The heartbreaker
1.7372
points from the title
Came within 1.7372 points of the Grand Championship at Poosa Q (May 5, 2022).
BAMA BOYS BBQ
BAMA BOYS BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 54 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT) (2025), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2108 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1534
peak 1558 · rated over 41 contests
Contests
54
in the data
First seen
Feb 22, 2019
latest Sep 25, 2026 · 7.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
1 reserve · wins it all 2% of the time
Category wins
2
8 podiums
Overall top-10s
10
19% of 54 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 54%
overall standings
Best overall
687.3256 / 720
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
336.38 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 334.18 (+2.20)
Walk rate
48%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.60
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 170.95 · weakest Pork Ribs (165.47)
Road miles
7,292
across 54 mapped stops · furthest 470 mi
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1576)
Purse competed for
$419K
listed at 36 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 21 state-championship entries
Master avg
674.35 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
334.18 / 360
30 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
496.70 / 540
7 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
687.33 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 1 GC
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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.
In the record book (on 1 all-time board)
Where this team sits in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record they hold outright; the rest are boards they are on.
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 | #190 (198 pts) | #237 (143 pts) | #174 (243 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #814 (120 pts) | #882 (120 pts) | #954 (120 pts) | #837 (120 pts) | #737 (170 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #122 (464 pts) | #74 (743 pts) | #141 (439 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1042 (90 pts) | #815 (179 pts) | #1293 (60 pts) | #1190 (60 pts) | #512 (374 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #126 (452 pts) | #106 (592 pts) | #163 (342 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #105 (579 pts) | #171 (289 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #86 (572 pts) | #92 (537 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #105 (299 pts) | #80 (409 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #26 (477 pts) | #24 (472 pts) | — | — |
| 2019 ↗ | Backyard | — | #14 (159 pts) | #12 (194 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to BAMA BOYS BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
71 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,113 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 39%
- Peak
- 1538
6–7 in 13 shared contests (46% to BAMA BOYS BBQ)
These two have cooked 13 of the same contests — Slingin Pig Meat ahead 7–6 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,102 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1575
They've been 1575 at their best, 41 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#2,107 of the rated field
- Contests
- 31
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 16%
- Peak
- 1541
Fewer contests behind them than BAMA BOYS BBQ has cooked, 31 to 54, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#2,110 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1553
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before BAMA BOYS BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,111 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1534
Level with BAMA BOYS BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,103 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1548
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 10 contests, alongside a 20% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEE LA Q | 36 | 5 | 31 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| RIBLIFE | 30 | 11 | 19 | 37% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 27 | 7 | 20 | 26% | ⚔ compare |
| REDBONES BBQ | 25 | 7 | 18 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 23 | 9 | 14 | 39% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 22 | 6 | 16 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 20 | 3 | 17 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | 19 | 11 | 8 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| Pork Life | 18 | 10 | 8 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | 16 | 7 | 9 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 16 | 5 | 11 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 Swine Crew | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Slingin Pig Meat | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 43 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 180 🔥 | 151.9772 | 167.75 | top 54% |
| Pork Ribs | 42 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 175.4400 | 154.8112 | 165.47 | top 58% |
| Pork | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 158.8000 | 169.17 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 177.1428 | 158.2172 | 170.95 | top 38% |
“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) | 5 | 0 | top 50% |
