SKARA OLD SCHOOL BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#2794

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1511

peak 1519 · rated over 24 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2016-06-25

latest 2019-09-21

Best ToY finish

#468

Master 2018

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

7 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 24 contests

Avg finish

top 56%

overall standings

Best overall

661.5772 / 720

Master · World Barbecue Championship

Perfect 180s

Current form

636.74 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 624.35 (+12.39)

Walk rate

58%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

175.4628

Chicken · Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch

Consistency

±41.38

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 160.72 · weakest Pork (155.26)

Road miles

11,274

mi across 24 mapped stops · furthest 1867 mi

Schedule strength

39%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1551)

Purse competed for

$32K

listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

624.35 / 720

24 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BEHIND BBQ has finished one call ahead of SKARA OLD SCHOOL BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2018 their best year

2018 was the year it came together: 7 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 46%.

7 contests
2 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 46%

A tough matchup

12–0 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA ahead in 100% of their meetings

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has come out ahead in 12 of their 12 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.5 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.45 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 21% of the time against 24%.

Pork avg 155.26
Chicken avg 160.72
5 calls in 24 entries

A strong matchup

9–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 82% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SHOP BOYS BBQ in 9 of their 11 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

10 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has out-cooked them in 10 of 12 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

HEAVY D BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An August team

Top 38% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 38% across 4 contests, versus top 56% the rest of the year.

4 August contests
top 56% the rest of the year

The long haul

11,274 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 11,274 miles across 24 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,867 miles to Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch.

24 mapped stops
furthest 1,867 mi

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.

98 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ

#2808 of the rated field

1511 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 25 contests to 24, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2024-07-19

⚔ Head-to-head

IRON BBQ

#2805 of the rated field

1511 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1572

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1572 at their best, 61 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 30 contests
last seen 2024-02-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Rub Me Tender Rub Me Sweet

#2788 of the rated field

1511 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 3%
Peak: 1511

No shared contest yet.

31 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 3% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 31 contests
last seen 2024-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

SHADETREECOOKS

#2789 of the rated field

1511 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1525

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 4 years before SKARA OLD SCHOOL BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 16 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

GRILLER INSTINCT

#2798 of the rated field

1511 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1517

No shared contest yet.

Level with SKARA OLD SCHOOL BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2021-09-25

⚔ Head-to-head

THIN BLUE QUE

#2781 of the rated field

1511 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

Fewer contests behind them than SKARA OLD SCHOOL BBQ has cooked, 10 to 24, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2023-05-26

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
SHOP BOYS BBQ	11	9	2	82%	⚔ compare
What the Pork?	11	7	4	64%	⚔ compare
BOYMEETSGRILL	10	8	2	80%	⚔ compare
WALLY BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
BEHIND BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
FAT TIGER BBQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
PADDY MCQ'S	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
MILLER'S BACKYARD BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
Q+BREW	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
THE GOOD CUE CREW	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
SIBLING RIVALRY	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
TEAM EATAPEDIA	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	25	6	1	3	175.4628	143.3828	160.72	top 55%
Pork Ribs	26	8	1	2	169.1772	145.1084	157.48	top 52%
Pork	24	5	0	0	173.1200	138.2628	155.26	top 62%
Brisket	23	6	0	2	172.0228	146.7888	157.28	top 53%

“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 state / province

Where	Contests	Avg finish
NY	7	top 54%
ON	3	top 44%
VT	2	top 56%
QC	2	top 57%
NJ	1	top 47%
PA	1	top 70%
MA	1	top 80%
AL	1	top 70%
CA	1	top 54%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 54%
Medium (20–39)	10	top 55%
Large (40+)	11	top 57%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
I Love Barbecue & Music Festival	3	14	top 52%	2019-07-05
Oinktoberfest	2	12	top 37%	2019-09-21
*Wolf BBQ Fest Richmond 2018	2	9	top 57%	2018-06-15

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3.2 yrs 2016-06-25 → 2019-09-21

Busiest season 2019 7 contests

Contests a season 6 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NY 7 of 24 contests · 9 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 20 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 26 entries · 1 win · 8 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 160.72 · weakest Pork (155.26)

Walk rate 58% a top-10 call in 14 of 24 contests

Overall top-10 rate 29% 7 of 24 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 624.35 out of 720 · 24 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 495 378–496 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 11,274 24 mapped stops · furthest 1,867 mi

Schedule strength 1551 average field rating faced — tougher than 39% of rated contests

Purse competed for $32,200 listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 2 state-championship entries

Power rating 1511 peak 1519 · #2794 of 6,413 rated

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

2016
Jun 25 First tracked contest Green Mountain BBQ Championship
Aug 6 First call Fatboys Classic-Canadian BBQ Championship
Nov 11 First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.5772 World Barbecue Championship
Nov 11 Career-best overall score661.5772 World Barbecue Championship
2017
Jun 16 First overall top-10 *Wolf BBQ FEst Richmond 2017
Aug 25 First category win (Pork Ribs) *The Great Catskill MTN BBQ Fest
Oct 14 10th tracked contest Bay State BBQ Championship
2018
May 12 Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4628 Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch
2019
Mar 8 Peak power rating (1519) Mid Atlantic BBQ Expo
Sep 21 Most recent contest Oinktoberfest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.2	Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch	2018-05-12
+8.8	I Love Barbecue & Music Festival	2018-07-06
+8.5	Summer Daze BBQ Classic	2019-08-23
+6.6	I love Barbecue & Music Festival	2017-07-07
+6	*Quebec City International BBQ & Music Festival	2018-06-01

