Tame the Flame BBQ PA
Rating
1554
peak 1554 · rated over 15 contests
Best runs
5
straight top-10s
Contests
16
in the data
First seen
2025-04-04
latest 2026-07-25
Best ToY finish
#31
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
4
7 podiums
Overall top-10s
10
of 16 contests
Avg finish
top 48%
overall standings
Best overall
647.2000 / 720
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
337.21 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 337.90 (-0.69)
Walk rate
75%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
5
best run (overall)
Consistency
±6.74
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 169.69 · weakest Brisket (155.92)
Road miles
2035
mi across 16 mapped stops · furthest 580 mi
Schedule strength
83%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1585)
Purse competed for
$45K
listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
647.20 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
337.90 / 360
14 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.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Dirt Bag Barbeque has finished one call ahead of Tame the Flame BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
BEER TIME BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Leaning Jowler BBQ has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of 4 BOXERS Q in 8 of their 8 shared contests.
😤 Pork Ribs nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, FIRE & SHINE BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 11 shared pork ribs entries.
📅 A July team
Something about July: average finish in the top 40% across 3 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 5 of 23 at their very first tracked contest, Rekindled Ironman (2025-04-04).
Teams like this (closest power rating, PA first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEER TIME BBQ | 11 | 7 | 4 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | 11 | 6 | 4 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| All About the Wood | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| Clean Smoke BBQ Team | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 BOXERS Q | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Castleton Q | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Yardogs BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Backwooder BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| MRC_Barbecue | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Pinky Out BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Rough Cut Q | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| PJ's Magic Smoke | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 16 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 175.4056 | 161.6572 | 167.54 | top 59% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 176.5600 | 155.9428 | 169.69 | top 37% |
| Pork | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 166.2628 | 157.6456 | 163.00 | top 81% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 155.9200 | 155.9200 | 155.92 | top 97% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA | 10 | 0 | top 36% |
| TN | 2 | 0 | top 73% |
| NY | 2 | 0 | top 81% |
| VA | 1 | 0 | top 50% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 8 | 0 | top 50% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 24% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 73% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 40% | 2026-07-25 |
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 29% | 2026-06-13 |
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 56% | 2026-05-16 |
| Rekindled Ironman | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 22% | 2026-04-03 |
| Catskills Barbeque - Backyard Competition (Day 2) | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 81% | 2025-06-07 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (12 contests)
- Cooks mostly in PA (10 of 16 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (16 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 647.20 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 337.90 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2025-04-04 — First tracked contest · Rekindled Ironman
- 📣 2025-04-04 — First call · Rekindled Ironman
- ⭐ 2026-05-23 — Career-best overall score (647.2000) · 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026)
- 📈 2026-07-25 — Peak power rating (1554) · Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.8 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2026-07-25 |
| +12 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2026-06-12 |
| +11.2 | Rekindled Ironman | 2026-04-03 |
| +10.5 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2026-06-13 |
| +9.5 | Big Knob BBQ Fest | 2025-05-23 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.2 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) | 2026-05-23 |
| -8 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2026-07-24 |
| -7.2 | Catskills Barbeque - Backyard Competition (Day 2) | 2025-06-07 |
| -2.7 | Catskills Barbeque - Backyard Competition (Day 1) | 2025-06-06 |
| -0.6 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | 2026-05-16 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 67% | top 46% | 96.7% | 93.4% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 100% | top 52% | 94.4% | 94.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-25 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 3 / 39 (345.7028) | 12 (172.5600) | 5 (173.1428) | — | — |
| 2026-07-24 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 31 / 43 (318.7772) | 29 (162.8344) | 31 (155.9428) | — | — |
| 2026-07-11 | K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) Kennett Square, PA | 6 / 15 (331.3600) | 7 (166.2400) | 7 (165.1200) | — | — |
| 2026-06-13 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 5 / 13 (347.9772) | 11 (171.4172) | 2 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 5 / 25 (342.2284) | 15 (165.6684) | 1 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2026-06-05 | Loudoun Rotary BBQ Classic (BACKYARD ONLY) Leesburg, VA | 6 / 12 (339.3600) | 3 (173.1200) | 6 (166.2400) | 8 (166.2628) | — |
| 2026-05-24 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) Lebanon, TN | 38 / 82 (335.9316) | 44 (163.9544) | 26 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2026-05-23 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) Lebanon, TN | 116 / 117 (647.2000) | 111 (163.9544) | 76 (169.6800) | 117 (157.6456) | 114 (155.9200) |
| 2026-05-22 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Chicken Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) Lebanon, TN | — | 72 (161.6572) | — | — | — |
| 2026-05-16 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 11 / 17 (335.9316) | 15 (162.8000) | 1 (173.1316) | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 12 / 25 (335.3600) | 17 (164.5372) | 6 (170.8228) | — | — |
| 2026-04-03 | Rekindled Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA | 3 / 14 (342.7884) | 8 (168.5256) | 1 (174.2628) | — | — |
| 2025-06-07 | Catskills Barbeque - Backyard Competition (Day 2) Grahamsville, NY | 7 / 8 (338.2404) | 5 (169.6916) | 8 (168.5488) | 6 (165.0856) | — |
| 2025-06-06 | Catskills Barbeque - Backyard Competition (Day 1) Grahamsville, NY | 6 / 8 (339.9772) | 5 (169.7144) | 6 (170.2628) | — | — |
| 2025-05-23 | Big Knob BBQ Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 3 / 12 (338.2168) | 4 (168.5484) | 2 (169.6684) | — | — |
| 2025-04-04 | Rekindled Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA | 5 / 23 (338.8000) | 1 (175.4056) | 7 (163.3944) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #31 (941 pts) | #54 (725 pts) | #7 (1230 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #894 (60 pts) | #772 (120 pts) | #1013 (60 pts) | #929 (60 pts) | #917 (60 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #85 (656 pts) | #71 (761 pts) | #95 (651 pts) | — | — |