The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
GRILLING FOR A CURE has finished one call ahead of MAMA MARY'S BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
MAMA MARY'S BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1454
peak 1454 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
2014-06-06
latest 2016-06-25
Best ToY finish
#1268
Master 2015
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 80%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
603.40 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 598.81 (+4.59)
Walk rate
14%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±23.85
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 153.36 · weakest Pork Ribs (147.21)
Road miles
258
mi across 7 mapped stops · furthest 37 mi
Schedule strength
33%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1544)
Master avg
598.81 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (5 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.
Their season
2015
their best year
2015 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 68%.
- 3 contests
- 0 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 68%
A tough matchup
7–0
behind in the head-to-head
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE ahead in 100% of their meetings
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has come out ahead in 7 of their 7 shared contests.
The weak link
−6.2
points behind their best meat
Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.16 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.
- Pork Ribs avg 147.21
- Chicken avg 153.36
- 0 calls in 7 entries
A strong matchup
4–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of BIG BOYZ BBQ in 4 of their 4 shared 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.
117 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5362 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1454
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#5335 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1454
No shared contest yet.
14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 7% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#5369 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1454
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 10 years after MAMA MARY'S BBQ did, first appearing in 2024.
⚔ Head-to-head#5334 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1454
No shared contest yet.
Level with MAMA MARY'S BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#5342 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1509
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1509 at their best, 55 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#5365 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1454
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 EYZ BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| APORKALYPSE NOW | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Serial Griller | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PORK BARREL BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.9656 | 137.6800 | 153.36 | top 73% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 161.6800 | 134.6628 | 147.21 | top 83% |
| Pork | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.4288 | 139.9200 | 147.39 | top 81% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.0000 | 135.9772 | 150.85 | top 66% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD | 3 | 0 | top 85% |
| DC | 2 | 0 | top 69% |
| VA | 2 | 0 | top 85% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 84% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 78% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Jamboree | 2 | 56 | 0 | top 85% | 2016-05-13 |
| Beltway BBQ Showdown | 2 | 29 | 0 | top 84% | 2015-05-29 |
The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
2.1 yrs
2014-06-06 → 2016-06-25
Busiest season
2015
3 contests
Contests a season
2.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
MD
3 of 7 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
5
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
7 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 153.36 · weakest Pork Ribs (147.21)
Walk rate
14%
a top-10 call in 1 of 7 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 7 contests
Master average
598.81
out of 720 · 7 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
206
68–279 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
258
7 mapped stops · furthest 37 mi
Schedule strength
1544
average field rating faced — tougher than 33% of rated contests
Power rating
1454
peak 1454 · #5356 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2014
- First tracked contest Beltway BBQ Showdown
- Peak power rating (1488) Beltway BBQ Showdown
- 2015
- First call National Capital Barbecue Battle
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.1944 National Capital Barbecue Battle
- Career-best overall score654.1944 National Capital Barbecue Battle
- Career-best single call (Brisket)172.0000 National Capital Barbecue Battle
- 2016
- Most recent contest Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +5.9 | National Capital Barbecue Battle | 2015-06-27 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.2 | Beltway BBQ Showdown | 2014-06-06 |
| -9.4 | Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ | 2014-08-01 |
| -9.2 | BBQ Jamboree | 2015-05-08 |
| -9 | Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle | 2016-06-25 |
| -7.5 | BBQ Jamboree | 2016-05-13 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 83.6% | 82.1% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 68% | 90.9% | 85% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 90% | 82.7% | 81.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-06-25 | Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle Washington, DC | 33 / 35 (579.8288) | 34 (146.8344) | 34 (146.8116) | 33 (139.9200) | 31 (146.2628) |
| 2016-05-13 | BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA | 60 / 72 (602.1944) | 60 (154.8344) | 66 (142.2400) | 57 (153.7028) | 53 (151.4172) |
| 2015-06-27 | National Capital Barbecue Battle Washington, DC | 18 / 42 (654.1944) | 23 (161.0856) | 24 (161.6800) | 23 (159.4288) | 7 (172.0000) |
| 2015-05-29 | Beltway BBQ Showdown Ft. Washington, MD | 29 / 39 (588.2972) | 19 (160.0000) | 36 (134.6628) | 30 (144.5372) | 24 (149.0972) |
| 2015-05-08 | BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA | 56 / 65 (592.4688) | 65 (137.6800) | 49 (152.5484) | 52 (147.3716) | 34 (154.8688) |
| 2014-08-01 | Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Leonardtown, MD | 51 / 59 (595.3944) | 53 (149.1544) | 38 (154.2628) | 51 (145.6800) | 42 (146.2972) |
| 2014-06-06 | Beltway BBQ Showdown Ft. Washington, MD | 39 / 42 (579.3028) | 16 (163.9656) | 42 (138.2516) | 40 (141.1084) | 40 (135.9772) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1775 (120 pts) | #1883 (120 pts) | #1884 (120 pts) | #1872 (120 pts) | #1839 (120 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1268 (215 pts) | #1328 (220 pts) | #1441 (185 pts) | #1472 (190 pts) | #1077 (290 pts) |