The heartbreaker
2.3316
points from the title
Came within 2.3316 points of the Grand Championship at Barbeque on the Bow Festival (Sep 2, 2023).
Brisket Butts
Brisket Butts is a competition barbecue team with 38 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. They have won 6 Grand Championships, most recently at the Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #579 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1663
peak 1663 · rated over 31 contests5 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
38
in the data
First seen
Jul 10, 2021
latest Sep 11, 2026 · 5.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
6
3 reserve · wins it all 16% of the time
Category wins
18
37 podiums
Overall top-10s
21
55% of 38 contests
Best top-10 run
6
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 35%
overall standings
Best overall
711.4056 / 720
Perfect 180s
6 🔥
Current form
682.31 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 675.74 (+6.57)
Walk rate
68%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±26.97
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 171.15 · weakest Chicken (167.25)
Road miles
15,512
across 38 mapped stops · furthest 1,762 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 🏅
won from 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
675.74 / 720
36 Master contests · 5 GCs
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 ↗ | Master | #578 (267 pts) | #975 (117 pts) | #680 (267 pts) | #680 (217 pts) | #785 (157 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #80 (1,731 pts) | #129 (1,436 pts) | #117 (1,546 pts) | #70 (1,716 pts) | #48 (1,881 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #99 (1,464 pts) | #278 (844 pts) | #251 (979 pts) | #30 (1,879 pts) | #79 (1,569 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) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Brisket Butts, each with one reason worth a look.
#581 of the rated field
- Contests
- 209
- GCs
- 11
- Top-10s
- 61%
- Peak
- 1806
3–0 in 3 shared contests (100% to Brisket Butts)
These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — Brisket Butts ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#577 of the rated field
- Contests
- 31
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 74%
- Peak
- 1680
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Brisket Butts's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#582 of the rated field
- Contests
- 40
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 73%
- Peak
- 1694
They've been 1694 at their best, 31 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#578 of the rated field
- Contests
- 38
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 26%
- Peak
- 1663
Careers of much the same size, 38 contests to 38, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#576 of the rated field
- Contests
- 22
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 59%
- Peak
- 1663
22 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 59% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#580 of the rated field
- Contests
- 66
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1692
They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Brisket Butts's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar 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 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 80% | ⚔ 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 |
| SMOKIN' OUTLAWS | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| Q Cartel | 15 | 6 | 8 | 40% | ⚔ 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 | 36 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 180 🔥 | 148.5256 | 167.25 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 36 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 179.4400 | 143.3716 | 167.35 | top 47% |
| Pork | 36 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 180 🔥 | 144.5484 | 170.00 | top 32% |
| Brisket | 36 | 23 | 7 | 12 | 180 🔥 | 147.3828 | 171.15 | 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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 8 | 3 | top 35% |
| Medium (20–39) | 18 | 3 | top 29% |
| Large (40+) | 10 | 0 | top 44% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Didsbury Lions BBQ | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 53% | Jul 26, 2025 |
| Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival | 2 | 1 | 2 | top 6% | Sep 11, 2026 |
| Small Town Smoke Down | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 11% | May 31, 2025 |
| Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 26% | May 24, 2025 |
| Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 49% | Apr 4, 2025 |
| Barbeque on the Bow Festival | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 7% | Aug 31, 2024 |
| Smoke, Wind & Fire | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 51% | Jul 23, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
13 contests · 2 GCs
Contests a season
6.3
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AB
19 of 38 contests · 7 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
28
7 of them more than once
First title
Jun 24, 2022
Columbia Valley Smokeshow
Opponents faced
969
finished ahead 1,411 times, behind 897
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Peak power rating (1663) Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival
- Most recent contest Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival
20253 milestones
- 25th tracked contest Iowa State BBQ Championship
- 5th perfect 180 Blue Bombers BBQ Pit Master Showdown
- 5th Grand Championship Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival
20241 milestone
- 10th category win Small Town Smoke Down
20233 milestones
- 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)
20225 milestones
