MUTTS & BUTTS BARK-BQ

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

Power ranking

#863

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1620

peak 1624 · rated over 27 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-09-13

latest 2019-09-13

Best ToY finish

#349

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

13 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 27 contests

Avg finish

top 37%

overall standings

Best overall

688.5488 / 720

Master · Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

671.46 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 660.75 (+10.71)

Walk rate

96%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

179.4400

Pork · Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival

Consistency

±18.51

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 168.04 · weakest Brisket (162.60)

Road miles

4,061

mi across 27 mapped stops · furthest 250 mi

Schedule strength

48%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1562)

Purse competed for

$14K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

660.75 / 720

27 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (11 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

96% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 26 of 27 contests

A top-10 category call in 96% of their 27 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

688.5488 career-best overall

95.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 688.5488 at Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival — 95.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-09-11

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

SMOKIN' IN THE D has finished one call ahead of MUTTS & BUTTS BARK-BQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2018 their best year

2018 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 21%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 21%

A tough matchup

19–4 behind in the head-to-head

iBQ'n ahead in 83% of their meetings

iBQ'n has come out ahead in 19 of their 23 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.45 points below their pork, and turns into a call 33% of the time against 59%.

Brisket avg 162.60
Pork avg 168.04
9 calls in 27 entries

A strong matchup

13–4 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 76% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HOLY SMOKERS MI in 13 of their 17 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

14 of 20 shared pork entries lost

THE REAL SMOKIN ACES ahead 70% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, THE REAL SMOKIN ACES has out-cooked them in 14 of 20 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

FIREHOUSE SMOKE has landed one call behind them 3 times.

A September team

Top 29% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 29% across 8 contests, versus top 37% the rest of the year.

8 September contests
top 37% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,061 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,061 miles across 27 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 250 miles to CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition.

27 mapped stops
furthest 250 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.

E SQUARED BBQ

#862 of the rated field

1620 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1620

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 2026-08-28

⚔ Head-to-head

THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY

#864 of the rated field

1620 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 58%
Peak: 1639

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 33 contests to 27, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 28 contests
last seen 2025-06-27

⚔ Head-to-head

Stroked Out Cooking Team

#865 of the rated field

1620 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 65%
Peak: 1629

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 20 contests, alongside a 65% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2026-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

CycloneBBQ

#861 of the rated field

1620 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1620

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 6 years after MUTTS & BUTTS BARK-BQ did, first appearing in 2019.

rated over 38 contests
last seen 2025-08-23

⚔ Head-to-head

VIKING BBQ

#866 of the rated field

1620 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 41
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 46%
Peak: 1653

No shared contest yet.

Level with MUTTS & BUTTS BARK-BQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 39 contests
last seen 2022-09-17

⚔ Head-to-head

Meat Monarchy

#859 of the rated field

1621 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 47
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1622

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 45 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 45 contests
last seen 2026-08-15

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
iBQ'n	23	4	19	17%	⚔ compare
FIREHOUSE SMOKE	22	11	11	50%	⚔ compare
Mac Attack BBQ	21	9	12	43%	⚔ compare
THE REAL SMOKIN ACES	20	5	15	25%	⚔ compare
AWW HELL	18	9	9	50%	⚔ compare
HOLY SMOKERS MI	17	13	4	76%	⚔ compare
SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ	15	12	3	80%	⚔ compare
RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ	15	10	5	67%	⚔ compare
BAD HABIT BBQ	15	5	10	33%	⚔ compare
PapaDads BBQ	14	8	6	57%	⚔ compare
40 CALIBER BBQ	12	6	6	50%	⚔ compare
PB&J'S BBQ TEAM	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
BIG BROTHERS BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
Smokin Good Time BBQ	11	10	1	91%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	27	10	0	1	177.7144	151.9772	164.92	top 46%
Pork Ribs	27	13	2	4	176.5944	142.7544	165.19	top 39%
Pork	27	16	5	7	179.4400	151.3944	168.04	top 32%
Brisket	27	9	1	1	178.3200	136.5256	162.60	top 44%

