3 THIRDS BBQ

3 THIRDS BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 25 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 21st of 25 at the Back to Mayberry BBQ (2015). They are ranked #6474 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#6,474

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1348

peak 1348 · rated over 24 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 6, 2014

latest Jun 1, 2018 · 4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1524

Master 2018 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 25 contests

Avg finish

top 88%

overall standings

Best overall

650.8000 / 720

Master · Mankato Cookout Day 2

Perfect 180s

Current form

560.95 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 590.24 (-29.30)

Walk rate

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4400

Chicken · 10th Annual Big Island BBQ

Consistency

±90.32

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 157.89 · weakest Brisket (152.15)

Road miles

2,435

across 25 mapped stops · furthest 248 mi

Schedule strength

52%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1567)

Master avg

590.24 / 720

24 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

SMOKIN ELVIS BBQ has finished one call ahead of 3 THIRDS BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 8 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 78%.

8 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 78%

A tough matchup

19–1 behind in the head-to-head

TRUE SMOKE BBQ ahead in 95% of their meetings

TRUE SMOKE BBQ has come out ahead in 19 of their 20 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.7 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.74 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.

Brisket avg 152.15
Pork avg 157.89
0 calls in 23 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Piggy Blues BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

17 of 19 shared pork entries lost

TRUE SMOKE BBQ ahead 89% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, TRUE SMOKE BBQ has out-cooked them in 17 of 19 shared pork entries.

Going the wrong way

-26 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 26 points across 6 contests since Jun 9, 2017 — from 1374 down to 1348.

6 contests since Jun 9, 2017
now 1348

Show 2 more storylines

Boom or bust

±12.54% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±12.54% 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.

averages 82.0% of a perfect score
best 90.4%

An August team

Top 78% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 78% across 4 contests, versus top 88% the rest of the year.

4 August contests
top 88% the rest of the year

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1524 (120 pts)	#1598 (120 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1586 (120 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2841 (59 pts)	#2250 (79 pts)	#2177 (94 pts)	—	—
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2116 (80 pts)	#2111 (75 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to 3 THIRDS BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

SILVER FOX BBQ

#6,473 of the rated field

1348 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1348

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 24 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 24 contests
last seen Oct 15, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

Lord Of The Ribs BBQ

#6,475 of the rated field

1348 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1348

Careers of much the same size, 22 contests to 25, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Apr 24, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

smokey anderson bbq

#6,476 of the rated field

1347 power rating

Contests: 68
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 1%
Peak: 1347

68 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 1% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 68 contests
last seen Jul 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

PAPA BEAR BAR-B-QUE

#6,477 of the rated field

1347 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1347

2–3 in 5 shared contests (40% to 3 THIRDS BBQ)

These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — PAPA BEAR BAR-B-QUE ahead 3–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 23 contests
last seen Sep 13, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE

#6,472 of the rated field

1349 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 42
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1349

2–7 in 9 shared contests (22% to 3 THIRDS BBQ)

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2014.

rated over 42 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

DUNN UP BBQ

#6,478 of the rated field

1346 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 58
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 2%
Peak: 1346

Level with 3 THIRDS BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 58 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	20	1	19	5%	⚔ compare
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
Hogline	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
CROIX VALLEY SAUCES	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	15	0	15	0%	⚔ compare
GRUMPY OLD MEN BBQ	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
NECTAR OF THE HOGS	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
CASE OF RIBS	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
QUETOPIA	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
MYASSIS SMOKIN	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
BLACK DOG BBQ IA	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
CITY SLICKERS BBQ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	24	1	175.4400	134.2400	157.53	top 77%
Pork Ribs	22	0	167.4400	141.0744	155.10	top 75%
Pork	22	0	169.1772	142.2400	157.89	top 73%
Brisket	23	0	164.5716	137.6688	152.15	top 79%

“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	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	10	0	top 87%
Large (40+)	14	0	top 89%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MN	15	top 89%
IA	5	top 87%
WI	4	top 85%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Minnesota in May	3	59	top 98%	May 11, 2018
Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	3	43	top 95%	Jul 21, 2017
Smokin In Steele	2	42	top 89%	Jun 1, 2018
Poor Que	2	25	top 75%	Jun 5, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 8 contests

Contests a season 5 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MN 16 of 25 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 18 4 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 24 entries · 0 wins · 1 call

Opponents faced 433 finished ahead 130 times, behind 984

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

20182 milestones

Jun 1 25th tracked contest Smokin In Steele
Jun 1 Most recent contest Smokin In Steele

20174 milestones

Jun 10 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.8000 Mankato Cookout Day 2
Jun 10 Career-best overall score650.8000 Mankato Cookout Day 2
Aug 25 First call 10th Annual Big Island BBQ
Aug 25 Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4400 10th Annual Big Island BBQ