- 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
20214 milestones
- 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
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18.2 | Columbia Valley Smokeshow | Jun 24, 2022 |
| +16.4 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival) | Sep 16, 2023 |
| +14.8 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival | Sep 2, 2023 |
| +14.2 | Smoke 'N the Valley | Sep 21, 2024 |
| +13.9 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Mar 29, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.1 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Apr 4, 2025 |
| -12.9 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival | Aug 14, 2021 |
| -11.1 | Smoke, Wind & Fire | Jul 10, 2021 |
| -7.9 | Didsbury Lions BBQ | Sep 3, 2021 |
| -4.6 | Columbia Valley Smoke Show | Jun 1, 2024 |
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 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 6% | 97.1% | 97.1% |
| 2025 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 62% | top 33% | 98.4% | 94.8% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival Leduc, AB | 1 / 17 (698.7884) | 10 (171.9656) | 1 (178.8572) | 3 (176) | 6 (171.9656) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2025 | 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) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | 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) |
| Oct 11, 2025 | Bean Town BBQ Cookoff Bow Island, AB | 6 / 15 (666.1824) | 2 (171.9884) | 11 (160.5256) | 3 (169.6800) | 8 (163.9884) |
| Sep 27, 2025 | Smoke in the Valley Edmonton, AB | 4 / 23 (685.6572) | 10 (170.2972) | 2 (173.1200) | 4 (172.5716) | 8 (169.6684) |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival Leduc, AB | 1 / 16 (694.8000) | 3 (173.1200) | 2 (175.4172) | 8 (166.2628) | 1 (180) |
| Sep 6, 2025 | Big Smoke Bonnyville Bonnyville, AB | 2 / 15 (694.2512) | 3 (174.2628) | 7 (171.4400) | 7 (171.4056) | 2 (177.1428) |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 16 / 32 (670.7084) | 14 (167.9772) | 17 (167.3828) | 15 (169.6800) | 14 (165.6684) |
| Jun 30, 2025 | Blue Bombers BBQ Pit Master Showdown Winnipeg, MB | 2 / 24 (699.3828) | 7 (170.2628) | 3 (176) | 5 (173.1200) | 1 (180) |
| Jun 21, 2025 | Smokey Skies BBQ Competition Kipling, SK | 11 / 27 (680.4912) | 22 (163.4056) | 23 (165.1200) | 1 (178.8572) | 6 (173.1084) |
| May 31, 2025 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 1 / 25 (177.1428) | 11 (170.2512) | 2 (175.4172) | 2 (176.5600) | 6 (175.4400) |
| May 24, 2025 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 7 / 34 (679.9312) | 11 (168) | 15 (162.8228) | 8 (169.6684) | 1 (179.4400) |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 42 / 49 (649.5656) | 44 (159.4172) | 44 (158.8228) | 40 (161.6456) | 18 (169.6800) |
| Sep 21, 2024 | Smoke 'N the Valley Fort Qu'Appelle, SK | 1 / 21 (696.5140) | 3 (174.8456) | 14 (167.4056) | 3 (176.5600) | 1 (177.7028) |
| Aug 31, 2024 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 3 / 35 (694.2628) | 23 (168) | 5 (174.2628) | 1 (176) | 5 (176) |
| Aug 31, 2024 | Prairie Dog on the Bow Calgary, AB | 5 / 24 (682.2400) | 12 (169.7256) | 21 (162.2400) | 8 (171.9772) | 1 (178.2972) |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 8 / 28 (682.7996) | 26 (159.9428) | 6 (171.9884) | 2 (174.8456) | 2 (176.0228) |
| Jun 8, 2024 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 5 / 27 (674.1484) | 15 (166.2284) | 19 (160.5028) | 1 (177.7144) | 10 (169.7028) |
| Jun 1, 2024 | Columbia Valley Smoke Show Invermere, BC | 6 / 9 (678.2628) | 8 (158.2628) | 6 (169.7372) | 1 (180) | 5 (170.2628) |
| May 25, 2024 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 12 / 39 (681.0284) | 30 (162.8228) | 13 (168.5372) | 1 (180) | 12 (169.6684) |
| Mar 29, 2024 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 5 / 42 (687.9660) | 18 (171.9888) | 16 (169.7144) | 8 (174.2628) | 6 (172) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 27, 2023 | 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) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | 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) |
| Sep 16, 2023 | 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) |
| Sep 2, 2023 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 2 / 40 (699.9656) | 27 (163.3828) | 1 (179.4400) | 1 (179.4400) | 2 (177.7028) |
| Aug 12, 2023 | 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) |
| Aug 11, 2023 | 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) |
| Oct 14, 2022 | 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) |
| Jul 23, 2022 | Smoke, Wind & Fire Lethbridge | 4 / 20 (675.9084) | 8 (166.8228) | 7 (167.9772) | 10 (163.9656) | 1 (177.1428) |
| Jun 24, 2022 | Columbia Valley Smokeshow Invermere | 1 / 11 (704.6172) | 1 (180) | 1 (176) | 2 (173.1428) | 2 (175.4744) |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano Alberta Bassano, AB | 12 / 31 (663.3256) | 16 (163.3712) | 13 (169.1200) | 11 (166.2744) | 14 (164.5600) |
| Nov 26, 2021 | Agribition Supreme BBQ Regina | 8 / 14 (633.0056) | 11 (157.0856) | 9 (156.5600) | 6 (163.4056) | 10 (155.9544) |
| Sep 4, 2021 | BBQ on the Bow Didsbury, AB | 10 / 29 (651.4056) | 5 (168.5484) | 8 (166.2972) | 27 (144.5484) | 2 (172.0116) |
| Sep 3, 2021 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 21 / 26 (601.6000) | 9 (158.8456) | 22 (143.3716) | 23 (146.8572) | 16 (152.5256) |
| Aug 14, 2021 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Sherwood Park, AB | 24 / 25 (594.7084) | 22 (148.5256) | 20 (153.6800) | 24 (145.1200) | 20 (147.3828) |
| Jul 10, 2021 | Smoke, Wind & Fire Lethbridge | 13 / 16 (612.0224) | 12 (154.2740) | 14 (144) | 11 (151.4400) | 5 (162.3084) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.