| Medium (20–39) | 29 | 1 | top 56% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 44% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | 9 | 11 | 0 | top 65% | Jun 5, 2026 |
| Poosa Q | 5 | 2 | 0 | top 33% | Jun 20, 2025 |
| Smoke on the Falls | 5 | 11 | 0 | top 69% | Apr 12, 2024 |
| Great Americana BBQ Festival | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 40% | Aug 27, 2021 |
| Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 39% | Jun 4, 2021 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
10 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
3.9
across 14 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
44 of 54 contests · 6 states in all
Contests visited
23
5 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
43 entries · 1 win · 15 calls
First title
Dec 5, 2025
Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT)
Opponents faced
837
finished ahead 986 times, behind 967
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
20254 milestones
- 50th tracked contest Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD)
- First Grand Championship Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT)
- First state championship Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT)
- Career-best overall score687.3256 Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT)
20241 milestone
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Poosa Q
20231 milestone
- Peak power rating (1558) Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)
20221 milestone
- First Reserve Championship Poosa Q
20211 milestone
- First overall podium Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD)
20201 milestone
- 25th tracked contest Smoke on the Falls
20193 milestones
- First overall top-10 Bama Q Capital City Cook-Off
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score337.7144 Bama Q Capital City Cook-Off
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Downtown BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY)
20181 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Riverfest BBQ and Music Festival
20171 milestone
20131 milestone
- First tracked contest Cullman Oktoberfest BBQ Challenge
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +19 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT) | Dec 5, 2025 |
| +17.1 | Poosa Q | May 5, 2022 |
| +16.4 | Poosa Q | Oct 4, 2024 |
| +13.9 | Bama Q Capital City Cook-Off | Feb 22, 2019 |
| +13.8 | Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD) | Jun 4, 2021 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.8 | Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 8, 2019 |
| -12.7 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 22, 2026 |
| -10.8 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 | May 2, 2025 |
| -10.1 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Sep 20, 2024 |
| -9.9 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Aug 6, 2021 |
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 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 73% | 95% | 93.5% |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 60% | top 57% | 96% | 93.5% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 58% | 98.4% | 93.6% |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 45% | 93.2% | 91.8% |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60% | top 50% | 96.2% | 93.9% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 52% | 95.4% | 92.6% |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 70% | 92% | 90.9% |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 60% | top 43% | 94.1% | 92.4% |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | — | — | — |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | — | — | — |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2026 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 42 / 71 (683.8968) | 42 (171.9656) | 58 (167.3828) | 47 (169.1084) | 15 (175.4400) |
| Jun 5, 2026 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 19 / 26 (337.0740) | 24 (163.9312) | 11 (173.1428) | 6 (174.2628) | — |
| Jan 22, 2026 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 54 / 63 (660.9944) | 43 (169.6800) | 50 (165.6800) | 41 (167.4172) | 56 (158.2172) |
| Dec 5, 2025 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (OPEN FORMAT) 🏅 Demopolis, AL | 1 / 21 (687.3256) | 18 (167.3944) | 11 (171.9656) | 12 (171.9656) | 6 (176) |
| Sep 20, 2025 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD) Glencoe, AL | 19 / 22 (329.0284) | 6 (171.9656) | 22 (157.0628) | — | — |
| Sep 19, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-off Qualifier "Don't Burn the Brisket" (ONE MEAT BRISKET) Glencoe, AL | — | — | — | — | 8 (167.9656) |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 11 / 30 (345.6800) | 1 (180) | 19 (165.6800) | 13 (171.9772) | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 16 / 29 (341.1088) | 12 (174.2744) | 18 (166.8344) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cullman, AL | — | 19 (163.9544) | — | — | — |
| Jun 20, 2025 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 29 / 42 (329.0168) | 32 (159.3484) | 18 (169.6684) | — | — |
| May 3, 2025 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 Oneonta, AL | 14 / 23 (342.2400) | 13 (169.6800) | 13 (172.5600) | 5 (175.4172) | — |
