YELLOW JACKET BBQ

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

Power ranking

#1418

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1569

peak 1569 · rated over 19 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-05-09

latest 2019-10-04

Best ToY finish

#439

Master 2018

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 19 contests

Avg finish

top 48%

overall standings

Best overall

687.3368 / 720

Master · Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

671.19 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 667.51 (+3.68)

Walk rate

68%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

179.4400

Pork Ribs · Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off

Consistency

±12.03

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 169.42 · weakest Brisket (165.40)

Road miles

830

mi across 19 mapped stops · furthest 61 mi

Schedule strength

78%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1601)

Purse competed for

$25K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

667.51 / 720

19 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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.

They almost always walk

68% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 13 of 19 contests

A top-10 category call in 68% of their 19 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

687.3368 career-best overall

95.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 687.3368 at Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival — 95.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
2018-04-20

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

COUNTRYSIDE BBQ PRO SHOP has finished one call ahead of YELLOW JACKET BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

18–0 behind in the head-to-head

GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 100% of their meetings

GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 18 of their 18 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.0 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.02 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 32% of the time against 47%.

Brisket avg 165.40
Chicken avg 169.42
6 calls in 19 entries

A strong matchup

13–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 81% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of TAILGATE GUYS BBQ in 13 of their 16 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

12 of 18 shared chicken entries lost

GETTIN' BASTED ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GETTIN' BASTED has out-cooked them in 12 of 18 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

UP SAUCE CREEK has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An April team

Top 17% average finish in April

Something about April: average finish in the top 17% across 3 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.

3 April contests
top 48% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.67% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.67% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.7% of a perfect score
19 contests

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.

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

SMOKEY BEAR'S BBQ NEBRASKA

#1425 of the rated field

1569 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1569

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to YELLOW JACKET BBQ)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team YELLOW JACKET BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 22 contests
last seen 2018-10-26

⚔ Head-to-head

PLUM SUPERIOR BBQ

#1428 of the rated field

1569 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1570

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2015-11-20

⚔ Head-to-head

BOB'S BBQ

#1424 of the rated field

1569 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1569

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 19, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2022-03-18

⚔ Head-to-head

LIBERTY BBQ

#1419 of the rated field

1569 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1589

No shared contest yet.

23 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 30% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 23 contests
last seen 2022-10-28

⚔ Head-to-head

Sunrise BBQ

#1422 of the rated field

1569 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1573

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2025-08-16

⚔ Head-to-head

SWEET DREAMS BBQ

#1423 of the rated field

1569 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1569

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 27 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 27 contests
last seen 2017-10-20

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
GETTIN' BASTED	18	0	18	0%	⚔ compare
TAILGATE GUYS BBQ	16	13	3	81%	⚔ compare
COUNTRYSIDE BBQ PRO SHOP	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
SMOOTH SMOKE	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
THE BOAR OF DIRECTORS	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
Z-QUE	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
ELI'S PIT CREW	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
BRICKHEAD BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
CROSSFIRE BBQ	8	7	1	88%	⚔ compare
Hogzilla	8	7	1	88%	⚔ compare
Smokin in the Ozarks	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
A Good Rub BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	19	9	0	1	177.7028	154.7884	169.42	top 42%
Pork Ribs	19	5	1	3	179.4400	157.0744	166.34	top 45%
Pork	19	4	0	0	173.1428	158.2284	166.34	top 50%
Brisket	19	6	0	0	175.4056	152.4800	165.40	top 47%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 53%
Medium (20–39)	9	top 51%
Large (40+)	9	top 44%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Table Rock Boats and Bones	3	18	top 67%	2018-09-22
Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown	2	14	top 62%	2019-10-04
Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off	2	17	top 50%	2018-06-29
Rock N Ribs BBQ Festival	2	12	top 30%	2015-04-24

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.4 yrs 2014-05-09 → 2019-10-04

Busiest season 2018 7 contests

Contests a season 3.2 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MO 19 of 19 contests

Contests visited 14 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 19 entries · 0 wins · 9 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 169.42 · weakest Brisket (165.40)

Walk rate 68% a top-10 call in 13 of 19 contests

Overall top-10 rate 21% 4 of 19 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 667.51 out of 720 · 19 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 333 408–317 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 830 19 mapped stops · furthest 61 mi

Schedule strength 1601 average field rating faced — tougher than 78% of rated contests

Purse competed for $25,000 listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.2 yrs 2015-04-24 → 2016-06-24

Power rating 1569 peak 1569 · #1418 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
May 9 First tracked contest Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival
2015
Apr 24 First call Rock N Ribs BBQ Festival
Apr 24 First overall past 90% of a perfect score671.3144 Rock N Ribs BBQ Festival
2017
Jun 23 First category win (Pork Ribs) Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off
Jun 23 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)179.4400 Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off
2018
Apr 20 First overall top-10 Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival
Apr 20 Career-best overall score687.3368 Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival
May 25 10th tracked contest *Shepherd's Smokin Summer Kick Off
2019
Oct 4 Peak power rating (1569) Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown
Oct 4 Most recent contest Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.6	Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway	2018-08-04
+13.1	Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival	2018-04-20
+11.3	Rock N Ribs BBQ Festival	2015-04-24
+10.6	Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival	2017-04-21
+9.6	Smoking on the Osage BBQ contest and Car show	2019-07-20

