Riding a hot streak
4
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 4-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 4
Sermerstout BBQ
Sermerstout BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 38 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. They have won 3 Grand Championships, most recently at the Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (2026). They are ranked #1153 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1590
peak 1590 · rated over 25 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
38
in the data
First seen
Jul 16, 2021
latest Sep 19, 2026 · 5.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
3
0 reserve · wins it all 8% of the time
Category wins
4
5 podiums
Overall top-10s
14
37% of 38 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 42%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
339.73 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 332.71 (+7.02)
Walk rate
58%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.14
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 167.81 · weakest Brisket (157.95)
Road miles
4,848
across 37 mapped stops · furthest 472 mi
Schedule strength
49%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1563)
Purse competed for
$138K
listed at 30 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 11 state-championship entries
Master avg
648.40 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
332.71 / 360
25 Backyard contests · 3 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #48 (871 pts) | #42 (925 pts) | #58 (842 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | #729 (205 pts) | #816 (184 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #104 (519 pts) | #119 (484 pts) | #81 (719 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | #786 (215 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #112 (521 pts) | #117 (541 pts) | #138 (411 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1182 (60 pts) | #1242 (60 pts) | #1021 (120 pts) | #1231 (60 pts) | #1204 (60 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #95 (645 pts) | #106 (630 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #757 (255 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #129 (324 pts) | #152 (254 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #130 (217 pts) | #105 (267 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1213 (65 pts) | #1225 (75 pts) | #1297 (65 pts) | #1231 (70 pts) | #1245 (60 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Sermerstout BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
35 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,150 of the rated field
- Contests
- 22
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 32%
- Peak
- 1590
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Sermerstout BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Sermerstout BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,154 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 82%
- Peak
- 1612
Careers of much the same size, 28 contests to 38, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,151 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 39%
- Peak
- 1590
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,157 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1612
35 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 20% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,148 of the rated field
- Contests
- 40
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1590
They were already cooking in 2015, 6 years before Sermerstout BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,156 of the rated field
- Contests
- 44
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1603
Level with Sermerstout BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudes BBQ | 16 | 3 | 13 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| 309 BBQ | 14 | 8 | 6 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| RUBY CREEK BBQ | 12 | 5 | 7 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| TRIPLE H BBQ | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Ishy Links BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Shmack Q | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS | 9 | 3 | 5 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Up From The Pits BBQ | 8 | 1 | 6 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| DB BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 29 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 180 🔥 | 154.7540 | 167.81 | top 39% |
| Pork Ribs | 35 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 176 | 149.0744 | 165.85 | top 47% |
| Pork | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171.4056 | 161.6684 | 166.39 | top 51% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.5256 | 151.3828 | 157.95 | top 85% |
“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) | 6 | 1 | top 35% |
| Medium (20–39) | 15 | 2 | top 41% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 49% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | 6 | 1 | 1 | top 36% | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 4 | 26 | 0 | top 46% | Mar 20, 2026 |
| Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 23% | Jun 14, 2024 |
| Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 6 | 0 | top 50% | Aug 28, 2026 |
| Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | 3 | 6 | 0 | top 34% | Jun 27, 2025 |
| Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 50% | Jul 26, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
11 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
5.4
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
20 of 38 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
12
6 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
35 entries · 2 wins · 15 calls
Opponents faced
602
finished ahead 679 times, behind 599
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20265 milestones
- First state championship Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana
