Riding a hot streak
4
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 4-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 4
Tuffy's BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1618
peak 1618 · rated over 27 contests ⓘ
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
28
in the data
First seen
2023-06-09
latest 2026-08-28
Best ToY finish
#98
Master 2026
Grand champs
1
2 reserve
Category wins
6
16 podiums
Overall top-10s
12
of 28 contests
Avg finish
top 45%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
694.57 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 683.98 (+10.60)
Walk rate
82%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
and counting
Consistency
±13.58
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.90 · weakest Pork (169.55)
Road miles
11,859
mi across 28 mapped stops · furthest 1442 mi
Schedule strength
71%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1590)
Purse competed for
$291K
listed at 26 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
GCs in 27 state-championship entries
Master avg
683.98 / 720
27 Master contests · 1 GC
Storylines (16 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 heartbreaker
0.5828
points from the title
Came within 0.5828 points of the Grand Championship at Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off (2026-07-24).
Perfect scores on the board
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in brisket.
- Brisket ×2
Against the odds
15-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 85 times in 100
Their Grand Championship at Best Dam BBQ (2025-05-23) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 15-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Meat Candy Q.
On the rise
+47
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 47 points across 10 contests since 2025-08-29 — from 1571 up to 1618.
- 10 contests since 2025-08-29
- now 1618
A multi-meat day
1
contests with 2+ category wins
They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at Best Dam Barbeque (2024-05-24).
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
They almost always walk
82%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 23 of 28 contests
A top-10 category call in 82% of their 28 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
703.9656
career-best overall
97.8% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 703.9656 at Best Dam BBQ — 97.8% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2025-05-23
State champions
1
state championships won
They've taken 1 state championship from 27 entries at contests carrying the title.
- 27 state-championship entries
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Red Beards BBQ has finished one call ahead of Tuffy's BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
A tough matchup
9–3
behind in the head-to-head
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ ahead in 75% of their meetings
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ has come out ahead in 9 of their 12 shared contests.
A strong matchup
10–2
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 83% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Wild West BBQ in 10 of their 12 shared contests.
Chicken nemesis
12 of 15
shared chicken entries lost
Brinkerhoff BBQ ahead 80% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Brinkerhoff BBQ has out-cooked them in 12 of 15 shared chicken entries.
A May team
Top 31%
average finish in May
Something about May: average finish in the top 31% across 4 contests, versus top 45% the rest of the year.
- 4 May contests
- top 45% the rest of the year
The long haul
11,859
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 11,859 miles across 28 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,442 miles to Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY).
- 28 mapped stops
- furthest 1,442 mi
The metronome
±1.89%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.89% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 95.0% of a perfect score
- 28 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.
#881 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 37%
- Peak
- 1618
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 26 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#880 of the rated field
- Contests
- 22
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1618
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 6 years before Tuffy's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#879 of the rated field
- Contests
- 38
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 39%
- Peak
- 1636
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 38 contests to 28, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#876 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1625
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 3 Grand Championships in 18 contests, alongside a 67% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#875 of the rated field
- Contests
- 59
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 19%
- Peak
- 1643
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2018, 5 years before Tuffy's BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#877 of the rated field
