TAR RIVER BBQ

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

Power ranking

#4531

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1472

peak 1472 · rated over 10 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-17

latest 2016-04-29

Best ToY finish

#970

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 66%

overall standings

Best overall

646.7768 / 720

Master · Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest

Perfect 180s

Current form

625.73 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 621.41 (+4.32)

Walk rate

40%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.1544

Pork Ribs · Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off

Consistency

±15.33

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 155.88 · weakest Pork Ribs (154.61)

Road miles

785

mi across 10 mapped stops · furthest 148 mi

Schedule strength

26%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1535)

Master avg

621.41 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (4 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.

A tough matchup

9–0 behind in the head-to-head

Serial Griller ahead in 100% of their meetings

Serial Griller has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

A strong matchup

3–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of MEATATARIAN'S in 3 of their 4 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

7 of 9 shared brisket entries lost

Serial Griller ahead 78% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Serial Griller has out-cooked them in 7 of 9 shared brisket entries.

The metronome

±2.13% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.13% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 86.3% of a perfect score
10 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.

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

CAROLINA SMOKE

#4508 of the rated field

1472 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 36
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1472

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to TAR RIVER BBQ)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team TAR RIVER BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 36 contests
last seen 2019-05-17

⚔ Head-to-head

Grillin' Thyme

#4543 of the rated field

1472 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 37
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1472

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to TAR RIVER BBQ)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 37 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 37 contests
last seen 2024-05-17

⚔ Head-to-head

J & M BAR B Q

#4539 of the rated field

1472 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1472

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2018-06-29

⚔ Head-to-head

Double Smokin' Trouble

#4519 of the rated field

1472 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2018-06-22

⚔ Head-to-head

C'mon Que

#4544 of the rated field

1472 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1511

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

Overland Trail BBQ

#4523 of the rated field

1472 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1472

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2025-06-27

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Serial Griller	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Smoke-A-Holics	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
MAKIN BACON BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
BIG DOG BBQ VA	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
APORKALYPSE NOW	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
On a Roll BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
412Q	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN SKULLIES	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
HAMBONES BY THE FIRE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	1	0	0	162.8572	139.9772	155.40	top 62%
Pork Ribs	10	1	0	1	173.1544	141.7144	154.61	top 68%
Pork	10	2	1	1	172.5828	142.8116	155.52	top 65%
Brisket	10	1	0	1	172.5944	138.8570	155.88	top 57%

“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
VA	9	0	top 65%
NC	1	0	top 78%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	3	0	top 67%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 66%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
VA BBQ Championships	2	18	0	top 51%	2015-08-21

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

On the trail 3 yrs 2013-05-17 → 2016-04-29

Busiest season 2015 4 contests

Contests a season 2.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in VA 9 of 10 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 9 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 10 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 155.88 · weakest Pork Ribs (154.61)

Walk rate 40% a top-10 call in 4 of 10 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 10 contests

Master average 621.41 out of 720 · 10 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 228 139–265 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 785 10 mapped stops · furthest 148 mi

Schedule strength 1535 average field rating faced — tougher than 26% of rated contests

Power rating 1472 peak 1472 · #4531 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 17 First tracked contest Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
May 17 First call Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
May 17 First category win (Pork) Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
May 17 Peak power rating (1497) Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
2014
Oct 17 Career-best overall score646.7768 Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest
2015
May 15 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)173.1544 Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off
2016
Apr 29 10th tracked contest 3rd Annual Pickin' N Pullin
Apr 29 Most recent contest 3rd Annual Pickin' N Pullin

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+5.3	VA BBQ Championships	2014-08-22
+1.8	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest	2014-10-17
+0.6	VA BBQ Championships	2015-08-21

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.7	Rockahock's Pickin' and Pullin' Festival	2014-04-04
-6	2nd Annual Pickin' N' Pullin BBQ Competition	2015-04-17
-5.6	Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown	2015-10-09
-4.4	Chesapeake Jubilee	2014-05-16
-3.6	Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off	2015-05-15

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2016	1	0	0%	top 65%	87.4%	87.4%
2015	4	0	25%	top 71%	88.9%	86.8%
2014	4	0	50%	top 63%	89.8%	85.8%
2013	1	1	100%	top 62%	85.2%	85.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2016-04-29	3rd Annual Pickin' N Pullin Lanexa, VA	31 / 48 (629.5312)	44 (150.2400)	33 (158.2628)	37 (155.3484)	17 (165.6800)
2015-10-09	Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown Rocky Mount, NC	38 / 49 (632.4456)	43 (153.0628)	33 (162.2400)	35 (158.8800)	33 (158.2628)
2015-08-21	VA BBQ Championships Hampton, VA	28 / 46 (639.8972)	26 (159.9772)	23 (165.7144)	29 (161.7028)	39 (152.5028)
2015-05-15	Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off Chesapeake, VA	25 / 36 (617.6804)	33 (139.9772)	2 (173.1544)	28 (149.0972)	20 (155.4516)
2015-04-17	2nd Annual Pickin' N' Pullin BBQ Competition Lanexa, VA	35 / 46 (609.0856)	30 (159.3712)	42 (146.2744)	42 (148.5600)	30 (154.8800)
2014-10-17	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest Woodstock, VA	21 / 40 (646.7768)	26 (157.7028)	33 (151.3484)	4 (172.5828)	12 (165.1428)
2014-08-22	VA BBQ Championships Hampton, VA	18 / 43 (625.6460)	13 (159.9772)	28 (150.2628)	36 (142.8116)	3 (172.5944)
2014-05-16	Chesapeake Jubilee Chesapeake, VA	22 / 32 (601.0748)	23 (148.5144)	24 (149.6916)	24 (150.2744)	15 (152.5944)
2014-04-04	Rockahock's Pickin' and Pullin' Festival Lanexa, VA	37 / 41 (598.8228)	16 (162.3428)	37 (147.3944)	39 (146.2512)	39 (142.8344)
2013-05-17	Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off Chesapeake, VA	21 / 34 (613.1430)	8 (162.8572)	29 (141.7144)	1 (169.7144)	29 (138.8570)

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
2016 ↗	Master	#2274 (60 pts)	#2353 (60 pts)	#2349 (60 pts)	#2326 (60 pts)	#2112 (100 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1167 (240 pts)	#1254 (240 pts)	#806 (450 pts)	#1281 (240 pts)	#1144 (265 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#970 (326 pts)	#954 (371 pts)	#1199 (261 pts)	#892 (411 pts)	#680 (546 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1950 (79 pts)	#1535 (154 pts)	#2600 (59 pts)	#1071 (284 pts)	#2609 (59 pts)