The heartbreaker
Came within 1.1428 points of the Grand Championship at Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) (2025-07-11).
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Came within 1.1428 points of the Grand Championship at Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) (2025-07-11).
Their power rating has climbed 82 points across 13 contests since 2025-07-11 — from 1487 up to 1570.
138.2% of a perfect 360
Their best day on record: 497.6572 at Smokin' for Garrett — 138.2% of a perfect 360.
Chester's Twisted Que has finished one call ahead of SmoQued On Main St 3 times — their closest competition in the data.
2026 was the year it came together: 12 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 33%.
Rudes BBQ ahead in 85% of their meetings
Rudes BBQ has come out ahead in 22 of their 26 shared contests.
Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.20 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 30% of the time against 35%.
Ahead in 78% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Cotton BBQ in 7 of their 9 shared contests.
WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ ahead 87% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ has out-cooked them in 20 of 23 shared chicken entries.
Field size changes the story: they average a top 40% finish in large fields against top 73% in small ones.
DAD BOD BARBEQUE has landed one call behind them 2 times.
Their overall swings ±10.30% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.
Something about November: average finish in the top 32% across 3 contests, versus top 55% the rest of the year.
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 13,408 miles across 56 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 491 miles to Atlanta BBQ Store Classic.
They've cooked Iowa State BBQ Championship every year from 2023 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.
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.
58 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — SmoQued On Main St ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-headThis is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before SmoQued On Main St's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headCareers of much the same size, 46 contests to 56, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head38 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 24% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-headLevel with SmoQued On Main St on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudes BBQ | 26 | 4 | 22 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 23 | 1 | 22 | 4% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | 18 | 6 | 12 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 16 | 4 | 12 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| DAWGS BBQ | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Wapatui Smokers | 14 | 6 | 8 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 14 | 5 | 9 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ MIKE | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| Shmack Q | 14 | 1 | 13 | 7% | ⚔ compare |
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 13 | 3 | 9 | 23% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 13 | 3 | 9 | 23% | ⚔ compare |
| TRIPLE H BBQ | 13 | 2 | 11 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced BBQ | 13 | 1 | 12 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 52 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 177.7144 | 141.6112 | 166.17 | top 46% |
| Pork Ribs | 55 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 176.5600 | 139.9200 | 162.14 | top 57% |
| Pork | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 173.7028 | 150.8344 | 161.97 | top 39% |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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.
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL | 12 | 0 | top 56% |
| MO | 10 | 0 | top 68% |
| WI | 8 | 0 | top 52% |
| IA | 8 | 0 | top 59% |
| TN | 6 | 0 | top 39% |
| GA | 3 | 0 | top 32% |
| KY | 2 | 0 | top 37% |
| MI | 1 | 0 | top 48% |
| MN | 1 | 0 | top 93% |
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 13 | 0 | top 73% |
| Medium (20–39) | 24 | 0 | top 53% |
| Large (40+) | 14 | 0 | top 40% |
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State BBQ Championship | 4 | 6 | 0 | top 53% | 2026-04-03 |
| Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 4 | 18 | 0 | top 34% | 2026-03-20 |
| Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2) | 3 | 10 | 0 | top 64% | 2026-07-10 |
| Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 12 | 0 | top 64% | 2026-04-24 |
| Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 32% | 2025-11-14 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 58% | 2026-06-13 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 35% | 2026-06-12 |
