The heartbreaker
1.2000
points from the title
Came within 1.2000 points of the Grand Championship at Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) (Aug 19, 2023).
BBQ MIKE
BBQ MIKE is a competition barbecue team with 44 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. They have won 6 Grand Championships, most recently at the Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #518 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1673
peak 1693 · rated over 38 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
44
in the data
First seen
May 28, 2022
latest Sep 11, 2026 · 4.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
6
3 reserve · wins it all 14% of the time
Category wins
7
26 podiums
Overall top-10s
26
59% of 44 contests
Best top-10 run
9
straight overall top-10s · 2 straight GCs
Avg finish
top 30%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
338.46 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 340.75 (-2.29)
Walk rate
75%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.87
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.63 · weakest Pork (166.26)
Road miles
9,911
across 44 mapped stops · furthest 441 mi
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)
Purse competed for
$203K
listed at 43 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
3 🏅
won from 21 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
340.75 / 360
37 Backyard contests · 5 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
498.17 / 540
1 Backyard (3-meat) contest · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
679.36 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 1 GC
These overall scores sit on different scales (Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #47 (877 pts) | #23 (1,051 pts) | #60 (793 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | #577 (301 pts) | #840 (164 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #4 (1,343 pts) | #6 (1,333 pts) | #13 (1,261 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #101 (611 pts) | #56 (856 pts) | #105 (578 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1009 (122 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #61 (904 pts) | #62 (929 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #768 (249 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #72 (650 pts) | #68 (740 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to BBQ MIKE, each with one reason worth a look.
#517 of the rated field
- Contests
- 57
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 49%
- Peak
- 1692
4–3 in 7 shared contests (57% to BBQ MIKE)
These two have cooked 7 of the same contests — BBQ MIKE ahead 4–3 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#519 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1673
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#515 of the rated field
- Contests
- 162
- GCs
- 5
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1787
162 contests to 44: their number has had years to settle where BBQ MIKE's is still finding its level.
⚔ Compare careers#516 of the rated field
- Contests
- 174
- GCs
- 10
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1862
Their rating is built on 10 Grand Championships in 174 contests, alongside a 47% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#526 of the rated field
- Contests
- 40
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1672
7–5 in 12 shared contests (58% to BBQ MIKE)
They were already cooking in 2014, 8 years before BBQ MIKE's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#523 of the rated field
- Contests
- 43
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1672
1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to BBQ MIKE)
6 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudes BBQ | 23 | 10 | 13 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | 21 | 12 | 9 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 18 | 3 | 15 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Wapatui Smokers | 17 | 8 | 9 | 47% | ⚔ compare |
| SmoQued On Main St | 15 | 11 | 4 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Shmack Q | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 13 | 7 | 6 | 54% | ⚔ compare |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 12 | 7 | 5 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN E'S BBQ | 12 | 5 | 7 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Stone Cold Grillers | 11 | 6 | 5 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| Sugar Shack | 10 | 8 | 2 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| T Daddys BBQ | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Sensuous BBQ | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 41 | 29 | 5 | 14 | 179.4400 | 161.6684 | 171.63 | top 29% |
| Pork Ribs | 42 | 23 | 2 | 12 | 180 🔥 | 151.9200 | 169.29 | top 35% |
| Pork | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 167.3944 | 165.1200 | 166.26 | top 52% |
| Brisket | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.2856 | 170.2856 | 170.29 | top 27% |
“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) | 8 | 5 | top 17% |
| Medium (20–39) | 23 | 1 | top 28% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 0 | top 46% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 20% | Jun 12, 2026 |
| Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 20% | Jul 19, 2025 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 3 | 7 | 0 | top 41% | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Iowa State BBQ Championship | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 45% | Apr 3, 2026 |
| Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 19% | Jun 14, 2024 |
| Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 30% | Jun 19, 2026 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 58% | Mar 20, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
13 contests · 2 GCs
Contests a season
8.8
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
13 of 44 contests · 11 states in all
Contests visited
27
7 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
42 entries · 2 wins · 23 calls
First title
Jun 13, 2025
Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
Opponents faced
690
finished ahead 1,069 times, behind 535
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- 5th Grand Championship Marietta River City BBQ (OPEN FORMAT)
- Career-best overall score679.3600 Marietta River City BBQ (OPEN FORMAT)
- Peak power rating (1693) Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- Most recent contest September Fest
20256 milestones
- First Grand Championship Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- First state championship Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- Biggest field won (36 teams) Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- 25th tracked contest Goose's 1st Annual Pitmaster Showdown
- First multi-meat day Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)
20231 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD)
20227 milestones