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.7	NYC BBQ Cookoff	2017-04-07
-13.4	Quebec City International BBQ & Music Fest	2019-06-08
-8.1	Capital BBQ Festival	2019-05-25
-7.9	*Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festival	2017-06-09
-5.3	Bay State BBQ Championship	2017-10-14

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	7	2	0	43%	top 57%	91.6%	88%
2018	7	2	1	86%	top 46%	90.6%	87.5%
2017	7	3	1	57%	top 61%	88.6%	83.8%
2016	3	0	0	33%	top 64%	91.9%	87.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-09-21	Oinktoberfest 🏅 Clarence, NY	12 / 43 (637.6112)	3 (170.8228)	10 (162.2512)	7 (170.2744)	31 (154.8228)
2019-08-23	Summer Daze BBQ Classic Niagara Falls, ON	7 / 23 (656.0116)	2 (170.8456)	11 (159.9772)	8 (164.0116)	10 (161.1772)
2019-07-05	I Love Barbecue & Music Festival 🏅 Lake Placid, NY	25 / 32 (624.9716)	15 (164.5600)	31 (149.0972)	29 (149.6344)	12 (161.6800)
2019-06-21	Ayr Charity BBQ Ayr Ontario, N0B 1E0	10 / 23 (659.4516)	13 (167.9772)	6 (168.6172)	13 (165.1772)	16 (157.6800)
2019-06-08	Quebec City International BBQ & Music Fest Quebec, G1G 4C7	22 / 24 (598.7656)	14 (157.6912)	22 (145.1084)	24 (139.3716)	11 (156.5944)
2019-05-25	Capital BBQ Festival Ottawa, ON	34 / 43 (615.3600)	35 (153.7028)	38 (150.8344)	29 (155.9656)	30 (154.8572)
2019-03-08	Mid Atlantic BBQ Expo Atlantic City, NJ	31 / 66 (649.0856)	12 (169.1316)	52 (153.6684)	37 (160.5716)	21 (165.7140)
2018-09-22	Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY	24 / 51 (619.9888)	6 (168.0344)	7 (163.4516)	45 (139.9656)	32 (148.5372)
2018-09-08	Green Mountain BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Randolph, VT	14 / 33 (652.4796)	20 (161.1084)	20 (162.2512)	19 (157.0972)	2 (172.0228)
2018-07-06	I Love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY	14 / 39 (633.0740)	6 (167.4400)	20 (154.2512)	8 (162.2744)	26 (149.1084)
2018-06-15	*Wolf BBQ Fest Richmond 2018 Richmond, QC	11 / 18 (601.5888)	16 (147.9656)	12 (146.2288)	11 (147.9544)	3 (159.4400)
2018-06-01	*Quebec City International BBQ & Music Festival Quebec City, G1R 4W6	8 / 22 (626.8228)	12 (154.2744)	6 (162.2512)	6 (160.5488)	14 (149.7484)
2018-05-12	Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch Aldersyde, T1A5H8	8 / 30 (646.9488)	1 (175.4628)	12 (161.7144)	23 (153.1544)	18 (156.6172)
2018-04-06	The Ironman Greencastle, PA	42 / 60 (628.4348)	20 (167.4516)	37 (156.5372)	40 (157.6572)	51 (146.7888)
2017-10-14	Bay State BBQ Championship Monson, MA	24 / 30 (637.8056)	27 (158.2856)	21 (160.6172)	26 (156.0456)	18 (162.8572)
2017-08-25	*The Great Catskill MTN BBQ Fest Fleischmanns, NY	8 / 17 (637.6344)	14 (159.9772)	1 (169.1772)	13 (155.3828)	11 (153.0972)
2017-08-05	Capital BBQ Festival Ottawa, ON	9 / 42 (633.2116)	10 (166.8684)	11 (160.5372)	31 (151.3828)	29 (150.2172)
2017-07-07	I love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY	17 / 40 (631.9316)	38 (143.3828)	7 (166.2628)	22 (153.7144)	5 (168.5716)
2017-06-16	*Wolf BBQ FEst Richmond 2017 Richmond, QC	9 / 17 (621.5880)	17 (146.2512)	3 (159.9656)	6 (162.8456)	9 (152.5256)
2017-06-09	*Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festival Drayton Ontario, N4B 2W4	18 / 22 (623.9316)	17 (159.9772)	17 (154.3088)	15 (156.5484)	17 (153.0972)
2017-04-07	NYC BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY	43 / 43 (439.2800)	32 (153.0628)	40 (145.7144)	41 (140.5028)	—
2016-11-11	World Barbecue Championship Orange Beach, AL	62 / 89 (661.5772)	67 (166.2400)	82 (157.6800)	12 (173.1200)	63 (164.5372)
2016-08-06	Fatboys Classic-Canadian BBQ Championship Ottawa, CA	22 / 41 (599.9200)	33 (144.5256)	7 (157.1316)	40 (138.2628)	5 (160.0000)
2016-06-25	Green Mountain BBQ Championship Waterbury, VT	28 / 40 (635.4520)	24 (164.0116)	24 (158.8460)	30 (154.8800)	27 (157.7144)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#607 (537 pts)	#497 (687 pts)	#642 (532 pts)	#586 (587 pts)	#584 (577 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#468 (758 pts)	#341 (998 pts)	#472 (783 pts)	#524 (703 pts)	#422 (848 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#733 (514 pts)	#823 (479 pts)	#548 (734 pts)	#799 (504 pts)	#719 (549 pts)