BEARDED BBQ

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

Power ranking

#5571

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1448

peak 1448 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-09-27

latest 2022-10-14

Best ToY finish

#2370

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 80%

overall standings

Best overall

638.2516 / 720

Master · *Barnesville BBQ & Blues

Perfect 180s

Current form

489.73 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 520.43 (-30.70)

Walk rate

27%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7372

Pork Ribs · Maryland State BBQ Bash

Consistency

±140.51

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 157.73 · weakest Pork Ribs (142.02)

Road miles

4,869

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 979 mi

Schedule strength

34%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1545)

Purse competed for

$38K

listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

GCs in 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

520.43 / 720

8 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

295.70 / 360

2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is 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.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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.

Giant slayer

30 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 30-team field at Maryland State BBQ Bash.

2019-08-09

State champions

1 state championships won

They've taken 1 state championship from 3 entries at contests carrying the title.

3 state-championship entries

A tough matchup

4–1 behind in the head-to-head

HARCO LOCO BBQ ahead in 80% of their meetings

HARCO LOCO BBQ has come out ahead in 4 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−15.7 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 15.71 points below their pork, and turns into a call 22% of the time against 17%.

Pork Ribs avg 142.02
Pork avg 157.73
2 calls in 9 entries

A strong matchup

3–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SNAFU BBQ in 3 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

2.2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.2 years, then back at The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival (2016-07-23).

last seen 2014-05-02
back 2016-07-23

Boom or bust

±17.95% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±17.95% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 74.3% of a perfect score
best 88.6%

An August team

Top 59% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 59% across 3 contests, versus top 80% the rest of the year.

3 August contests
top 80% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,869 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,869 miles across 11 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 979 miles to Smokelawn.

11 mapped stops
furthest 979 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.

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

Kan-Ok BBQ

#5565 of the rated field

1449 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1449

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2026-06-12

⚔ Head-to-head

SKINT BACK BBQ

#5577 of the rated field

1448 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1448

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2021-07-09

⚔ Head-to-head

ROCKIN' BAR-B SMOKERS

#5568 of the rated field

1448 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1448

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2021-06-04

⚔ Head-to-head

RACK TIME

#5562 of the rated field

1449 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1449

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 6 years before BEARDED BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 13 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

OFF THE GRILL BBQ

#5587 of the rated field

1448 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1448

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2022-07-07

⚔ Head-to-head

GRILLIANT FOODS

#5567 of the rated field

1448 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1448

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2018-05-05

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Pig Kahunas	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
G. Henn BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
HARCO LOCO BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
Team Meat Coma	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
LittleBrothersBBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	0	0	0	168.6056	142.8916	155.79	top 78%
Pork Ribs	9	2	1	1	173.7372	20.0000	142.02	top 69%
Pork	6	1	0	0	167.9656	149.2000	157.73	top 70%
Brisket	6	0	0	0	154.8572	133.6688	145.38	top 86%

“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
MD	5	1	top 79%
AR	3	0	top 77%
GA	2	0	top 85%
VT	1	0	top 85%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	9	1	top 81%
Large (40+)	2	0	top 74%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Maryland State BBQ Bash	5	1	1	top 79%	2022-10-14
*Barnesville BBQ & Blues	2	19	0	top 85%	2018-04-20

The story so far (20 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 9 yrs 2013-09-27 → 2022-10-14

Busiest season 2017 3 contests

Contests a season 1.4 across 8 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MD 5 of 11 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 6 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 9 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 157.73 · weakest Pork Ribs (142.02)

Walk rate 27% a top-10 call in 3 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 9% 1 of 11 contests

Wins it all 9% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2019-08-09 Maryland State BBQ Bash

Master average 520.43 out of 720 · 8 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 295.70 out of 360 · 2 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 403 156–410 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 4,869 11 mapped stops · furthest 979 mi

Schedule strength 1545 average field rating faced — tougher than 34% of rated contests

Purse competed for $37,500 listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 1 from 3 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 2.2 yrs 2014-05-02 → 2016-07-23

Power rating 1448 peak 1448 · #5571 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Sep 27 First tracked contest Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
Sep 27 Peak power rating (1495) Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
2017
Sep 29 First call *Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival
2018
Apr 20 Career-best overall score638.2516 *Barnesville BBQ & Blues
2019
Aug 9 First category win (Pork Ribs) Maryland State BBQ Bash
Aug 9 First overall top-10 Maryland State BBQ Bash
Aug 9 First overall podium Maryland State BBQ Bash
Aug 9 First Grand Championship Maryland State BBQ Bash
Aug 9 First state championship Maryland State BBQ Bash
Aug 9 Biggest field won (30 teams) Maryland State BBQ Bash
Aug 9 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)173.7372 Maryland State BBQ Bash
2021
Oct 15 10th tracked contest Maryland State BBQ Bash
2022
Oct 14 Most recent contest Maryland State BBQ Bash

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+19.3	Maryland State BBQ Bash	2019-08-09

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.7	Smokelawn	2014-05-02
-11.4	Maryland State BBQ Bash	2022-10-14
-9.8	The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival	2016-07-23
-9.4	Barnesville BBQ & Blues	2017-04-21
-7.7	Maryland State BBQ Bash	2018-08-10

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	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2022	1	0	0	0	0%	top 127%	79%	79%
2021	1	0	0	0	100%	top 92%	85.3%	85.3%
2019	1	1	1	1	100%	top 3%	—	—
2018	2	0	0	0	0%	top 84%	88.6%	64.7%
2017	3	0	0	0	33%	top 80%	86.6%	70.2%
2016	1	0	0	0	0%	top 85%	85.2%	85.2%
2014	1	0	0	0	0%	top 97%	65.7%	65.7%
2013	1	0	0	0	0%	top 67%	87.2%	87.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2022-10-14	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	38 / 30 (284.4688)	33 (149.0972)	37 (135.3716)	—	—
2021-10-15	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	23 / 25 (306.9260)	31 (142.8916)	9 (164.0344)	—	—
2019-08-09	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	1 / 30 (328.5600)	15 (154.8228)	1 (173.7372)	—	—
2018-08-10	Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	35 / 38 (293.0628)	—	—	—	—
2018-04-20	*Barnesville BBQ & Blues Barnesville, GA	19 / 25 (638.2516)	19 (163.9884)	11 (167.4744)	18 (160.0228)	24 (146.7660)
2017-09-29	*Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival Jonesboro, AR	22 / 33 (623.2916)	28 (146.2628)	14 (163.9772)	9 (167.9656)	30 (145.0860)
2017-08-11	Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	38 / 47 (291.3260)	—	—	—	—
2017-04-21	Barnesville BBQ & Blues Barnsville, GA	27 / 29 (602.7200)	26 (155.9540)	28 (150.2516)	28 (155.4628)	28 (141.0516)
2016-07-23	The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival Windsor, VT	22 / 26 (613.7252)	21 (159.4284)	25 (147.9772)	21 (155.4396)	21 (150.8800)
2014-05-02	Smokelawn Hot Springs, AR	38 / 39 (473.0172)	25 (161.0856)	39 (20.0000)	25 (158.2628)	34 (133.6688)
2013-09-27	Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest Jonesboro, AR	32 / 48 (628.0112)	13 (168.6056)	36 (155.3484)	39 (149.2000)	31 (154.8572)

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
2014 ↗	Master	#2639 (64 pts)	#2654 (64 pts)	#2662 (64 pts)	#2662 (64 pts)	#2651 (64 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#2370 (73 pts)	#1712 (133 pts)	#2410 (73 pts)	#2425 (73 pts)	#2412 (73 pts)