The heartbreaker
2.8684
points from the title
Came within 2.8684 points of the Grand Championship at Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (Sep 26, 2025).
Say My Name BBQ
Say My Name BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 55 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) (2024), and finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #675 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1646
peak 1666 · rated over 37 contests6 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
55
in the data
First seen
Mar 17, 2023
latest Aug 15, 2026 · 3.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
2 reserve · wins it all 2% of the time
Category wins
7
12 podiums
Overall top-10s
15
27% of 55 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 42%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
6 🔥
Current form
343.84 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 340.88 (+2.96)
Walk rate
55%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±9.35
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.56 · weakest Brisket (162.50)
Road miles
6,077
across 55 mapped stops · furthest 1,081 mi
Schedule strength
61%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1577)
Purse competed for
$335K
listed at 43 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 12 state-championship entries
Master avg
670.26 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
340.88 / 360
33 Backyard contests · 1 GC
Backyard (3-meat) avg
486.71 / 540
1 Backyard (3-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Say My Name BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#678 of the rated field
- Contests
- 58
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1645
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Say My Name BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Say My Name BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#676 of the rated field
- Contests
- 81
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1655
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Say My Name BBQ)
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 81 contests to 55.
⚔ Head-to-head#671 of the rated field
- Contests
- 39
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1656
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Say My Name BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#670 of the rated field
- Contests
- 39
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 49%
- Peak
- 1648
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 29 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#672 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1646
28 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 36% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#674 of the rated field
- Contests
- 55
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1660
They were already cooking in 2016, 7 years before Say My Name BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 33 | 12 | 21 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 32 | 8 | 24 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 28 | 8 | 20 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 27 | 5 | 22 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| Electro-Que-ted | 25 | 6 | 19 | 24% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 24 | 6 | 18 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 22 | 8 | 14 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 19 | 11 | 8 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| Pork Life | 18 | 10 | 8 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 18 | 7 | 11 | 39% | ⚔ compare |
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | 18 | 5 | 13 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 18 | 4 | 14 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 Swine Crew | 17 | 8 | 9 | 47% | ⚔ compare |
| LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | 16 | 11 | 5 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 47 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 180 🔥 | 151.9540 | 171.56 | top 40% |
| Pork Ribs | 48 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 180 🔥 | 155.9544 | 168.28 | top 47% |
| Pork | 19 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 180 🔥 | 155.9200 | 168.06 | top 48% |
| Brisket | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.3944 | 157.0744 | 162.50 | 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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 52% |
| Medium (20–39) | 19 | 1 | top 38% |
| Large (40+) | 18 | 0 | top 45% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | 4 | 7 | 0 | top 47% | Jun 12, 2026 |
| Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 4 | 15 | 0 | top 45% | Mar 20, 2026 |
| Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD) | 4 | 3 | 0 | top 51% | Sep 20, 2025 |
| Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 9 | 0 | top 30% | Mar 27, 2026 |
| Poosa Q | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 42% | Jun 20, 2025 |
| Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 33% | Sep 6, 2024 |
| WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 26% | Oct 17, 2025 |
| Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 13% | Oct 10, 2025 |
| 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025) | 2 | 37 | 0 | top 74% | May 25, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
24 contests
Contests a season
13.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
34 of 55 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
24
9 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
48 entries · 2 wins · 15 calls
First title
Sep 6, 2024
Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
Opponents faced
909
finished ahead 1,291 times, behind 1,250
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- Career-best overall score687.3712 Lakeland Pig Festival
- 5th perfect 180 Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
- 50th tracked contest Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Kora Kares for Kids
20253 milestones
- First Reserve Championship Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 25th tracked contest Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1666) Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20246 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
- First overall top-10 Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Pork) The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First perfect 180 (Pork) The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Grand Championship Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
20233 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score669.6572 Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
- First call Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +19 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 6, 2024 |
| +14.6 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 7, 2025 |
| +14.6 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Oct 11, 2024 |
| +13.5 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 18, 2024 |
| +12.7 | Poosa Q | Jun 20, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.7 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Aug 11, 2023 |
| -8.4 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 20, 2026 |
