Mad Rocket Barbecue

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

Power ranking

#544

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1667

peak 1676 · rated over 29 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2022-04-08

latest 2024-10-18

Best ToY finish

#25

Backyard 2024

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

11 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 32 contests

Avg finish

top 36%

overall standings

Best overall

511.9544 / 360

Backyard · Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

339.71 ▼

last 5 Backyard vs avg 357.74 (-18.02)

Walk rate

75%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Chicken · Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023

Consistency

±49.67

std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 171.27 · weakest Pork (165.44)

Road miles

2,137

mi across 32 mapped stops · furthest 134 mi

Schedule strength

49%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)

Purse competed for

$204K

listed at 29 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

GCs in 7 state-championship entries

Backyard avg

357.74 / 360

30 Backyard contests · 4 GCs

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

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (19 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.

The heartbreaker

1.1428 points from the title

Came within 1.1428 points of the Grand Championship at Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) (2024-04-05).

Among the elite

#544 of 6,413 rated teams

In the top 8% of every rated team in the data

A power rating of 1667 puts them #544 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 8% of the field.

rating 1667
peak 1676
29 rated contests

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180s

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.

Chicken ×1

Against the odds

26-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 74 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1 (2023-09-22) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 26-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, LEE LA Q.

On the rise

+48 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 48 points across 13 contests since 2023-10-20 — from 1619 up to 1667.

13 contests since 2023-10-20
now 1667

Giant slayer

40 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 40-team field at Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY).

2024-04-26

Happy hunting ground

Top 19% average finish here

Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) is their spot: an average finish in the top 19% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 3rd
average top 19%

They almost always walk

75% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 24 of 32 contests

A top-10 category call in 75% of their 32 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

511.9544 career-best overall

142.2% of a perfect 360

Their best day on record: 511.9544 at Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) — 142.2% of a perfect 360.

Backyard
2023-08-11

State champions

1 state championships won

They've taken 1 state championship from 7 entries at contests carrying the title.

7 state-championship entries

The one to beat

4× one call ahead of them

NORALA BBQ TEAM has finished one call ahead of Mad Rocket Barbecue 4 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2023 3 Grand Championships

2023 was the year it came together: 13 contests, 3 Grand Championships and 3 category wins, at an average finish in the top 25%.

13 contests
9 overall top-10s
3 category wins
average top 25%

A tough matchup

13–4 behind in the head-to-head

Smokey Bees BBQ - MS ahead in 76% of their meetings

Smokey Bees BBQ - MS has come out ahead in 13 of their 17 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.8 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.83 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 40% of the time against 55%.

Pork avg 165.44
Chicken avg 171.27
2 calls in 5 entries

The drought

10 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) on 2024-04-26 — 10 contests and 2.4 years ago.

last GC 2024-04-26
2.4 years ago

A strong matchup

12–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Modest Meats in 12 of their 15 shared contests.

Built for the big stage

Top 33% average finish in large fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 33% finish in large fields against top 45% in small ones.

Large (40+): top 33% (8)
Small (<20 teams): top 45% (8)

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

Deviant Smoke has landed one call behind them 3 times.

Boom or bust

±13.80% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±13.80% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 99.4% of a perfect score
best 142.2%

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.

Tillman's BBQ

#543 of the rated field

1668 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 59%
Peak: 1668

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Mad Rocket Barbecue)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Mad Rocket Barbecue has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2026-07-09

⚔ Head-to-head

Blind Fox BBQ

#545 of the rated field

1667 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 32
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 34%
Peak: 1667

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 31 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 31 contests
last seen 2026-08-21

⚔ Head-to-head

LUNA SMOKE - Italy

#542 of the rated field

1668 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 81%
Peak: 1668

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 26 contests to 32, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2026-06-20

⚔ Head-to-head

RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE

#539 of the rated field

1668 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 61
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 57%
Peak: 1737

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Mad Rocket Barbecue)

Their rating is built on 3 Grand Championships in 61 contests, alongside a 57% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 57 contests
last seen 2026-08-21

⚔ Head-to-head

Velvet Smoke

#534 of the rated field

1669 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 61%
Peak: 1691

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Mad Rocket Barbecue's first contest.

