The heartbreaker
2.2972
points from the title
Came within 2.2972 points of the Grand Championship at Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff (Aug 22, 2025).
Yardogs BBQ
Yardogs BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 40 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2024 and 2026. They have won 3 Grand Championships, most recently at the K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 4 times. They are ranked #444 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1689
peak 1710 · rated over 35 contests3 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
40
in the data
First seen
Apr 19, 2024
latest Oct 2, 2026 · 2.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
3
4 reserve · wins it all 8% of the time
Category wins
7
22 podiums
Overall top-10s
26
65% of 40 contests
Best top-10 run
8
straight overall top-10s · 2 straight GCs
Avg finish
top 27%
overall standings
Best overall
690.8000 / 720
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
336.97 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 340.09 (-3.12)
Walk rate
83%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.78
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.05 · weakest Pork (165.25)
Road miles
3,602
across 40 mapped stops · furthest 589 mi
Schedule strength
70%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1588)
Purse competed for
$177K
listed at 35 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
2 🏅
won from 31 state-championship entries
Master avg
682.75 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
340.09 / 360
34 Backyard contests · 3 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
690.80 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, 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 | #49 (848 pts) | #49 (873 pts) | #34 (1,001 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #713 (175 pts) | #894 (125 pts) | #643 (293 pts) | #706 (200 pts) | #832 (135 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #20 (1,189 pts) | #28 (1,152 pts) | #26 (1,158 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | #806 (181 pts) | — | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #16 (1,211 pts) | #5 (1,311 pts) | #24 (1,120 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Yardogs BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#443 of the rated field
- Contests
- 46
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 65%
- Peak
- 1707
Careers of much the same size, 46 contests to 40, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#446 of the rated field
- Contests
- 59
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 32%
- Peak
- 1703
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Yardogs BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#442 of the rated field
- Contests
- 66
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1710
66 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 45% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#445 of the rated field
- Contests
- 82
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 49%
- Peak
- 1706
They were already cooking in 2013, 11 years before Yardogs BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#448 of the rated field
- Contests
- 71
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1688
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Yardogs BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Yardogs BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#449 of the rated field
- Contests
- 92
- GCs
- 5
- Top-10s
- 68%
- Peak
- 1805
2–3 in 5 shared contests (40% to Yardogs BBQ)
They've been 1805 at their best, 117 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 29 | 11 | 18 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 27 | 15 | 12 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 26 | 9 | 17 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| Rough Cut Q | 25 | 14 | 11 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| All About the Wood | 22 | 12 | 10 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| Backwooder BBQ | 21 | 13 | 8 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 BOXERS Q | 20 | 19 | 1 | 95% | ⚔ compare |
| SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | 20 | 15 | 4 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Oink N' Doink BBQ | 19 | 11 | 8 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 19 | 10 | 6 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 18 | 12 | 4 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | 17 | 12 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Castleton Q | 17 | 12 | 5 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Piggy & Swine BBQ | 16 | 10 | 6 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| UP IN SMOKERS | 15 | 13 | 2 | 87% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 37 | 26 | 4 | 12 | 180 🔥 | 161.6916 | 171.05 | top 31% |
| Pork Ribs | 37 | 25 | 3 | 10 | 177.7144 | 158.2288 | 169.12 | top 33% |
| Pork | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 153.0744 | 165.25 | top 46% |
| Brisket | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 167.4056 | 165.6684 | 166.54 | top 49% |
“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 | 1 | top 31% |
| Medium (20–39) | 25 | 2 | top 27% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 18% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | 6 | 1 | 1 | top 14% | Apr 18, 2026 |
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 6 | 3 | 0 | top 39% | Jul 25, 2026 |
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | 4 | 1 | 1 | top 41% | May 16, 2026 |
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 4 | 3 | 0 | top 28% | Jun 28, 2025 |
| K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 14% | Jul 11, 2026 |
| Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 39% | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 25% | Oct 25, 2025 |
| Catskills Barbeque - Backyard Competition (Day 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 38% | Jun 7, 2025 |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 34% | Oct 19, 2024 |
| Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 27% | Aug 10, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
16 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
13.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
PA
18 of 40 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
14
10 of them more than once
First title
Apr 20, 2024
New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2)
Opponents faced
413
finished ahead 1,170 times, behind 432
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- Career-best overall score690.8000 Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT)
- Peak power rating (1710) Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT)
- Most recent contest Keystone Classic Cookoff
20251 milestone
- 25th tracked contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
202412 milestones
- First tracked contest New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1)
- First call New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1)
- First overall top-10 New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score329.0860 New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1)
