3 THIRDS BBQ

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

Power ranking

#6398

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1347

peak 1347 · rated over 24 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-06-06

latest 2018-06-01

Best ToY finish

#1524

Master 2018

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

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

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 157.89 · weakest Brisket (152.15)

Road miles

2,435

mi 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

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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.

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 2017-06-09 — from 1373 down to 1347.

6 contests since 2017-06-09
now 1347

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

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.

Lord Of The Ribs BBQ

#6397 of the rated field

1348 ▲ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 22 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 22 contests
last seen 2026-04-24

⚔ Head-to-head

smokey anderson bbq

#6399 of the rated field

1347 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

68 contests to 25: their number has had years to settle where 3 THIRDS BBQ's is still finding its level.

rated over 68 contests
last seen 2026-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

PAPA BEAR BAR-B-QUE

#6401 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 2019-09-13

⚔ Head-to-head

SILVER FOX BBQ

#6396 of the rated field

1348 ▲ 1 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

24 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2021-10-15

⚔ Head-to-head

DUNN UP BBQ

#6400 of the rated field

1347 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 58
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 2%
Peak: 1347

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 58 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE

#6395 of the rated field

1349 ▲ 2 power rating

Contests: 41
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 41 contests
last seen 2026-05-08

⚔ Head-to-head

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 state / province

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

By contest size

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

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Minnesota in May	3	59	top 98%	2018-05-11
*Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	3	43	top 95%	2017-07-21
Smokin In Steele	2	42	top 89%	2018-06-01
Poor Que	2	25	top 75%	2015-06-05

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4 yrs 2014-06-06 → 2018-06-01

Busiest season 2016 8 contests

Contests a season 5 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MN 16 of 25 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 18 4 of them cooked more than once

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

Strongest meat Pork averages 157.89 · weakest Brisket (152.15)

Walk rate 4% a top-10 call in 1 of 25 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 25 contests

Master average 590.24 out of 720 · 24 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 434 130–984 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,435 25 mapped stops · furthest 248 mi

Schedule strength 1567 average field rating faced — tougher than 52% of rated contests

Power rating 1347 peak 1347 · #6398 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Jun 6 First tracked contest Poor Que
Jun 6 Peak power rating (1490) Poor Que
2015
Aug 28 10th tracked contest 8th Annual Big Island BBQ
2017
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
2018
Jun 1 25th tracked contest Smokin In Steele
Jun 1 Most recent contest Smokin In Steele

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+2.2	Med City BBQ & Musicfest	2015-08-07

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.3	4th Annual Smokin In the Bogs	2014-08-29
-13.2	Minnesota in May	2015-05-15
-12.2	Minnesota in May	2016-05-13
-10.3	Poor Que	2014-06-06
-9.6	Minnesota in May	2017-05-12

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	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
2018-06-01	Smokin In Steele Owatonna, MN	44 / 45 (297.0400)	44 (144.5028)	—	—	38 (152.5372)
2018-05-11	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	68 / 70 (612.4576)	56 (158.8572)	62 (154.8344)	58 (157.7144)	70 (141.0516)
2017-08-25	10th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	45 / 56 (626.7772)	5 (175.4400)	39 (158.8344)	49 (149.0856)	45 (143.4172)
2017-07-21	*Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	48 / 49 (617.6688)	40 (156.5600)	46 (147.9888)	49 (151.4400)	29 (161.6800)
2017-06-10	*Mankato Cookout Day 2 Mankato, MN	29 / 33 (650.8000)	22 (167.4172)	18 (167.4400)	31 (157.6800)	29 (158.2628)
2017-06-09	*Mankato Cookout Day 1 and (BACKYARD) Mankato, MN	35 / 35 (625.6920)	35 (152.5144)	30 (157.1316)	27 (162.8800)	34 (153.1660)
2017-05-12	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	71 / 71 (583.2800)	71 (134.2400)	70 (141.0744)	57 (155.9884)	56 (151.9772)
2016-08-26	9th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	—	—	—	—	—
2016-07-22	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	43 / 47 (640.5256)	43 (158.8456)	41 (157.1428)	32 (164.0000)	34 (160.5372)
2016-06-17	Treasure Island BBQ/ Steak Food Fest Red Wing, MN	32 / 34 (326.2288)	21 (163.4288)	18 (162.8000)	—	—
2016-06-11	*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)
2016-06-10	*Mankato Cookout Day 1 Mankato, MN	31 / 33 (626.2628)	28 (163.4516)	33 (146.2628)	22 (165.1428)	32 (151.4056)
2016-06-03	Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN	42 / 53 (631.3944)	35 (161.1888)	16 (166.2856)	36 (160.5256)	50 (143.3944)
2016-05-13	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	71 / 71 (583.2344)	60 (157.6684)	70 (145.6572)	71 (142.2400)	70 (137.6688)
2016-04-29	Masters in May Appleton, WI	54 / 59 (617.1088)	20 (167.4056)	59 (143.3716)	57 (146.2972)	31 (160.0344)
2015-08-28	8th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	39 / 55 (637.6800)	26 (164.5600)	34 (161.1200)	26 (163.4172)	46 (148.5828)
2015-08-07	Med City BBQ & Musicfest Rochester, MN	28 / 47 (642.9260)	41 (154.8572)	18 (164.6172)	13 (169.1772)	34 (154.2744)
2015-07-24	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	51 / 54 (617.0516)	52 (154.8228)	48 (154.8572)	49 (153.6916)	41 (153.6800)
2015-07-17	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	26 / 39 (635.8744)	26 (161.6800)	17 (162.8116)	25 (160.5828)	28 (150.8000)
2015-07-03	Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA	21 / 25 (630.7544)	18 (161.0856)	14 (163.4172)	23 (152.0000)	20 (154.2516)
2015-06-05	Poor Que Montello, WI	25 / 38 (615.2908)	35 (149.0628)	27 (150.2512)	21 (158.2740)	22 (157.7028)
2015-05-29	Smokin' in Steel Owatonna, MN	51 / 60 (619.8972)	49 (157.6800)	45 (155.3828)	46 (157.1200)	51 (149.7144)
2015-05-15	Minnesota in May St. Paul, MN	59 / 60 (600.5372)	60 (145.0972)	59 (145.7144)	35 (163.4512)	58 (146.2744)
2014-08-29	4th Annual Smokin In the Bogs Warrens, WI	34 / 34 (478.2628)	24 (158.8688)	—	26 (157.6796)	20 (161.7144)
2014-06-06	Poor Que Montello, WI	32 / 38 (612.5604)	27 (154.8344)	26 (153.1316)	12 (161.7716)	35 (142.8228)

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	#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)