The 180 club
5
perfect 180s
5 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 3 different meats.
- Pork Ribs ×3
- Chicken ×1
- Brisket ×1
BBQ Hot Yard
BBQ Hot Yard is a competition barbecue team with 65 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. They have won 3 Grand Championships, most recently at the Vuur en Vlees (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #819 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1626
peak 1630 · rated over 33 contests4 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
65
in the data
First seen
Aug 12, 2023
latest Oct 9, 2026 · 3.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
3
3 reserve · wins it all 5% of the time
Category wins
19
42 podiums
Overall top-10s
25
38% of 65 contests
Best top-10 run
9
straight overall top-10s · 2 straight GCs
Avg finish
top 48%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
5 🔥
Current form
685.52 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 675.84 (+9.68)
Walk rate
83%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±24.22
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 169.73 · weakest Brisket (166.52)
Road miles
30,173
across 65 mapped stops · furthest 5,096 mi
Schedule strength
39%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1552)
Purse competed for
$68K
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
Master avg
675.84 / 720
35 Master contests · 3 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #9 (2,404 pts) | #23 (1,987 pts) | #2 (2,550 pts) | #17 (2,096 pts) | #3 (2,409 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #138 (1,390 pts) | #68 (1,744 pts) | #33 (2,075 pts) | #79 (1,654 pts) | #96 (1,578 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #716 (205 pts) | #773 (200 pts) | #523 (443 pts) | #752 (205 pts) | #701 (235 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to BBQ Hot Yard, each with one reason worth a look.
26 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#818 of the rated field
- Contests
- 39
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1633
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before BBQ Hot Yard's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#815 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 32%
- Peak
- 1631
Fewer contests behind them than BBQ Hot Yard has cooked, 25 to 65, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#817 of the rated field
- Contests
- 68
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 32%
- Peak
- 1646
68 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 32% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#816 of the rated field
- Contests
- 66
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1662
They've been 1662 at their best, 36 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#831 of the rated field
- Contests
- 51
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1630
2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to BBQ Hot Yard)
These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — BBQ Hot Yard ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#833 of the rated field
- Contests
- 38
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1625
Level with BBQ Hot Yard on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COOKLOUNGE BBQ | 18 | 5 | 13 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| Onkel Felix BBQ | 15 | 10 | 5 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoky Cotte | 15 | 3 | 12 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | 14 | 7 | 7 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ | 14 | 5 | 9 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| Woodquarter Smokerheads | 13 | 5 | 8 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| The Antwerp Smokers | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| BUNCH OF SWINES | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| Barbecoa BBQ Team | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| SOUTH BRIXIA | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Westside BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE ON THE WILD SIDE | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ+ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| The BBQ Ranch | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Art Razza Piave Bbq | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 43 | 29 | 4 | 6 | 180 🔥 | 151.3484 | 169.73 | top 54% |