- First category win (Chicken) New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2)
- First overall podium New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2)
- First Grand Championship New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2)
- First state championship New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2)
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1)
- Biggest field won (37 teams) Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1)
- First Reserve Championship Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest
- 10th tracked contest Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 1)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.6 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | Apr 20, 2024 |
| +17.4 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) | May 17, 2024 |
| +14.7 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | May 18, 2024 |
| +13.1 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | Jun 29, 2024 |
| +12.7 | K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jul 12, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -15.1 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | May 16, 2026 |
| -10 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) | May 15, 2026 |
| -7.1 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | Aug 21, 2026 |
| -4 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | Jul 25, 2025 |
| -2.8 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | Jul 24, 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 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 64% | top 36% | 96.3% | 94.2% |
| 2025 | 16 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 88% | top 23% | 98.4% | 95.5% |
| 2024 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 92% | top 26% | 98.4% | 93.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2026 | Keystone Classic Cookoff 🏅 Harrisburg, PA | 5 / 25 (682.7540) | 10 (169.6684) | 13 (169.1200) | 4 (176.5600) | 9 (167.4056) |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 17 / 26 (336.5028) | 13 (170.8344) | 16 (165.6684) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 12 / 39 (341.6800) | — | 25 (161.6800) | — | — |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 18 / 43 (335.3716) | 20 (167.3944) | 19 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2026 | K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) Kennett Square, PA | 3 / 15 (340.5028) | 4 (171.9772) | 5 (168.5256) | — | — |
| May 16, 2026 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 15 / 17 (330.7888) | 10 (170.2744) | 18 (160.5144) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 15 / 25 (331.3488) | 15 (166.2400) | 16 (165.1088) | — | — |
| May 2, 2026 | Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT) 🏅 New Paltz, NY | 2 / 59 (690.8000) | 8 (176.5600) | 6 (176.5716) | 20 (172) | 37 (165.6684) |
| Apr 18, 2026 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 4 / 26 (346.8228) | 9 (170.2628) | 1 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Apr 18, 2026 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Blairstown, NJ | — | — | 4 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Apr 17, 2026 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 4 / 26 (339.9544) | 9 (165.0972) | 3 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Oct 25, 2025 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 8 / 32 (337.6688) | 11 (165.0972) | 3 (172.5716) | — | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 8 / 31 (334.7772) | 5 (171.9656) | 11 (162.8116) | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 2 / 16 (347.3944) | 3 (174.2744) | 4 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 3 / 27 (346.8688) | 2 (176.5716) | 8 (170.2972) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2025 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 17 / 30 (338.8116) | 22 (166.2400) | 7 (172.5716) | — | — |
| Jul 12, 2025 | K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) Kennett Square, PA | 1 / 12 (343.9428) | 2 (170.8228) | 1 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2025 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 3 / 10 (345.6916) | 8 (171.4172) | 2 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 6 / 26 (338.8348) | 8 (173.1316) | 10 (165.7032) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2025 | Catskills Barbeque - Backyard Competition (Day 2) Grahamsville, NY | 3 / 8 (354.2744) | 2 (178.8572) | 4 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jun 6, 2025 | Catskills Barbeque - Backyard Competition (Day 1) Grahamsville, NY | 3 / 8 (348.5256) | 3 (174.2628) | 4 (174.2628) | — | — |
| May 25, 2025 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN | 6 / 70 (351.9772) | 13 (174.2628) | 5 (177.7144) | — | — |
| May 24, 2025 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Saturday, May 24, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| May 23, 2025 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Chicken (Friday, May 23, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | 33 (169.6800) | — | — | — |
| May 3, 2025 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 4 / 34 (337.0744) | 4 (168.5372) | 5 (168.5372) | — | — |
| May 2, 2025 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 2 / 33 (341.6572) | 3 (168.5256) | 2 (173.1316) | — | — |
| May 2, 2025 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Blairstown, NJ | — | 10 (168.5372) | — | — | — |
| Oct 19, 2024 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Columbia, NJ | 11 / 26 (337.6920) | 5 (173.1432) | 11 (164.5488) | — | — |
| Oct 18, 2024 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Columbia, NJ | 7 / 28 (331.9432) | 14 (162.8116) | 1 (169.1316) | — | — |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) 🏅 Ashland, VA | 7 / 28 (336.5604) | 3 (174.8572) | 13 (161.7032) | 20 (153.0744) | — |
| Aug 9, 2024 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) 🏅 Ashland, VA | 8 / 27 (341.6572) | 5 (171.9772) | 9 (169.6800) | 17 (159.3600) | — |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 12 / 32 (330.2060) | 5 (171.9772) | 19 (158.2288) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 19 / 35 (332.5484) | 19 (166.2856) | 13 (166.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 29, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 3 / 19 (345.0972) | 1 (177.7028) | 12 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 13 / 29 (335.9432) | 14 (167.3944) | 9 (168.5488) | — | — |
| May 24, 2024 | Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 2 / 23 (332.0460) | 2 (170.8572) | 2 (161.1888) | — | — |
| May 18, 2024 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 3 / 26 (346.2516) | 1 (177.7144) | 10 (168.5372) | — | — |
| May 17, 2024 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 1 / 37 (354.2744) | 1 (180) | 2 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Apr 20, 2024 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 1 / 27 (339.3716) | 1 (171.9888) | 3 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Apr 19, 2024 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 9 / 29 (329.0860) | 13 (161.6916) | 6 (167.3944) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.