TOP NOTCH BBQ

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

Power ranking

#2852

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1509

peak 1509 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-17

latest 2018-05-18

Best ToY finish

#2010

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 6 contests

Avg finish

top 50%

overall standings

Best overall

647.8856 / 720

Master · *Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off

Perfect 180s

Current form

626.19 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 626.97 (-0.78)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

169.7372

Chicken · DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship

Consistency

±15.70

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 160.27 · weakest Pork Ribs (153.14)

Road miles

469

mi across 6 mapped stops · furthest 202 mi

Schedule strength

24%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1532)

Master avg

626.97 / 720

6 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (4 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.

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

Serial Griller ahead in 100% of their meetings

Serial Griller has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.1 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.13 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 33% of the time against 33%.

Pork Ribs avg 153.14
Chicken avg 160.27
2 calls in 6 entries

A strong matchup

3–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

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

The comeback

2.7 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.7 years, then back at *Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off (2018-05-18).

last seen 2015-08-21
back 2018-05-18

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.

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

BELLWOOD BBQ

#2871 of the rated field

1509 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1509

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to TOP NOTCH BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team TOP NOTCH BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2014-05-09

⚔ Head-to-head

Buurman & Buurman

#2868 of the rated field

1509 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1517

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2019-04-13

⚔ Head-to-head

2 FAT DRUNKS COOKIN

#2854 of the rated field

1509 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1509

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2017-10-06

⚔ Head-to-head

Big Stacks BBQ

#2847 of the rated field

1509 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1509

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2016-10-29

⚔ Head-to-head

Just For Fun BBQ

#2850 of the rated field

1509 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1513

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2025-10-17

⚔ Head-to-head

Pit4aking

#2869 of the rated field

1509 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2021-10-01

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Serial Griller	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	6	2	1	169.7372	146.2856	160.27	top 46%
Pork Ribs	6	2	0	166.2972	140.5716	153.14	top 62%
Pork	6	1	1	169.1428	146.8000	158.64	top 50%
Brisket	6	0	0	166.2628	145.7028	154.92	top 53%

“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
VA	5	0	top 49%
NJ	1	0	top 58%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	3	0	top 46%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 54%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
VA BBQ Championships	2	21	0	top 53%	2015-08-21

The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5 yrs 2013-05-17 → 2018-05-18

Busiest season 2014 2 contests

Contests a season 1.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in VA 5 of 6 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 5 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 6 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 160.27 · weakest Pork Ribs (153.14)

Walk rate 67% a top-10 call in 4 of 6 contests

Overall top-10 rate 17% 1 of 6 contests

Master average 626.97 out of 720 · 6 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 202 128–133 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 469 6 mapped stops · furthest 202 mi

Schedule strength 1532 average field rating faced — tougher than 24% of rated contests

Longest layoff 2.7 yrs 2015-08-21 → 2018-05-18

Power rating 1509 peak 1509 · #2852 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 17 First tracked contest Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
May 17 First call Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
May 17 First overall top-10 Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
Oct 5 Career-best single call (Chicken)169.7372 DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship
2018
May 18 Career-best overall score647.8856 *Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off
May 18 Peak power rating (1509) *Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off
May 18 Most recent contest *Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+7.4	Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off	2013-05-17
+4.6	*Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off	2018-05-18
+2	VA BBQ Championships	2014-08-22
+0.9	VA BBQ Championships	2015-08-21

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-4.3	Chesapeake Jubilee	2014-05-16
-1.6	DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship	2013-10-05

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)

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	1	0	100%	top 44%	90%	90%
2015	1	0	0%	top 57%	89.4%	89.4%
2014	2	0	50%	top 57%	86.2%	85%
2013	2	1	100%	top 44%	87.6%	86.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-05-18	*Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off Chesapeake, VA	12 / 27 (647.8856)	16 (163.9656)	9 (166.2972)	13 (160.5372)	18 (157.0856)
2015-08-21	VA BBQ Championships Hampton, VA	26 / 46 (643.9312)	30 (158.8340)	36 (154.2744)	24 (164.5600)	18 (166.2628)
2014-08-22	VA BBQ Championships Hampton, VA	21 / 43 (620.4800)	7 (166.2400)	30 (148.5488)	18 (159.9884)	30 (145.7028)
2014-05-16	Chesapeake Jubilee Chesapeake, VA	21 / 32 (603.2684)	16 (156.5484)	25 (148.5600)	28 (146.8000)	17 (151.3600)
2013-10-05	DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship Atlantic City, NJ	49 / 85 (615.3944)	2 (169.7372)	75 (140.5716)	53 (150.8340)	37 (154.2516)
2013-05-17	Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off Chesapeake, VA	10 / 34 (630.8568)	28 (146.2856)	9 (160.5716)	2 (169.1428)	15 (154.8568)

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	#2010 (88 pts)	#1570 (173 pts)	#2580 (68 pts)	#2028 (103 pts)	#2563 (68 pts)