BLACK DOG BBQ

BLACK DOG BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 21 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 7th of 20 at the Big Muddy Brew n Que (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) (2016). They are ranked #6345 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “BLACKDOG BBQ”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#6,345

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1400

peak 1506 · rated over 19 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 28, 2013

latest May 6, 2023 · 9.9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1255

Master 2023 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

10% of 21 contests

Avg finish

top 78%

overall standings

Best overall

673.7144 / 720

Master · Big Muddy Brew n Que (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)

Perfect 180s

Current form

607.69

last 5 Master vs avg 607.45 (+0.25)

Walk rate

24%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7028

Brisket · Big Muddy Brew n Que (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)

Consistency

±36.29

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 154.24 · weakest Pork Ribs (149.91)

Road miles

14,432

across 21 mapped stops · furthest 2,335 mi

Schedule strength

31%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1541)

Purse competed for

$18K

listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

607.45 / 720

19 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (10 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

High-water mark

673.7144 career-best overall

93.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 673.7144 at Big Muddy Brew n Que (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) — 93.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 3, 2016

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 66%.

3 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 66%

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

3 EYZ BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

3 EYZ BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.3 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.32 points below their pork, and turns into a call 5% of the time against 16%.

Pork Ribs avg 149.91
Pork avg 154.24
1 call in 20 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Holy City BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The comeback

3.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.9 years, then back at HOGS 4 HEROES (May 6, 2023).

last seen Jun 7, 2019
back May 6, 2023

Pork nemesis

6 of 6 shared pork entries lost

3 EYZ BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, 3 EYZ BBQ has out-cooked them in 6 of 6 shared pork entries.

Show 3 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Swig & Swine has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A June team

Top 68% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 68% across 3 contests, versus top 78% the rest of the year.

3 June contests
top 78% the rest of the year

The long haul

14,432 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 14,432 miles across 21 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 2,335 miles to Woodland Ribs & Rods Rib Cook Off & Car Show (ONE MEAT RIBS).

21 mapped stops
furthest 2,335 mi

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2023 ↗	Master	#1255 (60 pts)	#1195 (90 pts)	#1432 (60 pts)	#1287 (60 pts)	#1296 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1775 (120 pts)	#1883 (120 pts)	#1884 (120 pts)	#1872 (120 pts)	#1839 (120 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BLACK DOG BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

SMOKE BREAK - KS

#6,348 of the rated field

1400 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1400

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to BLACK DOG BBQ)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BLACK DOG BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Oct 29, 2016

⚔ Head-to-head

Lick Da Bone BBQ

#6,346 of the rated field

1400 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1400

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen May 8, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

WESTHOEK SMOKERS

#6,347 of the rated field

1400 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1400

Careers of much the same size, 22 contests to 21, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Sep 17, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

Q LIVE CREW

#6,349 of the rated field

1400 power rating

Contests: 66
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1520

66 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 5% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 66 contests
last seen May 23, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Chain Smokers

#6,341 of the rated field

1401 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1401

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Sep 19, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Roux BBQ

#6,350 of the rated field

1399 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1399

Level with BLACK DOG BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 18 contests
last seen May 15, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
3 EYZ BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Backdraft BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	19	4	0	1	170.8572	132	154.15	top 72%
Pork Ribs	20	1	0	0	170.8456	122.2744	149.91	top 75%
Pork	19	3	0	0	168.5600	128.4912	154.24	top 70%
Brisket	19	3	1	1	177.7028	129.0400	150.25	top 71%

“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 field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 79%
Medium (20–39)	10	top 69%
Large (40+)	8	top 90%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
SC	4	top 76%
CO	2	top 83%
MN	2	top 36%
VA	2	top 85%
MD	2	top 98%
MO	2	top 87%
RI	1	top 90%
MA	1	top 100%
CT	1	top 79%
DE	1	top 93%
IA	1	top 48%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown	3	22	top 75%	Nov 13, 2015
Buskers, Brews & BBQ	2	24	top 83%	Jun 7, 2019
BBQ Jamboree	2	54	top 85%	May 13, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 5 contests

Contests a season 2.3 across 9 seasons in the data

Most contests held in SC 4 of 21 contests · 12 states in all

Contests visited 15 3 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 20 entries · 0 wins · 1 call

Opponents faced 1,322 finished ahead 276 times, behind 1,517

Longest layoff 3.9 yrs Jun 7, 2019 → May 6, 2023

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

20261 milestone

Sep 12 Most recent contest Woodland Ribs & Rods Rib Cook Off & Car Show (ONE MEAT RIBS)

20163 milestones

Sep 3 First category win (Brisket) Big Muddy Brew n Que (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)
Sep 3 Career-best overall score673.7144 Big Muddy Brew n Que (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)
Sep 3 Career-best single call (Brisket)177.7028 Big Muddy Brew n Que (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)

