Darling Nikki's BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#6050

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1429

peak 1508 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2021-04-23

latest 2022-10-01

Best ToY finish

#628

Master 2021

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 14 contests

Avg finish

top 80%

overall standings

Best overall

659.8632 / 720

Master · BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)

Perfect 180s

Current form

641.58 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 636.22 (+5.36)

Walk rate

36%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4172

Pork · BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)

Consistency

±23.26

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 162.84 · weakest Brisket (154.30)

Road miles

1,081

mi across 14 mapped stops · furthest 224 mi

Schedule strength

61%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1577)

Purse competed for

$74K

listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 9 state-championship entries

Master avg

636.22 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

313.73 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 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.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 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.

A tough matchup

10–1 behind in the head-to-head

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit ahead in 91% of their meetings

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit has come out ahead in 10 of their 11 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.54 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 9%.

Brisket avg 154.30
Chicken avg 162.84
0 calls in 10 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Offshore BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

10 of 10 shared chicken entries lost

BAD AZZ MULE BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BAD AZZ MULE BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 10 shared chicken entries.

Going the wrong way

-48 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 48 points across 8 contests since 2021-10-22 — from 1478 down to 1429.

8 contests since 2021-10-22
now 1429

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.

41 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

Cousins Q

#6054 of the rated field

1429 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1429

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Darling Nikki's BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Darling Nikki's BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-02-20

⚔ Head-to-head

Smokin Budha with the Phat Daddyz

#6056 of the rated field

1429 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1429

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2023-06-23

⚔ Head-to-head

Fat Daddy BBQ

#6052 of the rated field

1429 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1429

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 6 years before Darling Nikki's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Fatty Shack

#6040 of the rated field

1430 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1430

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

J & M BBQ

#6055 of the rated field

1429 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1429

No shared contest yet.

Level with Darling Nikki's BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2025-10-03

⚔ Head-to-head

BAD BOYS BBQ

#6043 of the rated field

1429 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1429

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2015, 6 years before Darling Nikki's BBQ's first contest.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2021-06-25

⚔ Head-to-head

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
BAD AZZ MULE BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
Grandpa Val's BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
BOGGS HOG BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Top Gun Barbecue	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
BIG BOB'S SMOKIN QUE	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
CHUNKY BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
TRUCKERS CHOICE BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Second Helping BBQ -PA	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
DEAD ON Q	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
The Fat is Where It's At	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	1	170.2628	151.4284	162.84	top 67%
Pork Ribs	14	4	174.2860	134.2400	159.20	top 65%
Pork	10	1	175.4172	138.2056	159.74	top 74%
Brisket	10	0	161.6800	149.0972	154.30	top 82%

“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	Avg finish
NJ	6	top 76%
PA	2	top 99%
VA	2	top 86%
MA	1	top 61%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	4	0	top 81%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 80%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2	36	top 90%	2022-04-23
New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2	10	top 54%	2022-04-22
BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)	2	44	top 86%	2022-03-26

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 1.4 yrs 2021-04-23 → 2022-10-01

Busiest season 2022 7 contests

Contests a season 7 across 2 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NJ 9 of 14 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 8 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 14 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 162.84 · weakest Brisket (154.30)

Walk rate 36% a top-10 call in 5 of 14 contests

Overall top-10 rate 7% 1 of 14 contests

Master average 636.22 out of 720 · 10 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 313.73 out of 360 · 1 contest · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 220 89–497 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,081 14 mapped stops · furthest 224 mi

Schedule strength 1577 average field rating faced — tougher than 61% of rated contests

Purse competed for $73,590 listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 9 state-championship entries

Power rating 1429 peak 1508 · #6050 of 6,413 rated

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

2021
Apr 23 First tracked contest New Jersey KnoQ-out - One Meat Rib Contest
Apr 23 First call New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
Apr 23 First overall top-10 New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
Apr 23 Peak power rating (1508) New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
2022
Mar 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.2688 BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)
Mar 25 Career-best single call (Pork)175.4172 BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)
Mar 26 Career-best overall score659.8632 BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)
Apr 22 10th tracked contest New Jersey KnoQ-out - Master of Ribs - Friday Night
Oct 1 Most recent contest Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8.3	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2021-04-23
+1.3	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2022-10-01

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.6	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke	2021-05-14
-10.9	York County BBQ Festival	2022-06-17
-9.4	Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2021-10-23
-9	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2021-04-24
-8	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2022-04-23

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)
2022	7	0	0	0	43%	top 84%	91.6%	89.5%
2021	7	0	1	0	29%	top 76%	89.9%	86.7%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2022-10-01	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Southwick, MA	20 / 33 (654.1488)	20 (165.1088)	8 (170.8228)	22 (159.4172)	19 (158.8000)
2022-06-17	York County BBQ Festival 🏅 Delta, PA	33 / 34 (609.5316)	18 (167.4172)	34 (137.6572)	33 (153.0744)	29 (151.3828)
2022-04-23	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	37 / 41 (640.9828)	38 (161.0856)	38 (154.8000)	29 (163.4172)	27 (161.6800)
2022-04-22	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	40 / 48 (643.3608)	31 (164.0232)	35 (161.1088)	35 (162.8228)	39 (155.4060)
2022-04-22	New Jersey KnoQ-out - Master of Ribs - Friday Night Blairstown, NJ	—	—	9 (167.9772)	—	—
2022-03-26	BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	44 / 50 (659.8632)	42 (164.5600)	18 (174.2860)	33 (168.5372)	49 (152.4800)
2022-03-25	BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	45 / 53 (659.2688)	28 (170.2628)	44 (161.6688)	8 (175.4172)	53 (151.9200)
2021-10-23	Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Jackson, NJ	29 / 31 (639.3144)	18 (168.5600)	18 (164.5600)	29 (156.5372)	30 (149.6572)
2021-10-23	Red White & Que: Day 1 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES - One Meat Rib Contest Jackson, NJ	—	—	4 (169.6800)	—	—
2021-10-22	Red White & Que: Day 1 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Jackson, NJ	22 / 31 (647.3484)	24 (161.6456)	14 (162.8456)	24 (161.6800)	19 (161.1772)
2021-05-14	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA	46 / 46 (581.5428)	34 (157.7028)	46 (134.2400)	45 (138.2056)	37 (151.3944)
2021-04-24	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	36 / 40 (626.7888)	36 (159.4056)	30 (159.9772)	34 (158.3088)	37 (149.0972)
2021-04-23	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	10 / 40 (313.7256)	10 (151.4284)	8 (162.2972)	—	—
2021-04-23	New Jersey KnoQ-out - One Meat Rib Contest Jackson, NJ	—	—	18 (146.8344)	—	—

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
2022 ↗	Master	#670 (262 pts)	#651 (297 pts)	#532 (456 pts)	#713 (252 pts)	#694 (267 pts)
2021 ↗	Backyard	—	#200 (114 pts)	#176 (134 pts)	—	—
2021 ↗	Master	#628 (247 pts)	#615 (272 pts)	#407 (509 pts)	#669 (237 pts)	#644 (262 pts)