04-25 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 3 / 24 (346.8456) | 9 (168.5256) | 1 (178.3200) | — | — |
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 | #11 (1148 pts) | #26 (972 pts) | #27 (978 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | #974 (60 pts) | #997 (65 pts) | — | — |