The heartbreaker
4.6176
points from the title
Came within 4.6176 points of the Grand Championship at Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (Jun 14, 2024).
Better Half Barbecue
Better Half Barbecue is a competition barbecue team with 45 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. They have won 7 Grand Championships, most recently at The MoCo Smoke Show (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #503 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1676
peak 1676 · rated over 42 contests
Contests
45
in the data
First seen
Oct 15, 2021
latest Oct 16, 2026 · 5 years on the trail
Grand champs
7
1 reserve · wins it all 16% of the time
Category wins
9
22 podiums
Overall top-10s
31
69% of 45 contests
Best top-10 run
13
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 39%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
341.55 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 338.44 (+3.11)
Walk rate
89%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.44
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.42 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.96)
Road miles
3,855
across 45 mapped stops · furthest 227 mi
Schedule strength
79%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1602)
Purse competed for
$197K
listed at 40 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
4 🏅
won from 32 state-championship entries
Master avg
679.04 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
338.44 / 360
38 Backyard contests · 6 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
524.25 / 540
2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 1 GC
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, 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)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #39 (975 pts) | #66 (765 pts) | #23 (1,098 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #748 (155 pts) | #997 (110 pts) | #742 (225 pts) | #1092 (65 pts) | #707 (200 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #49 (945 pts) | #38 (1,067 pts) | #61 (867 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #942 (115 pts) | #683 (255 pts) | #954 (140 pts) | #1111 (85 pts) | #1453 (55 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #27 (1,093 pts) | #32 (1,011 pts) | #74 (788 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #20 (1,165 pts) | #44 (1,026 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | #966 (137 pts) | — | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #231 (140 pts) | #181 (210 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #80 (465 pts) | #96 (310 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Better Half Barbecue, each with one reason worth a look.
#500 of the rated field
- Contests
- 59
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1692
Careers of much the same size, 59 contests to 45, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#501 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 80%
- Peak
- 1677
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 24 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#502 of the rated field
- Contests
- 100
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1676
100 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 24% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#504 of the rated field
- Contests
- 138
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1735
They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Better Half Barbecue's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#498 of the rated field
- Contests
- 44
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 41%
- Peak
- 1731
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Better Half Barbecue's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#497 of the rated field
- Contests
- 43
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1695
Level with Better Half Barbecue 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 24 | 11 | 13 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 24 | 9 | 14 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 23 | 13 | 10 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 23 | 10 | 13 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | 23 | 8 | 14 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 22 | 15 | 7 | 68% | ⚔ compare |
| Pinky Out BBQ | 22 | 11 | 11 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| The Swine Doctor's BBQ | 22 | 9 | 13 | 41% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | 20 | 10 | 10 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| All About the Wood | 18 | 12 | 6 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| HotMess BBQ | 18 | 12 | 6 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 18 | 9 | 8 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Off The Rack BBQ | 18 | 8 | 10 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 18 | 7 | 11 | 39% | ⚔ compare |
| Backwooder BBQ | 17 | 13 | 4 | 76% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 42 | 35 | 1 | 11 | 179.4400 | 149.6112 | 171.42 | top 34% |
