Taste of Freedom MN
Rating
1495
peak 1495 · rated over 5 contests
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
2021-05-07
latest 2026-05-08
Best ToY finish
#1236
Master 2021
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 54%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
324.37
last 4 Backyard vs avg 324.37 (-0.00)
Walk rate
40%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.15
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 164.20 · weakest Brisket (148.51)
Road miles
92
mi across 5 mapped stops · furthest 74 mi
Schedule strength
59%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1553)
Purse competed for
$58K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
628.45 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
324.37 / 360
4 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
Big Bear BBQ has finished one call ahead of Taste of Freedom 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Big Ten Bones has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Rub Doctor in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
🔁 The comeback
Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Minnesota in May (2023-05-12).
Teams like this (closest power rating, MN first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rub Doctor | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| PO PO PORK | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE IN THE EYE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Sugar Shack | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Ash Kickin' BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| MACHETE BOYS BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| NECTAR OF THE HOGS | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| OWENS BBQ | 5 | 1 | 3 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Porket About It | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| RUM N' SMOKE BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SIX BUTT BBQ | 5 | 1 | 3 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 157.6684 | 164.20 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.7028 | 149.0744 | 159.63 | top 50% |
| Pork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 158.2400 | 158.2400 | 158.24 | top 92% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 148.5144 | 148.5144 | 148.51 | top 98% |
“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.
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota in May | 4 | 10 | 0 | top 45% | 2026-05-08 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (1 contest)
- Cooks mostly in MN (5 of 5 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (5 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 628.45 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 324.37 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2021-05-07 — First tracked contest · Minnesota in May
- ⭐ 2021-05-07 — Career-best overall score (628.4460) · Minnesota in May
- 📣 2025-05-09 — First call · Minnesota in May
- 📈 2026-05-08 — Peak power rating (1495) · Minnesota in May
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.9 | Minnesota in May | 2026-05-08 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13 | Minnesota in May | 2021-05-07 |
| -4.6 | Minnesota in May | 2023-05-12 |
| -1.9 | Minnesota in May | 2025-05-09 |
| -0.4 | Minnesota in May | 2024-05-10 |
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 | 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% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 10 / 77 (338.2628) | 10 (168.5600) | 11 (169.7028) | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 31 / 58 (323.9316) | 7 (174.8572) | 40 (149.0744) | — | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 31 / 58 (325.6800) | 37 (157.6684) | 18 (168.0116) | — | — |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 35 / 59 (309.6228) | 28 (158.2400) | 35 (151.3828) | — | — |
| 2021-05-07 | Minnesota in May 🏅 Cambridge, MN | 54 / 60 (628.4460) | 46 (161.6916) | 46 (160.0000) | 55 (158.2400) | 59 (148.5144) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1236 (60 pts) | #1286 (60 pts) | #1309 (60 pts) | #1262 (60 pts) | #1245 (60 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1954 (60 pts) | #2012 (60 pts) | #1996 (60 pts) | #2030 (60 pts) | #1825 (95 pts) |