- Contests
- 67
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1646
No shared contest yet.
Level with Tuffy's BBQ 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SinBin BBQ | 21 | 9 | 12 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| SLINGIN MEATS | 20 | 9 | 11 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| 1 Bite BBQ | 17 | 11 | 6 | 65% | ⚔ compare |
| Brinkerhoff BBQ | 15 | 5 | 10 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Colorado Bulldawg BBQ | 14 | 5 | 9 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| Wild West BBQ | 12 | 10 | 2 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Meat Candy Q | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| Texas Smoke Whisperer | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| GIRLS CAN GRILL | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| CROOKED PIGS | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Heifers, Butts, & Clucks BBQ | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG BOYZ BBQ | 9 | 8 | 1 | 89% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 28 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 179.4400 | 163.9428 | 171.90 | top 48% |
| Pork Ribs | 28 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 178.2972 | 159.3828 | 171.29 | top 46% |
| Pork | 28 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 179.4400 | 158.2172 | 169.55 | top 55% |
| Brisket | 28 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 180.0000 🔥 | 149.6112 | 170.79 | top 40% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT | 6 | 0 | top 54% |
| WY | 5 | 0 | top 37% |
| NV | 5 | 1 | top 31% |
| MT | 4 | 0 | top 39% |
| ID | 4 | 0 | top 42% |
| AZ | 2 | 0 | top 60% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 88% |
| CO | 1 | 0 | top 58% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 47% |
| Medium (20–39) | 21 | 1 | top 43% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 54% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Dam BBQ | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 37% | 2026-05-23 |
| Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 24% | 2026-07-24 |
| Smoke-N-Wings | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 53% | 2025-06-27 |
The story so far (20 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3.2 yrs
2023-06-09 → 2026-08-28
Busiest season
2026
9 contests
Contests a season
7
across 4 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
UT
6 of 28 contests · 8 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
25
3 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
28 entries · 1 win · 7 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 171.90 · weakest Pork (169.55)
Walk rate
82%
a top-10 call in 23 of 28 contests
Overall top-10 rate
43%
12 of 28 contests
Wins it all
4%
1 Grand Championship · 2 reserve
First title
2025-05-23
Best Dam BBQ
Best top-10 run
4
straight contests — and still running
Master average
683.98
out of 720 · 27 contests · 1 GC
Perfect 180s
2
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
391
500–404 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
11,859
28 mapped stops · furthest 1,442 mi
Schedule strength
1590
average field rating faced — tougher than 71% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$290,950
listed at 26 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1
from 27 state-championship entries
Power rating
1618
peak 1618 · #878 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2023
- First tracked contest GMG NorUt State BBQ Championship
- First call GMG NorUt State BBQ Championship
- First overall top-10 GMG NorUt State BBQ Championship
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score690.8348 GMG NorUt State BBQ Championship
- 2024
- First category win (Chicken) Best Dam Barbeque
- First multi-meat day Best Dam Barbeque
- First overall podium Smoke & Soul Fest
- First Reserve Championship Smoke & Soul Fest
- First perfect 180 (Brisket) Smoke & Soul Fest
- 10th tracked contest Veterans of Foreign Wars Colorado KCBS Pitmaster BBQ Contest
- 2025
- First Grand Championship Best Dam BBQ
- First state championship Best Dam BBQ
- Career-best overall score703.9656 Best Dam BBQ
- 2026
- 25th tracked contest Smoke-N-Wings
- Peak power rating (1618) Montana Pitmaster Classic
- Most recent contest Montana Pitmaster Classic
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.8 | Smoke & Soul Fest | 2024-07-12 |
| +17.2 | Best Dam BBQ | 2025-05-23 |
| +14.9 | Best Dam Barbeque | 2024-05-24 |
| +13.1 | Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off | 2026-07-24 |
| +11 | The Downtown Grand Master BBQ Showdown | 2026-04-17 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.5 | Smoke & Soul Fest | 2023-10-06 |
| -7.6 | Q's & Brews Bighorn BBQ Competition | 2026-03-27 |
| -6.6 | Best Dam BBQ | 2026-05-23 |
| -5.2 | Blaze of 47 | 2025-07-18 |
| -1.3 | Montana BBQ Cookoff | 2025-06-13 |