“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
MI	20	top 34%
IN	6	top 48%
WI	1	top 40%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	22	0	top 39%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 29%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Blues.Brews & Barbecue	3	5	top 35%	2016-07-29
Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	3	3	top 21%	2015-09-11
*Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	2	11	top 33%	2018-09-14
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	19	top 78%	2017-07-14

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 6 yrs 2013-09-13 → 2019-09-13

Busiest season 2015 8 contests

Contests a season 3.9 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MI 20 of 27 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 21 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 27 entries · 0 wins · 10 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 168.04 · weakest Brisket (162.60)

Walk rate 96% a top-10 call in 26 of 27 contests

Overall top-10 rate 44% 12 of 27 contests

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 660.75 out of 720 · 27 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 347 593–297 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 4,061 27 mapped stops · furthest 250 mi

Schedule strength 1562 average field rating faced — tougher than 48% of rated contests

Purse competed for $13,500 listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 2 state-championship entries

Power rating 1620 peak 1624 · #863 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Sep 13 First tracked contest Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
Sep 13 First call Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
2014
Aug 22 First category win (Pork) Blues, Brews & Barbecue
Aug 22 First overall top-10 Blues, Brews & Barbecue
Aug 22 First overall past 90% of a perfect score675.9884 Blues, Brews & Barbecue
2015
Aug 28 10th tracked contest Ribstock II: Ribs & Racing
Sep 11 First overall podium Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
Sep 11 Career-best overall score688.5488 Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
Sep 11 Career-best single call (Pork)179.4400 Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
2018
Sep 14 25th tracked contest *Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
Sep 14 Peak power rating (1624) *Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
2019
Sep 13 Most recent contest Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.7	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	2015-09-11
+13.5	Blues, Brews & Barbecue	2014-08-22
+12.3	*CCS Fest	2018-04-06
+12.1	*BBQ Throw Down	2017-05-19
+11.3	*Smoke & Ale Fall Festival	2017-10-13

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.4	ELF Khurafeh Shrine BBQ Competition and Music Festival	2016-06-10
-12.3	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2017-07-14
-10.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2015-06-26
-4.3	Blues, Brews & Barbecue	2015-08-21
-3.1	CCSFest	2019-04-05

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)

