TEAM BALLINGER

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

Power ranking

#1842

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1545

peak 1545 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-03-13

latest 2020-03-13

Best ToY finish

#896

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 9 contests

Avg finish

top 37%

overall standings

Best overall

675.3028 / 720

Master · Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

Perfect 180s

Current form

635.19

last 5 Master vs avg 635.19 (+0.00)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

and counting

Best single call

174.2628

Pork Ribs · 'Que at the View

Consistency

±70.30

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.30 · weakest Pork (163.78)

Road miles

584

mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 91 mi

Schedule strength

42%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1555)

Purse competed for

$8K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

Master avg

635.19 / 720

5 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

413.36 / 360

2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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

67% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 6 of 9 contests

A top-10 category call in 67% of their 9 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

675.3028 career-best overall

93.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 675.3028 at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour — 93.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-02-26

A tough matchup

4–0 behind in the head-to-head

BOOTYQUE ahead in 100% of their meetings

BOOTYQUE has come out ahead in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.5 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.52 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 33% of the time against 71%.

Pork avg 163.78
Chicken avg 168.30
2 calls in 6 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SHOTGUN BBQ SAUCE, SPICES AND RUBS LLC in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The comeback

1.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.9 years, then back at Butlerfest 2019(BACKYARD ONLY) (2019-10-11).

last seen 2017-11-08
back 2019-10-11

Boom or bust

±18.20% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±18.20% 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 95.8% of a perfect score
best 135.2%

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.

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

BURNT BEAN CO.

#1833 of the rated field

1545 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1545

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to TEAM BALLINGER)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team TEAM BALLINGER has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 5 contests
last seen 2018-11-30

⚔ Head-to-head

LATE NIGHT WHISKEY SMOKERS

#1839 of the rated field

1545 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1566

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to TEAM BALLINGER)

29 contests to 9: their number has had years to settle where TEAM BALLINGER's is still finding its level.

rated over 29 contests
last seen 2018-07-13

⚔ Head-to-head

Bourbon Barrel Smokers

#1847 of the rated field

1545 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 6 years after TEAM BALLINGER did, first appearing in 2021.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2025-09-26

⚔ Head-to-head

Texas Rebel SmokeHouse

#1837 of the rated field

1545 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

Level with TEAM BALLINGER on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2023-08-18

⚔ Head-to-head

Hot Racks and BBQ Stacks

#1853 of the rated field

1545 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 5 years before TEAM BALLINGER's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 7 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Grillbilly's BBQ

#1852 of the rated field

1545 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	7	5	0	0	173.1428	159.9428	168.30	top 37%
Pork Ribs	7	4	1	1	174.2628	161.6456	167.31	top 39%
Pork	6	2	0	0	172.0000	155.9772	163.78	top 58%
Brisket	4	1	0	0	170.8344	165.6684	167.68	top 46%

“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
AL	5	0	top 38%
MS	2	0	top 32%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 29%
Medium (20–39)	4	top 31%
Large (40+)	2	top 52%

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5 yrs 2015-03-13 → 2020-03-13

Busiest season 2016 3 contests

Contests a season 1.5 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in AL 6 of 9 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 0 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 7 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 168.30 · weakest Pork (163.78)

Walk rate 67% a top-10 call in 6 of 9 contests

Overall top-10 rate 44% 4 of 9 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests — and still running

Master average 635.19 out of 720 · 5 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 413.36 out of 360 · 2 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 196 131–115 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 584 9 mapped stops · furthest 91 mi

Schedule strength 1555 average field rating faced — tougher than 42% of rated contests

Purse competed for $7,600 listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

Longest layoff 1.9 yrs 2017-11-08 → 2019-10-11

Power rating 1545 peak 1545 · #1842 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Mar 27 First tracked contest BBQ Throw Down 2014 @ Windcreek
2015
Mar 13 First call 2015 BBQ & Brew (BACKYARD CONTEST ONLY)
Mar 13 First category win (Pork Ribs) 2015 BBQ & Brew (BACKYARD CONTEST ONLY)
Mar 13 First overall top-10 2015 BBQ & Brew (BACKYARD CONTEST ONLY)
2016
Feb 26 First overall past 90% of a perfect score675.3028 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Feb 26 Career-best overall score675.3028 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 8 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.2628 'Que at the View
2019
Oct 11 First overall podium Butlerfest 2019(BACKYARD ONLY)
2020
Mar 13 Peak power rating (1545) Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
Mar 13 Most recent contest Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12	Butlerfest 2019(BACKYARD ONLY)	2019-10-11
+11.3	'Que at the View	2016-04-08
+8.2	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2016-02-26
+8	2015 BBQ & Brew (BACKYARD CONTEST ONLY)	2015-03-13
+5.8	Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY)	2020-03-13

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-5.4	World Barbecue Championship	2017-11-08

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)

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2020	1	1	0	100%	top 30%	135.2%	135.2%
2019	1	1	0	100%	top 15%	94.4%	94.4%
2017	1	0	0	0%	top 81%	91.2%	91.2%
2016	3	1	0	100%	top 34%	93.8%	93.7%
2015	2	1	1	50%	top 29%	68.8%	68.8%
2014	1	0	0	0%	—	—	—

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2020-03-13	Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Foley, AL	7 / 23 (486.7544)	6 (167.9656)	8 (162.8116)	15 (155.9772)	—
2019-10-11	Butlerfest 2019(BACKYARD ONLY) Butler, AL	3 / 20 (339.9656)	5 (169.7028)	6 (170.2628)	—	—
2017-11-08	World Barbecue Championship Orange Beach, AL	75 / 93 (656.4000)	86 (159.9428)	55 (165.6800)	66 (163.9428)	49 (166.8344)
2016-05-06	*George County Firefighters Association BBQ Challenge Lucedale, MS	11 / 27 (674.1828)	4 (173.1428)	21 (161.6456)	7 (172.0000)	15 (167.3944)
2016-04-08	'Que at the View Gulfport, MS	10 / 43 (674.7312)	15 (168.5256)	4 (174.2628)	21 (166.2744)	20 (165.6684)
2016-02-26	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Daphne, AL	11 / 30 (675.3028)	9 (173.1084)	17 (167.4172)	23 (163.9428)	9 (170.8344)
2015-05-01	George County Firefighters Association BBQ Challenge Lucedale, MS	—	—	—	—	—
2015-03-13	2015 BBQ & Brew (BACKYARD CONTEST ONLY) Fairhope, AL	5 / 17 (495.3144)	6 (165.6800)	1 (169.1200)	10 (160.5144)	—
2014-03-27	BBQ Throw Down 2014 @ Windcreek Atmore, AL	—	—	—	—	—

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	#896 (382 pts)	#842 (452 pts)	#968 (377 pts)	#1145 (302 pts)	#1044 (327 pts)