COLONIAL EMBERS

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

Power ranking

#3054

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1504

peak 1519 · rated over 17 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-05-09

latest 2018-03-23

Best ToY finish

#663

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 59%

overall standings

Best overall

662.2284 / 720

Master · Brew, Barbecue & Oysters Too!

Perfect 180s

Current form

639.07 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 636.77 (+2.30)

Walk rate

65%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7028

Brisket · Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest

Consistency

±15.98

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 160.06 · weakest Brisket (157.62)

Road miles

2,280

mi across 17 mapped stops · furthest 410 mi

Schedule strength

46%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1559)

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

636.77 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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

65% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 11 of 17 contests

A top-10 category call in 65% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 46%.

5 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 46%

A tough matchup

11–0 behind in the head-to-head

WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.

A strong matchup

5–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of KIRBBQ in 5 of their 6 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

9 of 11 shared pork entries lost

WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ ahead 82% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 11 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±2.22% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.22% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 88.4% of a perfect score
17 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.

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

#3064 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1505

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to COLONIAL EMBERS)

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

rated over 5 contests
last seen 2017-10-13

⚔ Head-to-head

This Little Piggy Got Smoked

#3065 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2025-09-26

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKE'N'FIRE BBQ TEAM

#3051 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1561

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1561 at their best, 57 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2018-07-21

⚔ Head-to-head

WILD SHOOTERS BBQ

#3049 of the rated field

1504 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1512

No shared contest yet.

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2019-08-09

⚔ Head-to-head

POVERTY HILL SMOKERS

#3056 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1536

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2017-09-29

⚔ Head-to-head

BURNT WOOD BBQ

#3059 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1522

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 21 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2026-05-01

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
LIL WILL'S LONE STAR QUE	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
Serial Griller	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
4:20 Q	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
BIG DOG BBQ VA	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
FIRESIDE ALCHEMY	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
Smoke-A-Holics	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
KIRBBQ	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
GREAT WHITE BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	4	1	1	173.1200	145.6112	159.53	top 59%
Pork Ribs	17	6	0	1	168.5600	147.3944	159.57	top 54%
Pork	17	5	0	0	171.4172	145.6228	160.06	top 55%
Brisket	17	4	0	0	173.7028	137.6572	157.62	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	Avg finish
VA	15	top 57%
OH	1	top 76%
NC	1	top 69%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	11	0	top 55%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 66%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest	3	14	0	top 52%	2016-10-14
BBQ Gives Back	2	46	0	top 80%	2018-03-23

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

On the trail 3.9 yrs 2014-05-09 → 2018-03-23

Busiest season 2016 5 contests

Contests a season 3.4 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in VA 15 of 17 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 14 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 17 entries · 1 win · 4 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 160.06 · weakest Brisket (157.62)

Walk rate 65% a top-10 call in 11 of 17 contests

Overall top-10 rate 18% 3 of 17 contests

Master average 636.77 out of 720 · 17 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 351 259–406 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,280 17 mapped stops · furthest 410 mi

Schedule strength 1559 average field rating faced — tougher than 46% of rated contests

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Power rating 1504 peak 1519 · #3054 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
May 9 First tracked contest Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge
Sep 5 First call 10th Annual Recovery Fest
2016
May 20 First overall top-10 Chesapeake Jubilee
May 20 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.6116 Chesapeake Jubilee
Sep 9 10th tracked contest 12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship
Sep 23 Career-best overall score662.2284 Brew, Barbecue & Oysters Too!
Oct 14 Career-best single call (Brisket)173.7028 Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest
2017
May 19 First category win (Chicken) *Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off
May 19 Peak power rating (1519) *Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off
2018
Mar 23 Most recent contest BBQ Gives Back

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12	Brew, Barbecue & Oysters Too!	2016-09-23
+11	*Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off	2017-05-19
+7.7	Chesapeake Jubilee	2016-05-20
+7.5	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest	2015-10-16
+6.2	Boydton's Big Bad BBQ	2016-08-26

