DON'T KNOW JACK BBQ

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

Power ranking

#1625

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1556

peak 1558 · rated over 22 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-04-10

latest 2022-05-13

Best ToY finish

#527

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 22 contests

Avg finish

top 45%

overall standings

Best overall

675.3944 / 720

Master · Boo-B-Que

Perfect 180s

Current form

658.27 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 649.49 (+8.78)

Walk rate

64%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Chicken · Smokin on the Dock of the Bay

Consistency

±16.35

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 163.40 · weakest Brisket (161.19)

Road miles

1,559

mi across 22 mapped stops · furthest 126 mi

Schedule strength

52%

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

Purse competed for

$34K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

649.49 / 720

22 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.

They almost always walk

64% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 14 of 22 contests

A top-10 category call in 64% of their 22 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

675.3944 career-best overall

93.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 675.3944 at Boo-B-Que — 93.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2017-10-20

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

SMOKETASTIC BBQ has finished one call ahead of DON'T KNOW JACK BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

17–0 behind in the head-to-head

SAUCE THIS BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

SAUCE THIS BBQ has come out ahead in 17 of their 17 shared contests.

A strong matchup

11–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 79% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HOG STREET BULLIES in 11 of their 14 shared contests.

The comeback

2.6 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.6 years, then back at Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (2022-05-13).

last seen 2019-10-18
back 2022-05-13

Chicken nemesis

12 of 17 shared chicken entries lost

SAUCE THIS BBQ ahead 71% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SAUCE THIS BBQ has out-cooked them in 12 of 17 shared chicken entries.

An October team

Top 35% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 35% across 5 contests, versus top 45% the rest of the year.

5 October contests
top 45% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.27% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.27% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.2% of a perfect score
22 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.

40 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

QUEGASM

#1623 of the rated field

1556 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 43
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1556

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to DON'T KNOW JACK BBQ)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team DON'T KNOW JACK BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 43 contests
last seen 2018-08-24

⚔ Head-to-head

SPICEWINE IRONWORKS

#1621 of the rated field

1557 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 37%
Peak: 1564

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 5 years before DON'T KNOW JACK BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 19 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

RUSTY'S SMOKE BBQ

#1619 of the rated field

1557 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 48%
Peak: 1610

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1610 at their best, 53 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 28 contests
last seen 2026-06-19

⚔ Head-to-head

EGGHEAD-BARBECUE

#1627 of the rated field

1556 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 63%
Peak: 1568

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 22, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 30 contests
last seen 2024-05-18

⚔ Head-to-head

FLAVOR SAVOR

#1629 of the rated field

1556 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1556

No shared contest yet.

16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 25% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2017-09-15

⚔ Head-to-head

EL REY SMOKERS COMPETITION TEAM

#1624 of the rated field

1556 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1563

No shared contest yet.

Level with DON'T KNOW JACK BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2017-09-22

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SAUCE THIS BBQ	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
PIGHEADED BBQ	16	6	10	38%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	15	6	9	40%	⚔ compare
HOG STREET BULLIES	14	11	3	79%	⚔ compare
WEEKEND SMOKERS	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
3 EYZ BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
SLOWER LOWER BBQ	12	9	3	75%	⚔ compare
GUZZY-Q	12	7	5	58%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
APORKALYPSE NOW	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
ASTRO PIGS BBQ	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
FINN'S FINEST BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	22	7	1	1	179.4400	134.2172	163.40	top 45%
Pork Ribs	22	4	0	2	174.2856	146.8000	162.65	top 43%
Pork	22	5	0	1	177.7028	149.6572	162.26	top 47%
Brisket	22	3	0	1	173.7028	144.5600	161.19	top 47%

“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
DE	11	top 44%
MD	5	top 47%
VA	4	top 42%
PA	2	top 54%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	9	0	top 43%
Large (40+)	13	0	top 47%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Boo-B-Que	3	11	top 33%	2018-10-19
Smokin on the Dock of the Bay	2	8	top 38%	2019-08-16
Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition	2	24	top 65%	2018-06-08

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 7.1 yrs 2015-04-10 → 2022-05-13

Busiest season 2016 8 contests

Contests a season 3.7 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in DE 11 of 22 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 18 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 22 entries · 1 win · 7 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 163.40 · weakest Brisket (161.19)

Walk rate 64% a top-10 call in 14 of 22 contests

Overall top-10 rate 9% 2 of 22 contests

Master average 649.49 out of 720 · 22 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 473 620–535 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,559 22 mapped stops · furthest 126 mi

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

Purse competed for $34,450 listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 2.6 yrs 2019-10-18 → 2022-05-13

Power rating 1556 peak 1558 · #1625 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
Apr 10 First tracked contest Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival
Oct 30 First call Boo B Que By the Sea
2016
Apr 8 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.0512 Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval
Sep 23 First overall top-10 Brew, Barbecue & Oysters Too!
Oct 21 10th tracked contest Boo-B-Que
2017
Oct 20 Career-best overall score675.3944 Boo-B-Que
2018
May 5 Peak power rating (1558) *Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest
2019
Aug 16 First category win (Chicken) Smokin on the Dock of the Bay
Aug 16 Career-best single call (Chicken)179.4400 Smokin on the Dock of the Bay
2022
May 13 Most recent contest Twin Valley Fire and Smoke