| Pork Ribs | 42 | 30 | 6 | 9 | 180 🔥 | 153.6344 | 167.96 | top 44% |
| Pork | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 178.8572 | 165.0972 | 170.76 | top 36% |
| Brisket | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 162.2400 | 169.40 | top 50% |
“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) | 19 | 3 | top 58% |
| Medium (20–39) | 22 | 3 | top 24% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 1 | top 2% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 4 | 1 | 2 | top 21% | Jul 25, 2026 |
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 4 | 1 | 1 | top 53% | Jun 28, 2025 |
| First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) | 4 | 3 | 0 | top 33% | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Pig Out in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 30% | Aug 18, 2023 |
| Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 15% | May 6, 2023 |
| Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 41% | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 50% | Aug 9, 2025 |
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 42% | May 17, 2025 |
| Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 23% | Aug 10, 2024 |
| Almost Heaven BBQ Bash | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 9% | Jun 14, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
13 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
7.5
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
VA
18 of 45 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
26
10 of them more than once
First title
May 6, 2023
Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)
Opponents faced
335
finished ahead 978 times, behind 440
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- Biggest field won (43 teams) Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Career-best overall score682.1716 Keystone Classic Cookoff
- Peak power rating (1676) The MoCo Smoke Show
- Most recent contest The MoCo Smoke Show
20252 milestones
- 25th tracked contest Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1)
- 5th Grand Championship York County BBQ Festival (Day 1)
20241 milestone
- First Reserve Championship Almost Heaven BBQ Bash
20236 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)
- First overall podium Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)
- First Grand Championship Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)
- First state championship Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)
- 10th tracked contest Pig Out in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY)
20214 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke in the Grove
- First call Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score334.8344 Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague
- First overall top-10 Almost Heaven's Spooktacular Backyard BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.6 | Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | May 6, 2023 |
| +15.8 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 23, 2023 |
| +15.5 | Pig Out in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 18, 2023 |
| +15.1 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash | Jun 16, 2023 |
| +13.8 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash | Jun 14, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -16 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) | Oct 26, 2024 |
| -12.3 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | Jun 29, 2024 |
| -10.1 | Page County Heritage Festival - Backyard BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 11, 2025 |
| -10 | Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague | Oct 16, 2021 |
| -7.8 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) | Oct 25, 2024 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 100% | top 26% | 98.6% | 95.4% |
| 2025 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 85% | top 48% | 97.1% | 93.9% |
| 2024 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 89% | top 42% | 96.8% | 93.9% |
| 2023 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 100% | top 16% | 98.1% | 94.8% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 38% | 93.6% | 92.8% |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 88% | 95.4% | 91.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2026 | The MoCo Smoke Show Silver Spring, MD | 1 / 15 (343.3828) | 2 (171.4172) | 1 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Oct 2, 2026 | Keystone Classic Cookoff 🏅 Harrisburg, PA | 7 / 25 (682.1716) | 13 (167.3828) | 3 (173.1316) | 22 (165.0972) | 4 (176.5600) |
| Sep 27, 2026 | First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) Milford, DE | 11 / 16 (333.0628) | 15 (161.6456) | 5 (171.4172) | — | — |
| Sep 25, 2026 | First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 3 / 39 (346.2516) | 7 (169.6916) | 1 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 5 / 26 (346.8228) | 4 (175.4056) | 11 (171.4172) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 15 / 39 (338.2172) | — | 6 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 1 / 43 (354.8800) | 6 (176) | 1 (178.8800) | — | — |
