The heartbreaker
0.5828
points from the title
Came within 0.5828 points of the Grand Championship at 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL (Aug 12, 2023).
T Daddys BBQ
T Daddys BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 47 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) (2023), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #802 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “T Daddy's BBQ” and “T-Daddy's BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1628
peak 1661 · rated over 40 contests3 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
47
in the data
First seen
Jun 7, 2019
latest Aug 28, 2026 · 7.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
2
3 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time
Category wins
5
20 podiums
Overall top-10s
26
55% of 47 contests
Best top-10 run
7
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 35%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
336.20 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 334.40 (+1.81)
Walk rate
77%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.44
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 168.83 · weakest Pork (166.76)
Road miles
8,582
across 44 mapped stops · furthest 676 mi
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$237K
listed at 37 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 25 state-championship entries
Master avg
670.20 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
334.40 / 360
39 Backyard contests · 1 GC
Backyard (3-meat) avg
517.11 / 540
3 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 1 GC
Backyard (4-meat) avg
674.19 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #59 (761 pts) | #51 (821 pts) | #73 (698 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #188 (246 pts) | #238 (176 pts) | #142 (436 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #212 (210 pts) | #261 (160 pts) | #229 (210 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #684 (225 pts) | #958 (125 pts) | #580 (375 pts) | #802 (180 pts) | #922 (120 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #49 (985 pts) | #48 (991 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #32 (970 pts) | #76 (687 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #46 (756 pts) | #9 (1,231 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #52 (209 pts) | #66 (159 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #856 (60 pts) | #896 (60 pts) | #913 (60 pts) | #899 (60 pts) | #744 (115 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to T Daddys BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
26 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#804 of the rated field
- Contests
- 46
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 39%
- Peak
- 1628
6–6 in 12 shared contests (50% to T Daddys BBQ)
These two have cooked 12 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#805 of the rated field
- Contests
- 83
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 39%
- Peak
- 1702
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to T Daddys BBQ)
They've been 1702 at their best, 75 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#799 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1651
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before T Daddys BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#798 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1643
Fewer contests behind them than T Daddys BBQ has cooked, 30 to 47, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#797 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1633
30 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#796 of the rated field
- Contests
- 57
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1694
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before T Daddys BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 27 | 7 | 20 | 26% | ⚔ compare |
| DAWGS BBQ | 23 | 12 | 11 | 52% | ⚔ compare |
| FENDER BENDER BBQ | 21 | 10 | 11 | 48% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 20 | 14 | 6 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| Sensuous BBQ | 20 | 6 | 14 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Ten Bones | 19 | 10 | 9 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| DAD BOD BARBEQUE | 19 | 10 | 9 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 19 | 6 | 13 | 32% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 18 | 8 | 10 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Porket About It | 18 | 7 | 11 | 39% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 18 | 3 | 13 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Good Grefe! | 16 | 13 | 3 | 81% | ⚔ compare |
| Son of a Boar BBQ | 16 | 6 | 9 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 16 | 3 | 12 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| Sugar Shack | 15 | 11 | 3 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 46 | 23 | 1 | 7 | 180 🔥 | 154.2284 | 167.55 | top 39% |