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.3	Table Rock Boats and Bones	2016-09-17
-6.6	Route 66 BBQ & Steak Showdown	2019-08-09
-4	Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown	2018-10-19
-3.5	Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway	2017-07-08
-1.2	Table Rock Boats and Bones	2017-09-16

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	4	1	0	75%	top 49%	95.2%	93.4%
2018	7	3	0	86%	top 43%	95.5%	93.3%
2017	4	0	1	75%	top 52%	94%	92.8%
2016	2	0	0	0%	top 70%	90.6%	90.5%
2015	1	0	0	100%	top 19%	93.2%	93.2%
2014	1	0	0	0%	top 40%	89.3%	89.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-10-04	Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown 🏅 Lebanon, MO	14 / 27 (674.7432)	5 (173.7144)	7 (171.9772)	16 (168.5372)	19 (160.5144)
2019-09-21	Bikes Boats & Bones BBQ & Steak Showdown 🏅 Kimberling City, MO	12 / 28 (680.4340)	5 (174.8572)	12 (169.6800)	24 (163.9312)	14 (171.9656)
2019-08-09	Route 66 BBQ & Steak Showdown 🏅 Springfiled, MO	18 / 25 (650.0800)	17 (163.3944)	19 (158.2172)	11 (167.3828)	18 (161.0856)
2019-07-20	Smoking on the Osage BBQ contest and Car show 🏅 Osceola, MO	8 / 27 (685.6456)	6 (174.2628)	15 (163.9544)	8 (172.0228)	4 (175.4056)
2018-10-19	Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown Lebanon, MO	15 / 21 (665.0404)	5 (173.1316)	12 (162.8000)	16 (158.2516)	8 (170.8572)
2018-09-22	Table Rock Boats and Bones Kimberling, MO	18 / 35 (665.0516)	6 (173.1200)	25 (162.2400)	21 (161.1316)	15 (168.5600)
2018-08-10	Route 66 Barbeque Throwdown (JUDGES FULL) Springfield, MO	10 / 19 (666.1372)	10 (170.2744)	7 (166.2516)	14 (166.8228)	13 (162.7884)
2018-08-04	Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway Wheatland, MO	5 / 37 (681.6228)	4 (174.2628)	3 (174.8572)	28 (162.8228)	8 (169.6800)
2018-06-29	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	27 / 52 (665.0056)	43 (161.6800)	20 (169.1200)	29 (166.2284)	15 (167.9772)
2018-05-25	*Shepherd's Smokin Summer Kick Off Branson, MO	23 / 50 (672.4800)	14 (172.5600)	41 (157.0972)	19 (169.1200)	6 (173.7028)
2018-04-20	Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO	5 / 43 (687.3368)	4 (177.7028)	2 (176.0000)	19 (163.9540)	10 (169.6800)
2017-09-16	Table Rock Boats and Bones Kimberling, MO	31 / 47 (664.9484)	32 (167.3828)	31 (165.0972)	16 (171.9772)	35 (160.4912)
2017-07-08	Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway Wheatland, MO	23 / 31 (660.4112)	30 (154.7884)	18 (166.2400)	9 (171.4056)	17 (167.9772)
2017-06-23	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	17 / 35 (669.5888)	22 (168.5372)	1 (179.4400)	13 (169.1316)	31 (152.4800)
2017-04-21	Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO	11 / 55 (676.5372)	24 (165.1200)	20 (165.1316)	9 (173.1428)	5 (173.1428)
2016-09-17	Table Rock Boats and Bones Kimberling City, MO	36 / 43 (650.6628)	33 (163.3828)	23 (166.8344)	32 (163.9428)	35 (156.5028)
2016-06-24	Freedom Feast BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	28 / 49 (652.4000)	33 (164.5372)	25 (163.9544)	24 (162.2400)	30 (161.6684)
2015-04-24	Rock N Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO	12 / 63 (671.3144)	2 (177.1544)	26 (164.5372)	10 (170.2628)	26 (159.3600)
2014-05-09	Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO	23 / 57 (643.2228)	14 (169.1200)	31 (157.0744)	29 (158.2284)	25 (158.8000)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#695 (457 pts)	#564 (612 pts)	#732 (457 pts)	#766 (422 pts)	#701 (477 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#439 (810 pts)	#306 (1060 pts)	#362 (960 pts)	#651 (570 pts)	#372 (930 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#963 (356 pts)	#1238 (256 pts)	#773 (521 pts)	#789 (511 pts)	#919 (401 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1775 (120 pts)	#1883 (120 pts)	#1818 (130 pts)	#1840 (125 pts)	#1839 (120 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1636 (125 pts)	#1180 (260 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#1695 (135 pts)	#2214 (60 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2026 (85 pts)	#1870 (130 pts)	#2161 (75 pts)	#2172 (75 pts)	#2148 (75 pts)