They almost always walk
62%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 8 of 13 contests
A top-10 category call in 62% of their 13 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
Twin States BBQ
Twin States BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 20 at the Mission Q (Backyard Only) (2019), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2739 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1513
peak 1513 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Mar 8, 2019
latest May 21, 2021 · 2.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
31% of 13 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 56%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
334.91 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 314.85 (+20.06)
Walk rate
62%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±45.88
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 166.70 · weakest Pork (162.38)
Road miles
1,199
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 145 mi
Schedule strength
29%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1540)
Purse competed for
$52K
listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
314.85 / 360
11 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
492.46 / 540
2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #110 (273 pts) | #136 (183 pts) | — | — |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Twin States BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
126 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,738 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1521
Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,744 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1513
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,751 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1517
13 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 8% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#2,757 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1536
Level with Twin States BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,740 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1526
Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 6 years before Twin States BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,727 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1513
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before Twin States BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEE LA Q | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| REDBONES BBQ | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| RIBLIFE | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| PERFECTLY BLENDED | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| The Real Squeal BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Sweet Cheeks BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLY SMOKIN!!! | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Thin Blue Swine | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 175.4172 | 156.5028 | 166.70 | top 45% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 173.1084 | 136.4916 | 162.72 | top 62% |
| Pork | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.6800 | 156.5028 | 162.38 | 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) | 3 | 0 | top 61% |
| Medium (20–39) | 10 | 0 | top 55% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 56% | Apr 17, 2021 |
| Mission Q (Backyard Only) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 43% | Nov 20, 2020 |
| Roast-N-Boast | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 24% | Oct 9, 2020 |
| Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 13 | 0 | top 60% | Mar 6, 2020 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
8 contests
Contests a season
4.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
9 of 13 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
9
4 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
13 entries · 1 win · 7 calls
Opponents faced
218
finished ahead 165 times, behind 204
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20213 milestones
- Career-best overall score502.1944 Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1513) Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY)
20201 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Roast-N-Boast
20198 milestones
- First tracked contest Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Smoke On the Diamond (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score325.0628 Smoke On the Diamond (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Chicken) Downtown BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Roast N Boast
- First overall podium Roast N Boast
- Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4172 West Alabama State Fair Barbeque Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship Mission Q (Backyard Only)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.1 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) | Nov 22, 2019 |
| +16.5 | Roast N Boast | Oct 4, 2019 |
| +8.1 | Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 17, 2021 |
| +7.9 | West Alabama State Fair Barbeque Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Nov 1, 2019 |
| +5.8 | Roast-N-Boast | Oct 9, 2020 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.4 | Downtown BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 7, 2019 |
| -11.3 | Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off | Jul 26, 2019 |
| -9.2 | Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 8, 2019 |
| -7.6 | Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 5, 2019 |
| -6.1 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) | Nov 20, 2020 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 44% | 93% | 92.8% |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 51% | 91.6% | 90.7% |
| 2019 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 63% | top 62% | 95.2% | 85.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2021 | Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) Meridian, MS | 12 / 22 (333.0628) | 10 (169.1084) | 17 (163.9544) | — | — |
| Apr 17, 2021 | Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) Chelsea, AL | 7 / 21 (502.1944) | 7 (170.8228) | 15 (161.6916) | 5 (169.6800) | — |
| Nov 20, 2020 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 16 / 21 (328.5144) | 15 (163.9772) | 15 (164.5372) | — | — |
| Oct 9, 2020 | Roast-N-Boast 🏅 Columbus, MS | 13 / 36 (482.7200) | 15 (156.5028) | 12 (167.4172) | 16 (158.8000) | — |
| Mar 6, 2020 | Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Hartselle, AL | 13 / 32 (329.6568) | 8 (169.1312) | 20 (160.5256) | — | — |
| Nov 22, 2019 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 2 / 20 (342.7884) | 8 (170.8228) | 4 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Nov 1, 2019 | West Alabama State Fair Barbeque Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Northport, AL | 6 / 15 (340.5028) | 2 (175.4172) | 11 (165.0856) | — | — |
| Oct 4, 2019 | Roast N Boast 🏅 Columbus, MS | 3 / 25 (337.6684) | 11 (164.5600) | 2 (173.1084) | 13 (156.5028) | — |
| Jul 26, 2019 | Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Hartselle, AL | 32 / 27 (301.5888) | 16 (165.0972) | 33 (136.4916) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Downtown BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) Meridian, MS | 20 / 22 (173.7256) | 1 (173.7256) | — | — | — |
| Apr 5, 2019 | Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) Chelsea, AL | 14 / 18 (329.6800) | 15 (163.3828) | 11 (166.2972) | — | — |
| Mar 22, 2019 | Smoke On the Diamond (BACKYARD ONLY) Brookwood, AL | 11 / 17 (325.0628) | 10 (162.8228) | 10 (162.2400) | 13 (164.5372) | — |
| Mar 8, 2019 | Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Harselle, AL | 27 / 34 (321.0744) | 24 (161.6916) | 30 (159.3828) | — | — |