| Pork Ribs | 46 | 30 | 3 | 11 | 180 🔥 | 156.5028 | 167.95 | top 34% |
| Pork | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 177.1544 | 154.8116 | 166.76 | top 59% |
| Brisket | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 163.3944 | 168.83 | top 54% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 8 | 1 | top 30% |
| Medium (20–39) | 19 | 1 | top 41% |
| Large (40+) | 19 | 0 | top 31% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 5 | 9 | 0 | top 49% | Jun 12, 2026 |
| Iowa State BBQ Championship | 5 | 3 | 0 | top 23% | Apr 3, 2026 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 4 | 8 | 0 | top 45% | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 12% | Oct 15, 2023 |
| Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 48% | Jul 18, 2026 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 50% | Oct 15, 2022 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 57% | Oct 14, 2022 |
| Best of the Midwest BBQ | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 8% | Oct 22, 2021 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
9 contests
Contests a season
4.7
across 10 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
WI
18 of 47 contests · 8 states in all
Contests visited
30
8 of them more than once
First title
Sep 9, 2022
Bar-B-QC (Backyard)
Opponents faced
797
finished ahead 1,433 times, behind 760
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)
20242 milestones
- Career-best overall score685.1088 Iowa State BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1661) Iowa State BBQ Championship
20231 milestone
- 25th tracked contest Iowa State BBQ Championship
20222 milestones
- First Grand Championship Bar-B-QC (Backyard)
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Bar-B-QC (Backyard)
20211 milestone
- 10th tracked contest American Royal Backyard and Steak Contest
20192 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Blues,Brews & Barbecue
- First multi-meat day Blues,Brews & Barbecue
—6 milestones
- First tracked contest Bowling Green Backyard Event (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Bowling Green Backyard Event (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Bowling Green Backyard Event (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Bowling Green Backyard Event (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival Backyard Competition Presented by Kenney's Ace Hardware (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score325.1540 Bowling Green Backyard Event (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.3 | Best of the Midwest BBQ | Oct 16, 2020 |
| +15 | Blues,Brews & Barbecue | Jun 7, 2019 |
| +13.4 | Bar-B-QC (Backyard) | Sep 9, 2022 |
| +13 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Mar 31, 2023 |
| +12.5 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) | Oct 15, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.1 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 24, 2026 |
| -11.9 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 12, 2026 |
| -11.4 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) | Jul 17, 2026 |
| -11.2 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 15, 2022 |
| -9.8 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 7, 2024 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 100% | top 24% | 97.7% | 92.3% |
| 2026 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 67% | top 52% | 97% | 93.5% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 52% | 93.8% | 92.9% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 33% | 96.2% | 94.6% |
| 2023 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 100% | top 15% | 98.4% | 95.1% |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 67% | top 38% | 98.6% | 93.2% |
| 2021 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 78% | top 34% | 94.1% | 91.6% |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 30% | 93.8% | 92.1% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50% | top 35% | 91% | 90.3% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 7 / 16 (340.5484) | 3 (172.5828) | 10 (167.9656) | — | — |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 6 / 18 (346.2516) | 5 (174.2744) | 8 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 4 / 28 (349.1316) | 9 (173.7144) | 6 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 22 / 27 (325.6572) | 14 (169.1544) | 25 (156.5028) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 24 / 37 (327.3488) | 20 (167.3944) | 24 (159.9544) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 32 / 40 (329.6344) | 24 (167.3828) | 34 (162.2516) | — | — |
