The heartbreaker
2.3316
points from the title
Came within 2.3316 points of the Grand Championship at Barbeque on the Bow Festival (2023-09-02).
Brisket Butts
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1653
peak 1653 · rated over 30 contests ⓘ
Best runs
6
straight top-10s
Contests
37
in the data
First seen
2021-07-10
latest 2025-11-05
Best ToY finish
#80
Master 2025
Grand champs
5
3 reserve
Category wins
17
35 podiums
Overall top-10s
20
of 37 contests
Avg finish
top 36%
overall standings
Best overall
711.4056 / 720
Perfect 180s
6 🔥
Current form
681.51 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 675.08 (+6.43)
Walk rate
68%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
6
best run (overall)
Consistency
±27.06
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 171.12 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.02)
Road miles
14,188
mi across 37 mapped stops · furthest 1759 mi
Schedule strength
35%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1546)
Purse competed for
$273K
listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
675.08 / 720
35 Master contests · 4 GCs
Storylines (17 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.
Among the elite
#631
of 6,413 rated teams
In the top 10% of every rated team in the data
A power rating of 1653 puts them #631 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 10% of the field.
- rating 1653
- peak 1653
- 30 rated contests
The 180 club
6
perfect 180s
6 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 3 different meats.
- Brisket ×3
- Pork ×2
- Chicken ×1
Against the odds
14-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 86 times in 100
Their Grand Championship at Columbia Valley Smokeshow (2022-06-24) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 14-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, SMELLAQUE.
On the rise
+53
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 53 points across 11 contests since 2025-04-04 — from 1601 up to 1653.
- 11 contests since 2025-04-04
- now 1653
Happy hunting ground
1×
Grand Championships here
Small Town Smoke Down is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
- 2 visits
- best finish 1st
- average top 11%
Multi-meat days
3
contests with 2+ category wins
They've won two or more meats on the same day 3 times — the best of them 2 category wins at Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival) (2023-09-16).
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
They almost always walk
68%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 25 of 37 contests
A top-10 category call in 68% of their 37 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
711.4056
career-best overall
98.8% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 711.4056 at Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival) — 98.8% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2023-09-16
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Kreiser Barbecue has finished one call ahead of Brisket Butts 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2025
2 Grand Championships
2025 was the year it came together: 13 contests, 2 Grand Championships and 4 category wins, at an average finish in the top 33%.
- 13 contests
- 7 overall top-10s
- 4 category wins
- average top 33%
A tough matchup
14–5
behind in the head-to-head
SMELLAQUE ahead in 74% of their meetings
SMELLAQUE has come out ahead in 14 of their 19 shared contests.
The weak link
−4.1
points behind their best meat
Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.11 points below their brisket, and turns into a call 43% of the time against 63%.
- Pork Ribs avg 167.02
- Brisket avg 171.12
- 15 calls in 35 entries
A strong matchup
15–4
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 79% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of MOTLEY QUE in 15 of their 19 shared contests.
Looking over their shoulder
3×
one call behind them
Q Cartel has landed one call behind them 3 times.
A May team
Top 18%
average finish in May
Something about May: average finish in the top 18% across 3 contests, versus top 36% the rest of the year.
- 3 May contests
- top 36% the rest of the year
The long haul
14,188
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 14,188 miles across 37 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,759 miles to Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series)(JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY).
- 37 mapped stops
- furthest 1,759 mi
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.
