Berg's BBQ MN
Rating
1533
peak 1533 · rated over 7 contests
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
2022-08-05
latest 2026-08-15
Best ToY finish
#53
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 45%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
339.61 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 331.86 (+7.75)
Walk rate
67%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
and counting
Consistency
±17.53
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 168.74 · weakest Chicken (163.22)
Road miles
663
mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 132 mi
Schedule strength
77%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$39K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 3 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
331.86 / 360
7 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
DAWGS BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 7 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Not Bad BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
😤 Pork Ribs nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, DAWGS BBQ has out-cooked them in 6 of 9 shared pork ribs entries.
📈 Riding a hot streak
Currently on a 4-contest overall top-10 run.
🔁 The comeback
Off the trail for 3.8 years, then back at Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) (2026-05-08).
Teams like this (closest power rating, MN first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAWGS BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Bear BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Sensuous BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Ten Bones | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| FENDER BENDER BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Not Bad BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Mike's Smokehouse | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Porket About It | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.1084 | 141.0628 | 163.22 | top 60% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 177.7144 | 150.8344 | 168.74 | top 38% |
| Pork | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MN | 5 | 0 | top 53% |
| WI | 2 | 0 | top 25% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 40% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 64% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 22% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (8 contests)
- Cooks mostly in MN (6 of 9 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (9 entries)
- Average Backyard overall score: 331.86 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2022-08-05 — First tracked contest · B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📣 2026-05-08 — First call · Minnesota in May
- ⭐ 2026-08-15 — Career-best overall score (350.8228) · Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📈 2026-08-15 — Peak power rating (1533) · Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.9 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-08-15 |
| +12.3 | Minnesota in May | 2026-05-08 |
| +12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2026-06-12 |
| +11.6 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2026-06-13 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.9 | B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-08-05 |
| -4.4 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-05-29 |
| -1.6 | Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-08-07 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 75% | top 37% | 97.5% | 94% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 81.1% | 81.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-15 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 3 / 18 (350.8228) | 7 (173.1084) | 2 (177.7144) | — | — |
| 2026-08-07 | Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY) Montevideo, MN | 9 / 14 (334.2056) | 13 (163.9312) | 5 (170.2744) | — | — |
| 2026-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 9 / 37 (338.2288) | 7 (170.8344) | 14 (167.3944) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 10 / 40 (343.9772) | 21 (169.1200) | 4 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 6 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Owatonna, MN | 18 / 25 (330.8228) | 22 (163.9656) | 12 (166.8572) | — | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 14 / 77 (333.0856) | 26 (160.5256) | 7 (172.5600) | — | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 39 (161.6456) | — | — |
| 2022-08-05 | B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 20 / 21 (291.8972) | 20 (141.0628) | 18 (150.8344) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #53 (730 pts) | #83 (550 pts) | #33 (952 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #621 (230 pts) | — | — |