| May 1, 2026 | SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL) 🏅 Cambridge, IA | 9 / 17 (674.1948) | 11 (173.1200) | 10 (170.8460) | 28 (154.8116) | 7 (175.4172) |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 21 / 24 (326.8232) | 9 (170.2744) | 22 (156.5488) | — | — |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 5 / 42 (347.3828) | 7 (175.4172) | 9 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 22 / 36 (330.1944) | 25 (162.8000) | 15 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 19 / 36 (337.6684) | 28 (165.1084) | 6 (172.5600) | — | — |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 20 / 49 (335.9772) | 31 (161.6800) | 8 (174.2972) | — | — |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Buds Blues and BBQ 🏅 Columbia, MO | 3 / 16 (346.2972) | 5 (171.4284) | 3 (174.8688) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 26 / 41 (665.0172) | 26 (167.3828) | 7 (173.1428) | 34 (161.0972) | 34 (163.3944) |
| Mar 29, 2024 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 7 / 42 (685.1088) | 24 (170.8344) | 4 (175.4400) | 13 (173.1544) | 30 (165.6800) |
| Oct 15, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 1 / 24 (349.1200) | 3 (176) | 3 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 4 / 21 (342.2400) | 4 (173.7028) | 10 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Aug 12, 2023 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Mayetta, KS | 2 / 29 (354.2744) | 14 (174.2744) | 2 (180) | — | — |
| Jul 21, 2023 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 3 / 15 (343.3828) | 5 (173.1200) | 4 (170.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 10, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 8 / 40 (335.3716) | 13 (166.8344) | 6 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 9 / 43 (334.8000) | 14 (166.2628) | 7 (168.5372) | — | — |
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 11 / 59 (336.5144) | 5 (174.2628) | 23 (162.2516) | — | — |
| Mar 31, 2023 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 3 / 47 (343.9540) | 4 (174.2856) | 10 (169.6684) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 16 / 20 (330.2172) | 16 (164.5372) | 13 (165.6800) | — | — |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 14 / 22 (327.3716) | 15 (162.8344) | 11 (164.5372) | — | — |
| Sep 9, 2022 | Bar-B-QC (Backyard) Davenport, IA | 1 / 13 (532.5716) | 1 (180) | 2 (175.4172) | 4 (177.1544) | — |
| Jun 24, 2022 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day One) 🏅 Belvidere, IL | 5 / 36 (331.3372) | 4 (169.6800) | 10 (161.6572) | — | — |
| May 28, 2022 | Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 6 / 28 (330.2400) | 2 (172.5600) | 17 (157.6800) | — | — |
| Apr 1, 2022 | Iowa State BBQ Championship (Backyard) Altoona, IA | 11 / 27 (338.8116) | 6 (173.1200) | 13 (165.6916) | — | — |
| Nov 12, 2021 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Backyard unrated Shawnee, OK | 29 / 33 (326.1944) | 27 (164.5372) | 26 (161.6572) | — | — |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Best of the Midwest BBQ 🏅 Union Grove, WI | 4 / 44 (326.2060) | 4 (163.9544) | 3 (162.2516) | — | — |
| Oct 16, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 7 / 36 (338.8344) | 25 (159.9772) | 1 (178.8572) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 20 / 40 (325.0628) | 34 (154.2284) | 5 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Jun 25, 2021 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day one) 🏅 Belvidere, IL | 8 / 49 (326.7888) | 14 (158.2516) | 4 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon - Day 2 🏅 West Salem, WI | 16 / 45 (330.3200) | 22 (160) | 8 (170.3200) | — | — |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon - Day 1 🏅 West Salem, WI | 14 / 52 (327.9196) | 23 (162.2512) | 11 (165.6684) | — | — |
| May 7, 2021 | Minnesota in May 🏅 Cambridge, MN | 9 / 60 (335.9660) | 33 (158.8116) | 1 (177.1544) | — | — |
| Mar 12, 2021 | American Royal Backyard and Steak Contest Kansas City, MO | 12 / 24 (331.3484) | 10 (162.8228) | 11 (168.5256) | — | — |
| Nov 13, 2020 | Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition 🏅 unrated Mayetta, KS | 15 / 94 (337.6800) | 8 (171.9772) | 19 (165.7028) | — | — |
| Oct 16, 2020 | Best of the Midwest BBQ 🏅 Union Grove, WI | 3 / 50 (326.7656) | 3 (161.6684) | 5 (165.0972) | — | — |
| Oct 2, 2020 | Ottumwa Smoketoberfest 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 44 / 66 (660.4800) | 33 (168.0116) | 55 (158.2400) | 52 (163.3828) | 14 (170.8456) |
| Oct 25, 2019 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD) (JUDGES FULL) Lynchburg, TN | 26 / 42 (491.3256) | 20 (165.6800) | 25 (161.6916) | 29 (163.9540) | — |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Blues,Brews & Barbecue 🏅 Beardstown, IL | 2 / 25 (322.7428) | 4 (158.2056) | 1 (164.5372) | 1 (165.0972) | — |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Hog Capital Challenge Kewanee, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival Backyard Competition Presented by Kenney's Ace Hardware (BACKYARD ONLY) Decatur, IL | 2 / 22 (527.4400) | 2 (176.5600) | 2 (175.4628) | 2 (175.4172) | — |
| — | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 5 / 17 (319.9316) | 8 (154.8000) | 2 (165.1316) | — | — |
| — | Bowling Green Backyard Event (BACKYARD ONLY) Bowling Green, MO | 3 / 9 (325.1540) | 3 (161.7256) | 3 (163.4284) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.