The heartbreaker
1.1428
points from the title
Came within 1.1428 points of the Grand Championship at Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) (Apr 5, 2024).
Mad Rocket Barbecue
Mad Rocket Barbecue is a competition barbecue team with 32 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2024. They have won 4 Grand Championships, most recently at the Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (2024), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #560 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1667
peak 1676 · rated over 29 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
32
in the data
First seen
Apr 8, 2022
latest Oct 18, 2024 · 2.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
4
1 reserve · wins it all 13% of the time
Category wins
3
11 podiums
Overall top-10s
17
53% of 32 contests
Best top-10 run
12
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 36%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
339.71 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 341.37 (-1.65)
Walk rate
75%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.66
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.27 · weakest Pork (165.44)
Road miles
2,137
across 32 mapped stops · furthest 134 mi
Schedule strength
49%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1563)
Purse competed for
$204K
listed at 29 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
341.37 / 360
27 Backyard contests · 4 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
505.06 / 540
3 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)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Mad Rocket Barbecue, each with one reason worth a look.
#559 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 81%
- Peak
- 1667
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 25 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#558 of the rated field
- Contests
- 41
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1668
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 4 years before Mad Rocket Barbecue's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#557 of the rated field
- Contests
- 58
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1697
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 58 contests to 32.
⚔ Compare careers#550 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 75%
- Peak
- 1669
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.
⚔ Head-to-head#553 of the rated field
- 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.
⚔ Head-to-head#563 of the rated field
- Contests
- 175
- GCs
- 10
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1862
6–0 in 6 shared contests (100% to Mad Rocket Barbecue)
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Mad Rocket Barbecue's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar 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 🔥 | 153.6228 | 171.27 | top 39% |
| Pork Ribs | 31 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 176 | 156.5488 | 169.01 | top 40% |
| Pork | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 169.6800 | 161.0856 | 165.44 | top 60% |
“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 | 2 | top 45% |
| Medium (20–39) | 14 | 1 | top 32% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 1 | top 33% |
Repeat visits (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% | Oct 11, 2024 |
| Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 32% | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 94% | Oct 27, 2023 |
| Poosa Q | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 43% | Oct 4, 2024 |
| Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 54% | Sep 6, 2024 |
| Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 19% | Jun 7, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
13 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
10.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
27 of 32 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
23
6 of them more than once
First title
Sep 22, 2023
O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1
Opponents faced
619
finished ahead 933 times, behind 414
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20245 milestones
- First Reserve Championship Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Biggest field won (40 teams) Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 25th tracked contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1676) Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20237 milestones
- First overall podium Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 10th tracked contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Chicken) Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)
- Career-best overall score511.9544 Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)
- First Grand Championship O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1
- First state championship Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023
20224 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Falls
- First call Smoke on the Falls
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score335.9544 Smoke on the Falls
- First overall top-10 Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.1 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1 | Sep 22, 2023 |
| +13.5 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | Oct 13, 2023 |
| +13.3 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 9, 2023 |
| +13.2 | Poosa Q | May 5, 2022 |
| +13.1 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 17, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.2 | Poosa Q | Oct 4, 2024 |
| -6.1 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 6, 2024 |
| -5.6 | Railyard BBQ Brawl | Oct 28, 2022 |
| -2.7 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 28, 2023 |
| -1.6 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | Oct 7, 2022 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 69% | top 34% | 98.3% | 95.2% |
| 2023 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 77% | top 25% | 98.7% | 95.2% |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 83% | top 61% | 94.7% | 92.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 18, 2024 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 5 / 50 (348.5140) | 4 (175.4056) | 5 (173.1084) | — | — |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Scottsboro, AL | 15 / 38 (339.3600) | 13 (173.1200) | 16 (166.2400) | — | — |
| Oct 4, 2024 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 42 / 59 (329.0856) | 39 (163.9428) | 41 (165.1428) | — | — |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) Guntersville, AL | 12 / 33 (342.2284) | 16 (168.5256) | 5 (173.7028) | — | — |
| Sep 6, 2024 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 15 / 27 (339.3828) | 6 (176.5600) | 22 (162.8228) | — | — |
| Sep 6, 2024 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cullman, AL | — | 15 (153.6228) | — | — | — |
| Jul 12, 2024 | The Art of the 'Cue (BACKYARD ONLY) Shelbyville, TN | 7 / 17 (345.0972) | 7 (174.2628) | 8 (170.8344) | 11 (166.2400) | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 9 / 35 (341.0856) | 12 (171.4056) | 10 (169.6800) | — | — |
| May 25, 2024 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN | 41 / 47 (335.8968) | 30 (170.8112) | 45 (165.0856) | — | — |
| May 17, 2024 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 8 / 39 (345.1316) | 10 (173.7144) | 11 (171.4172) | — | — |
| Apr 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 1 / 40 (353.7028) | 3 (177.7028) | 3 (176) | — | — |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) Chelsea, AL | 2 / 16 (346.2516) | 4 (173.1316) | 2 (173.1200) | 9 (167.3828) | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 3 / 38 (347.4056) | 6 (174.2628) | 8 (173.1428) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 🏅 Madison, AL | 1 / 14 (355.4172) | 1 (180) | 4 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Oct 20, 2023 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 6 / 50 (343.9544) | 3 (175.4172) | 19 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 1 / 27 (350.8456) | 1 (176.5828) | 4 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Sep 22, 2023 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #1 Oneonta, AL | 1 / 18 (351.9772) | 2 (176.5600) | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Sep 22, 2023 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) #2 Oneonta, AL | 3 / 11 (337.0744) | 2 (171.9772) | 7 (165.0972) | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 10 / 19 (330.7656) | 10 (167.9656) | 10 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Aug 26, 2023 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, AL | 6 / 17 (341.6456) | 2 (177.7028) | 10 (163.9428) | — | — |
| Aug 11, 2023 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 6 / 35 (511.9544) | 1 (176.5600) | 7 (172.5716) | 25 (162.8228) | — |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) Madison, AL | 31 / 58 (336.5028) | 17 (170.8228) | 38 (165.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 3 / 26 (346.2284) | 4 (174.2628) | 6 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Apr 28, 2023 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 22 / 36 (501.6112) | 18 (167.4056) | 9 (173.1200) | 29 (161.0856) | — |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 12 / 80 (340.5372) | 11 (172.5600) | 17 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 55 (156.5488) | — | — |
| Oct 28, 2022 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 🏅 Madison, AL | 18 / 10 (323.8972) | 28 (155.3600) | 9 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Oct 7, 2022 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 22 / 38 (327.9084) | 18 (166.8228) | 25 (161.0856) | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2022 | Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL | 6 / 35 (339.9544) | 7 (169.6916) | 7 (170.2628) | — | — |
| May 5, 2022 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 11 / 72 (341.0972) | 23 (167.9656) | 6 (173.1316) | — | — |
| Apr 22, 2022 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (Backyard) Florence, AL | 15 / 34 (501.6116) | 11 (170.8228) | 25 (161.1088) | 9 (169.6800) | — |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 17 / 34 (335.9544) | 31 (164.5372) | 7 (171.4172) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.