The heartbreaker
0.5600
points from the title
Came within 0.5600 points of the Grand Championship at Minnesota in May (May 12, 2023).
Wrecking Crew BBQ
Wrecking Crew BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 51 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. They have won 5 Grand Championships, most recently at the 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL (2023), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 5 times. They are ranked #270 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1732
peak 1734 · rated over 40 contests4 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
51
in the data
First seen
May 7, 2021
latest Sep 4, 2026 · 5.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
5
5 reserve · wins it all 10% of the time
Category wins
7
26 podiums
Overall top-10s
33
65% of 51 contests
Best top-10 run
13
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 24%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
345.57 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 340.70 (+4.87)
Walk rate
88%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.65
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 172.47 · weakest Pork (170.34)
Road miles
7,112
across 51 mapped stops · furthest 821 mi
Schedule strength
55%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1570)
Purse competed for
$213K
listed at 37 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
2 🏅
won from 23 state-championship entries
Master avg
683.67 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
340.70 / 360
35 Backyard contests · 5 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #835 (130 pts) | #1221 (60 pts) | #916 (155 pts) | #1078 (95 pts) | #793 (175 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #494 (380 pts) | #626 (295 pts) | #704 (260 pts) | #531 (375 pts) | #596 (310 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #9 (1,255 pts) | #6 (1,298 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #369 (680 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #24 (1,057 pts) | #4 (1,304 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1022 (145 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #34 (927 pts) | #39 (844 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Wrecking Crew BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#272 of the rated field
- Contests
- 114
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1737
4–0 in 4 shared contests (100% to Wrecking Crew BBQ)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — Wrecking Crew BBQ ahead 4–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#271 of the rated field
- Contests
- 79
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1731
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 75 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#269 of the rated field
- Contests
- 119
- GCs
- 21
- Top-10s
- 65%
- Peak
- 1838
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 119 contests to 51.
⚔ Compare careers#268 of the rated field
- Contests
- 48
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 58%
- Peak
- 1733
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Wrecking Crew BBQ)
Their rating is built on 4 Grand Championships in 48 contests, alongside a 58% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#275 of the rated field
- Contests
- 54
- GCs
- 5
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1732
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2021.
⚔ Compare careers#273 of the rated field
- Contests
- 47
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1731
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Wrecking Crew BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | 30 | 15 | 15 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Sensuous BBQ | 27 | 13 | 14 | 48% | ⚔ compare |
| DAWGS BBQ | 25 | 22 | 3 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| Sugar Shack | 25 | 16 | 9 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Ten Bones | 25 | 14 | 11 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Lucky Shoes BBQ | 24 | 20 | 4 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| Porket About It | 23 | 14 | 9 | 61% | ⚔ compare |
| Pittie Q | 22 | 18 | 4 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| What’cha Got BBQ | 21 | 19 | 2 | 90% | ⚔ compare |
| FENDER BENDER BBQ | 21 | 17 | 4 | 81% | ⚔ compare |
| DAD BOD BARBEQUE | 20 | 17 | 3 | 85% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 20 | 12 | 7 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 19 | 16 | 3 | 84% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 19 | 13 | 6 | 68% | ⚔ compare |
| MACHETE BOYS BBQ | 18 | 16 | 2 | 89% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 42 | 28 | 2 | 10 | 177.7144 | 155.4056 | 170.85 | top 30% |
| Pork Ribs | 48 | 35 | 5 | 16 | 178.8572 | 152.5028 | 170.37 | top 27% |
| Pork | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 175.4288 | 162.8228 | 170.34 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 165.0856 | 172.47 | top 27% |
“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) | 7 | 1 | top 44% |
