The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Take It Easy BBQ has finished one call ahead of Hillbilly Bar-B-Q 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Hillbilly Bar-B-Q
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1482
peak 1482 · rated over 9 contests ⓘ
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
2016-05-28
latest 2026-08-15
Best ToY finish
#141
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
of 12 contests
Avg finish
top 64%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
324.93 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 323.75 (+1.18)
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±9.26
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 160.48 · weakest Pork (81.71)
Road miles
2,417
mi across 12 mapped stops · furthest 1812 mi
Schedule strength
76%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1597)
Purse competed for
$51K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
526.81 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
323.75 / 360
7 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 (8 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.
Their season
2025
their best year
2025 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 48%.
- 5 contests
- 2 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 48%
A tough matchup
7–0
behind in the head-to-head
Can Country Outlaw BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
Can Country Outlaw BBQ has come out ahead in 7 of their 7 shared contests.
A strong matchup
4–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of WE WILL ROCK QUE in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
The comeback
7.3 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 7.3 years, then back at Trekking for CDH (2024-09-14).
- last seen 2017-05-27
- back 2024-09-14
Chicken nemesis
6 of 7
shared chicken entries lost
Can Country Outlaw BBQ ahead 86% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Can Country Outlaw BBQ has out-cooked them in 6 of 7 shared chicken entries.
Boom or bust
±7.87%
swing around their own average
Their overall swings ±7.87% 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 86.2% of a perfect score
- best 93.0%
A March team
Top 40%
average finish in March
Something about March: average finish in the top 40% across 3 contests, versus top 64% the rest of the year.
- 3 March contests
- top 64% the rest of the year
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.
117 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4022 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1502
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#4023 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1482
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#4030 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1505
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Hillbilly Bar-B-Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#4007 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1501
No shared contest yet.
Level with Hillbilly Bar-B-Q on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#4006 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1510
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Hillbilly Bar-B-Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#4012 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1526
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 6 years after Hillbilly Bar-B-Q 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Take It Easy BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HORMONAL ESCAPE COMPETITION BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Rudes BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| OnlyCans Competition BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| 1Bite Stand | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Two Pigs And A Smoker | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 168.0116 | 147.9656 | 160.48 | top 52% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 169.6800 | 120.5256 | 159.91 | top 63% |
| Pork | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 143.4288 | 20.0000 | 81.71 | top 92% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 154.2972 | 138.8344 | 146.57 | top 91% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL | 4 | 0 | top 65% |
| MO | 3 | 0 | top 40% |
| OR | 2 | 0 | top 98% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 8 | 0 | top 60% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 95% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge | 3 | 7 | 0 | top 40% | 2026-03-27 |
| Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 51% | 2026-08-15 |
| Trekking for CDH | 2 | 23 | 0 | top 78% | 2025-09-13 |
| *BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay(JUDGES FULL) | 2 | 37 | 0 | top 98% | 2017-05-27 |
The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
10.2 yrs
2016-05-28 → 2026-08-15
Busiest season
2025
5 contests
Contests a season
2.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
IL
5 of 12 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
4
4 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
12 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 160.48 · weakest Pork (81.71)
Walk rate
33%
a top-10 call in 4 of 12 contests
Overall top-10 rate
17%
2 of 12 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight contests
Master average
526.81
out of 720 · 2 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
323.75
out of 360 · 7 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
210
113–278 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
2,417
12 mapped stops · furthest 1,812 mi
Schedule strength
1597
average field rating faced — tougher than 76% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$50,650
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 7 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
7.3 yrs
2017-05-27 → 2024-09-14
Power rating
1482
peak 1482 · #4021 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2016
- First tracked contest BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
- Career-best overall score570.8004 BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
- Peak power rating (1487) BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
- 2025
- First call Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 1)
- First overall top-10 Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 1)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score331.3600 Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 1)
- 2026
- 10th tracked contest Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)169.6800 Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Most recent contest Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.4 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 1) | 2025-03-28 |
| +9.1 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 2) | 2025-03-29 |
| +4.4 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) | 2026-08-15 |
| +2.1 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 1) | 2026-08-14 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.9 | *BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay(JUDGES FULL) | 2017-05-27 |
| -13 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay | 2016-05-28 |
| -7.9 | Trekking for CDH | 2025-09-13 |
| -5.7 | Trekking for CDH | 2024-09-14 |
| -2.2 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge | 2026-03-27 |
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)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 54% | 92.2% | 90.6% |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 60% | top 48% | 93% | 90.6% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 71% | 86.2% | 86.2% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 67.1% | 67.1% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 79.3% | 79.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-15 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) 🏅 Troy, IL | 14 / 32 (331.9200) | 11 (165.6800) | 13 (166.2400) | — | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 1) 🏅 Troy, IL | 15 / 26 (326.7772) | 13 (163.3944) | 15 (163.3828) | — | — |
| 2026-03-28 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Robert, MO | — | — | 7 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2026-03-27 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge 🏅 St. Robert, MO | 16 / 26 (319.3484) | 16 (158.2628) | 16 (161.0856) | — | — |
| 2025-09-13 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 23 / 27 (311.8284) | 22 (154.7656) | 23 (157.0628) | — | — |
| 2025-09-13 | Trekking for CDH (ONE MEAT RIBS) Pierron, IL | — | — | 19 (162.8000) | — | — |
| 2025-03-29 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 2) 🏅 St. Robert, MO | 7 / 25 (334.7772) | 8 (165.0972) | 4 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2025-03-29 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Robert, MO | — | — | 9 (167.4400) | — | — |
| 2025-03-28 | Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 1) 🏅 St. Robert, MO | 8 / 27 (331.3600) | 8 (166.2744) | 9 (165.0856) | — | — |
| 2024-09-14 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 25 / 35 (310.2056) | 25 (147.9656) | 20 (162.2400) | — | — |
| 2017-05-27 | *BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay(JUDGES FULL) North Bend, OR | 37 / 37 (482.8228) | 29 (154.8456) | 35 (153.6800) | 37 (20.0000) | 32 (154.2972) |
| 2016-05-28 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay North Bend, OR | 41 / 43 (570.8004) | 12 (168.0116) | 41 (120.5256) | 36 (143.4288) | 41 (138.8344) |
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 | #141 (284 pts) | #137 (309 pts) | #113 (431 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #815 (142 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #406 (59 pts) | #370 (64 pts) | #301 (133 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1253 (74 pts) | — | — |