rated over 27 contests
last seen 2026-05-15

⚔ Head-to-head

WOODHOUSE BARBECUE

#540 of the rated field

1668 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 35
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1678

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 6 years before Mad Rocket Barbecue's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 34 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
NORALA BBQ TEAM	29	12	17	41%	⚔ compare
2 Swine Crew	23	12	11	52%	⚔ compare
LEE LA Q	22	12	10	55%	⚔ compare
Deviant Smoke	19	8	11	42%	⚔ compare
Hickory Hangover	17	5	12	29%	⚔ compare
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS	17	4	13	24%	⚔ compare
Bentley Que	16	9	7	56%	⚔ compare
PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q	16	6	10	38%	⚔ compare
Modest Meats	15	12	3	80%	⚔ compare
BUTSY-Q	14	9	5	64%	⚔ compare
REDBONES BBQ	14	6	8	43%	⚔ compare
Say My Name BBQ	13	9	4	69%	⚔ compare
LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
Small Batch BBQ - TN	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
RIBLIFE	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	31	17	3	8	180.0000 🔥	153.6228	171.27	top 39%
Pork Ribs	31	20	0	3	176.0000	156.5488	169.01	top 40%
Pork	5	2	0	0	169.6800	161.0856	165.44	top 60%
Brisket	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—

“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
AL	26	4	top 35%
TN	4	0	top 41%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	8	2	top 45%
Medium (20–39)	14	1	top 32%
Large (40+)	8	1	top 33%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)	3	1	1	top 34%	2024-10-11
Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	1	1	top 32%	2024-04-26
Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023	2	1	1	top 94%	2023-10-27
Poosa Q	2	11	0	top 43%	2024-10-04
Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	10	0	top 54%	2024-09-06
Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	3	0	top 19%	2024-06-07

The story so far (20 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 2.5 yrs 2022-04-08 → 2024-10-18

Busiest season 2024 13 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 10.7 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in AL 27 of 32 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 23 6 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 31 entries · 3 wins · 17 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 171.27 · weakest Pork (165.44)

Walk rate 75% a top-10 call in 24 of 32 contests

Overall top-10 rate 53% 17 of 32 contests

Wins it all 13% 4 Grand Championships · 1 reserve

First title 2023-09-22 O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1

Best top-10 run 12 straight contests

Backyard average 357.74 out of 360 · 30 contests · 4 GCs

Perfect 180s 1 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 619 933–414 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,137 32 mapped stops · furthest 134 mi

Schedule strength 1564 average field rating faced — tougher than 49% of rated contests

Purse competed for $204,325 listed at 29 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 1 from 7 state-championship entries

Power rating 1667 peak 1676 · #544 of 6,413 rated

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

2022
Apr 8 First tracked contest Smoke on the Falls
Apr 8 First call Smoke on the Falls
Apr 8 First overall past 90% of a perfect score335.9544 Smoke on the Falls
Sep 8 First overall top-10 Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
2023
Jun 9 First overall podium Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
Jun 9 10th tracked contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
Aug 11 First category win (Chicken) Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)
Aug 11 Career-best overall score511.9544 Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)
Sep 22 First Grand Championship O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1
Oct 27 First state championship Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023
Oct 27 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023
2024
Apr 5 First Reserve Championship Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY)
Apr 26 Biggest field won (40 teams) Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
Jun 7 25th tracked contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
Jun 7 Peak power rating (1676) Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
Oct 18 Most recent contest WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16	O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1	2023-09-22
+13.5	Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)	2023-10-13
+13.3	Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)	2023-06-09
+13.2	Poosa Q	2022-05-05
+13.1	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship	2023-03-17

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.2	Poosa Q	2024-10-04
-6.1	Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)	2024-09-06
-5.5	Railyard BBQ Brawl	2022-10-28
-2.6	Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2023-04-28
-1.6	Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)	2022-10-07

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)