| Medium (20–39) | 19 | 3 | top 21% |
| Large (40+) | 16 | 1 | top 19% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 4 | 1 | 1 | top 19% | Jun 8, 2024 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 4 | 2 | 0 | top 15% | Jun 7, 2024 |
| Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 13% | Oct 28, 2023 |
| Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 7 | 0 | top 56% | Aug 19, 2023 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 17% | Oct 14, 2022 |
| SD BBQ Shootout @ Huset's Speedway | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 26% | Sep 4, 2026 |
| Minnesota in May | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 8% | May 10, 2024 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 13% | Oct 15, 2023 |
| Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 28% | Sep 9, 2023 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 11% | Oct 15, 2022 |
| Minnesota in May (Backyard) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 14% | May 13, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
21 contests · 3 GCs
Contests a season
8.5
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MN
17 of 51 contests · 8 states in all
Contests visited
25
11 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
48 entries · 5 wins · 35 calls
First title
Oct 15, 2021
Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD)
Opponents faced
550
finished ahead 1,492 times, behind 331
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Career-best overall score697.0856 SD BBQ Shootout @ Huset's Speedway
- Most recent contest SD BBQ Shootout @ Huset's Speedway
20251 milestone
- 50th tracked contest ND BBQ Championship
20241 milestone
- Peak power rating (1734) Minnesota in May
20231 milestone
- 5th Grand Championship 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL
20226 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- 10th tracked contest Minnesota in May (Masters)
- First Reserve Championship Smokin in Steele (Master & Backyard Contest)
- First state championship Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- 25th tracked contest Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship Day 2
20217 milestones
- First tracked contest Minnesota in May
- First call Minnesota in May
- First overall top-10 Minnesota in May
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score340.5488 Minnesota in May
- First overall podium Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD)
- First Grand Championship Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD)
- Biggest field won (40 teams) Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.2 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship Day 2 | Oct 29, 2022 |
| +15.8 | Minnesota in May | May 7, 2021 |
| +15.3 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD) | Oct 15, 2021 |
| +14.8 | Bring'n Home the Bacon - Day 1 | Jun 11, 2021 |
| +14.4 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 11, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.7 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 20, 2022 |
| -7.3 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 8, 2024 |
| -5.2 | Big Island BBQ Backyard | Aug 22, 2021 |
| -4.7 | ND BBQ Championship | Oct 3, 2025 |
| -4.5 | B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 5, 2022 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 16% | 96.8% | 96.8% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 37% | 94.8% | 94.2% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 31% | 96.1% | 95.1% |
| 2023 | 16 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 94% | top 15% | 98.6% | 95.9% |
| 2022 | 21 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 81% | top 28% | 98.9% | 94.3% |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 100% | top 22% | 94.9% | 93.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4, 2026 | SD BBQ Shootout @ Huset's Speedway 🏅 Brandon, SD | 5 / 31 (697.0856) | 2 (177.1428) | 19 (169.1200) | 11 (174.2628) | 5 (176.5600) |
| Oct 3, 2025 | ND BBQ Championship 🏅 Fargo, ND | 22 / 46 (671.3024) | 6 (175.4056) | 34 (162.2512) | 36 (162.8228) | 12 (170.8228) |
| Aug 29, 2025 | SD BBQ Shootout @ Huset's Speedway 🏅 Brandon, SD | 16 / 44 (682.2172) | 28 (168.5600) | 14 (170.8344) | 29 (167.9656) | 4 (174.8572) |
| Feb 21, 2025 | Fire on Ice BBQ Championship 🏅 Onamia, MN | 11 / 42 (680.4572) | 36 (165.6800) | 8 (171.9656) | 18 (169.6916) | 6 (173.1200) |
| Jun 8, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 18 / 37 (685.0516) | 23 (170.8344) | 28 (165.6916) | 12 (173.1200) | 6 (175.4056) |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 13 / 41 (677.6000) | 14 (173.1200) | 11 (170.2744) | 16 (169.1200) | 27 (165.0856) |
| May 10, 2024 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 7 / 58 (691.9660) | 15 (174.2972) | 23 (170.8344) | 9 (175.4288) | 22 (171.4056) |
| Oct 28, 2023 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 3 / 40 (350.2628) | 4 (175.4056) | 6 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 6 / 47 (345.6916) | 7 (176) | 7 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 3 / 24 (346.8344) | 1 (177.7028) | 10 (169.1316) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 3 / 21 (345.0856) | 5 (173.1084) | 6 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 2 (175.4288) | — | — |