| Pork Ribs | 53 | 39 | 8 | 17 | 180 🔥 | 148.5488 | 169.21 | top 49% |
| Pork | 36 | 26 | 3 | 8 | 179.4400 | 150.2856 | 169.67 | top 49% |
| Brisket | 36 | 26 | 4 | 11 | 180 🔥 | 142.8116 | 166.52 | top 47% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 22 | 2 | top 52% |
| Medium (20–39) | 9 | 1 | top 34% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 53% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild West Fest on Fire 2026 | 4 | 6 | 0 | top 66% | Aug 8, 2026 |
| Smoke in the North (Day 2) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 7% | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Marchfelder Feuerfest | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 44% | May 2, 2026 |
| Vaartse Hoeve BBQ Contest (Day 2) | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 48% | Sep 12, 2026 |
| The War of Barbeque | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 43% | Jun 20, 2026 |
| Vienna BBQ Days | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 100% | Oct 18, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
38 contests · 3 GCs
Contests a season
16.3
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
TN
4 of 65 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
27
6 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
53 entries · 8 wins · 39 calls
First title
May 2, 2026
Marchfelder Feuerfest
Opponents faced
638
finished ahead 523 times, behind 539
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20269 milestones
- First multi-meat day Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest
- First Reserve Championship Spitsbroek on Fire III
- First Grand Championship Marchfelder Feuerfest
- 10th category win Waiting for W.E.S.T. (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- 50th tracked contest Wild West Fest on Fire 2026 (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Career-best overall score702.2516 Vuur en Vlees
- 5th perfect 180 I Love Smoky Exhibition and BBQ Competition
- Peak power rating (1630) I Love Smoky Exhibition and BBQ Competition
- Most recent contest Fossalta is on Fire BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)
20256 milestones
- First category win (Chicken) BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score686.2172 BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- 10th tracked contest Marchfelder Feuerfest
- First overall podium Mee (a)t and Fire BBQ Festival Innsbruck
- 25th tracked contest V. I Love Smoky Exhibition and BBQ Competition
20241 milestone
- First overall top-10 Wild West Fest on Fire
20232 milestones
- First tracked contest Wild West Fest on Fire
- First call Wild West Fest on Fire
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.9 | Marchfelder Feuerfest | May 2, 2026 |
| +16.5 | Spitsbroek on Fire III | Apr 24, 2026 |
| +16 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge | Apr 11, 2026 |
| +14.4 | Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest | Feb 28, 2026 |
| +13.4 | Twin Smoke | May 15, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12 | Vienna BBQ Days | Oct 19, 2024 |
| -10.8 | Wild West Fest on Fire | Aug 12, 2023 |
| -10.4 | Vienna BBQ Days | Oct 18, 2025 |
| -10.2 | Muehlviertler BBQ Festival | May 17, 2025 |
| -9.8 | Wild West Fest on Fire | Aug 10, 2024 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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 | 38 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 82% | top 33% | 97.5% | 95.5% |
| 2025 | 22 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 91% | top 63% | 96.9% | 92.9% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 95% | 86.7% | 86.1% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 92% | 85.4% | 85.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 2026 | Fossalta is on Fire BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Fossalta di Piave | — | 4 (174.8572) | — | — | — |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Fossalta is on Fire BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) Fossalta di Piave | — | — | 6 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Oct 9, 2026 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 73 / 99 (680.5140) | 94 (160.5484) | 50 (172.5600) | 4 (178.8800) | 75 (168.5256) |
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 207 / 360 (677.0168) | 173 (170.8112) | 120 (173.1200) | 279 (164.5256) | 180 (168.5600) |
