Riding a hot streak
4
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 4-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 4
BBQ Symphony
BBQ Symphony is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2026. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 4 times. They are ranked #991 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “* BBQ Symphony”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1606
peak 1606 · rated over 14 contests3 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
Oct 23, 2015
latest Aug 14, 2026 · 10.8 years on the trail
Grand champs
2
4 reserve · wins it all 12% of the time
Category wins
7
18 podiums
Overall top-10s
12
71% of 17 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 34%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
691.95 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 674.50 (+17.45)
Walk rate
82%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±17.80
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 169.44 · weakest Pork (167.82)
Road miles
38,026
across 17 mapped stops · furthest 5,014 mi
Schedule strength
37%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1548)
Master avg
674.50 / 720
17 Master contests · 2 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 | #357 (540 pts) | #437 (465 pts) | #507 (405 pts) | #415 (465 pts) | #455 (415 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #715 (186 pts) | #899 (141 pts) | #747 (236 pts) | #854 (151 pts) | #761 (186 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #514 (364 pts) | #508 (404 pts) | #633 (324 pts) | #577 (329 pts) | #648 (269 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #649 (240 pts) | #812 (190 pts) | #1225 (110 pts) | #851 (165 pts) | #696 (240 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #615 (300 pts) | #779 (230 pts) | #670 (320 pts) | #635 (310 pts) | #582 (350 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #735 (188 pts) | #740 (213 pts) | #812 (188 pts) | #1054 (113 pts) | #687 (238 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1046 (243 pts) | #1495 (138 pts) | #1252 (193 pts) | #1099 (243 pts) | #1375 (158 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to BBQ Symphony, each with one reason worth a look.
30 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#988 of the rated field
- Contests
- 62
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 37%
- Peak
- 1695
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BBQ Symphony)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BBQ Symphony has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#986 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1607
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#993 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1610
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before BBQ Symphony's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#995 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 65%
- Peak
- 1611
Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#987 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1607
19 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 53% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#989 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1618
Level with BBQ Symphony 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | 11 | 9 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| Insomnia BBQ Team | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| Piiripealsed | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKING FINNS FI | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Sleeping Beauties of BBQ | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Dreamfire BBQ Team | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Rüütlid | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| 3BBQ | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| COOKLOUNGE BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ+ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 178.8800 | 157.6800 | 168.92 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 17 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 178.2972 | 158.8684 | 169.44 | top 35% |
| Pork | 17 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 180 🔥 | 147.9884 | 167.82 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 17 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 175.4172 | 152.5028 | 168.32 | top 34% |
“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) | 11 | 1 | top 22% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 1 | top 36% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 66% |
By state / province (where the contests were held)
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| TN | 4 | 0 | top 66% |
| LT | 2 | 1 | top 11% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Smoke | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 11% | May 15, 2026 |
| BBQ Festival Vanamoisa, Estonia | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 40% | Aug 15, 2025 |
| Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) | 2 | 42 | 0 | top 62% | Oct 11, 2024 |