| Sep 9, 2023 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 8 / 30 (339.9544) | 6 (172.5600) | 16 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 8 / 16 (337.0628) | 11 (167.3944) | 7 (169.6684) | — | — |
| Aug 12, 2023 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Mayetta, KS | 1 / 29 (354.8572) | 6 (177.7144) | 7 (177.1428) | — | — |
| Aug 11, 2023 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Mayetta, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 7, 2023 | Art of the Que 🏅 Spencer, IA | 4 / 28 (340.5260) | 8 (168.5372) | 2 (171.9888) | — | — |
| Jun 23, 2023 | Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA | 4 / 15 (340.5600) | 7 (165.1428) | 1 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jun 10, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 2 / 40 (350.2744) | 2 (173.7028) | 1 (176.5716) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 2 / 43 (345.7144) | 1 (172) | 2 (173.7144) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 2 (175.4056) | — | — |
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 2 / 59 (346.2628) | 2 (175.4172) | 8 (170.8456) | — | — |
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 6 (173.7144) | — | — |
| Nov 12, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Gadsden, AL | 27 / 49 (335.3600) | 23 (170.2628) | 29 (165.0972) | — | — |
| Nov 11, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 29, 2022 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship Day 2 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 1 / 32 (356) | 2 (177.1428) | 1 (178.8572) | — | — |
| Oct 28, 2022 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 7 / 40 (340.5028) | 8 (170.8228) | 8 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Oct 28, 2022 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Oak Grove, MO | — | — | 9 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 2 / 20 (343.9428) | 6 (171.9656) | 3 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (One Meat Ribs) West Salem, WI | — | — | 1 (176.0116) | — | — |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 7 / 22 (338.2288) | 8 (169.6916) | 8 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Sep 10, 2022 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 9 / 30 (339.3600) | 8 (170.8228) | 10 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 12 / 15 (321.0628) | 11 (160.5372) | 12 (160.5256) | — | — |
| Aug 5, 2022 | B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 11 / 21 (333.0744) | 16 (158.8000) | 2 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Jul 22, 2022 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 1 / 13 (346.8228) | 5 (171.9772) | 2 (174.8456) | — | — |
| Jul 15, 2022 | Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD) Bancroft, IA | 5 / 14 (345.0856) | 5 (174.2628) | 5 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Jun 11, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 1 / 37 (353.1200) | 2 (176.5600) | 2 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Jun 10, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 39 (337.0972) | 13 (164.5372) | 2 (172.5600) | — | — |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Smokin in Steele (Master & Backyard Contest) 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 2 / 33 (330.2628) | 2 (168.5600) | 7 (161.7028) | — | — |
| May 13, 2022 | Minnesota in May (Backyard) Cambridge, MN | 8 / 38 (338.8000) | 14 (167.3828) | 5 (171.4172) | — | — |
| May 13, 2022 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) Cambridge, MN | — | — | 10 (168.5484) | — | — |
| May 13, 2022 | Minnesota in May (Masters) 🏅 Cambridge, MN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 1, 2022 | Iowa State BBQ Championship (Backyard) Altoona, IA | 8 / 27 (339.9544) | 13 (169.1316) | 7 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Mar 25, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 13 / 25 (330.8112) | 21 (155.4056) | 1 (175.4056) | — | — |
| Oct 16, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 4 / 36 (340.0456) | 11 (167.4628) | 2 (172.5828) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 1 / 40 (341.6916) | 5 (169.7144) | 3 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2021 | Big Island BBQ Backyard Albert Lea, MN | 10 / 15 (325.0512) | 3 (172.5484) | 13 (152.5028) | — | — |
| Aug 21, 2021 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 7 / 18 (333.1088) | 5 (171.4172) | 9 (161.6916) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon - Day 2 🏅 West Salem, WI | 9 / 45 (336.5832) | 5 (172.0116) | 17 (164.5716) | — | — |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon - Day 1 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 52 (334.8344) | 5 (172) | 12 (162.8344) | — | — |
| May 7, 2021 | Minnesota in May 🏅 Cambridge, MN | 4 / 60 (340.5488) | 3 (173.1316) | 15 (167.4172) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.