20151 milestone

Aug 28 10th tracked contest 8th Annual Big Island BBQ

20142 milestones

Jun 6 First tracked contest Poor Que
Jun 6 Peak power rating (1490) Poor Que

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+2.2	Med City BBQ & Musicfest	Aug 7, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.3	4th Annual Smokin In the Bogs	Aug 29, 2014
-13.2	Minnesota in May	May 15, 2015
-12.2	Minnesota in May	May 13, 2016
-10.3	Poor Que	Jun 6, 2014
-9.6	Minnesota in May	May 12, 2017

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	2	0%	top 97%	85.1%	63.2%
2017	5	20%	top 93%	90.4%	86.2%
2016	8	0%	top 92%	89%	80.6%
2015	8	0%	top 78%	89.3%	86.8%
2014	2	0%	top 92%	85.1%	75.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 1, 2018	Smokin In Steele Owatonna, MN	44 / 45 (297.0400)	44 (144.5028)	—	—	38 (152.5372)
May 11, 2018	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	68 / 70 (612.4576)	56 (158.8572)	62 (154.8344)	58 (157.7144)	70 (141.0516)
Aug 25, 2017	10th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	45 / 56 (626.7772)	5 (175.4400)	39 (158.8344)	49 (149.0856)	45 (143.4172)
Jul 21, 2017	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	48 / 49 (617.6688)	40 (156.5600)	46 (147.9888)	49 (151.4400)	29 (161.6800)
Jun 10, 2017	Mankato Cookout Day 2 Mankato, MN	29 / 33 (650.8000)	22 (167.4172)	18 (167.4400)	31 (157.6800)	29 (158.2628)
Jun 9, 2017	Mankato Cookout Day 1 and (BACKYARD) Mankato, MN	35 / 35 (625.6920)	35 (152.5144)	30 (157.1316)	27 (162.8800)	34 (153.1660)
May 12, 2017	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	71 / 71 (583.2800)	71 (134.2400)	70 (141.0744)	57 (155.9884)	56 (151.9772)
Aug 26, 2016	9th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	—	—	—	—	—
Jul 22, 2016	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	43 / 47 (640.5256)	43 (158.8456)	41 (157.1428)	32 (164)	34 (160.5372)
Jun 17, 2016	Treasure Island BBQ/ Steak Food Fest Red Wing, MN	32 / 34 (326.2288)	21 (163.4288)	18 (162.8000)	—	—
Jun 11, 2016	Mankato Cookout Day 2 and ( Back Yard) Mankato, MN	29 / 32 (636.5720)	32 (156.5372)	31 (152.0116)	22 (163.4516)	15 (164.5716)
Jun 10, 2016	Mankato Cookout Day 1 Mankato, MN	31 / 33 (626.2628)	28 (163.4516)	33 (146.2628)	22 (165.1428)	32 (151.4056)
Jun 3, 2016	Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN	42 / 53 (631.3944)	35 (161.1888)	16 (166.2856)	36 (160.5256)	50 (143.3944)
May 13, 2016	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	71 / 71 (583.2344)	60 (157.6684)	70 (145.6572)	71 (142.2400)	70 (137.6688)
Apr 29, 2016	Masters in May Appleton, WI	54 / 59 (617.1088)	20 (167.4056)	59 (143.3716)	57 (146.2972)	31 (160.0344)
Aug 28, 2015	8th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	39 / 55 (637.6800)	26 (164.5600)	34 (161.1200)	26 (163.4172)	46 (148.5828)
Aug 7, 2015	Med City BBQ & Musicfest Rochester, MN	28 / 47 (642.9260)	41 (154.8572)	18 (164.6172)	13 (169.1772)	34 (154.2744)
Jul 24, 2015	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	51 / 54 (617.0516)	52 (154.8228)	48 (154.8572)	49 (153.6916)	41 (153.6800)
Jul 17, 2015	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	26 / 39 (635.8744)	26 (161.6800)	17 (162.8116)	25 (160.5828)	28 (150.8000)
Jul 3, 2015	Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA	21 / 25 (630.7544)	18 (161.0856)	14 (163.4172)	23 (152)	20 (154.2516)
Jun 5, 2015	Poor Que Montello, WI	25 / 38 (615.2908)	35 (149.0628)	27 (150.2512)	21 (158.2740)	22 (157.7028)
May 29, 2015	Smokin' in Steel Owatonna, MN	51 / 60 (619.8972)	49 (157.6800)	45 (155.3828)	46 (157.1200)	51 (149.7144)
May 15, 2015	Minnesota in May St. Paul, MN	59 / 60 (600.5372)	60 (145.0972)	59 (145.7144)	35 (163.4512)	58 (146.2744)
Aug 29, 2014	4th Annual Smokin In the Bogs Warrens, WI	34 / 34 (478.2628)	24 (158.8688)	—	26 (157.6796)	20 (161.7144)
Jun 6, 2014	Poor Que Montello, WI	32 / 38 (612.5604)	27 (154.8344)	26 (153.1316)	12 (161.7716)	35 (142.8228)

3 THIRDS BBQ

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 (9 found in their record)

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

Going the wrong way

Boom or bust

An August team

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)