A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
MAN MEAT BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
MAN MEAT BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
TJ'S BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1449
peak 1449 · rated over 9 contests ⓘ
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
2016-05-27
latest 2023-06-09
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 76%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
475.01 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 492.67 (-17.66)
Walk rate
20%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±149.87
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 153.70 · weakest Brisket (138.09)
Road miles
3,872
mi across 10 mapped stops · furthest 1186 mi
Schedule strength
55%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1570)
Purse competed for
$60K
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
492.67 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
312.50 / 360
3 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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.
Storylines (6 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.
A strong matchup
3–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of ALWAYS SAUCED in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
The comeback
2 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest (2021-06-11).
- last seen 2019-06-07
- back 2021-06-11
Boom or bust
±19.08%
swing around their own average
Their overall swings ±19.08% 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 74.6% of a perfect score
- best 87.1%
A June team
Top 42%
average finish in June
Something about June: average finish in the top 42% across 3 contests, versus top 76% the rest of the year.
- 3 June contests
- top 76% the rest of the year
The long haul
3,872
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,872 miles across 10 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,186 miles to New Jersey State Barbecue Championship.
- 10 mapped stops
- furthest 1,186 mi
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.
106 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5565 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1449
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to TJ'S BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team TJ'S BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5561 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1449
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to TJ'S BBQ)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#5554 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1449
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#5544 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1449
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before TJ'S BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#5549 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1449
No shared contest yet.
Level with TJ'S BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#5553 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1507
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 6 years after TJ'S BBQ did, first appearing in 2022.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 166.8228 | 123.3600 | 149.48 | top 69% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.8916 | 144.5944 | 153.45 | top 62% |
| Pork | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 160.0000 | 142.8112 | 153.70 | top 84% |
| Brisket | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 145.6572 | 133.6800 | 138.09 | top 94% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS | 7 | 0 | top 73% |
| NJ | 1 | 0 | top 80% |
| NV | 1 | 0 | top 97% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 64% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 92% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest | 3 | 13 | 0 | top 42% | 2023-06-09 |
| Smoke in the Spring | 2 | 89 | 0 | top 93% | 2023-04-07 |
The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
7 yrs
2016-05-27 → 2023-06-09
Busiest season
2018
3 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 6 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
KS
8 of 10 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
6
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
9 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 153.70 · weakest Brisket (138.09)
Walk rate
20%
a top-10 call in 2 of 10 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 10 contests
Master average
492.67
out of 720 · 6 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
312.50
out of 360 · 3 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
425
94–483 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
3,872
10 mapped stops · furthest 1,186 mi
Schedule strength
1570
average field rating faced — tougher than 55% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$60,490
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 5 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
2 yrs
2019-06-07 → 2021-06-11
Power rating
1449
peak 1449 · #5558 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2016
- First tracked contest Best Dam Barbecue
- Peak power rating (1487) Best Dam Barbecue
- 2018
- Career-best overall score622.2400 Smoke in the Spring
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)166.8916 Smoke in the Spring
- 2021
- First call Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest
- 2023
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +3.7 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest | 2019-06-07 |
| +1.8 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest | 2021-06-11 |
| +1.3 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest | 2023-06-09 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.9 | Best Dam Barbecue | 2016-05-27 |
| -10.7 | *Chisholm Trail BBQ Cook Off | 2017-04-28 |
| -10.7 | Smoke In the Springs | 2019-04-12 |
| -9.7 | Smoke in the Spring | 2023-04-07 |
| -7.1 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | 2018-07-14 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 72% | 87.1% | 63.8% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 46% | 86.6% | 86.6% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 86.6% | 62.2% |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 83% | 86.4% | 84.1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 83.4% | 83.4% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 80.7% | 80.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-06-09 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 14 / 32 (313.6912) | 10 (162.8456) | 13 (150.8456) | — | — |
| 2023-04-07 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 103 / 103 (291.9772) | 99 (147.3828) | 101 (144.5944) | — | — |
| 2021-06-11 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 13 / 28 (311.9084) | 6 (166.8228) | 14 (145.0856) | — | — |
| 2019-06-07 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 14 / 39 (311.9088) | 12 (158.8000) | 13 (153.1088) | — | — |
| 2019-04-12 | Smoke In the Springs 🏅 Osage City, KS | 104 / 104 (271.3372) | 104 (123.3600) | 102 (147.9772) | — | — |
| 2018-07-14 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ | 51 / 64 (589.0172) | 57 (139.3716) | 22 (161.1772) | 55 (142.8112) | 50 (145.6572) |
| 2018-06-08 | *Derby BBQ Festival Derby, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018-04-06 | Smoke in the Spring Osage City, KS | 89 / 103 (622.2400) | 59 (165.1200) | 50 (166.8916) | 83 (156.5484) | 101 (133.6800) |
| 2017-04-28 | *Chisholm Trail BBQ Cook Off Wellington, KS | 31 / 32 (600.5024) | 30 (153.1084) | 26 (156.5712) | 30 (155.4284) | 32 (135.3944) |
| 2016-05-27 | Best Dam Barbecue Boulder City, NV | 35 / 36 (580.9604) | 36 (128.5028) | 28 (154.8116) | 27 (160.0000) | 36 (137.6460) |