| May 2, 2025 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Oneonta, AL | 25 / 28 (323.3144) | 24 (163.9428) | 26 (159.3716) | 14 (168.5256) | — |
| Jan 9, 2025 | 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam 🏅 Elkton, FL | 19 / 38 (678.1596) | 16 (173.1084) | 33 (160.5372) | 29 (167.3712) | 3 (177.1428) |
| Oct 4, 2024 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 4 / 59 (354.2628) | 3 (180) | 12 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 16 / 18 (333.0512) | 7 (173.1084) | 16 (159.9428) | 5 (170.2628) | — |
| Sep 6, 2024 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 22 / 27 (333.6228) | 12 (170.8228) | 24 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Apr 12, 2024 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 17 / 31 (326.1944) | 16 (167.9772) | 20 (158.2172) | — | — |
| Oct 5, 2023 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 36 / 73 (330.8000) | 29 (167.4056) | 39 (163.3944) | — | — |
| Aug 11, 2023 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 14 / 35 (503.3712) | 2 (176) | 25 (161.1084) | 15 (166.2628) | — |
| Jul 21, 2023 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 10 / 38 (325.6456) | 5 (170.8344) | 11 (154.8112) | — | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 25 / 39 (330.1944) | 18 (169.6800) | 30 (160.5144) | — | — |
| Sep 16, 2022 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 11 / 18 (338.8000) | 10 (172.5484) | 12 (166.2516) | — | — |
| Aug 12, 2022 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL | 14 / 35 (510.7772) | 13 (169.6800) | 21 (166.2400) | 6 (174.8572) | — |
| May 20, 2022 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) 🏅 Winchester, TN | 19 / 29 (333.6228) | 18 (165.0972) | 11 (168.5256) | — | — |
| May 5, 2022 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 2 / 72 (346.2400) | 5 (175.4172) | 10 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 27 / 34 (331.3600) | 35 (163.3828) | 19 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Aug 27, 2021 | Great Americana BBQ Festival 🏅 Franklin, TN | 13 / 25 (499.2912) | 11 (167.3712) | 12 (164.5372) | 12 (167.3828) | — |
| Aug 6, 2021 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 26 / 31 (485.6000) | 27 (156.5144) | 25 (160.5600) | 9 (168.5256) | — |
| Jun 4, 2021 | Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD) Butler, AL | 3 / 14 (343.3712) | 9 (168.5256) | 2 (174.8456) | — | — |
| Sep 18, 2020 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 31 / 28 (324.4916) | 32 (162.2400) | 29 (162.2516) | — | — |
| Aug 7, 2020 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL | 11 / 21 (490.1604) | 19 (158.2288) | 16 (161.1088) | 4 (170.8228) | — |
| Jun 5, 2020 | Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD ONLY) Butler, AL | 13 / 23 (326.7772) | 6 (169.7028) | 20 (157.0744) | — | — |
| Feb 21, 2020 | Capital City Cook Off 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 15 / 25 (331.3256) | 18 (163.9428) | 11 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Dec 6, 2019 | COTR BBQ 🏅 Demopolis, AL | 6 / 25 (338.2056) | 6 (168.5256) | 4 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Sep 6, 2019 | Fire on the Mountain (BACKYARD ONLY) Arab, AL | 7 / 19 (500.9940) | 8 (169.6800) | 12 (165.0856) | 9 (166.2284) | — |
| Aug 23, 2019 | Great Americana BBQ Festival 🏅 Franklin, TN | 11 / 39 (332.5716) | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 9, 2019 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL | 21 / 26 (486.6972) | 17 (167.3828) | 18 (160.5144) | 23 (158.8000) | — |
| Jun 14, 2019 | Poosa-Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 18 / 48 (331.9316) | 24 (162.2400) | 11 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Downtown BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) Meridian, MS | 7 / 22 (337.1084) | 14 (161.6684) | 1 (175.4400) | — | — |
| Apr 12, 2019 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 11 / 30 (338.8232) | 6 (173.1316) | 26 (165.6916) | — | — |
| Mar 22, 2019 | Smoke On the Diamond (BACKYARD ONLY) Brookwood, AL | 7 / 17 (333.6340) | 11 (162.8112) | 2 (170.8228) | 9 (166.2400) | — |
| Mar 8, 2019 | Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Harselle, AL | 31 / 34 (318.2172) | 32 (151.9772) | 16 (166.2400) | — | — |
| Feb 22, 2019 | Bama Q Capital City Cook-Off 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 5 / 27 (337.7144) | 10 (165.7372) | 7 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Butler Fest 2018 Butler, AL | — | 2 (174.2628) | 11 (157.1204) | — | — |
| Sep 14, 2018 | Riverfest BBQ and Music Festival Decatur, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 24, 2018 | Great American BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Franklin, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 13, 2018 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2017 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD) Lynchburg, TN | — | 36 (158.2400) | 20 (165.0972) | 6 (169.7028) | — |
| Apr 7, 2017 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 8, 2016 | Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 10, 2015 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| May 16, 2014 | Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cookoff Hartselle, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 11, 2014 | Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 11, 2013 | Cullman Oktoberfest BBQ Challenge Cullman, AL | — | — | — | — | — |