| -7.1 | Poosa Q | Oct 5, 2023 |
| -6.9 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Sep 20, 2024 |
| -6 | Kora Kares for Kids | Aug 15, 2026 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50% | top 50% | 96.5% | 95% |
| 2025 | 24 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 54% | top 30% | 97.8% | 95.7% |
| 2024 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 77% | top 37% | 98.7% | 94.2% |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 71% | 93% | 90.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2026 | Kora Kares for Kids 🏅 Hiram, ME | 30 / 51 (679.3140) | 1 (180) | 28 (169.1200) | 19 (171.9772) | 47 (158.2168) |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Kora Kares for Kids (ONE MEAT RIBS) Hiram, ME | — | — | 5 (176.6172) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 17 / 31 (339.3484) | 11 (175.4056) | 25 (163.9428) | — | — |
| May 24, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 21 / 82 (345.7028) | 15 (174.8456) | 28 (170.8572) | — | — |
| May 23, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 101 / 117 (673.6228) | 59 (173.1084) | 77 (169.6684) | 102 (164.5372) | 91 (166.3088) |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 9 / 43 (347.3944) | 1 (178.8572) | 20 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 73 / 125 (681.0400) | 6 (180) | 68 (169.6800) | 90 (167.3944) | 96 (163.9656) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 12 (177.7028) | — | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 17 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Jan 22, 2026 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 27 / 63 (687.3712) | 10 (177.7028) | 40 (169.6800) | 14 (174.2856) | 47 (165.7028) |
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cleveland, AL | — | 14 (173.1084) | — | — | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT PORK) Cleveland, AL | — | — | — | 11 (170.8456) | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Cleveland, AL | — | — | 21 (161.6340) | — | — |
| Oct 17, 2025 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 17 / 39 (339.3828) | 5 (177.7028) | 32 (161.6800) | — | — |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 4 / 30 (347.3828) | 2 (177.7028) | 12 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Clanton, AL | 2 / 15 (349.6800) | 2 (177.7144) | 7 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Sep 26, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-off Qualifier "Friday Night Chicken Fight" (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Clanton, AL | — | 2 (177.7144) | — | — | — |
| Sep 20, 2025 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD) Glencoe, AL | 3 / 22 (345.6684) | 17 (165.6684) | 1 (180) | — | — |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 6 / 30 (348.5484) | 17 (170.2512) | 1 (178.2972) | 8 (174.2744) | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 12 / 29 (342.8228) | 9 (175.4172) | 14 (167.4056) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cullman, AL | — | 10 (173.1084) | — | — | — |
| Aug 1, 2025 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 8 / 23 (346.2516) | 4 (175.4172) | 10 (170.8344) | 9 (170.8344) | — |
| Jun 20, 2025 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 5 / 42 (347.3828) | 9 (175.4172) | 9 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 7 / 35 (347.3712) | 21 (170.8112) | 4 (176.5600) | — | — |
| May 25, 2025 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN | 37 / 70 (336.5028) | 32 (170.8228) | 38 (165.6800) | — | — |
| May 24, 2025 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Saturday, May 24, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN | 100 / 106 (662.6744) | 96 (166.2400) | 74 (169.6800) | 70 (169.6800) | 102 (157.0744) |
| May 23, 2025 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Chicken (Friday, May 23, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | 38 (166.2628) | — | — | — |
| May 23, 2025 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Ribs (Friday, May 23, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | — | 52 (155.9544) | — | — |
| May 16, 2025 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 5 / 32 (349.1084) | 3 (177.1428) | 12 (171.9656) | 16 (168.5372) | — |
| Apr 11, 2025 | Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 16 / 31 (341.0856) | 15 (173.1084) | 19 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 15 / 43 (343.9428) | 14 (171.9656) | 12 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 15 / 100 (345.6800) | 19 (173.1200) | 17 (172.5600) | 28 (168.5256) | — |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 65 (158.2172) | — | — |
| Mar 7, 2025 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Foley, AL | 2 / 30 (351.9656) | 6 (174.2628) | 2 (177.7028) | 10 (167.4400) | — |
| Nov 15, 2024 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cuming, GA | 10 / 58 (341.0972) | 5 (177.1428) | 24 (163.9544) | 14 (166.2400) | — |
| Oct 18, 2024 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 4 / 50 (348.5256) | 7 (174.2628) | 4 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Scottsboro, AL | 5 / 38 (348.5256) | 1 (180) | 13 (168.5256) | — | — |
| Oct 4, 2024 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 22 / 59 (343.4056) | 31 (168.5484) | 7 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 15 / 18 (333.6228) | 11 (170.8228) | 14 (162.8000) | 13 (165.0856) | — |
| Sep 6, 2024 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 1 / 27 (355.4172) | 1 (180) | 5 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Sep 6, 2024 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cullman, AL | — | 6 (169.1888) | — | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 20 / 35 (333.0512) | 34 (158.1940) | 4 (174.8572) | — | — |
| May 17, 2024 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 25 / 39 (333.0628) | 28 (165.6684) | 21 (167.3944) | 1 (180) | — |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) Chelsea, AL | 8 / 16 (334.2056) | 10 (166.2400) | 10 (167.9656) | 6 (168.5372) | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 13 / 38 (340.5372) | 5 (174.2628) | 21 (166.2744) | — | — |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 38 / 93 (319.3372) | 38 (159.3944) | 35 (159.9428) | 39 (155.9200) | — |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 55 (161.6800) | — | — |
| Oct 5, 2023 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 57 / 73 (310.7656) | 58 (151.9540) | 52 (158.8116) | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 12 / 19 (326.8228) | 15 (161.6684) | 9 (165.1544) | — | — |
| Aug 11, 2023 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 31 / 35 (486.7084) | 24 (166.8228) | 30 (158.8116) | 28 (161.0740) | — |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) Madison, AL | 35 / 58 (333.0396) | 50 (158.1940) | 9 (174.8456) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 15 / 26 (332.5144) | 13 (169.1084) | 16 (163.4060) | — | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 31 / 39 (638.1144) | 32 (160.5368) | 33 (159.3832) | 34 (159.3600) | 32 (158.8344) |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 54 / 80 (669.6572) | 40 (170.8456) | 62 (162.8344) | 40 (168.5828) | 43 (167.3944) |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 45 (161.6916) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.