Season by season

Season	Contests	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	13	1	7	0	69%	top 34%	98.3%	95.2%
2023	13	3	9	3	77%	top 25%	142.2%	103%
2022	6	0	1	0	83%	top 61%	139.3%	100.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2024-10-18	WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL	5 / 50 (348.5140)	4 (175.4056)	5 (173.1084)	—	—
2024-10-11	Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Scottsboro, AL	15 / 38 (339.3600)	13 (173.1200)	16 (166.2400)	—	—
2024-10-04	Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL	42 / 59 (329.0856)	39 (163.9428)	41 (165.1428)	—	—
2024-09-13	Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) Guntersville, AL	12 / 33 (342.2284)	16 (168.5256)	5 (173.7028)	—	—
2024-09-06	Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cullman, AL	—	15 (153.6228)	—	—	—
2024-09-06	Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL	15 / 27 (339.3828)	6 (176.5600)	22 (162.8228)	—	—
2024-07-12	The Art of the 'Cue (BACKYARD ONLY) Shelbyville, TN	7 / 17 (345.0972)	7 (174.2628)	8 (170.8344)	11 (166.2400)	—
2024-06-07	Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL	9 / 35 (341.0856)	12 (171.4056)	10 (169.6800)	—	—
2024-05-25	6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN	41 / 47 (335.8968)	30 (170.8112)	45 (165.0856)	—	—
2024-05-17	The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN	8 / 39 (345.1316)	10 (173.7144)	11 (171.4172)	—	—
2024-04-26	Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL	1 / 40 (353.7028)	3 (177.7028)	3 (176.0000)	—	—
2024-04-05	Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) Chelsea, AL	2 / 16 (346.2516)	4 (173.1316)	2 (173.1200)	9 (167.3828)	—
2024-03-22	Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL	3 / 38 (347.4056)	6 (174.2628)	8 (173.1428)	—	—
2023-10-27	Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 🏅 Madison, AL	1 / 14 (355.4172)	1 (180.0000)	4 (175.4172)	—	—
2023-10-20	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL	6 / 50 (343.9544)	3 (175.4172)	19 (168.5372)	—	—
2023-10-13	Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL	1 / 27 (350.8456)	1 (176.5828)	4 (174.2628)	—	—
2023-09-22	O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #2 Oneonta, AL	3 / 11 (337.0744)	2 (171.9772)	7 (165.0972)	—	—
2023-09-22	O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1 Oneonta, AL	1 / 18 (351.9772)	2 (176.5600)	2 (175.4172)	—	—
2023-09-08	Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL	10 / 19 (330.7656)	10 (167.9656)	10 (162.8000)	—	—
2023-08-26	Smoke on the Water BBQ Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, AL	6 / 17 (341.6456)	2 (177.7028)	10 (163.9428)	—	—
2023-08-11	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL	6 / 35 (511.9544)	1 (176.5600)	7 (172.5716)	25 (162.8228)	—
2023-08-04	Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) Madison, AL	31 / 58 (336.5028)	17 (170.8228)	38 (165.6800)	—	—
2023-06-09	Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL	3 / 26 (346.2284)	4 (174.2628)	6 (171.9656)	—	—
2023-04-28	Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL	22 / 36 (501.6112)	18 (167.4056)	9 (173.1200)	29 (161.0856)	—
2023-03-17	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN	12 / 80 (340.5372)	11 (172.5600)	17 (167.9772)	—	—
2023-03-17	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Lebanon, TN	—	—	55 (156.5488)	—	—
2022-10-28	Railyard BBQ Brawl 🏅 Madison, AL	18 / 10 (323.8972)	28 (155.3600)	9 (168.5372)	—	—
2022-10-07	Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL	22 / 38 (327.9084)	18 (166.8228)	25 (161.0856)	—	—
2022-09-08	Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL	6 / 35 (339.9544)	7 (169.6916)	7 (170.2628)	—	—
2022-05-05	Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL	11 / 72 (341.0972)	23 (167.9656)	6 (173.1316)	—	—
2022-04-22	Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (Backyard) Florence, AL	15 / 34 (501.6116)	11 (170.8228)	25 (161.1088)	9 (169.6800)	—
2022-04-08	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	17 / 34 (335.9544)	31 (164.5372)	7 (171.4172)	—	—

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
2024 ↗	Backyard	#25 (1101 pts)	#38 (978 pts)	#37 (999 pts)	—	—
2024 ↗	Master	—	#1131 (91 pts)	—	—	—
2023 ↗	Backyard	—	#4 (1332 pts)	#49 (986 pts)	—	—
2023 ↗	Master	—	—	#1432 (60 pts)	—	—
2022 ↗	Backyard	—	#90 (519 pts)	#71 (706 pts)	—	—