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 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 89% | top 37% | 97.1% | 95.8% |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 75% | top 50% | 97.8% | 95.1% |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 88% | top 41% | 96.8% | 94.9% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 63% | 95.9% | 92.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-28 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 6 / 39 (697.6800) | 15 (174.2628) | 21 (171.4056) | 14 (173.7144) | 3 (178.2972) |
| 2026-07-24 | Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Laramie, WY | 2 / 32 (699.3828) | 2 (178.8572) | 4 (174.8456) | 14 (169.1200) | 3 (176.5600) |
| 2026-07-03 | Dillon Days Blowin' Smoke BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Dillon, MT | 9 / 26 (696.5372) | 22 (166.2628) | 10 (174.8572) | 7 (176.5600) | 1 (178.8572) |
| 2026-06-26 | Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID | 9 / 31 (698.8000) | 26 (170.2628) | 24 (171.9656) | 3 (178.8572) | 2 (177.7144) |
| 2026-05-23 | Best Dam BBQ 🏅 Boulder City, NV | 23 / 33 (680.4684) | 24 (167.9656) | 19 (170.2744) | 9 (175.4056) | 20 (166.8228) |
| 2026-05-01 | Blue Compass RV BBQ Bash 🏅 Marriott-Slaterville, UT | 6 / 19 (693.1316) | 11 (172.0000) | 1 (177.1544) | 11 (171.9772) | 11 (172.0000) |
| 2026-04-17 | The Downtown Grand Master BBQ Showdown 🏅 Las Vegas, NV | 8 / 29 (691.3712) | 2 (179.4400) | 17 (168.5600) | 4 (175.4056) | 17 (167.9656) |
| 2026-03-27 | Q's & Brews Bighorn BBQ Competition 🏅 Lake Havasu City, AZ | 27 / 33 (669.0056) | 12 (173.7028) | 17 (171.4172) | 29 (162.8000) | 28 (161.0856) |
| 2026-01-16 | 11th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 20 / 53 (683.3484) | 19 (173.1084) | 2 (177.7144) | 47 (162.2628) | 18 (170.2628) |
| 2025-10-10 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 79 / 90 (671.2796) | 82 (163.9428) | 66 (169.1084) | 84 (163.3828) | 16 (174.8456) |
| 2025-08-29 | Meat & Tater BBQ Fest 🏅 Meridian, ID | 12 / 39 (690.2520) | 15 (171.9888) | 4 (177.7144) | 34 (163.9772) | 6 (176.5716) |
| 2025-07-25 | Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Laramie, WY | 11 / 26 (677.5884) | 13 (168.5256) | 15 (167.3944) | 13 (169.6800) | 7 (171.9884) |
| 2025-07-18 | Blaze of 47 🏅 Salt Lake City, UT | 19 / 26 (682.7888) | 11 (174.2628) | 20 (170.2744) | 26 (165.1200) | 11 (173.1316) |
| 2025-06-27 | Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID | 17 / 32 (682.7660) | 19 (166.2400) | 4 (176.0000) | 23 (167.4060) | 12 (173.1200) |
| 2025-06-20 | Pitmaster's NorUt KCBS BBQ Championship 🏅 Ogden, UT | 8 / 16 (693.0972) | 13 (172.5600) | 11 (172.0000) | 8 (175.4172) | 9 (173.1200) |
| 2025-06-13 | Montana BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Absarokee, MT | 19 / 33 (662.1256) | 14 (170.2628) | 21 (159.3828) | 24 (160.5028) | 9 (171.9772) |
| 2025-05-23 | Best Dam BBQ 🏅 Boulder City, NV | 1 / 29 (703.9656) | 4 (176.5600) | 6 (174.8572) | 12 (172.5484) | 2 (180.0000) |
| 2024-12-06 | BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV | 28 / 74 (681.6344) | 27 (171.9656) | 42 (168.0116) | 22 (173.1200) | 39 (168.5372) |
| 2024-09-06 | Veterans of Foreign Wars Colorado KCBS Pitmaster BBQ Contest 🏅 Castle Rock, CO | 21 / 36 (673.5888) | 15 (171.9772) | 27 (162.8116) | 26 (164.5372) | 6 (174.2628) |
| 2024-08-16 | Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships and Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY | 11 / 29 (687.8972) | 8 (175.4172) | 14 (170.8344) | 15 (169.6800) | 12 (171.9656) |
| 2024-07-19 | The Blaze of 47 BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Salt Lake City, UT | 9 / 16 (677.0628) | 13 (168.0000) | 8 (171.9888) | 11 (167.9656) | 9 (169.1084) |
| 2024-07-12 | Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY | 2 / 26 (697.0628) | 12 (171.9656) | 3 (176.5600) | 14 (168.5372) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2024-06-28 | Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID | 15 / 28 (679.2912) | 2 (177.7028) | 15 (169.6800) | 9 (171.9772) | 23 (159.9312) |
| 2024-06-21 | Pitmaster's NorUt State BBQ Championship 🏅 Ogden, UT | 18 / 29 (679.3600) | 21 (169.1200) | 1 (178.2972) | 22 (166.8228) | 20 (165.1200) |
| 2024-05-24 | Best Dam Barbeque 🏅 Boulder City, NV | 6 / 33 (689.6460) | 1 (177.7144) | 25 (165.0972) | 1 (179.4400) | 18 (167.3944) |
| 2023-10-06 | Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY | 25 / 28 (637.9996) | 17 (165.0740) | 17 (165.0972) | 26 (158.2172) | 26 (149.6112) |
| 2023-08-05 | East Helena Smoke Show 🏅 East Helena, MT | 12 / 24 (670.7312) | 7 (174.2628) | 16 (166.2628) | 11 (168.5372) | 16 (161.6684) |
| 2023-06-09 | GMG NorUt State BBQ Championship 🏅 Ogden, UT | 8 / 16 (690.8348) | 14 (169.6800) | 5 (176.5716) | 8 (174.2972) | 7 (170.2860) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #98 (1228 pts) | #120 (1133 pts) | #101 (1283 pts) | #96 (1193 pts) | #52 (1443 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #222 (987 pts) | #248 (907 pts) | #248 (1012 pts) | #327 (682 pts) | #183 (1157 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #231 (946 pts) | #188 (1086 pts) | #253 (971 pts) | #255 (871 pts) | #235 (931 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1604 (53 pts) | #1188 (93 pts) | #1310 (93 pts) | #1602 (53 pts) | #1601 (53 pts) |