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.3	Boo-B-Que	2017-10-20
+10	Boo-B-Que	2016-10-21
+9.1	Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval	2016-04-08
+8.9	Boo B Que By the Sea	2015-10-30
+8.4	BBQ Jamboree	2016-05-13

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.5	Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival	2015-04-10
-7.6	Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition	2018-06-08
-3.2	Philadelphia's Inaugural Fire Up HOPE	2016-09-10
-3.1	Boo-B-Que	2019-10-18
-2.7	Boo-B-Que	2018-10-19

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2022	1	0	0	100%	top 36%	93.8%	93.8%
2019	3	1	1	100%	top 36%	92.6%	91.5%
2018	5	0	0	60%	top 53%	92.2%	90.1%
2017	3	0	0	33%	top 43%	93.8%	91.2%
2016	8	1	0	63%	top 43%	92%	89.9%
2015	2	0	0	50%	top 58%	89.5%	86.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2022-05-13	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA	14 / 39 (675.2912)	23 (168.5256)	22 (164.5256)	2 (177.7028)	18 (164.5372)
2019-10-18	Boo-B-Que 🏅 Rehoboth Beach, DE	27 / 63 (648.9484)	32 (164.5256)	48 (154.7772)	46 (155.9428)	4 (173.7028)
2019-08-16	Smokin on the Dock of the Bay 🏅 Chrisfield, MD	8 / 25 (661.6800)	1 (179.4400)	15 (162.2744)	19 (157.1200)	11 (162.8456)
2019-06-07	Separation Colonial BBQ Competition 🏅 New Castle, DE	12 / 36 (666.7660)	8 (169.7144)	18 (162.8344)	10 (169.1200)	15 (165.0972)
2018-10-19	Boo-B-Que Rehoboth Beach, DE	45 / 73 (638.6744)	5 (172.5600)	60 (150.2172)	46 (158.2172)	49 (157.6800)
2018-08-17	Smokin on The Dock of the Bay Crisfield, MD	14 / 32 (652.4228)	7 (168.5372)	5 (169.7028)	12 (165.1200)	23 (149.0628)
2018-06-08	Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition New Castle, DE	33 / 42 (630.0684)	27 (159.3712)	39 (146.8000)	26 (159.9544)	18 (163.9428)
2018-05-05	*Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest Crownsville, MD	14 / 37 (663.8396)	7 (170.8228)	2 (173.1428)	23 (161.0856)	26 (158.7884)
2018-03-23	BBQ Gives Back Urbanna, VA	31 / 75 (659.3028)	37 (165.6800)	13 (169.7144)	15 (168.5256)	58 (155.3828)
2017-10-20	Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE	11 / 69 (675.3944)	11 (171.9772)	13 (170.8572)	17 (169.1200)	32 (163.4400)
2017-06-09	Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition New Castle, DE	24 / 46 (650.7428)	20 (165.1200)	2 (174.2856)	43 (149.6572)	27 (161.6800)
2017-04-07	Boss Frogs BBQ Hurlock, MD	28 / 45 (643.3712)	27 (162.2744)	28 (157.7028)	25 (161.1428)	22 (162.2512)
2016-10-21	Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE	15 / 67 (658.7428)	24 (164.5600)	28 (161.0972)	9 (169.1428)	17 (163.9428)
2016-09-23	Brew, Barbecue & Oysters Too! Cape Charles, VA	8 / 22 (646.8232)	4 (167.9772)	15 (151.9772)	13 (160.5716)	3 (166.2972)
2016-09-10	Philadelphia's Inaugural Fire Up HOPE Devon, PA	24 / 33 (632.9944)	28 (149.6460)	15 (165.6800)	27 (154.2284)	15 (163.4400)
2016-06-10	The Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition at Battery Park New Castle, DE	13 / 39 (651.8512)	29 (155.4056)	18 (162.8344)	13 (165.0856)	5 (168.5256)
2016-05-20	Saltwater Brew 'N' Que Chincoteague, VA	14 / 23 (634.7888)	9 (163.9888)	12 (159.3944)	5 (166.8456)	21 (144.5600)
2016-05-13	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	21 / 72 (662.6968)	43 (158.7884)	16 (167.4056)	19 (165.0856)	11 (171.4172)
2016-05-06	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	29 / 51 (634.6968)	34 (156.5256)	23 (161.0972)	33 (154.8228)	18 (162.2512)
2016-04-08	Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval Harrington, DE	23 / 75 (653.0512)	25 (166.8228)	34 (161.1200)	10 (167.4400)	41 (157.6684)
2015-10-30	Boo B Que By the Sea Rehobeth Beach, DE	19 / 59 (644.5028)	33 (158.2744)	6 (166.8456)	24 (160.5600)	26 (158.8228)
2015-04-10	Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival Harrington, DE	82 / 99 (602.1712)	95 (134.2172)	27 (164.0000)	73 (153.1656)	68 (150.7884)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#859 (330 pts)	#695 (490 pts)	#1087 (255 pts)	#1020 (275 pts)	#747 (440 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#803 (407 pts)	#591 (632 pts)	#555 (682 pts)	#813 (422 pts)	#934 (342 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1163 (255 pts)	#1189 (275 pts)	#886 (440 pts)	#1349 (220 pts)	#1424 (195 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#527 (748 pts)	#584 (693 pts)	#579 (708 pts)	#460 (888 pts)	#415 (968 pts)