SHADE TREE BBQ

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

Power ranking

#2988

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1506

peak 1525 · rated over 31 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-11-15

latest 2017-03-03

Best ToY finish

#309

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 31 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

690.2516 / 720

Master · The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA)

Perfect 180s

Current form

671.76 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 653.05 (+18.71)

Walk rate

65%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Chicken · Brasstown Valley Resort BBQ Throwdown(Teams & Judges Full)

Consistency

±37.89

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 164.99 · weakest Brisket (160.16)

Road miles

4,533

mi across 31 mapped stops · furthest 1278 mi

Schedule strength

55%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1571)

Master avg

653.05 / 720

31 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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.

They almost always walk

65% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 20 of 31 contests

A top-10 category call in 65% of their 31 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

690.2516 career-best overall

95.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 690.2516 at The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA) — 95.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-11-21

The one to beat

4× one call ahead of them

ROLLIN' SMOKE COMPETITION QUE has finished one call ahead of SHADE TREE BBQ 4 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

20–2 behind in the head-to-head

QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N ahead in 91% of their meetings

QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N has come out ahead in 20 of their 22 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.83 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 6% of the time against 19%.

Brisket avg 160.16
Pork Ribs avg 164.99
2 calls in 31 entries

A strong matchup

12–4 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HOOTIE-Q in 12 of their 16 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

18 of 22 shared pork ribs entries lost

QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N ahead 82% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N has out-cooked them in 18 of 22 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

CHATTAHOOCHEE QUE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A November team

Top 47% average finish in November

Something about November: average finish in the top 47% across 5 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.

5 November contests
top 60% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,533 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,533 miles across 31 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,278 miles to Griller's Cup.

31 mapped stops
furthest 1,278 mi

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.

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

Nice Rack BBQ

#2995 of the rated field

1505 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1522

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to SHADE TREE BBQ)

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

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2023-11-17

⚔ Head-to-head

BLINDOG'S OUTLAW BBQ GANG

#2979 of the rated field

1506 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1513

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SHADE TREE BBQ)

Fewer contests behind them than SHADE TREE BBQ has cooked, 8 to 31, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2016-06-10

⚔ Head-to-head

Kalamazoo Pit Posse

#2980 of the rated field

1506 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 37
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1576

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1576 at their best, 70 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 37 contests
last seen 2025-09-19

⚔ Head-to-head

DOCTOR CUE NC

#2998 of the rated field

1505 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

22 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 9% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 22 contests
last seen 2023-10-13

⚔ Head-to-head

Click & Q

#2991 of the rated field

1506 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 58%
Peak: 1512

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 10 years after SHADE TREE BBQ did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2026-08-29
on a 6-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

FatHeads bbq

#2990 of the rated field

1506 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 51
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1600

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 51 contests
last seen 2023-10-13

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N	22	2	20	9%	⚔ compare
OLD PLANTATION BBQ	21	2	19	10%	⚔ compare
ATLANTA BBQ STORE	20	4	16	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKE ON THIS	17	2	15	12%	⚔ compare
HOOTIE-Q	16	12	4	75%	⚔ compare
Pot's BBQ	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare
J & B'S BBQ	16	3	13	19%	⚔ compare
CHOO CHOO TRAIN BBQ	14	11	3	79%	⚔ compare
ROLLIN' SMOKE COMPETITION QUE	14	6	8	43%	⚔ compare
MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
CHATTAHOOCHEE QUE	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
Under the Radar	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
SWINE AND SHINE BBQ	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
WICKED QUE	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
DIGGIN QUE-GA	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	31	13	1	3	179.4400	20.0000	164.09	top 42%
Pork Ribs	31	6	0	0	175.4516	129.0744	164.99	top 52%
Pork	31	7	0	1	176.5828	143.9312	163.81	top 59%
Brisket	31	2	0	0	174.8572	136.5032	160.16	top 70%

“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
GA	27	top 57%
WY	1	top 100%
MO	1	top 100%
TN	1	top 22%
AL	1	top 94%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	18	0	top 65%
Large (40+)	13	0	top 51%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Hawgin on Lanier (GBC Qualifier)	2	19	top 54%	2015-08-28
Classic City BBQ Fest & Tailgate Show (GBC Qualifier)	2	9	top 40%	2015-08-14
Euharlee Covered Bridge 'Que (GBC Qualifier)	2	13	top 50%	2015-06-05
Roman Roast on the River	2	23	top 67%	2015-05-08
The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA)	2	8	top 45%	2014-11-21

