High-water mark
518.2516
career-best overall
96.0% of a perfect 540
Their best day on record: 518.2516 at Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) — 96.0% of a perfect 540.
- Backyard
- Apr 28, 2023
Scuttlebutts
Scuttlebutts is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 4th of 14 at the Mission Q (Backyard Only) (2021). They are ranked #1716 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1551
peak 1567 · rated over 12 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
Apr 23, 2021
latest Mar 27, 2026 · 4.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
5
36% of 14 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 51%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
335.36 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 336.51 (-1.15)
Walk rate
43%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.12
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 171.70 · weakest Pork Ribs (166.35)
Road miles
867
across 14 mapped stops · furthest 152 mi
Schedule strength
49%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1563)
Purse competed for
$90K
listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
336.51 / 360
11 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
509.38 / 540
2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (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)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Scuttlebutts, each with one reason worth a look.
65 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,711 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1553
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,714 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1551
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Scuttlebutts's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,717 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1560
Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,724 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 56%
- Peak
- 1560
Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 9 contests, alongside a 56% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,710 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1555
They were already cooking in 2015, 6 years before Scuttlebutts's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,723 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1551
Level with Scuttlebutts 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEE LA Q | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| When Pigs Fly - Florence, AL | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 Swine Crew | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| RIBLIFE | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| REDBONES BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| The Real Squeal BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| BUTSY-Q | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Rocket Barbecue | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| FLO TOWN SMOKERS | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 178.8572 | 151.9200 | 170.35 | top 49% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 175.4172 | 158.8000 | 166.35 | top 59% |
| Pork | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 177.7028 | 165.7028 | 171.70 | top 32% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 70% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 36% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 55% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 23 | 0 | top 64% | Mar 27, 2026 |
| Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 36% | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Mission Q (Backyard Only) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 34% | Sep 16, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
5 contests
Contests a season
2.8
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
14 of 14 contests
Contests visited
10
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
327
finished ahead 301 times, behind 245
Longest layoff
1.9 yrs
Apr 26, 2024 → Mar 27, 2026
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY)
20234 milestones
- Career-best overall score518.2516 Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8572 Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 10th tracked contest Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL)
- Peak power rating (1567) Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL)
20215 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score339.4284 Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Mission Q (Backyard Only)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.7 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 11, 2021 |
| +11.7 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 28, 2023 |
| +11 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) | Nov 19, 2021 |
| +8.5 | Poosa Q | May 5, 2022 |
| +7.5 | Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 23, 2021 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -6.4 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 | Oct 27, 2023 |
| -4.8 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 27, 2026 |
| -2.7 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 22, 2024 |
| -1.2 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 67% | 92.4% | 92.4% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 58% | 93.2% | 93.1% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 64% | 96% | 94.4% |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60% | top 53% | 96.5% | 92.5% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 67% | top 26% | 95.7% | 95% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2026 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 29 / 43 (332.5028) | 14 (173.1200) | 35 (159.3828) | — | — |
| Apr 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 22 / 40 (334.7656) | 20 (169.6800) | 27 (165.0856) | — | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 23 / 38 (335.3944) | 12 (170.8456) | 25 (164.5488) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 🏅 Madison, AL | 20 / 14 (331.9084) | 25 (165.0740) | 17 (166.8344) | — | — |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) Madison, AL | 18 / 58 (342.2284) | 23 (169.1084) | 17 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Apr 28, 2023 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 6 / 36 (518.2516) | 4 (178.8572) | 28 (161.6916) | 2 (177.7028) | — |
| Nov 12, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Gadsden, AL | 48 / 49 (315.8628) | 49 (151.9200) | 33 (163.9428) | — | — |
| Nov 11, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 16, 2022 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 7 / 18 (347.3828) | 6 (175.4056) | 9 (171.9772) | — | — |
| May 5, 2022 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 18 / 72 (335.3944) | 4 (175.4172) | 40 (159.9772) | — | — |
| Apr 22, 2022 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (Backyard) Florence, AL | 17 / 34 (500.5028) | 7 (176) | 28 (158.8000) | 20 (165.7028) | — |
| Nov 19, 2021 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 4 / 14 (342.2400) | 10 (166.8228) | 1 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 5 / 31 (344.5488) | 6 (171.9772) | 5 (172.5716) | — | — |
| Apr 23, 2021 | Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 10 / 29 (339.4284) | 11 (170.2856) | 12 (169.1428) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.