| Sep 26, 2026 | I Love Smoky Exhibition and BBQ Competition Szerencs | 3 / 14 (698.7768) | 11 (170.8112) | 4 (176.5600) | 7 (171.4056) | 1 (180) |
| Sep 26, 2026 | I Love Smoky Exhibition and BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) Szerencs | — | — | 1 (176.5716) | — | — |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Smoke on the Waters - The Return! 2026 Devon | 2 / 9 (685.0856) | 5 (167.4056) | 2 (178.2972) | 1 (179.4400) | 4 (159.9428) |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Vaartse Hoeve BBQ Contest (Day 2) Dongen | 6 / 17 (686.2168) | 8 (174.2856) | 10 (170.8228) | 7 (170.2628) | 6 (170.8456) |
| Sep 11, 2026 | Vaartse Hoeve BBQ Contest (Day 1) Dongen | 6 / 10 (672.5140) | 1 (170.8456) | 8 (166.2284) | 9 (165.1200) | 4 (170.3200) |
| Aug 29, 2026 | Vuur en Vlees Deurne | 1 / 8 (702.2516) | 3 (173.7028) | 2 (175.4288) | 1 (178.8572) | 1 (174.2628) |
| Aug 22, 2026 | Smoke in the North (Day 2) Boras | 1 / 26 (697.6572) | 9 (173.1200) | 2 (178.8572) | 7 (169.1200) | 3 (176.5600) |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Smoke in the North (Day 1) Boras | 3 / 28 (697.1200) | 10 (170.2856) | 1 (180) | 5 (174.2744) | 8 (172.5600) |
| Aug 14, 2026 | Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 Tallinn | 3 / 17 (701.1200) | 11 (169.7144) | 1 (180) | 8 (174.2628) | 2 (177.1428) |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Wild West Fest on Fire 2026 Medvode | 6 / 18 (691.4064) | 6 (175.4288) | 2 (176.5716) | 5 (175.4288) | 11 (163.9772) |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Wild West Fest on Fire 2026 (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Medvode | — | 10 (163.9544) | — | — | — |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Wild West Fest on Fire 2026 (ONE MEAT RIBS) Medvode | — | — | 3 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2026 | Waiting for W.E.S.T. (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Sand in Taufers / Campo Tures | — | 1 (178.8572) | — | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2026 | Waiting for W.E.S.T. (ONE MEAT RIBS) Sand in Taufers / Campo Tures | — | — | 1 (175.4056) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2026 | No Smoke, No Glory (ONE MEAT BRISKET) Zagreb | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2026 | No Smoke, No Glory (ONE MEAT RIBS) Zagreb | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 10, 2026 | No Smoke, No Glory Zagreb | 11 / 16 (675.9088) | 4 (177.7028) | 9 (173.1200) | 11 (170.2972) | 15 (154.7888) |
| Jun 20, 2026 | The War of Barbeque Peschiera del Garda | 9 / 25 (685.6228) | 5 (175.4056) | 9 (173.1084) | 21 (164.5372) | 8 (172.5716) |
| Jun 20, 2026 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Peschiera del Garda | — | 16 (164) | — | — | — |
| Jun 20, 2026 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS) Peschiera del Garda | — | — | 4 (175.4172) | — | — |
| May 23, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 85 / 117 (678.7772) | 48 (173.7144) | 116 (160.5028) | 82 (168) | 20 (176.5600) |
| May 22, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Chicken Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | 67 (166.8228) | — | — | — |
| May 22, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | — | 78 (158.2056) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Twin Smoke Vilnius, Lithuania | 2 / 23 (693.6916) | 7 (167.9888) | 5 (172) | 2 (177.1428) | 1 (176.5600) |
| May 2, 2026 | Marchfelder Feuerfest Orth an der Donau, NO | 1 / 8 (699.3828) | 8 (173.1084) | 4 (172.5600) | 4 (176.5600) | 1 (177.1544) |
| May 2, 2026 | Marchfelder Feuerfest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Orth an der Donau, NO | — | — | 3 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Apr 25, 2026 | Spitsbroek on Fire IV Eede Holland | 6 / 15 (673.6344) | 5 (170.8344) | 10 (162.8000) | 3 (174.2856) | 9 (165.7144) |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Spitsbroek on Fire III Eede Holland | 2 / 11 (678.2056) | 7 (168.5372) | 1 (171.4056) | 7 (165.1200) | 2 (173.1428) |
| Apr 11, 2026 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge Parma | 3 / 42 (694.8116) | 11 (175.4172) | 13 (169.6916) | 7 (174.2628) | 3 (175.4400) |
| Mar 7, 2026 | W.E.S.T. - Winter Extreme South Tyrol Muhlwald - Selva di Molini, BZ | 5 / 10 (685.0512) | 7 (172.5484) | 6 (169.6800) | 5 (173.7028) | 4 (169.1200) |