- Biggest field won (35 teams) Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1590) Paxton Swine n Dine (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Paxton Swine n Dine (BACKYARD ONLY)
20251 milestone
- 25th tracked contest Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
20241 milestone
- Career-best overall score664.3996 Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
20231 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
—7 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Grand Championship Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score337.0972 Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.9 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana | May 15, 2026 |
| +15 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 14, 2024 |
| +12.9 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 19, 2023 |
| +9.5 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | Jul 14, 2023 |
| +8.7 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 20, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.2 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 | Jul 16, 2021 |
| -9.6 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 15, 2024 |
| -7.8 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 17, 2024 |
| -6.8 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 8, 2026 |
| -4.5 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main | Jul 27, 2024 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 6% | 93.6% | 93.6% |
| 2026 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 73% | top 32% | 96.2% | 94.9% |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 71% | top 41% | 94.6% | 93.5% |
| 2024 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17% | top 57% | 96.8% | 91.3% |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 67% | top 29% | 93.3% | 91% |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50% | top 50% | 90.1% | 89.2% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 88% | 87.8% | 87.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2026 | Paxton Swine n Dine (BACKYARD ONLY) Paxton, IL | 6 / 18 (341.1316) | 4 (170.8572) | 8 (170.2744) | — | — |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 6 / 16 (342.2284) | 6 (170.2628) | 5 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2026 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 5 / 16 (345.1200) | 1 (180) | 14 (165.1200) | — | — |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN | 9 / 13 (333.0740) | 10 (163.9312) | 6 (169.1428) | — | — |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 11 / 41 (344.5716) | 8 (174.8572) | 21 (169.7144) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 1 / 35 (346.2628) | 6 (170.2628) | 1 (176) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Warsaw, IN | — | 8 (173.1200) | — | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN | — | — | 12 (173.1428) | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 28 / 125 (339.9544) | 8 (176.5600) | 40 (163.3944) | 18 (171.4056) | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 26 (174.2860) | — | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 71 (163.3944) | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 17 / 31 (340.4912) | 21 (166.2284) | 5 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 9 / 20 (333.0628) | 9 (167.9772) | 11 (165.0856) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL | 11 / 32 (337.6340) | 14 (166.8112) | 8 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 12 / 26 (331.9540) | 15 (162.2856) | 10 (169.6684) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Eureka, IL | — | — | 6 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 26 / 100 (340.5028) | 22 (171.9772) | 29 (168.5256) | 20 (169.6800) | — |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 41 (168.5600) | — | — |
| Aug 23, 2024 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 16 / 28 (324.4572) | 15 (162.7884) | 19 (161.6688) | — | — |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 20 / 26 (317.5768) | 14 (167.9656) | 25 (149.6112) | — | — |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL | 22 / 34 (319.8396) | 28 (154.7540) | 16 (165.0856) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN | 1 / 28 (348.5372) | 1 (177.7028) | 5 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 77 / 93 (664.3996) | 35 (173.1200) | 71 (165.0856) | 80 (161.6684) | 72 (164.5256) |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 42 (166.2284) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 4 / 32 (335.9540) | 6 (171.9656) | 10 (163.9884) | — | — |
| Jul 14, 2023 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 6 / 25 (331.3712) | 4 (170.8112) | 11 (160.5600) | — | — |
| Jul 14, 2023 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (One Meat Ribs) Eureka, IL | — | — | 5 (172) | — | — |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN | 6 / 21 (329.6228) | 6 (166.2400) | 9 (163.3828) | — | — |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 41 / 80 (313.0172) | 34 (163.9428) | 42 (149.0744) | — | — |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 19 (170.2744) | — | — |
| Nov 12, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Gadsden, AL | 42 / 49 (323.3600) | 46 (159.3944) | 32 (163.9656) | — | — |
| Nov 11, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 9 / 20 (315.3372) | 6 (165.1084) | 12 (150.2288) | — | — |
| Jul 15, 2022 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 8 / 25 (321.0744) | 11 (154.8344) | 5 (166.2400) | — | — |
| Jul 15, 2022 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (One Meat Ribs) Eureka, IL | — | — | 17 (161.1316) | — | — |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN | 5 / 14 (324.5372) | 5 (162.8572) | 7 (161.6800) | — | — |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 🏅 Eureka, IL | 22 / 25 (632.3996) | 20 (162.8456) | 22 (155.3828) | 21 (162.7884) | 23 (151.3828) |
| — | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 1 / 17 (337.0972) | 3 (162.8228) | 1 (174.2744) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.