Bear's Den BBQ TN
Rating
1456
peak 1516 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
19
in the data
First seen
2023-07-07
latest 2026-08-15
Best ToY finish
#598
Master 2025
Grand champs
1
0 reserve
Category wins
2
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 19 contests
Avg finish
top 79%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
661.56 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 663.23 (-1.67)
Walk rate
32%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.43
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 167.92 · weakest Brisket (161.32)
Road miles
17213
mi across 19 mapped stops · furthest 3198 mi
Schedule strength
90%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1599)
Purse competed for
$64K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
663.23 / 720
9 Master contests · 1 GC
Backyard avg
319.70 / 360
2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Smoked & Furious has come out ahead in 7 of their 7 shared contests.
😤 Pork nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, Smoked & Furious has out-cooked them in 6 of 7 shared pork entries.
Teams like this (closest power rating, TN first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked & Furious | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke Central BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE CHIP BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Damn Fine Beef & Swine | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Kith n' Kin | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RAZORRACKS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TEAM CRAWFORD | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| WE WILL ROCK QUE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Optimus Swine | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 151.3828 | 164.85 | top 78% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 173.7144 | 154.2744 | 165.11 | top 71% |
| Pork | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 176.0000 | 159.3484 | 167.92 | top 65% |
| Brisket | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 173.7372 | 152.5144 | 161.32 | top 84% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TN | 5 | 0 | top 97% |
| AK | 3 | 1 | top 64% |
| IL | 2 | 0 | top 51% |
| NY | 2 | 0 | top 83% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 1 | top 64% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 51% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 93% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 13 | 0 | top 51% | 2026-08-15 |
| 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025) | 2 | 70 | 0 | top 99% | 2025-05-25 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (7 contests)
- Cooks mostly in TN (8 of 19 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (15 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Smoky Hayes BBQ Competition & Cook-Off (2023-07-07)
- Wins it all in 5% of contests
- Average Master overall score: 663.23 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 319.70 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2023-04-29 — First tracked contest · Break Up Shake Up BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- 📣 2023-04-29 — First call · Break Up Shake Up BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- 🏆 2023-07-07 — First Grand Championship · Smoky Hayes BBQ Competition & Cook-Off
- ⭐ 2023-07-07 — Career-best overall score (695.4288) · Smoky Hayes BBQ Competition & Cook-Off
- 📈 2023-07-07 — Peak power rating (1516) · Smoky Hayes BBQ Competition & Cook-Off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16 | Smoky Hayes BBQ Competition & Cook-Off | 2023-07-07 |
| +5.8 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-08-15 |
| +0.1 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-09-05 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.9 | Last Frontier BBQ Throwdown | 2024-07-26 |
| -9.3 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series)(JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) | 2023-10-13 |
| -8.7 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN | 2024-05-24 |
| -8.1 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL | 2024-05-25 |
| -7.8 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025) | 2025-05-25 |
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 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 70% | 92.9% | 91.2% |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14% | top 83% | 92.8% | 90.7% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 98% | 92.2% | 91.6% |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 100% | top 56% | 96.6% | 93.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-15 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 13 / 30 (322.3088) | 11 (168.0344) | 22 (154.2744) | — | — |
| 2026-05-02 | Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT) 🏅 New Paltz, NY | 43 / 59 (669.0860) | 60 (159.3944) | 14 (173.7144) | 18 (172.5944) | 46 (163.3828) |
| 2026-05-01 | Grand American Barbecue World Championship Invitational (COMPETITOR SERIES) New Paltz, NY | 40 / 43 (665.6116) | 34 (167.9888) | 16 (172.5600) | 35 (167.4172) | 42 (157.6456) |
| 2026-05-01 | Grand American Barbecue World Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) New Paltz, NY | — | 15 (154.2628) | — | — | — |
| 2026-05-01 | Grand American Barbecue World Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) New Paltz, NY | — | — | 18 (161.1088) | — | — |
| 2025-09-05 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 22 / 38 (317.0972) | 19 (161.1316) | 25 (155.9656) | — | — |
| 2025-06-21 | Last Frontier BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eagle River, AK | 6 / 8 (668.4796) | 7 (167.4284) | 8 (163.9428) | 6 (166.2856) | 5 (170.8228) |
| 2025-05-25 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025) Lebanon, TN | 70 / 70 (648.9256) | 70 (162.8116) | 70 (158.2400) | 40 (171.9656) | 70 (155.9084) |
| 2025-05-24 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Saturday, May 24, 2025) Lebanon, TN | 103 / 106 (660.3884) | 62 (170.8344) | 77 (169.6684) | 93 (165.1200) | 104 (154.7656) |
| 2025-05-23 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Anything Molasses (Friday, May 23, 2025) Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-05-23 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Chicken (Friday, May 23, 2025) Lebanon, TN | — | 43 (151.3828) | — | — | — |
| 2025-05-23 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Ribs (Friday, May 23, 2025) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 51 (157.0860) | — | — |
| 2024-07-26 | Last Frontier BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eagle River, AK | 8 / 8 (660.9252) | 7 (169.6684) | 8 (163.3828) | 8 (159.3484) | 7 (168.5256) |
| 2024-05-25 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL Lebanon, TN | 80 / 81 (663.8056) | 66 (170.8228) | 75 (165.0856) | 77 (165.0972) | 79 (162.8000) |
| 2024-05-24 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN Lebanon, TN | 112 / 118 (652.9828) | 86 (169.7028) | 58 (170.8344) | 114 (159.9312) | 117 (152.5144) |
| 2023-10-13 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series)(JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 78 / 81 (649.0172) | 80 (154.2400) | 65 (166.2628) | 7 (175.4172) | 80 (153.0972) |
| 2023-07-07 | Smoky Hayes BBQ Competition & Cook-Off Delta Junction, AK | 1 / 6 (695.4288) | 4 (172.5600) | 2 (173.1316) | 1 (176.0000) | 1 (173.7372) |
| 2023-04-29 | Break Up Shake Up BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Palmer, AK | — | 5 (172.5484) | — | — | — |
| 2023-04-29 | Break Up Shake Up BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Palmer, AK | — | — | 6 (171.4172) | — | — |
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 | #894 (60 pts) | #720 (150 pts) | #672 (193 pts) | #843 (95 pts) | #917 (60 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #598 (268 pts) | #590 (318 pts) | #623 (308 pts) | #625 (268 pts) | #599 (278 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #649 (248 pts) | #681 (258 pts) | #734 (248 pts) | #677 (248 pts) | #670 (258 pts) |