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.7	11th Annual Recovery Fest	2015-09-11
-8.6	BBQ Gives Back	2018-03-23
-7	Buckeye State BBQ Championship	2014-05-16
-6.1	*Devon Grube Memorial BBQ Classic	2017-10-06
-5.1	Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge	2014-05-09

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)
2018	1	0	0	0%	top 88%	85.9%	85.9%
2017	4	1	1	75%	top 55%	90.6%	89.5%
2016	5	2	0	80%	top 46%	92%	90.1%
2015	3	0	0	67%	top 64%	90%	87.3%
2014	4	0	0	50%	top 67%	89.7%	86.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-03-23	BBQ Gives Back Urbanna, VA	66 / 75 (618.6512)	67 (155.3484)	71 (150.8116)	61 (155.9428)	52 (156.5484)
2017-10-06	*Devon Grube Memorial BBQ Classic Virginia Beach, VA	18 / 23 (639.8288)	9 (166.2400)	10 (163.4172)	22 (148.5144)	14 (161.6572)
2017-05-19	*Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-Off Chesapeake, VA	8 / 34 (652.5032)	1 (173.1200)	10 (168.0000)	17 (158.8116)	18 (152.5716)
2017-04-28	4th Annual Pickin N Pullin BBQ competition Lanexa, VA	21 / 46 (648.4224)	24 (164.5372)	15 (163.9540)	32 (157.0972)	17 (162.8340)
2017-03-24	BBQ Gives Back Urbanna, VA	46 / 64 (635.9316)	54 (155.4400)	37 (161.1200)	4 (171.4172)	52 (147.9544)
2016-10-14	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest Woodstock, VA	23 / 38 (649.0284)	29 (155.9544)	30 (151.4056)	12 (167.9656)	4 (173.7028)
2016-09-23	Brew, Barbecue & Oysters Too! Cape Charles, VA	5 / 22 (662.2284)	8 (163.4056)	3 (168.5600)	6 (170.2628)	10 (160.0000)
2016-09-09	12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship 🏅 Richmond, VA	17 / 25 (643.8288)	12 (164.5372)	17 (159.3716)	13 (165.6800)	19 (154.2400)
2016-08-26	Boydton's Big Bad BBQ Boydton, VA	11 / 28 (634.0920)	8 (165.0972)	8 (167.4172)	19 (154.2056)	17 (147.3720)
2016-05-20	Chesapeake Jubilee Chesapeake, VA	10 / 26 (653.6116)	17 (161.1428)	6 (167.9888)	4 (168.5372)	16 (155.9428)
2015-10-16	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest Woodstock, VA	14 / 37 (647.8172)	17 (163.3828)	14 (166.2400)	10 (165.6800)	25 (152.5144)
2015-09-11	11th Annual Recovery Fest Richmond, VA	26 / 29 (602.6628)	27 (145.7144)	6 (167.3712)	28 (151.9200)	27 (137.6572)
2015-08-21	VA BBQ Championships Hampton, VA	30 / 46 (635.2912)	21 (162.8344)	33 (155.9312)	39 (157.1200)	27 (159.4056)
2014-10-17	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest Woodstock, VA	23 / 40 (646.1712)	27 (157.7028)	35 (149.6456)	6 (168.5256)	4 (170.2972)
2014-09-05	10th Annual Recovery Fest Richmond, VA	21 / 32 (613.0744)	26 (150.2972)	24 (147.3944)	25 (147.9656)	4 (167.4172)
2014-05-16	Buckeye State BBQ Championship West Chester, OH	29 / 38 (616.3768)	37 (145.6112)	25 (152.5828)	18 (165.6684)	29 (152.5144)
2014-05-09	Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge Kannapolis, NC	55 / 80 (625.5428)	42 (161.6684)	68 (151.3944)	78 (145.6228)	23 (166.8572)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1954 (60 pts)	#2012 (60 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1990 (60 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#922 (377 pts)	#740 (542 pts)	#916 (427 pts)	#894 (432 pts)	#989 (357 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#663 (581 pts)	#722 (556 pts)	#592 (686 pts)	#594 (681 pts)	#658 (601 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2658 (63 pts)	#2670 (63 pts)	#2674 (63 pts)	#2057 (98 pts)	#2668 (63 pts)