Happy hunting ground
Top 19%
average finish here
Ribs on the Ridge is their spot: an average finish in the top 19% across 2 visits.
- 2 visits
- best finish 2nd
- average top 19%
Belly Bustin Bistro
Belly Bustin Bistro is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 16 at the Ribs on the Ridge (2025), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #2030 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1537
peak 1551 · rated over 14 contests
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
Jan 28, 2022
latest Apr 25, 2026 · 4.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
2 reserve
Category wins
3
11 podiums
Overall top-10s
6
43% of 14 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 46%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
339.16 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 336.24 (+2.92)
Walk rate
64%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.71
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 168.47 · weakest Brisket (159.80)
Road miles
212
across 14 mapped stops
Schedule strength
46%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1560)
Purse competed for
$226K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 14 state-championship entries
Master avg
653.72 / 720
4 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
336.24 / 360
8 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
655.32 / 720
2 Backyard (4-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Belly Bustin Bistro, each with one reason worth a look.
78 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,032 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1555
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Belly Bustin Bistro)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Belly Bustin Bistro has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,035 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1537
2–3 in 5 shared contests (40% to Belly Bustin Bistro)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,023 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1539
4–3 in 7 shared contests (57% to Belly Bustin Bistro)
Fewer contests behind them than Belly Bustin Bistro has cooked, 8 to 14, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,037 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 26%
- Peak
- 1585
4–3 in 7 shared contests (57% to Belly Bustin Bistro)
Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 27 contests, alongside a 26% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,024 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1537
4–1 in 5 shared contests (80% to Belly Bustin Bistro)
Level with Belly Bustin Bistro on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,026 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1546
They were already cooking in 2014, 8 years before Belly Bustin Bistro's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K & E's Little Smokers | 13 | 11 | 2 | 85% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Ain't EZ | 13 | 4 | 9 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| Accutech BBQ | 12 | 9 | 3 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Dog BBQ | 11 | 7 | 4 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| Tillman's BBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| KEEPIN IT SMOKIN BBQ | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| Slapulator BBQ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN ACES BBQ - FL | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Going Yard BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Nuts & Butts | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Kings BBQ Team | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Double Barrel Smokers | 8 | 2 | 5 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 14 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 174.2744 | 162.2400 | 168.47 | top 35% |
| Pork Ribs | 14 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 176 | 154.7772 | 165.81 | top 52% |
| Pork | 14 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 175.4400 | 160.5028 | 167.65 | top 36% |
| Brisket | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 170.8228 | 149.0744 | 159.80 | top 48% |
“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 13% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 46% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 52% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 5 | 13 | 0 | top 45% | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Plant City Pig Jam | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 33% | Nov 21, 2025 |
| Ribs on the Ridge | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 19% | Feb 20, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
3 contests
Contests a season
2.8
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
FL
14 of 14 contests
Contests visited
7
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
366
finished ahead 466 times, behind 410
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Peak power rating (1551) Ribs on the Ridge
- Most recent contest Pitmasters in Paradise
20253 milestones
- First multi-meat day Ribs on the Ridge
- 10th tracked contest Ribs on the Ridge
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176 Plant City Pig Jam
20243 milestones
- First category win (Chicken) Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ
- First overall podium Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ
- First Reserve Championship Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ
20231 milestone
- Career-best overall score662.7544 Lakeland Pig Festival
20224 milestones
- First tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.1604 Lakeland Pig Festival
- First call Plant City Pig Jam
- First overall top-10 Plant City Pig Jam
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.4 | Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ | Feb 16, 2024 |
| +12.9 | Ribs on the Ridge | Feb 14, 2025 |
| +10.1 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 22, 2026 |
| +8.8 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 27, 2023 |
| +7.6 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 24, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.6 | Pitmasters in Paradise | Apr 25, 2026 |
| -10.6 | Grills Gone Wild | Feb 9, 2024 |
| -8.6 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 28, 2022 |
| -7.9 | Budweiser Smoke on the Water | Feb 3, 2023 |
| -2.1 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 26, 2024 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 47% | 94.3% | 92.7% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 100% | top 27% | 95.6% | 94.5% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 67% | top 54% | 95.2% | 91.9% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 49% | 92% | 91.2% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 55% | 91.4% | 90.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2026 | Pitmasters in Paradise 🏅 Auburndale, FL | 33 / 35 (653.0520) | 22 (169.6916) | 34 (161.6804) | 28 (163.4172) | 33 (158.2628) |
| Feb 20, 2026 | Ribs on the Ridge 🏅 Haines City, FL | 8 / 32 (335.3484) | 9 (164.5256) | 6 (170.8228) | 2 (175.4400) | 5 (164) |
| Jan 22, 2026 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 13 / 63 (339.3944) | 9 (170.2744) | 19 (169.1200) | 14 (168.5256) | 4 (170.8228) |
| Nov 21, 2025 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 10 / 31 (340.5600) | 13 (164.5600) | 2 (176) | 9 (166.2744) | 6 (169.1200) |
| Feb 14, 2025 | Ribs on the Ridge 🏅 Haines City, FL | 2 / 16 (344) | 2 (172) | 1 (172) | 2 (160.5028) | 1 (162.2400) |
| Jan 24, 2025 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 14 / 40 (336.5028) | 6 (174.2628) | 38 (162.2400) | 18 (170.2628) | 24 (160.5256) |
| Feb 16, 2024 | Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ 🏅 Haines City, FL | 2 / 29 (342.8232) | 1 (174.2744) | 3 (168.5488) | 4 (168.5484) | 4 (162.2628) |
| Feb 9, 2024 | Grills Gone Wild 🏅 Davenport, FL | 26 / 28 (650.1028) | 25 (163.9428) | 26 (166.2400) | 22 (167.3944) | 27 (152.5256) |
| Jan 26, 2024 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 38 / 61 (324.4688) | 10 (169.6916) | 51 (154.7772) | 16 (167.3944) | 18 (162.8228) |
| Nov 17, 2023 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 8 / 25 (326.8116) | 3 (170.2744) | 16 (156.5372) | 2 (170.2744) | 14 (149.6456) |
| Feb 3, 2023 | Budweiser Smoke on the Water 🏅 Winter Haven, FL | 40 / 47 (653.5660) | 32 (166.2516) | 31 (166.8344) | 39 (163.3828) | 41 (157.0972) |
| Jan 27, 2023 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 16 / 51 (662.7544) | 31 (162.2400) | 21 (170.2744) | 22 (165.1200) | 18 (165.1200) |
| Nov 18, 2022 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 9 / 25 (647.8860) | 5 (166.2628) | 12 (161.6916) | 3 (170.8572) | 16 (149.0744) |
| Jan 28, 2022 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 45 / 60 (658.1604) | 30 (170.2628) | 45 (164.5488) | 25 (169.6800) | 55 (153.6688) |