| Jun 5, 2026 | Loudoun Rotary BBQ Classic (BACKYARD ONLY) Leesburg, VA | 4 / 12 (343.9428) | 6 (169.6800) | 3 (174.2628) | 1 (178.8572) | — |
| Oct 11, 2025 | Page County Heritage Festival - Backyard BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Luray, VA | 7 / 9 (336.4912) | 7 (169.6800) | 8 (166.8112) | — | — |
| Oct 3, 2025 | Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA | 13 / 30 (675.9084) | 2 (177.1544) | 9 (170.2628) | 19 (166.2512) | 25 (162.2400) |
| Sep 28, 2025 | First State BBQ Bash (SUNDAY BACKYARD ONLY) Milford, DE | 6 / 14 (339.9656) | 5 (172.5600) | 7 (167.4056) | — | — |
| Sep 26, 2025 | First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 3 / 25 (346.2400) | 3 (176.5600) | 7 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Sep 26, 2025 | First State BBQ Bash (ONE MEAT RIBS) Milford, DE | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 10 / 16 (333.6460) | 2 (174.2744) | 14 (159.3716) | — | — |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) 🏅 Doswell, VA | 15 / 25 (332.4800) | 13 (167.3828) | 14 (165.0972) | — | — |
| Aug 8, 2025 | Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1) 🏅 Doswell, VA | 10 / 25 (342.8000) | 12 (169.6800) | 6 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2025 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 11 / 10 (334.7772) | 10 (169.6800) | 13 (165.0972) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 1 / 26 (349.6916) | 4 (175.4172) | 1 (174.2744) | — | — |
| May 30, 2025 | The Loudoun Rotary BBQ Classic (BACKYARD ONLY) Leesburg, VA | 5 / 12 (334.2288) | 4 (169.1316) | 7 (165.0972) | 1 (171.4056) | — |
| May 17, 2025 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 8 / 21 (338.8116) | 3 (174.8572) | 10 (163.9544) | — | — |
| May 16, 2025 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 13 / 28 (330.2288) | 4 (171.9772) | 17 (158.2516) | — | — |
| Oct 26, 2024 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 🏅 Roseland, VA | 12 / 11 (327.8972) | 7 (174.2628) | 12 (153.6344) | — | — |
| Oct 25, 2024 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) 🏅 Roseland, VA | 9 / 13 (343.9428) | 5 (174.2744) | 10 (169.6684) | — | — |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) 🏅 Ashland, VA | 10 / 28 (329.0628) | 13 (166.8112) | 12 (162.2516) | 6 (170.2744) | — |
| Aug 9, 2024 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) 🏅 Ashland, VA | 3 / 27 (347.3828) | 4 (174.2628) | 4 (173.1200) | 9 (168.5372) | — |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 13 / 32 (329.6340) | 6 (170.8228) | 17 (158.8112) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 1 / 35 (348.5372) | 2 (178.8572) | 9 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 29, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 17 / 19 (332.5028) | 18 (166.2516) | 14 (166.2512) | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 3 / 29 (342.8228) | 4 (173.1428) | 8 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Buckhannon, WV | 2 / 30 (341.6800) | 4 (172.5484) | 4 (169.1316) | — | — |
| Oct 28, 2023 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 🏅 Galax, VA | 5 / 17 (333.0628) | 4 (165.0856) | 6 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) 🏅 Galax, VA | 5 / 19 (327.9084) | 4 (168.5256) | 11 (159.3828) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Galax, VA | — | 8 (167.3944) | — | — | — |
| Sep 23, 2023 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 1 / 20 (529.6916) | 5 (177.7028) | 1 (180) | 7 (171.9888) | — |
| Sep 22, 2023 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 5 / 24 (518.8000) | 7 (173.1200) | 9 (171.9772) | 8 (173.7028) | — |
| Aug 18, 2023 | Pig Out in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Frostburg, MD | 1 / 11 (349.1544) | 1 (179.4400) | 4 (169.7144) | — | — |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Buckhannon, WV | 3 / 28 (342.8572) | 2 (177.1544) | 6 (165.7028) | — | — |
| May 6, 2023 | Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Lincoln, DE | 1 / 19 (351.9772) | 2 (174.2628) | 1 (177.7144) | — | — |
| May 5, 2023 | Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Lincoln, DE | 5 / 20 (325.6456) | 2 (170.2512) | 9 (155.3944) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2022 | Pig Out in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Frostburg, MD | 6 / 12 (331.3716) | 4 (170.8228) | 6 (160.5488) | — | — |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Roanoke, WV | 5 / 20 (337.0628) | 7 (168.5256) | 3 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Oct 29, 2021 | Almost Heaven's Spooktacular Backyard BBQ Buckhannon, WV | 6 / 12 (343.3712) | 6 (172.5600) | 8 (170.8112) | — | — |
| Oct 16, 2021 | Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague 🏅 Galax, VA | 20 / 15 (314.1484) | 20 (149.6112) | 17 (164.5372) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague 🏅 Galax, VA | 12 / 15 (334.8344) | 2 (174.2628) | 15 (160.5716) | — | — |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Smoke in the Grove 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | — | — | — | — | — |