On the rise
+49
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 49 points across 11 contests since Aug 19, 2023 — from 1534 up to 1583.
- 11 contests since Aug 19, 2023
- now 1583
Live Q or Die
Live Q or Die is a competition barbecue team with 29 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 4th of 46 at the Kora Shriners BBQ Competition (2023). They are ranked #1245 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1583
peak 1583 · rated over 21 contests
Contests
29
in the data
First seen
Jun 4, 2022
latest Jul 27, 2024 · 2.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
2
9 podiums
Overall top-10s
9
31% of 29 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 42%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
683.74 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 670.23 (+13.51)
Walk rate
90%
contests with a top-10 call
Best single call
177.7372
Consistency
±16.83
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 169.13 · weakest Brisket (165.37)
Road miles
1,983
across 29 mapped stops · furthest 292 mi
Schedule strength
47%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1561)
Purse competed for
$122K
listed at 26 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 20 state-championship entries
Master avg
670.23 / 720
21 Master contests · 0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #353 (618 pts) | #280 (834 pts) | #416 (586 pts) | #389 (558 pts) | #369 (613 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #123 (1,349 pts) | #88 (1,515 pts) | #113 (1,453 pts) | #132 (1,279 pts) | #136 (1,264 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #598 (316 pts) | #655 (296 pts) | #375 (680 pts) | #518 (416 pts) | #600 (336 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Live Q or Die, each with one reason worth a look.
44 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,246 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 81%
- Peak
- 1592
Careers of much the same size, 21 contests to 29, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,247 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1591
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 7 years before Live Q or Die's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,248 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 35%
- Peak
- 1646
They've been 1646 at their best, 63 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#1,241 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 63%
- Peak
- 1584
27 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 63% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,240 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 35%
- Peak
- 1588
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Live Q or Die's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,239 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 12%
- Peak
- 1596
Level with Live Q or Die on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELJEFE SMOKE | 18 | 6 | 12 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY | 18 | 6 | 12 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| PADDY MCQ'S | 18 | 3 | 15 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 17 | 3 | 14 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| Mullen It Over BBQ | 15 | 13 | 2 | 87% | ⚔ compare |
| Let It Smoke Barbecue | 15 | 10 | 5 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Up-2 BBQ | 15 | 3 | 12 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Matt's Backyard BBQ | 12 | 9 | 3 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| CycloneBBQ | 12 | 6 | 6 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| FOUR SMOKING GUYS | 12 | 5 | 7 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 12 | 2 | 10 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Bandits | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| CIDER BOYS BBQ | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| Angry Cock BBQ | 9 | 9 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| HOG WASH BBQ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 23 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 177.7144 | 155.4056 | 169.13 | top 47% |
| Pork Ribs | 27 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 177.7372 | 151.4060 | 168.06 | top 44% |
| Pork | 21 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 176.5828 | 149.6800 | 168.04 | top 43% |
| Brisket | 21 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 174.8800 | 150.2288 | 165.37 | top 46% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 56% |
| Medium (20–39) | 16 | 0 | top 45% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 24% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | 4 | 6 | 0 | top 47% | Apr 20, 2024 |
| Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 32% | Jun 1, 2024 |
| Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | 3 | 12 | 0 | top 43% | Apr 13, 2024 |
| Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 3 | 9 | 0 | top 57% | Sep 23, 2023 |
| I Love Barbecue & Music Festival | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 53% | Sep 1, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2023
15 contests
Contests a season
9.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NJ
7 of 29 contests · 9 states in all
Contests visited
11
5 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
27 entries · 2 wins · 13 calls
Opponents faced
244
finished ahead 449 times, behind 304
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20244 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.7372 Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- 25th tracked contest New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1)
- Peak power rating (1583) Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