| Buds Blues and BBQ | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 61% | 2025-09-05 |
| Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 37% | 2025-07-12 |
| Art of the Que (Backyard 2) | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 94% | 2025-06-27 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 75% | 2025-03-21 |
| Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 66% | 2024-08-23 |
| Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 25 | 0 | top 74% | 2024-06-14 |
| Smokin' for Garrett | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 41% | 2023-10-06 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18.2 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) | 2025-07-11 |
| +17.8 | Bands and BBQ at the Point | 2025-09-12 |
| +15.2 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-09-16 |
| +14.4 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 2025-03-14 |
| +14.2 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2026-06-12 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.1 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off (BACKYARD 2) | 2023-07-07 |
| -10.2 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2024-03-29 |
| -9.9 | 2024 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off - Backyard B | 2024-07-12 |
| -9.5 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-08-23 |
| -9.4 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-06-17 |
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 50% | top 33% | 96.8% | 94.4% |
| 2025 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 50% | top 51% | 97.1% | 93.4% |
| 2024 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 25% | top 68% | 94% | 90% |
| 2023 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 58% | top 59% | 138.2% | 96.7% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 51% | 130.1% | 104.2% |
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-10 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2) Cameron, MO | 10 / 16 (332.5028) | 4 (173.1200) | 14 (159.3828) | — | — |
| 2026-07-10 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) 🏅 Cameron, MO | 11 / 37 (331.3372) | 11 (168.5372) | 11 (162.8000) | — | — |
| 2026-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 18 / 37 (333.6344) | 17 (168.5372) | 19 (165.0972) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 40 (346.2284) | 11 (173.1200) | 10 (173.1084) | — | — |
| 2026-05-24 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 28 / 82 (342.2516) | 12 (175.4288) | 36 (166.8228) | — | — |
| 2026-05-22 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | — | 69 (167.9656) | — | — |
| 2026-04-24 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 12 / 24 (336.0116) | 14 (167.4172) | 8 (168.5944) | — | — |
| 2026-04-03 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 6 / 42 (347.3828) | 13 (173.1084) | 5 (174.2744) | — | — |
| 2026-03-27 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge 🏅 St. Robert, MO | 7 / 26 (348.5372) | 4 (176.5600) | 10 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 55 (166.2400) | — | — | — |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 27 / 125 (339.9544) | 5 (177.7028) | 43 (162.2516) | 26 (168.5372) | — |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 55 (166.2516) | — | — |
| 2025-11-14 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 8 / 56 (346.2744) | 11 (173.1200) | 8 (173.1544) | 12 (157.6684) | — |
| 2025-09-12 | Bands and BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 2 / 29 (349.6800) | 4 (173.1200) | 2 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2025-09-05 | Buds Blues and BBQ 🏅 Columbia, MO | 7 / 9 (333.1200) | 6 (169.1200) | 9 (164.0000) | — | — |
| 2025-07-12 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 10 / 16 (339.9544) | 9 (171.4172) | 9 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2025-07-11 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 2 / 18 (348.5600) | 5 (173.1544) | 1 (175.4056) | 13 (159.3828) | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) Spencer, IA | 16 / 17 (323.9428) | 8 (168.0000) | 17 (155.9428) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) 🏅 Spencer, IA | 14 / 15 (326.2172) | 11 (163.3944) | 11 (162.8228) | — | — |
| 2025-06-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 24 / 36 (326.7772) | 28 (158.8000) | 13 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 21 / 36 (335.9084) | 14 (173.1084) | 32 (162.8000) | — | — |
| 2025-04-25 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 13 / 24 (329.1200) | 14 (165.1428) | 16 (163.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-04-04 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 17 / 49 (338.2400) | 16 (170.8228) | 19 (167.4172) | — | — |
| 2025-03-21 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 22 / 33 (331.3716) | 14 (170.8344) | 28 (160.5372) | — | — |