#630 of the rated field
- Contests
- 226
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1790
2–3 in 5 shared contests (40% to Brisket Butts)
These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — WHEN PIGS DIE ahead 3–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#629 of the rated field
- Contests
- 49
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1658
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 7 years before Brisket Butts's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#625 of the rated field
- Contests
- 48
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1663
1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to Brisket Butts)
Careers of much the same size, 48 contests to 37, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#624 of the rated field
- Contests
- 69
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1674
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Brisket Butts)
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 69 contests, alongside a 38% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#636 of the rated field
- Contests
- 145
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1693
3–3 in 6 shared contests (50% to Brisket Butts)
They've been 1693 at their best, 41 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#627 of the rated field
- Contests
- 31
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 52%
- Peak
- 1656
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2016, 5 years before Brisket Butts's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kreiser Barbecue | 22 | 12 | 10 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| MOTLEY QUE | 19 | 15 | 4 | 79% | ⚔ compare |
| SMELLAQUE | 19 | 5 | 14 | 26% | ⚔ compare |
| Homestead Smoke Shack | 18 | 10 | 8 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Fire BBQ | 15 | 13 | 2 | 87% | ⚔ compare |
| Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | 15 | 10 | 5 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| HOME COOKIN' BBQ | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Q Cartel | 15 | 6 | 8 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' OUTLAWS | 14 | 7 | 7 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Mark's Meats and Treats | 13 | 13 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| ROKER Q | 13 | 12 | 1 | 92% | ⚔ compare |
| Notorious P.I.G. | 13 | 8 | 5 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Bad to the Brisket | 12 | 9 | 3 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| DIDY SMOKE IT | 12 | 8 | 4 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 35 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 180.0000 🔥 | 148.5256 | 167.11 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 35 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 179.4400 | 143.3716 | 167.02 | top 48% |
| Pork | 35 | 21 | 7 | 12 | 180.0000 🔥 | 144.5484 | 169.83 | top 33% |
| Brisket | 35 | 22 | 7 | 12 | 180.0000 🔥 | 147.3828 | 171.12 | top 29% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | 18 | 3 | top 29% |
| KS | 6 | 0 | top 53% |
| SK | 2 | 1 | top 23% |
| IA | 2 | 0 | top 49% |
| MB | 1 | 0 | top 8% |
| BC | 1 | 0 | top 67% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 22% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 7 | 2 | top 39% |
| Medium (20–39) | 18 | 3 | top 29% |
| Large (40+) | 10 | 0 | top 44% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Didsbury Lions BBQ | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 53% | 2025-07-26 |
| Small Town Smoke Down | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 11% | 2025-05-31 |
| Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 26% | 2025-05-24 |
| Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 49% | 2025-04-04 |
| Barbeque on the Bow Festival | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 7% | 2024-08-31 |
| Smoke, Wind & Fire | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 51% | 2022-07-23 |
The story so far (20 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
4.3 yrs
2021-07-10 → 2025-11-05
Busiest season
2025
13 contests · 2 GCs
Contests a season
7.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
AB
18 of 37 contests · 7 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
28
6 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
35 entries · 1 win · 12 calls
Strongest meat
Brisket
averages 171.12 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.02)
Walk rate
68%
a top-10 call in 25 of 37 contests
Overall top-10 rate
54%
20 of 37 contests
Wins it all
14%
5 Grand Championships · 3 reserve
First title
2022-06-24
Columbia Valley Smokeshow
Best top-10 run
6
straight contests
Master average
675.08
out of 720 · 35 contests · 4 GCs
Perfect 180s
6
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
961
1,393–897 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
14,188
37 mapped stops · furthest 1,759 mi
Schedule strength
1546
average field rating faced — tougher than 35% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$273,140
listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 4 state-championship entries
Power rating
1653
peak 1653 · #631 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2021
- First tracked contest Smoke, Wind & Fire
- First call Smoke, Wind & Fire
- First overall top-10 BBQ on the Bow
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.4056 BBQ on the Bow
- 2022
- First category win (Chicken) Columbia Valley Smokeshow
- First overall podium Columbia Valley Smokeshow
- First Grand Championship Columbia Valley Smokeshow
- First multi-meat day Columbia Valley Smokeshow
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Columbia Valley Smokeshow
- 2023
- 10th tracked contest 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN
- First Reserve Championship Barbeque on the Bow Festival
- Career-best overall score711.4056 Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival)
- 2024
- 10th category win Small Town Smoke Down
- 2025
- 25th tracked contest Iowa State BBQ Championship
- 5th perfect 180 Blue Bombers BBQ Pit Master Showdown
- 5th Grand Championship Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival
- Peak power rating (1653) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18.2 | Columbia Valley Smokeshow | 2022-06-24 |
| +16.3 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival) | 2023-09-16 |
| +14.8 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival | 2023-09-02 |
| +14.2 | Smoke 'N the Valley | 2024-09-21 |
| +13.9 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2024-03-29 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.1 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2025-04-04 |
| -12.9 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival | 2021-08-14 |
| -11.1 | Smoke, Wind & Fire | 2021-07-10 |
| -7.9 | Didsbury Lions BBQ | 2021-09-03 |
| -4.6 | Columbia Valley Smoke Show | 2024-06-01 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 62% | top 33% | 97.1% | 94.5% |
| 2024 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 100% | top 24% | 96.7% | 95.1% |
| 2023 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 29% | top 36% | 98.8% | 96.1% |
| 2022 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 75% | top 22% | 97.9% | 94.7% |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 80% | top 70% | 90.5% | 85.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 118 / 158 (676.9824) | 107 (170.8228) | 113 (169.1200) | 34 (175.4056) | 149 (161.6340) |
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 150 / 401 (683.9200) | 131 (173.1200) | 314 (163.4172) | 45 (176.5600) | 136 (170.8228) |
| 2025-10-11 | Bean Town BBQ Cookoff Bow Island, AB | 6 / 15 (666.1824) | 2 (171.9884) | 11 (160.5256) | 3 (169.6800) | 8 (163.9884) |
| 2025-09-27 | Smoke in the Valley Edmonton, AB | 4 / 23 (685.6572) | 10 (170.2972) | 2 (173.1200) | 4 (172.5716) | 8 (169.6684) |
| 2025-09-12 | Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival Leduc, AB | 1 / 16 (694.8000) | 3 (173.1200) | 2 (175.4172) | 8 (166.2628) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2025-09-06 | Big Smoke Bonnyville Bonnyville, AB | 2 / 15 (694.2512) | 3 (174.2628) | 7 (171.4400) | 7 (171.4056) | 2 (177.1428) |
| 2025-07-26 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 16 / 32 (670.7084) | 14 (167.9772) | 17 (167.3828) | 15 (169.6800) | 14 (165.6684) |
| 2025-06-30 | Blue Bombers BBQ Pit Master Showdown Winnipeg, MB | 2 / 24 (699.3828) | 7 (170.2628) | 3 (176.0000) | 5 (173.1200) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2025-06-21 | Smokey Skies BBQ Competition Kipling, SK | 11 / 27 (680.4912) | 22 (163.4056) | 23 (165.1200) | 1 (178.8572) | 6 (173.1084) |
| 2025-05-31 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 1 / 25 (177.1428) | 11 (170.2512) | 2 (175.4172) | 2 (176.5600) | 6 (175.4400) |
| 2025-05-24 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 7 / 34 (679.9312) | 11 (168.0000) | 15 (162.8228) | 8 (169.6684) | 1 (179.4400) |
| 2025-04-04 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 42 / 49 (649.5656) | 44 (159.4172) | 44 (158.8228) | 40 (161.6456) | 18 (169.6800) |
| 2024-09-21 | Smoke 'N the Valley Fort Qu'Appelle, SK | 1 / 21 (696.5140) | 3 (174.8456) | 14 (167.4056) | 3 (176.5600) | 1 (177.7028) |
| 2024-08-31 | Prairie Dog on the Bow Calgary, AB | 5 / 24 (682.2400) | 12 (169.7256) | 21 (162.2400) | 8 (171.9772) | 1 (178.2972) |
| 2024-08-31 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 3 / 35 (694.2628) | 23 (168.0000) | 5 (174.2628) | 1 (176.0000) | 5 (176.0000) |
| 2024-07-27 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 8 / 28 (682.7996) | 26 (159.9428) | 6 (171.9884) | 2 (174.8456) | 2 (176.0228) |
| 2024-06-08 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 5 / 27 (674.1484) | 15 (166.2284) | 19 (160.5028) | 1 (177.7144) | 10 (169.7028) |
| 2024-06-01 | Columbia Valley Smoke Show Invermere, BC | 6 / 9 (678.2628) | 8 (158.2628) | 6 (169.7372) | 1 (180.0000) | 5 (170.2628) |
| 2024-05-25 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 12 / 39 (681.0284) | 30 (162.8228) | 13 (168.5372) | 1 (180.0000) | 12 (169.6684) |
| 2024-03-29 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 5 / 42 (687.9660) | 18 (171.9888) | 16 (169.7144) | 8 (174.2628) | 6 (172.0000) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 141 / 487 (682.7540) | 369 (162.8000) | 139 (171.9884) | 98 (173.7028) | 60 (174.2628) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 119 / 211 (682.1600) | 66 (174.2744) | 199 (162.7884) | 95 (171.9656) | 51 (173.1316) |
| 2023-09-16 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival) Sherwood Park, Edmonton, AB | 1 / 29 (711.4056) | 4 (175.4056) | 4 (177.1428) | 1 (178.8572) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2023-09-02 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 2 / 40 (699.9656) | 27 (163.3828) | 1 (179.4400) | 1 (179.4400) | 2 (177.7028) |
| 2023-08-12 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Mayetta, KS | 38 / 62 (691.3716) | 57 (168.5372) | 29 (173.7028) | 20 (174.2744) | 25 (174.8572) |
| 2023-08-11 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Mayetta, KS | 54 / 90 (682.2172) | 44 (171.9772) | 77 (161.6572) | 22 (174.2972) | 19 (174.2856) |
| 2022-10-14 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series)(JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 18 / 83 (684.5140) | 37 (170.2856) | 4 (178.8572) | 66 (163.9656) | 29 (171.4056) |
| 2022-07-23 | Smoke, Wind & Fire Lethbridge, T1J4R3 | 4 / 20 (675.9084) | 8 (166.8228) | 7 (167.9772) | 10 (163.9656) | 1 (177.1428) |
| 2022-06-24 | Columbia Valley Smokeshow Invermere, V0A1K0 | 1 / 11 (704.6172) | 1 (180.0000) | 1 (176.0000) | 2 (173.1428) | 2 (175.4744) |
| 2022-06-03 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano Alberta Bassano, AB | 12 / 31 (663.3256) | 16 (163.3712) | 13 (169.1200) | 11 (166.2744) | 14 (164.5600) |
| 2021-11-26 | Agribition Supreme BBQ Regina, S4P 2Z6 | 8 / 14 (633.0056) | 11 (157.0856) | 9 (156.5600) | 6 (163.4056) | 10 (155.9544) |
| 2021-09-04 | BBQ on the Bow Didsbury, AB | 10 / 29 (651.4056) | 5 (168.5484) | 8 (166.2972) | 27 (144.5484) | 2 (172.0116) |
| 2021-09-03 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 21 / 26 (601.6000) | 9 (158.8456) | 22 (143.3716) | 23 (146.8572) | 16 (152.5256) |
| 2021-08-14 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival SHERWOOD PARK, AB | 24 / 25 (594.7084) | 22 (148.5256) | 20 (153.6800) | 24 (145.1200) | 20 (147.3828) |
| 2021-07-10 | Smoke, Wind & Fire Lethbridge, T1J4R3 | 13 / 16 (612.0224) | 12 (154.2740) | 14 (144.0000) | 11 (151.4400) | 5 (162.3084) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #80 (1731 pts) | #129 (1436 pts) | #117 (1546 pts) | #70 (1716 pts) | #48 (1881 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #99 (1464 pts) | #278 (844 pts) | #251 (979 pts) | #30 (1879 pts) | #79 (1569 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #279 (779 pts) | #438 (504 pts) | #349 (729 pts) | #260 (844 pts) | #272 (809 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #324 (711 pts) | #388 (611 pts) | #392 (651 pts) | #375 (636 pts) | #326 (731 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #498 (356 pts) | #412 (486 pts) | #515 (386 pts) | #595 (281 pts) | #346 (591 pts) |