20235 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score667.3716 Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
- 10th tracked contest New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)
- First overall top-10 HOGS 4 HEROES
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
- Career-best overall score692.6060 Kora Shriners BBQ Competition
20222 milestones
- First tracked contest Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
- First call Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.7 | Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Jun 3, 2023 |
| +14.7 | HOGS 4 HEROES | May 6, 2023 |
| +14.2 | Kora Shriners BBQ Competition | Aug 19, 2023 |
| +11.7 | Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Jun 1, 2024 |
| +9.8 | Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Sep 8, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.8 | Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Oct 1, 2022 |
| -6.4 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | Apr 22, 2023 |
| -6.1 | Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) | Sep 22, 2023 |
| -4.3 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | Apr 20, 2024 |
| -4.2 | Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Jun 4, 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 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 100% | top 31% | 96.1% | 94.6% |
| 2023 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 80% | top 39% | 96.2% | 93.7% |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 66% | 89.7% | 89.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 8 / 32 (691.9316) | 4 (177.7144) | 5 (174.8572) | 22 (168.5372) | 12 (170.8228) |
| Jun 1, 2024 | Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Merrimack, NH | 5 / 37 (682.2172) | 3 (176) | 17 (167.4056) | 22 (165.6916) | 3 (173.1200) |
| Apr 20, 2024 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 13 / 27 (678.8112) | 5 (174.8456) | 22 (163.9772) | 7 (169.7372) | 9 (170.2512) |
| Apr 20, 2024 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Blairstown, NJ | — | — | 7 (168.5716) | — | — |
| Apr 19, 2024 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 6 / 29 (684.5828) | 17 (169.7028) | 16 (169.1428) | 2 (176.5828) | 12 (169.1544) |
| Apr 19, 2024 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Blairstown, NJ | — | 9 (166.2400) | — | — | — |
| Apr 13, 2024 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Bristol, CT | 13 / 37 (681.1432) | 28 (163.9772) | 9 (173.1660) | 5 (173.1428) | 10 (170.8572) |
| Apr 13, 2024 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT | — | — | 1 (177.7372) | — | — |
| Apr 12, 2024 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) 🏅 Bristol, CT | 12 / 29 (666.1944) | 21 (162.8228) | 6 (170.8572) | 14 (166.8228) | 14 (165.6916) |
| Sep 23, 2023 | Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Southwick, MA | 9 / 42 (692.5260) | 20 (169.6800) | 12 (172.5716) | 8 (176.5716) | 11 (173.7028) |
| Sep 23, 2023 | Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) 🏅 Southwick, MA | — | — | 4 (172.5828) | — | — |
| Sep 22, 2023 | Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Southwick, MA | 22 / 31 (667.9428) | 24 (166.8228) | 21 (168.5600) | 10 (172) | 28 (160.5600) |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Braintree, VT | 7 / 26 (679.9888) | 4 (176) | 21 (161.1316) | 13 (167.9772) | 3 (174.8800) |
| Sep 1, 2023 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY | 10 / 18 (669.6684) | 9 (169.1312) | 12 (161.7144) | 5 (172) | 8 (166.8228) |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Kora Shriners BBQ Competition 🏅 Hiram, ME | 4 / 46 (692.6060) | 13 (173.1544) | 12 (172.5944) | 6 (174.2972) | 8 (172.5600) |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Kora Shriners BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) Hiram, ME | — | — | 13 (165.7028) | — | — |
| Jun 3, 2023 | Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Merrimack, NH | 5 / 39 (686.3200) | 15 (171.4400) | 1 (177.7372) | 26 (163.4056) | 3 (173.7372) |
| May 20, 2023 | Somerset Sizzle 🏅 Somerset, MA | 11 / 24 (665.0860) | 10 (171.4056) | 14 (164.5716) | 13 (166.2744) | 12 (162.8344) |
| May 6, 2023 | HOGS 4 HEROES 🏅 Jamestown, RI | 6 / 50 (676.5028) | 2 (174.8572) | 7 (172.5716) | 18 (166.8228) | 22 (162.2512) |
| Apr 22, 2023 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 22 / 30 (662.7204) | 13 (171.9772) | 8 (171.9772) | 16 (168.5372) | 28 (150.2288) |
| Apr 21, 2023 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 17 / 36 (663.8744) | 10 (170.8228) | 23 (161.1088) | 14 (169.1428) | 22 (162.8000) |
| Apr 21, 2023 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Blairstown, NJ | — | 2 (173.1544) | — | — | — |
| Apr 15, 2023 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Bristol, CT | 23 / 43 (667.3716) | 34 (164.5600) | 22 (167.9772) | 13 (173.1544) | 30 (161.6800) |
| Apr 15, 2023 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT | — | — | 18 (159.9772) | — | — |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Southwick, MA | 26 / 33 (635.8744) | 23 (162.2284) | 9 (170.2744) | 33 (149.6800) | 26 (153.6916) |
| Sep 2, 2022 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Masters) (JUDGING FULL) Lake Placid, NY | 11 / 22 (641.1092) | 15 (162.8344) | 10 (159.4516) | 11 (159.3944) | 12 (159.4288) |
| Aug 27, 2022 | Kora Shriner's BBQ Competition 🏅 Hiram, ME | 20 / 31 (646.1372) | 22 (165.1200) | 4 (169.7144) | 27 (155.9200) | 21 (155.3828) |
| Aug 27, 2022 | Kora Shriner's BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) Hiram, ME | — | — | 7 (170.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 4, 2022 | Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Merrimack, NH | 26 / 37 (642.2172) | 31 (155.4056) | 34 (151.4060) | 5 (173.1428) | 19 (162.2628) |