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

On the trail 3.3 yrs 2013-11-15 → 2017-03-03

Busiest season 2014 12 contests

Contests a season 6.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in GA 27 of 31 contests · 5 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 26 5 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 31 entries · 1 win · 13 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 164.99 · weakest Brisket (160.16)

Walk rate 65% a top-10 call in 20 of 31 contests

Overall top-10 rate 13% 4 of 31 contests

Master average 653.05 out of 720 · 31 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 501 542–688 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 4,533 31 mapped stops · furthest 1,278 mi

Schedule strength 1571 average field rating faced — tougher than 55% of rated contests

Power rating 1506 peak 1525 · #2988 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Nov 15 First tracked contest The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier)
Nov 15 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.0400 The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier)
2014
Feb 7 First call Brasstown Valley's BBQ Throwdown (GBC Qualifier)
Aug 14 First overall top-10 Classic City BBQ Fest & Tailgate Show (GBC Qualifier)
Oct 3 10th tracked contest Great Miller Lite Chili and BBQ Cookoff (GBC Qualifier)
Oct 3 Peak power rating (1525) Great Miller Lite Chili and BBQ Cookoff (GBC Qualifier)
Nov 21 Career-best overall score690.2516 The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA)
2016
Jul 15 25th tracked contest Griller's Cup
2017
Feb 3 First category win (Chicken) Brasstown Valley Resort BBQ Throwdown(Teams & Judges Full)
Feb 3 Career-best single call (Chicken)179.4400 Brasstown Valley Resort BBQ Throwdown(Teams & Judges Full)
Mar 3 Most recent contest Sip & Swine BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.7	The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA)	2014-11-21
+14.8	Roarin' Lions Smokin' BBQ (GBC Qualifier)	2016-11-04
+14.2	Que'n in Cumming (Day 1)	2016-11-18
+12.3	Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash	2014-07-25
+11.4	Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que (GBC Qualifier)	2015-05-22

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.5	Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest	2016-05-06
-11.9	Griller's Cup	2016-07-15
-11	Smokin' Up The Saddle Club (SBBQA)	2014-11-14
-11	Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest	2014-04-11
-10.4	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2015-07-31