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	2	0	0	50%	top 46%	93.2%	93%
2018	3	1	1	100%	top 21%	94.1%	93.4%
2017	7	4	4	100%	top 36%	93.5%	92.3%
2016	4	1	1	100%	top 53%	92.6%	89.8%
2015	8	4	1	100%	top 40%	95.6%	91.2%
2014	2	2	1	100%	top 17%	94%	93.9%
2013	1	0	0	100%	top 32%	89.1%	89.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-09-13	Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival 🏅 Mears, MI	12 / 35 (670.8000)	5 (172.0000)	8 (171.4056)	14 (165.6800)	21 (161.7144)
2019-04-05	CCSFest 🏅 Indianapois, IN	23 / 40 (668.4572)	27 (166.2628)	12 (170.2628)	30 (164.5372)	19 (167.3944)
2018-09-14	*Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	11 / 48 (672.5368)	17 (166.2628)	20 (162.8456)	17 (165.1084)	1 (178.3200)
2018-08-03	Westland Area Jaycee's All American BBQ Throwdown Westland, MI	11 / 39 (667.9084)	26 (162.2628)	2 (176.5944)	14 (163.9656)	15 (165.0856)
2018-04-06	*CCS Fest Indianapolis, IN	6 / 49 (677.6112)	27 (166.2284)	9 (171.4056)	13 (168.5716)	10 (171.4056)
2017-10-13	*Smoke & Ale Fall Festival Chelsea, MI	4 / 32 (673.0972)	4 (169.7028)	1 (175.4516)	8 (169.1200)	17 (158.8228)
2017-09-15	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Madison, WI	12 / 30 (671.9544)	19 (169.1316)	5 (170.2972)	21 (162.8572)	10 (169.6684)
2017-09-08	*Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Silver Lake, MI	12 / 28 (663.9544)	14 (166.8572)	24 (153.0972)	1 (175.4400)	11 (168.5600)
2017-09-01	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Traverse City, MI	8 / 27 (671.3368)	7 (169.1428)	10 (165.6912)	3 (175.4172)	17 (161.0856)
2017-07-21	*BBQ & BREWS Birch Run, MI	8 / 37 (661.6572)	10 (167.9884)	19 (159.4060)	1 (175.4400)	19 (158.8228)
2017-07-14	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour South Bend, IN	24 / 27 (640.9944)	25 (153.6684)	11 (165.6916)	10 (167.9772)	23 (153.6572)
2017-05-19	*BBQ Throw Down Wyandotte, MI	3 / 22 (668.4800)	7 (163.3828)	1 (170.2972)	2 (170.8572)	10 (163.9428)
2016-07-29	Blues.Brews & Barbecue Birch Run, MI	11 / 39 (662.7540)	13 (168.0000)	4 (172.5484)	13 (164.5256)	20 (157.6800)
2016-07-15	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour South Bend, IN	19 / 28 (650.1140)	24 (157.6456)	8 (166.2972)	15 (162.7884)	15 (163.3828)
2016-06-10	ELF Khurafeh Shrine BBQ Competition and Music Festival Clio, MI	19 / 20 (607.2684)	18 (151.9772)	6 (165.7028)	18 (153.0628)	18 (136.5256)
2016-05-20	*2nd Annual Pork in the Park Wyandotte, MI	6 / 28 (666.8684)	13 (161.1656)	11 (166.2400)	1 (178.2972)	13 (161.1656)
2015-09-11	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	3 / 34 (688.5488)	2 (177.7144)	21 (163.9544)	1 (179.4400)	7 (167.4400)
2015-08-28	Ribstock II: Ribs & Racing Marne, MI	8 / 32 (659.3484)	6 (166.8456)	10 (163.9772)	4 (169.7028)	12 (158.8228)
2015-08-21	Blues, Brews & Barbecue Birch Run, MI	21 / 33 (635.3828)	27 (153.7028)	2 (170.8800)	27 (151.3944)	18 (159.4056)
2015-08-14	Jimmy's Roadhouse Backyard BBQ Battle Newaygo, MI	6 / 26 (669.1544)	12 (165.7600)	18 (160.5716)	9 (168.5600)	4 (174.2628)
2015-06-26	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Ypsilanti, MI	26 / 30 (614.7884)	23 (155.3712)	17 (157.7144)	10 (162.8456)	28 (138.8572)
2015-05-15	WBA Pork In The Park Wyandotte, MI	11 / 22 (650.1828)	5 (169.7144)	14 (161.1200)	9 (165.6684)	15 (153.6800)
2015-05-08	Rockin' BBQ for Riley Warsaw, IN	11 / 27 (658.7884)	22 (155.3828)	8 (169.1428)	15 (165.1200)	5 (169.1428)
2015-04-10	CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition Indianapolis, IN	9 / 39 (674.1940)	25 (164.5600)	17 (165.6800)	6 (172.5484)	9 (171.4056)
2014-09-12	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	9 / 43 (676.5140)	13 (169.7028)	26 (160.5484)	8 (173.1200)	4 (173.1428)
2014-08-22	Blues, Brews & Barbecue Birch Run, MI	5 / 39 (675.9884)	4 (173.1544)	24 (160.5828)	1 (178.8800)	20 (163.3712)
2013-09-13	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	15 / 47 (641.5888)	7 (169.1428)	44 (142.7544)	7 (166.2744)	11 (163.4172)

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	#752 (435 pts)	#1219 (220 pts)	#735 (490 pts)	#949 (335 pts)	#686 (530 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#364 (1026 pts)	#425 (896 pts)	#315 (1131 pts)	#201 (1391 pts)	#552 (716 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#797 (456 pts)	#972 (371 pts)	#638 (641 pts)	#693 (581 pts)	#923 (381 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#349 (1069 pts)	#388 (969 pts)	#367 (999 pts)	#249 (1224 pts)	#334 (1054 pts)