20151 milestone

Nov 13 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown

20141 milestone

Aug 1 First overall top-10 Lynch Livestock Pig Stampede

20134 milestones

Jun 28 First tracked contest Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off
Jun 28 First call Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off
Jun 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.1430 Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off
Jun 28 Peak power rating (1506) Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+9.6	Big Muddy Brew n Que (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)	Sep 3, 2016
+5.5	Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off	Jun 28, 2013
+4	Lynch Livestock Pig Stampede	Aug 1, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.4	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	Oct 3, 2013
-11.4	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ	Jul 31, 2015
-11	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival	May 6, 2016
-9.3	Bay State BBQ Championship	Oct 14, 2017
-9	Boo-B-Que	Oct 21, 2016

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	0	0	100%	—	—	—
2023	1	0	0	0%	top 90%	85.7%	85.7%
2019	1	0	0	0%	top 89%	82.3%	82.3%
2018	1	0	0	0%	top 77%	85.6%	85.6%
2017	2	0	0	50%	top 89%	85.7%	84.2%
2016	5	1	1	20%	top 78%	93.6%	82.1%
2015	4	0	0	0%	top 86%	87.2%	83.2%
2014	3	1	0	33%	top 67%	90.9%	87.9%
2013	3	0	0	33%	top 66%	92.4%	85.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 12, 2026	Woodland Ribs & Rods Rib Cook Off & Car Show (ONE MEAT RIBS) Woodland, CA	—	—	9 (170.8456)	—	—
May 6, 2023	HOGS 4 HEROES 🏅 Jamestown, RI	45 / 50 (616.9716)	19 (167.9772)	44 (150.8572)	32 (158.2284)	49 (139.9088)
Jun 7, 2019	Buskers, Brews & BBQ 🏅 Aurora, CO	34 / 38 (592.5144)	35 (150.2628)	35 (144)	35 (145.6800)	30 (152.5716)
Jun 8, 2018	Buskers, Brews & BBQ Aurora, CO	24 / 31 (616.5716)	24 (157.7144)	26 (153.7144)	29 (153.1312)	24 (152.0116)
Oct 14, 2017	Bay State BBQ Championship Monson, MA	30 / 30 (595.2804)	25 (158.8572)	30 (129.0516)	28 (151.4172)	26 (155.9544)
Aug 12, 2017	New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton New London, CT	11 / 14 (617.1316)	3 (168.6172)	11 (154.2400)	8 (160.5944)	13 (133.6800)
Oct 21, 2016	Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE	62 / 67 (557.5544)	66 (132.5372)	66 (122.2744)	51 (151.3828)	47 (151.3600)
Sep 3, 2016	Big Muddy Brew n Que (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Winona, MN	7 / 20 (673.7144)	9 (168.0344)	13 (159.4172)	7 (168.5600)	1 (177.7028)
Jun 10, 2016	The Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition at Battery Park New Castle, DE	—	—	—	—	—
May 13, 2016	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	63 / 72 (599.3256)	71 (142.2400)	42 (159.4516)	20 (164.5828)	70 (133.0512)
May 6, 2016	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	50 / 51 (532.9940)	51 (132)	48 (138.2628)	50 (128.4912)	46 (134.2400)
Nov 13, 2015	Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown Mount Pleasant, SC	24 / 28 (615.9656)	25 (150.2628)	25 (141.6228)	15 (160.0800)	12 (164)
Oct 3, 2015	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	465 / 606 (627.8400)	522 (153.0628)	351 (162.2400)	433 (158.8228)	443 (153.7144)
Jul 31, 2015	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Leonardtown, MD	53 / 54 (558.1712)	52 (136)	53 (127.4056)	50 (148.5256)	44 (146.2400)
May 8, 2015	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	54 / 65 (592.9944)	55 (152.5600)	48 (153.0972)	57 (142.8000)	55 (144.5372)
Nov 14, 2014	Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN ON 6/15/2014) Charleston, SC	23 / 30 (612.4116)	25 (150.8000)	16 (162.2516)	26 (147.9656)	22 (151.3944)
Sep 19, 2014	Fiddle-N-Pig Shindig Fort Mill, SC	27 / 35 (632.9484)	28 (154.8000)	12 (167.4288)	29 (155.3712)	26 (155.3484)
Aug 1, 2014	Lynch Livestock Pig Stampede Waucoma, IA	10 / 21 (654.2516)	9 (167.9772)	13 (158.8344)	8 (166.3200)	8 (161.1200)
Nov 15, 2013	Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown Charleston, SC	22 / 35 (621.1544)	19 (161.1772)	24 (152)	16 (160)	26 (147.9772)
Oct 3, 2013	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	521 / 535 (558.5708)	413 (153.1312)	514 (134.1484)	508 (142.2512)	520 (129.0400)
Jun 28, 2013	Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off Mankato, MN	11 / 30 (665.1430)	7 (170.8572)	21 (157.1430)	12 (166.2856)	6 (170.8572)

BLACK DOG BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (10 found in their record)

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A June team

The long haul

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)