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	2	0	1	50%	top 67%	92.9%	91.3%
2016	7	1	0	43%	top 63%	95.8%	89.3%
2015	9	0	0	56%	top 64%	93.6%	91.7%
2014	12	3	0	92%	top 51%	95.9%	90.6%
2013	1	0	0	0%	top 81%	91.3%	91.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-03-03	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA	49 / 63 (646.0800)	49 (162.8000)	41 (164.5256)	44 (162.2400)	51 (156.5144)
2017-02-03	Brasstown Valley Resort BBQ Throwdown(Teams & Judges Full) Young Harris, GA	23 / 41 (669.0516)	1 (179.4400)	37 (157.6916)	26 (166.2400)	21 (165.6800)
2016-11-18	Que'n in Cumming (Day 1) Cumming, GA	11 / 47 (683.3372)	2 (176.5716)	12 (169.7028)	27 (167.3828)	23 (169.6800)
2016-11-04	Roarin' Lions Smokin' BBQ (GBC Qualifier) Winder, GA	7 / 33 (689.6688)	3 (175.4172)	7 (173.1200)	8 (172.5600)	16 (168.5716)
2016-09-23	Smokin Butts & Tires (GBC Qualifier) Conyers, GA	11 / 25 (670.6852)	6 (173.1084)	10 (168.5256)	19 (161.6684)	13 (167.3828)
2016-08-19	Classic City BBQ Fest (GBC Qualifier) Athens, GA	26 / 39 (658.6860)	23 (167.3944)	11 (170.2744)	38 (155.9200)	25 (165.0972)
2016-07-15	Griller's Cup Laramie, WY	27 / 27 (558.0456)	27 (138.8000)	27 (129.0744)	27 (143.9312)	26 (146.2400)
2016-05-06	Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest Columbia, MO	32 / 32 (594.1024)	32 (133.0628)	26 (158.2856)	30 (150.8456)	29 (151.9084)
2016-04-15	Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ & Brews Festival Cornelia, GA	26 / 30 (646.6860)	20 (166.2400)	29 (160.5488)	11 (169.6800)	30 (150.2172)
2015-08-28	Hawgin on Lanier (GBC Qualifier) Gainesville, GA	24 / 41 (670.1604)	5 (175.4172)	12 (171.9772)	16 (169.6916)	37 (153.0744)
2015-08-14	Classic City BBQ Fest & Tailgate Show (GBC Qualifier) Athens, GA	22 / 40 (660.4004)	13 (171.9656)	4 (170.8460)	34 (155.9316)	29 (161.6572)
2015-07-31	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier) Dillard, GA	50 / 55 (642.6856)	24 (171.4056)	51 (152.5144)	47 (160.5256)	45 (158.2400)
2015-06-05	Euharlee Covered Bridge 'Que (GBC Qualifier) Euharlee, GA	24 / 42 (660.4916)	20 (170.8344)	16 (169.1428)	37 (158.2172)	27 (162.2972)
2015-05-22	Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que (GBC Qualifier) Evans, GA	16 / 65 (673.5884)	51 (163.3712)	21 (169.1316)	25 (166.2284)	5 (174.8572)
2015-05-08	Roman Roast on the River Rome, GA	30 / 41 (667.3484)	13 (172.0000)	32 (165.7028)	30 (165.6800)	31 (163.9656)
2015-04-24	BBQ Boogie & Blues (GBC Qualifier) Calhoun, GA	20 / 35 (653.5428)	15 (168.5372)	20 (163.3944)	19 (165.0856)	29 (156.5256)
2015-04-17	Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ Festival Cornelia, GA	25 / 29 (657.6344)	10 (172.5828)	26 (157.6916)	25 (161.1200)	19 (166.2400)
2015-03-27	Smokin' Butts & Tires - Cookoff and Car Show (GBC Qualifier) Conyers, GA	27 / 38 (658.1600)	12 (171.9656)	28 (158.8228)	7 (171.4172)	34 (155.9544)
2014-11-21	The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA) Cumming, GA	8 / 86 (690.2516)	39 (169.7028)	6 (175.4516)	24 (170.8344)	16 (174.2628)
2014-11-14	Smokin' Up The Saddle Club (SBBQA) Chatsworth, GA	34 / 34 (500.9716)	34 (20.0000)	19 (168.5372)	32 (153.6344)	29 (158.8000)
2014-10-10	The Real Squeal: Lyons Barbeque & Music Festival (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) Lyons, GA	19 / 25 (642.1144)	7 (172.5484)	22 (153.6572)	14 (163.3944)	22 (152.5144)
2014-10-03	Great Miller Lite Chili and BBQ Cookoff (GBC Qualifier) Conyers, GA	8 / 22 (678.2056)	9 (170.8228)	15 (165.1544)	7 (170.2628)	8 (171.9656)
2014-09-12	Jug Tavern Festival (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) Winder, GA	16 / 42 (675.3488)	5 (176.5600)	13 (170.8572)	34 (161.0972)	20 (166.8344)
2014-08-30	Hawgin on Lanier (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) Gainesville, GA	19 / 39 (662.1372)	11 (170.8572)	4 (175.4172)	25 (162.8000)	33 (153.0628)
2014-08-14	Classic City BBQ Fest & Tailgate Show (GBC Qualifier) Athens, GA	9 / 35 (670.7888)	4 (173.7144)	16 (165.1200)	8 (168.5372)	20 (163.4172)
2014-07-25	Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash Cleveland, TN	11 / 49 (681.0744)	4 (176.5600)	30 (165.6916)	9 (171.4172)	22 (167.4056)
2014-06-06	Euharlee Covered Bridge 'Que (GBC Qualifier) Eurharlee, GA	13 / 31 (667.2800)	8 (170.8228)	17 (163.3828)	4 (173.7144)	24 (159.3600)
2014-05-09	Roman Roast on the River (SBBQA) Rome, GA	23 / 38 (666.2056)	31 (162.8228)	13 (171.9888)	3 (176.5828)	36 (154.8112)
2014-04-11	Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest Gadsden, AL	32 / 34 (631.2232)	19 (167.3828)	10 (170.2744)	32 (157.0628)	34 (136.5032)
2014-02-07	Brasstown Valley's BBQ Throwdown (GBC Qualifier) Young Harris, GA	17 / 28 (661.6116)	5 (174.2628)	13 (167.9772)	13 (166.2400)	23 (153.1316)
2013-11-15	The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier) Cumming, GA	64 / 79 (657.0400)	41 (169.7028)	27 (170.2972)	77 (158.2284)	67 (158.8116)

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	#1666 (130 pts)	#1049 (345 pts)	#1822 (120 pts)	#1799 (120 pts)	#1703 (140 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1036 (310 pts)	#791 (495 pts)	#964 (380 pts)	#1492 (200 pts)	#1285 (240 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#588 (629 pts)	#371 (999 pts)	#454 (839 pts)	#547 (714 pts)	#543 (689 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#309 (1169 pts)	#169 (1540 pts)	#253 (1288 pts)	#220 (1339 pts)	#449 (844 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1970 (75 pts)	#2073 (75 pts)	#2043 (75 pts)	#2080 (75 pts)	#2034 (75 pts)