| 2025-03-14 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 18 / 100 (343.9544) | 3 (177.7144) | 35 (166.2400) | 24 (168.5600) | — |
| 2025-03-14 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 57 (162.8228) | — | — |
| 2024-11-15 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cuming, GA | 23 / 58 (334.2284) | 20 (166.2628) | 17 (167.9656) | — | — |
| 2024-09-13 | Buds Blues and BBQ 🏅 Columbia, MO | 7 / 16 (326.2860) | 3 (174.2972) | 10 (151.9888) | — | — |
| 2024-08-23 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 25 / 28 (316.5144) | 13 (163.9772) | 25 (152.5372) | — | — |
| 2024-08-17 | Smoke N for the Kids 🏅 Troy, IL | 19 / 27 (305.6344) | 16 (159.4172) | 20 (146.2172) | — | — |
| 2024-07-27 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL | 20 / 34 (320.4800) | 13 (168.5372) | 26 (151.9428) | — | — |
| 2024-07-20 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI | 11 / 23 (337.1084) | 12 (171.4056) | 14 (165.7028) | — | — |
| 2024-07-12 | 2024 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off - Backyard B Cameron, MO | 7 / 7 (318.7316) | 5 (166.2516) | 7 (152.4800) | — | — |
| 2024-07-12 | 2024 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off - Backyard A Cameron, MO | 9 / 10 (336.5144) | 6 (171.4172) | 9 (165.0972) | — | — |
| 2024-07-05 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 14 / 16 (321.0740) | 15 (158.2168) | 12 (162.8572) | — | — |
| 2024-06-14 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 25 / 40 (325.0744) | 28 (161.1200) | 23 (163.9544) | — | — |
| 2024-06-08 | 1st Annual Hy-Vee Ribs & Rides (BBQ Challenge and Car Show) (BACKYARD ONLY) Sycamore, IL | 3 / 9 (338.2856) | 4 (165.7028) | 2 (172.5828) | 1 (173.7028) | — |
| 2024-05-17 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 24 / 39 (334.2288) | 12 (172.5600) | 32 (161.6688) | — | — |
| 2024-03-29 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 42 / 42 (317.6112) | 35 (163.9428) | 44 (153.6684) | — | — |
| 2024-03-22 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 26 / 31 (315.3256) | 26 (157.0628) | 27 (158.2628) | — | — |
| 2024-03-15 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 45 / 93 (311.9088) | 41 (157.6572) | 42 (154.2516) | 37 (155.9316) | — |
| 2024-03-15 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 72 (143.3372) | — | — |
| 2023-11-17 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 26 / 60 (317.6460) | 26 (158.2744) | 24 (159.3716) | 9 (168.5372) | — |
| 2023-10-06 | Smokin' for Garrett 🏅 Mt. Carmel, IL | 5 / 26 (497.6572) | 5 (166.8228) | 6 (166.2744) | 7 (164.5600) | — |
| 2023-09-16 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 4 / 35 (340.5028) | 16 (163.9428) | 3 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2023-09-08 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 22 / 33 (336.5372) | 6 (170.8344) | 6 (165.7028) | — | — |
| 2023-08-25 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 11 / 26 (330.2400) | 8 (170.8228) | 15 (159.4172) | — | — |
| 2023-07-21 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 14 / 15 (308.4572) | 14 (152.4912) | 11 (155.9660) | — | — |
| 2023-07-14 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 13 / 25 (317.6112) | 6 (167.9656) | 16 (149.6456) | — | — |
| 2023-07-07 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off (BACKYARD 2) Cameron, MO | 12 / 12 (327.3832) | 7 (168.0000) | 12 (159.3832) | — | — |
| 2023-06-17 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 28 / 33 (312.4916) | 20 (161.1088) | 30 (151.3828) | — | — |
| 2023-05-27 | Westmont Red White & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 28 / 34 (460.4804) | 28 (152.5028) | 24 (157.1432) | 30 (150.8344) | — |
| 2023-03-31 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 29 / 47 (312.4916) | 25 (157.6800) | 29 (154.8116) | — | — |
| 2023-03-17 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 40 / 80 (317.6224) | 42 (155.9312) | 30 (161.6912) | — | — |
| 2022-10-14 | Best of the Midwest BBQ 🏅 Union Grove, WI | 14 / 36 (281.5312) | 14 (141.6112) | 12 (139.9200) | — | — |
| 2022-09-16 | Smokin' For Garrett 🏅 Mt. Carmel, IL | 17 / 27 (468.4684) | 18 (147.4056) | 8 (169.1200) | 18 (151.9428) | — |
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #51 (771 pts) | #47 (823 pts) | #66 (729 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | #1010 (60 pts) | #877 (120 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #61 (854 pts) | #55 (886 pts) | #58 (876 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1293 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #80 (724 pts) | #63 (826 pts) | #84 (707 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1317 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #76 (769 pts) | #84 (761 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #197 (173 pts) | #160 (243 pts) | — | — |