| BBQ Festival | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 30% | Aug 19, 2022 |
| Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES FULL) | 2 | 62 | 0 | top 71% | Oct 26, 2018 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
3 contests · 2 GCs
Contests a season
1.5
across 11 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
TN
4 of 17 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
12
5 of them more than once
First title
May 15, 2026
Twin Smoke
Opponents faced
398
finished ahead 282 times, behind 275
Longest layoff
1.8 yrs
Oct 23, 2015 → Aug 18, 2017
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20265 milestones
- First Grand Championship Twin Smoke
- First perfect 180 (Pork) Twin Smoke
- Career-best overall score708.5716 Cars & BBQ Festival 2026
- Peak power rating (1606) Cars & BBQ Festival 2026
- Most recent contest Cars & BBQ Festival 2026
20231 milestone
20176 milestones
- First call BBQ Festival 2017
- First category win (Pork Ribs) BBQ Festival 2017
- First overall top-10 BBQ Festival 2017
- First overall podium BBQ Festival 2017
- First Reserve Championship BBQ Festival 2017
- First multi-meat day BBQ Festival 2017
20152 milestones
- First tracked contest Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.6112 Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14 | BBQ Festival 2017 | Aug 18, 2017 |
| +13.7 | BBQ Festival 2019 | Aug 16, 2019 |
| +13.4 | Twin Smoke | May 15, 2026 |
| +13.2 | Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 | Aug 14, 2026 |
| +12.2 | BBQ Festival Vanamoisa | Aug 18, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -4 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) | Oct 23, 2015 |
| -3.7 | Het BBQkampioenschap van het Waasland 2020 | Sep 17, 2022 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 100% | top 11% | 98.4% | 97.4% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 36% | 93.9% | 93.9% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 67% | top 36% | 95.3% | 94% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 44% | 93.2% | 93.2% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 49% | 95.1% | 91.7% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 31% | 90.5% | 90.5% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 100% | top 15% | 94.6% | 94.6% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 11% | 94.5% | 94.5% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 61% | 92.2% | 92.2% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 100% | top 13% | 92.2% | 92.2% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 90.8% | 90.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 2026 | Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 Tallinn | 1 / 17 (708.5716) | 3 (176) | 2 (178.2972) | 4 (178.8572) | 4 (175.4172) |
| Jul 17, 2026 | European Invitational Championship (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Wilhering | 4 / 17 (693.6572) | 16 (167.9772) | 8 (172.5600) | 2 (180) | 4 (173.1200) |
| May 15, 2026 | Twin Smoke Vilnius, Lithuania | 1 / 23 (701.1316) | 2 (178.8572) | 6 (171.9772) | 1 (180) | 3 (170.2972) |
| Aug 15, 2025 | BBQ Festival Vanamoisa, Estonia Saue | 4 / 11 (675.8968) | 7 (161.6684) | 2 (172) | 6 (171.9656) | 4 (170.2628) |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 42 / 87 (680.4912) | 28 (172) | 39 (171.9772) | 62 (166.2628) | 34 (170.2512) |
| Aug 16, 2024 | BBQ Festival Vanamoisa, Estonia Saue Parish | 7 / 16 (686.1712) | 8 (173.1200) | 5 (174.2628) | 8 (171.4056) | 11 (167.3828) |
| May 18, 2024 | Twin Smoke Vilnius, Lithuania | 3 / 18 (663.3712) | 1 (178.8800) | 6 (161.0856) | 4 (164.5828) | 6 (158.8228) |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 61 / 81 (671.3484) | 42 (168.5256) | 9 (175.4400) | 80 (157.6800) | 41 (169.7028) |
| Aug 18, 2023 | BBQ Festival Vanamoisa Saue Parish | 2 / 15 (670.3656) | 4 (170.8456) | 11 (158.8684) | 5 (166.9144) | 2 (173.7372) |
| Sep 17, 2022 | Het BBQkampioenschap van het Waasland 2020 Sint Niklaas | 17 / 25 (636.4000) | 13 (165.1200) | 9 (163.4172) | 20 (155.3600) | 17 (152.5028) |
| Aug 19, 2022 | BBQ Festival Saue Parish | 3 / 10 (684.5372) | 9 (159.4172) | 4 (172) | 2 (177.7028) | 1 (175.4172) |
| Aug 20, 2021 | BBQ Festival 2021 Saue Parish | 4 / 13 (651.4052) | 3 (165.1084) | 4 (168.5828) | 10 (147.9884) | 2 (169.7256) |
| Aug 21, 2020 | BBQ Festival 2020 Saue Parish | 2 / 13 (681.0972) | 1 (176) | 6 (163.4288) | 1 (173.7028) | 5 (167.9656) |
| Aug 16, 2019 | BBQ Festival 2019 Vanamõisa, Saue Parish | 2 / 18 (680.5256) | 8 (168.5256) | 4 (169.7028) | 2 (173.1200) | 6 (169.1772) |
| Oct 26, 2018 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES FULL) Lynchburg, TN | 62 / 102 (663.9200) | 27 (171.4172) | 63 (166.8456) | 95 (154.2400) | 24 (171.4172) |
| Aug 18, 2017 | BBQ Festival 2017 Vanamõisa, Saue Parish | 2 / 15 (663.9200) | 7 (157.6800) | 1 (173.7028) | 1 (172.0228) | 5 (160.5144) |
| Oct 23, 2015 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 75 / 93 (653.6112) | 85 (160.5256) | 54 (166.2972) | 76 (161.1084) | 56 (165.6800) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.