| Mar 7, 2026 | W.E.S.T. - Winter Extreme South Tyrol (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Muhlwald - Selva di Molini, BZ | — | 7 (161.0856) | — | — | — |
| Mar 7, 2026 | W.E.S.T. - Winter Extreme South Tyrol (ONE MEAT RIBS) Muhlwald - Selva di Molini, BZ | — | — | 8 (165.7144) | — | — |
| Feb 28, 2026 | Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest Vienna | 3 / 12 (687.3484) | 1 (179.4400) | 8 (163.9428) | 1 (179.4400) | 7 (164.5256) |
| Feb 28, 2026 | Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Vienna | — | — | 3 (175.4288) | — | — |
| Oct 18, 2025 | Vienna BBQ Days Vienna | 11 / 11 (636.9028) | 4 (170.8228) | 11 (158.2400) | 11 (159.3600) | 11 (148.4800) |
| Oct 18, 2025 | Vienna BBQ Days (ONE MEAT RIBS) Vienna | — | — | 10 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Oct 11, 2025 | V. I Love Smoky Exhibition and BBQ Competition Szerencs | 14 / 21 (677.0400) | 5 (177.7028) | 16 (166.2516) | 15 (165.0972) | 9 (167.9884) |
| Oct 11, 2025 | V. I Love Smoky Exhibition and BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) Szerencs | — | — | 8 (161.7028) | — | — |
| Sep 20, 2025 | Fo.G & Smoke 2025 Spilamberto | 13 / 24 (674.2056) | 6 (174.2628) | 8 (169.6800) | 9 (172.5600) | 21 (157.7028) |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Bulgarian Barbecue Championship Sofia | 4 / 11 (697.6572) | 2 (176) | 2 (176.5716) | 3 (177.7028) | 4 (167.3828) |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Wild West Fest on Fire Medvode | 10 / 20 (679.2796) | 16 (164.5140) | 11 (168.5372) | 2 (178.8572) | 10 (167.3712) |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Wild West Fest on Fire (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Medvode | — | 8 (170.2628) | — | — | — |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Wild West Fest on Fire (ONE MEAT RIBS) Medvode | — | — | 1 (177.1544) | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2025 | Mee (a)t and Fire BBQ Festival Innsbruck Innsbruck | 3 / 7 (693.6456) | 7 (165.1200) | 1 (180) | 2 (175.4172) | 3 (173.1084) |
| Jun 28, 2025 | Mee (a)t and Fire BBQ Festival Innsbruck (ONE MEAT RIBS) Innsbruck | — | — | 3 (167.9888) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2025 | The War of Barbeque Peschiera del Garda | 10 / 20 (682.2056) | 9 (173.1084) | 4 (176.5600) | 8 (172.5600) | 17 (159.9772) |
| Jun 14, 2025 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Peschiera del Garda | — | 17 (166.2856) | — | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2025 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS) Peschiera del Garda | — | — | 12 (167.4056) | — | — |
| May 17, 2025 | Muehlviertler BBQ Festival Freistadt | 14 / 15 (638.7884) | 13 (162.2400) | 14 (161.7256) | 8 (162.2628) | 14 (152.5600) |
| May 17, 2025 | Muehlviertler BBQ Festival (ONE MEAT BRISKET) Freistadt | — | — | — | — | 3 (167.4172) |
| May 17, 2025 | Muehlviertler BBQ Festival (ONE MEAT PORK) Freistadt | — | — | — | 5 (173.1200) | — |
| May 3, 2025 | Marchfelder Feuerfest Orth an der Donau, NO | 9 / 12 (647.2800) | 9 (163.3940) | 1 (175.4400) | 11 (157.0744) | 10 (151.3716) |
| May 3, 2025 | Marchfelder Feuerfest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Orth an der Donau, NO | — | — | 7 (163.4400) | — | — |
| Mar 29, 2025 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge Brescia | 9 / 30 (686.2172) | 1 (180) | 26 (161.0972) | 17 (169.6800) | 3 (175.4400) |
| Mar 1, 2025 | Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Vienna | 4 / 4 (645.0284) | 4 (165.0740) | 4 (170.3200) | 4 (158.2400) | 4 (151.3944) |
| Mar 1, 2025 | Vienna Pet Fair BBQ (ONE MEAT RIBS) Vienna | — | — | 4 (158.2516) | — | — |
| Oct 19, 2024 | Vienna BBQ Days Vienna | 14 / 14 (614.7544) | 14 (161.7372) | 13 (159.3828) | 14 (150.8228) | 14 (142.8116) |
| Oct 19, 2024 | Vienna BBQ Days (ONE MEAT RIBS) Vienna | — | — | 18 (150.2056) | — | — |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Wild West Fest on Fire Medvode | 10 / 11 (624.4000) | 11 (151.3484) | 10 (148.5488) | 10 (159.9772) | 7 (164.5256) |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Wild West Fest on Fire (ONE MEAT RIBS) Medvode | — | — | 6 (168.5600) | — | — |
| Aug 12, 2023 | Wild West Fest on Fire Medvode | 11 / 12 (614.8112) | 11 (155.4628) | 11 (150.2628) | 11 (150.2856) | 6 (158.8000) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.