The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Big Bear BBQ has finished one call ahead of Taste of Freedom 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Taste of Freedom
Taste of Freedom is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 10th of 77 at the Minnesota in May (2026). They are ranked #3237 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1499
peak 1501 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
May 11, 2018
latest May 8, 2026 · 8 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
17% of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 54%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.15
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 164.26 · weakest Brisket (157.95)
Road miles
141
across 6 mapped stops · furthest 70 mi
Schedule strength
55%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1570)
Purse competed for
$58K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
643.86 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
324.37 / 360
4 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master 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.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Taste of Freedom, each with one reason worth a look.
113 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,234 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1516
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 12 contests to 6.
⚔ Compare careers#3,230 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1512
They were already cooking in 2013, 5 years before Taste of Freedom's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#3,235 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1500
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Taste of Freedom's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,232 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1505
Level with Taste of Freedom on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,231 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1500
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Taste of Freedom's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,244 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1513
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Taste of Freedom's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIX BUTT BBQ | 6 | 2 | 3 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE IN THE EYE | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| NECTAR OF THE HOGS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Rub Doctor | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin Big | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| PO PO PORK | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| SPITFIRE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Sugar Shack | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| ACES HIGH BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Ash Kickin' BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 157.6684 | 164.26 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.7028 | 149.0744 | 160.84 | top 48% |
| Pork | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 160.5028 | 158.2400 | 159.37 | top 84% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.3828 | 148.5144 | 157.95 | top 62% |
“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.
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota in May | 4 | 10 | 0 | top 45% | May 8, 2026 |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MN
6 of 6 contests
Contests visited
3
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
292
finished ahead 235 times, behind 347
Longest layoff
3 yrs
May 11, 2018 → May 7, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- First overall top-10 Minnesota in May
- Most recent contest Minnesota in May
20252 milestones
- First call Minnesota in May
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.8572 Minnesota in May
20184 milestones
- First tracked contest Minnesota in May
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.2800 Minnesota in May
- Career-best overall score659.2800 Minnesota in May
- Peak power rating (1501) Minnesota in May
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.4 | Minnesota in May | May 8, 2026 |
| +1.3 | Minnesota in May | May 11, 2018 |
| +0.1 | Minnesota in May | May 10, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12 | Minnesota in May | May 7, 2021 |
| -4 | Minnesota in May | May 12, 2023 |
| -1.5 | Minnesota in May | May 9, 2025 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 13% | 94% | 94% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 53% | 90% | 90% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 90.5% | 90.5% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 59% | 86% | 86% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 90% | 87.3% | 87.3% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 10 / 77 (338.2628) | 10 (168.5600) | 11 (169.7028) | — | — |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 31 / 58 (323.9316) | 7 (174.8572) | 40 (149.0744) | — | — |
| May 10, 2024 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 31 / 58 (325.6800) | 37 (157.6684) | 18 (168.0116) | — | — |
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 35 / 59 (309.6228) | 28 (158.2400) | 35 (151.3828) | — | — |
| May 7, 2021 | Minnesota in May 🏅 Cambridge, MN | 54 / 60 (628.4460) | 46 (161.6916) | 46 (160) | 55 (158.2400) | 59 (148.5144) |
| May 11, 2018 | Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN | 37 / 70 (659.2800) | 37 (164.5372) | 26 (166.8572) | 54 (160.5028) | 18 (167.3828) |