They almost always walk
71%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 12 of 17 contests
A top-10 category call in 71% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
THE GRILL GATHERING BBQ-Team
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1505
peak 1514 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
2024-02-24
latest 2026-06-20
Best ToY finish
#861
Master 2024
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 17 contests
Avg finish
top 55%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
678.42 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 676.23 (+2.18)
Walk rate
71%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±6.38
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 170.92 · weakest Chicken (166.57)
Road miles
649
mi across 17 mapped stops · furthest 170 mi
Schedule strength
32%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1543)
Master avg
676.23 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (8 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
High-water mark
685.5884
career-best overall
95.2% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 685.5884 at Fo.G & Smoke 2025 — 95.2% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2025-09-20
Their season
2025
their best year
2025 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 36%.
- 4 contests
- 1 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 36%
A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
Smoky Cotte ahead in 100% of their meetings
Smoky Cotte has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
The weak link
−4.4
points behind their best meat
Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.35 points below their pork, and turns into a call 18% of the time against 57%.
- Chicken avg 166.57
- Pork avg 170.92
- 2 calls in 11 entries
A strong matchup
5–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 83% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Art Razza Piave Bbq in 5 of their 6 shared contests.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
LUNA SMOKE - Italy has landed one call behind them 2 times.
The metronome
±0.89%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±0.89% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 93.9% of a perfect score
- 17 contests
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.
109 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3013 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1509
2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to THE GRILL GATHERING BBQ-Team)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#3000 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1513
No shared contest yet.
Fewer contests behind them than THE GRILL GATHERING BBQ-Team has cooked, 7 to 17, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#3014 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1529
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 8 contests, alongside a 25% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#3012 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1511
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before THE GRILL GATHERING BBQ-Team's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#3017 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1512
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2013, 11 years before THE GRILL GATHERING BBQ-Team's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#3008 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1505
No shared contest yet.
Level with THE GRILL GATHERING BBQ-Team on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOUTH BRIXIA | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| LUNA SMOKE - Italy | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Art Razza Piave Bbq | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| Onkel Felix BBQ | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoky Cotte | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Tracica BBQ Team | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoking Butcher | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Hot Yard | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Skinny Beans BBQ team | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| COOKLOUNGE BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 159.4288 | 166.57 | top 67% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 177.7144 | 162.8000 | 169.25 | top 44% |
| Pork | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 176.5828 | 163.9772 | 170.92 | top 49% |
| Brisket | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 174.2628 | 157.0972 | 167.40 | top 46% |
“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 contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 71% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 53% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 29% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The War of Barbeque | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 64% | 2026-06-20 |
The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
2.3 yrs
2024-02-24 → 2026-06-20
Busiest season
2026
7 contests
Contests a season
5.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
BZ
4 of 17 contests
Contests visited
6
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
13 entries · 1 win · 8 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 170.92 · weakest Chicken (166.57)
Walk rate
71%
a top-10 call in 12 of 17 contests
Overall top-10 rate
18%
3 of 17 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight contests
Master average
676.23
out of 720 · 7 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
77
89–78 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
649
17 mapped stops · furthest 170 mi
Schedule strength
1543
average field rating faced — tougher than 32% of rated contests
Power rating
1505
peak 1514 · #3006 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2024
- First tracked contest W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol
- First call W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score663.9316 W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol
- First overall top-10 The War of Barbeque
- 2025
- 10th tracked contest Fo.G & Smoke 2025
- Career-best overall score685.5884 Fo.G & Smoke 2025
- Peak power rating (1514) Fo.G & Smoke 2025
- 2026
- First category win (Pork Ribs) The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.7144 The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Most recent contest The War of Barbeque
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +8.6 | Fo.G & Smoke 2025 | 2025-09-20 |
| +8.3 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge | 2026-04-11 |
| +4.3 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge | 2025-03-29 |
| +2 | The War of Barbeque | 2024-06-15 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.1 | W.E.S.T. - Winter Extreme South Tyrol | 2026-03-07 |
| -6.8 | The War of Barbeque | 2026-06-20 |
| -1.2 | W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol | 2024-02-24 |
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 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 71% | top 65% | 94.8% | 94% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 75% | top 36% | 95.2% | 94.5% |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 57% | 94.1% | 93.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-20 | The War of Barbeque Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | 19 / 25 (675.3372) | 14 (171.9772) | 24 (163.4056) | 17 (170.2628) | 10 (169.6916) |
| 2026-06-20 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | — | 22 (160.5256) | — | — | — |
| 2026-06-20 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS) Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | — | — | 1 (177.7144) | — | — |
| 2026-04-11 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge PARMA, 43126 | 12 / 42 (682.2060) | 12 (174.8572) | 24 (166.2516) | 16 (169.6800) | 12 (171.4172) |
| 2026-03-07 | W.E.S.T. - Winter Extreme South Tyrol Muhlwald - Selva di Molini, BZ | 9 / 10 (673.6228) | 9 (168.5484) | 3 (176.5600) | 9 (163.9772) | 7 (164.5372) |
| 2026-03-07 | W.E.S.T. - Winter Extreme South Tyrol (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Muhlwald - Selva di Molini, BZ | — | 5 (167.3712) | — | — | — |
| 2026-03-07 | W.E.S.T. - Winter Extreme South Tyrol (ONE MEAT RIBS) Muhlwald - Selva di Molini, BZ | — | — | 7 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2025-09-20 | Fo.G & Smoke 2025 Spilamberto, I-41057 | 7 / 24 (685.5884) | 11 (170.8228) | 12 (167.3828) | 8 (173.1200) | 2 (174.2628) |
| 2025-06-14 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | — | 20 (165.6912) | — | — | — |
| 2025-06-14 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS) Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | — | — | 10 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-03-29 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge Brescia, 25125 | 13 / 30 (675.3256) | 16 (168.5484) | 20 (162.8000) | 5 (176.5828) | 12 (167.3944) |
| 2024-06-15 | The War of Barbeque Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | 9 / 17 (677.6116) | 15 (161.6684) | 3 (177.7144) | 11 (170.8344) | 10 (167.3944) |
| 2024-06-15 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | — | 16 (159.4288) | — | — | — |
| 2024-06-15 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS) Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | — | — | 7 (167.3828) | — | — |
| 2024-04-06 | "Smokin' Ribs Showdown" (ONE MEAT RIBS) #2 Brescia, 25125 | — | — | 10 (168.5488) | — | — |
| 2024-04-06 | "Smokin' Ribs Showdown" (ONE MEAT RIBS) #1 Brescia, 25125 | — | — | 16 (163.4060) | — | — |
| 2024-02-24 | W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol Rein in Taufers, BZ | 16 / 26 (663.9316) | 18 (162.8572) | 8 (171.9772) | 8 (172.0000) | 19 (157.0972) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #942 (115 pts) | #1070 (100 pts) | #1237 (80 pts) | #774 (180 pts) | #920 (120 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #861 (127 pts) | #797 (186 pts) | #580 (375 pts) | #1014 (112 pts) | #982 (117 pts) |