CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q

CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q is a competition barbecue team with 15 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2016. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 23 at the Balloons, Blues & BBQ (2015), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2669 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,669

of 6,485 rated · rankings

Rating

1514

peak 1523 · rated over 15 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 10, 2015

latest Aug 19, 2016 · 1.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#390

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

7% of 15 contests

Avg finish

top 56%

overall standings

Best overall

689.7372 / 720

Master · Balloons, Blues & BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

658.98 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 657.69 (+1.30)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8800

Brisket · Balloons, Blues & BBQ

Consistency

±16.58

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 165.83 · weakest Brisket (163.10)

Road miles

1,085

across 15 mapped stops · furthest 142 mi

Schedule strength

51%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)

Master avg

657.69 / 720

15 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

The heartbreaker

0.4568 points from the title

Came within 0.4568 points of the Grand Championship at Balloons, Blues & BBQ (Sep 12, 2015).

They almost always walk

67% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 10 of 15 contests

A top-10 category call in 67% of their 15 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

689.7372 career-best overall

95.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 689.7372 at Balloons, Blues & BBQ — 95.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 12, 2015

A tough matchup

12–0 behind in the head-to-head

BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ has come out ahead in 12 of their 12 shared contests.

A strong matchup

6–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 86% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DOLF'S BBQ in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

11 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ ahead 92% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ has out-cooked them in 11 of 12 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

LITTLE BOB'S BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±2.30% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.30% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.3% of a perfect score
15 contests

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
2016 ↗	Master	#992 (328 pts)	#1034 (338 pts)	#872 (443 pts)	#1137 (303 pts)	#1087 (308 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#390 (958 pts)	#445 (878 pts)	#323 (1,093 pts)	#332 (1,038 pts)	#293 (1,172 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Mad Cow BBQ

#2,673 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1524

Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

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EMERALD BUFFALO

#2,672 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1537

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 20% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Aug 3, 2018

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SAUCY DAWG BBQ

#2,664 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 57%
Peak: 1533

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2015.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Jun 8, 2019

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RedHog BBQ

#2,661 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1516

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 17 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Oct 2, 2026

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Smokin' Pelletheads

#2,680 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1519

Level with CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Sep 12, 2019

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5-0 BBQ

#2,666 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1532

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Aug 26, 2016

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
GREY STREET BBQ	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
Extra Mile BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
THUNDER HOG BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
BLUE CHIP BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
CHARCOAL & MORE	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' HOOKERS BAR-B-Q LLC	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
WeQ4U	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
HISTORIC BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
ALL IN QUE	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
ACME BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
Its 5 Oclock Somewhere	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
DOLF'S BBQ	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	15	1	0	0	173.1084	154.2172	165.83	top 57%
Pork Ribs	15	4	0	0	173.1772	153.0972	164.82	top 49%
Pork	15	3	0	0	173.1084	153.7256	163.94	top 55%
Brisket	15	5	1	1	178.8800	147.9540	163.10	top 55%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 61%
Medium (20–39)	9	top 52%
Large (40+)	5	top 62%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IN	13	top 56%
KY	1	top 68%
IL	1	top 54%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin on the Water 2	2	13	0	top 45%	Apr 30, 2016
Smokin on the Water	2	13	0	top 54%	Apr 29, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 11 contests

Contests a season 7.5 across 2 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IN 13 of 15 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 13 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 260 finished ahead 247 times, behind 336

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

20162 milestones

Apr 30 Peak power rating (1523) Smokin on the Water 2
Aug 19 Most recent contest Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval

201510 milestones

Apr 10 First tracked contest CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition
Apr 10 First call CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition
May 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score677.5996 Smokin on the Water 2
Sep 12 First category win (Brisket) Balloons, Blues & BBQ
Sep 12 First overall top-10 Balloons, Blues & BBQ
Sep 12 First overall podium Balloons, Blues & BBQ
Sep 12 First Reserve Championship Balloons, Blues & BBQ
Sep 12 10th tracked contest Balloons, Blues & BBQ
Sep 12 Career-best overall score689.7372 Balloons, Blues & BBQ
Sep 12 Career-best single call (Brisket)178.8800 Balloons, Blues & BBQ

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.9	Balloons, Blues & BBQ	Sep 12, 2015
+8	Smokin on the Water 2	May 1, 2015
+7	Smokin on the Water	Apr 29, 2016
+3.4	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jul 10, 2015
+1.4	Smokin on the Water 2	Apr 30, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval	Aug 19, 2016
-4.8	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness	Jun 26, 2015
-4.4	CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition	Apr 10, 2015
-3.4	Smokin' on the Water	May 2, 2015
-2.6	Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off	Oct 16, 2015

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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)
2016	4	0	0	0	25%	top 59%	93.6%	91.5%
2015	11	0	1	1	82%	top 55%	95.8%	91.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 19, 2016	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval Madison, IN	52 / 63 (634.1596)	34 (166.8456)	54 (154.8228)	34 (164.5372)	58 (147.9540)
Apr 30, 2016	Smokin on the Water 2 Liberty, IN	19 / 35 (673.0628)	17 (171.9772)	12 (172.5600)	16 (167.4400)	29 (161.0856)
Apr 29, 2016	Smokin on the Water Liberty, IN	13 / 33 (674.2400)	15 (169.6684)	10 (169.1316)	21 (164.5600)	11 (170.8800)
Apr 22, 2016	CCS Fest: CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition Indianapolis, IN	30 / 49 (654.7544)	23 (166.2744)	12 (168.5372)	37 (159.4172)	32 (160.5256)
Oct 16, 2015	Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off Munfordville, KY	23 / 34 (658.6972)	27 (163.9544)	19 (165.0856)	16 (167.9772)	24 (161.6800)
Sep 12, 2015	Balloons, Blues & BBQ Bloomington, IN	2 / 23 (689.7372)	11 (170.2628)	4 (173.1772)	6 (167.4172)	1 (178.8800)
Sep 4, 2015	Homecoming 2015 BBQ Cookoff Vernon, IN	11 / 18 (665.0400)	12 (166.2400)	11 (167.9772)	11 (164.5600)	9 (166.2628)
Aug 21, 2015	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	36 / 64 (659.2684)	53 (158.2172)	7 (172.5600)	35 (164.5256)	31 (163.9656)
Jul 10, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Indianapolis, IN	14 / 28 (654.7772)	15 (164.5600)	21 (158.2516)	16 (165.7028)	10 (166.2628)
Jun 26, 2015	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	25 / 34 (626.0800)	27 (154.2172)	27 (153.0972)	25 (157.0856)	21 (161.6800)
Jun 12, 2015	Smokin' On The River Jeffersonville, IN	34 / 59 (654.1596)	17 (171.4056)	38 (161.1200)	10 (172.5600)	55 (149.0740)
May 2, 2015	Smokin' on the Water Liberty, IN	25 / 36 (660.4340)	9 (173.1084)	27 (160.5372)	31 (158.8228)	19 (167.9656)
May 1, 2015	Smokin on the Water 2 Liberty, IN	13 / 37 (677.5996)	26 (163.9428)	11 (170.2856)	5 (173.1084)	10 (170.2628)
Apr 24, 2015	Wabash Ribber Fest Mt. Carmel, IL	25 / 46 (645.1428)	24 (165.1656)	32 (154.8228)	38 (153.7256)	8 (171.4288)
Apr 10, 2015	CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition Indianapolis, IN	29 / 39 (638.1256)	29 (161.6340)	9 (170.2744)	29 (157.6800)	37 (148.5372)

CARSON'S BBQ / LIVY-Q

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

They almost always walk

High-water mark

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)