- First tracked contest Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score326.2284 Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (Backyard)
- First overall podium Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (Backyard)
- First Reserve Championship Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (Backyard)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.9 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (Backyard) | Jun 17, 2022 |
| +14.8 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 13, 2025 |
| +14.3 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 19, 2023 |
| +13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 7, 2024 |
| +12.5 | Best of the Midwest BBQ | Oct 14, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.8 | September Fest | Sep 11, 2026 |
| -13.1 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | Mar 20, 2026 |
| -7.4 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Apr 3, 2026 |
| -5.7 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 8, 2024 |
| -5 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 19, 2026 |
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 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 69% | top 39% | 95.7% | 94% |
| 2025 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 85% | top 20% | 99.2% | 96.4% |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 38% | top 48% | 96.5% | 93.1% |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 100% | top 18% | 96.5% | 95% |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 100% | top 19% | 96.3% | 92.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 11 / 16 (330.2172) | 8 (169.1200) | 11 (161.0972) | — | — |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 20 / 41 (340.5484) | 21 (167.9884) | 13 (172.5600) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 7 / 37 (342.7884) | 5 (173.1200) | 10 (169.6684) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 19 / 40 (340.5028) | 23 (168.5256) | 11 (171.9772) | — | — |
| May 22, 2026 | Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 1 / 14 (338.2628) | 2 (171.4056) | 2 (166.8572) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 6 / 35 (338.2172) | 3 (171.9772) | 8 (166.2400) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Warsaw, IN | — | 17 (169.1428) | — | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN | — | — | 7 (174.2972) | — | — |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Marietta River City BBQ (OPEN FORMAT) 🏅 Marietta, OH | 1 / 15 (679.3600) | 3 (174.2628) | 9 (169.6916) | 12 (165.1200) | 4 (170.2856) |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Marietta River City BBQ (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Marietta, OH | — | 3 (173.7028) | — | — | — |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 25 / 42 (334.7540) | 26 (167.3712) | 23 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge 🏅 St. Robert, MO | 10 / 26 (344.5140) | 13 (170.2512) | 8 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 24 / 33 (334.8228) | 10 (173.1200) | 29 (161.7028) | — | — |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Stover Rock Island Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Stover, MO | 1 / 13 (354.2628) | 1 (177.7028) | 2 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 2 / 38 (349.7028) | 4 (173.7028) | 2 (176) | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 10 / 31 (343.9428) | 10 (174.2628) | 14 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Smoke N for the Kids 🏅 Troy, IL | 15 / 32 (327.9084) | 12 (163.9428) | 14 (163.9656) | — | — |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN | 1 / 18 (357.1428) | 1 (177.1428) | 1 (180) | — | — |
| Jul 19, 2025 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI | 1 / 17 (354.2972) | 2 (177.7372) | 3 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Goose's 1st Annual Pitmaster Showdown 🏅 Papillion, NE | 3 / 24 (350.8228) | 1 (177.7028) | 4 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Jun 20, 2025 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 4 / 36 (353.1200) | 5 (176.5600) | 2 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 17 / 36 (332.5028) | 19 (166.2400) | 19 (166.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 1 / 36 (354.2972) | 1 (179.4400) | 3 (174.8572) | — | — |
| May 16, 2025 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 9 / 32 (346.8344) | 9 (174.2744) | 11 (172.5600) | — | — |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 8 / 49 (345.0972) | 2 (177.7028) | 20 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 14 / 33 (341.0856) | 8 (173.7028) | 18 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Sep 14, 2024 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 18 / 35 (329.0168) | 12 (166.2284) | 19 (162.7884) | — | — |
| Jul 20, 2024 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI | 8 / 23 (341.6340) | 8 (173.1084) | 9 (168.5256) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 15 / 40 (333.6572) | 1 (178.8572) | 35 (154.8000) | — | — |
| Jun 8, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 21 / 37 (325.0512) | 18 (162.2512) | 18 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 4 / 41 (347.3944) | 3 (176.5600) | 7 (170.8344) | — | — |
| May 25, 2024 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN | 42 / 47 (335.3484) | 38 (166.8228) | 33 (168.5256) | — | — |
| May 17, 2024 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw (ONE MEAT RIBS) 🏅 Warsaw, IN | — | — | 12 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Mar 29, 2024 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 25 / 42 (333.0856) | 25 (167.9656) | 27 (165.1200) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 21 (341.0968) | 19 (165.6912) | 2 (175.4056) | — | — |
| Sep 15, 2023 | Saluting with Smoke Single Meat - Rib Burn (ONE MEAT RIBS) Yorkville, IL | — | — | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 2 / 16 (346.2400) | 4 (173.1200) | 4 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Jul 15, 2023 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI | 3 / 16 (347.4172) | 3 (172.5600) | 3 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Jun 17, 2023 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 4 / 33 (342.8344) | 8 (169.1316) | 4 (173.7028) | — | — |
| May 27, 2023 | Westmont Red White & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 8 / 34 (498.1716) | 2 (178.8572) | 26 (151.9200) | 8 (167.3944) | — |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Best of the Midwest BBQ 🏅 Union Grove, WI | 4 / 36 (332.4684) | 6 (162.7884) | 2 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Jul 15, 2022 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 7 / 25 (323.9312) | 6 (161.6684) | 7 (162.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (Backyard) Morris, IL | 2 / 23 (346.8344) | 5 (171.4172) | 1 (175.4172) | — | — |
| May 28, 2022 | Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 8 / 28 (326.2284) | 6 (169.7028) | 19 (156.5256) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.