POOH BEAR BBQ

POOH BEAR BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 18 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 27 at the Smokin' For Garrett (2022), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1043 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,043

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1600

peak 1600 · rated over 13 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 20, 2016

latest Sep 11, 2026 · 10.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#520

Master 2026 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

10 podiums

Overall top-10s

39% of 18 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s, still running

Avg finish

top 31%

overall standings

Best overall

707.9888 / 720

Master · Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship

Perfect 180s

4 🔥

Current form

696.17 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 685.13 (+11.03)

Walk rate

72%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship

Consistency

±14.19

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 173.09 · weakest Pork (169.77)

Road miles

1,170

across 18 mapped stops · furthest 160 mi

Schedule strength

72%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1592)

Purse competed for

$82K

listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 8 state-championship entries

Master avg

685.13 / 720

15 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (15 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

The heartbreaker

2.2744 points from the title

Came within 2.2744 points of the Grand Championship at Smokin' For Garrett (Sep 16, 2022).

Perfect scores on the board

4 perfect 180s

4 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 3 different meats.

Chicken ×2
Pork ×1
Brisket ×1

Happy hunting ground

Top 20% average finish here

Smoke on the Ohio is their spot: an average finish in the top 20% across 4 visits.

4 visits
best finish 3rd
average top 20%

They almost always walk

72% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 13 of 18 contests

A top-10 category call in 72% of their 18 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

707.9888 career-best overall

98.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 707.9888 at Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship — 98.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
Mar 20, 2026

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

JANKY LEG BBQ has finished one call ahead of POOH BEAR BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2026 their best year

2026 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 21%.

4 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 21%

Show 8 more storylines

A tough matchup

9–3 behind in the head-to-head

SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS ahead in 75% of their meetings

SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS has come out ahead in 9 of their 12 shared contests.

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Hoosier BBQ Classic (One Meat Ribs) (Jun 17, 2022).

last seen Jun 20, 2020
back Jun 17, 2022

Chicken nemesis

8 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS has out-cooked them in 8 of 12 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

LOCAL YOKELS BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A September team

Top 17% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 17% across 5 contests, versus top 31% the rest of the year.

5 September contests
top 31% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.97% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.97% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 95.2% of a perfect score
18 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Smoke on the Ohio every year from 2023 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 3rd

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 ↗	Master	#520 (311 pts)	#414 (511 pts)	#606 (306 pts)	#727 (171 pts)	#581 (271 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#574 (287 pts)	#794 (187 pts)	#703 (262 pts)	#582 (312 pts)	#566 (312 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#577 (298 pts)	#386 (598 pts)	#711 (258 pts)	#581 (323 pts)	#533 (373 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#683 (225 pts)	#741 (225 pts)	#1225 (110 pts)	#851 (165 pts)	#679 (250 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#626 (130 pts)	#696 (120 pts)	#678 (130 pts)	#494 (225 pts)	#584 (175 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1775 (120 pts)	#1791 (135 pts)	#1593 (175 pts)	#2326 (60 pts)	#1772 (130 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to POOH BEAR BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

RUBY CREEK BBQ

#1,046 of the rated field

1600 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1600

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to POOH BEAR BBQ)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — POOH BEAR BBQ ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 23 contests
last seen Jun 19, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

FIRE FIGHTING BBQ TEAM

#1,042 of the rated field

1600 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 71%
Peak: 1605

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 12 years before POOH BEAR BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 14 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Sure Shot BBQ

#1,047 of the rated field

1600 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1600

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Apr 10, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

GORILLA ISLANDS

#1,048 of the rated field

1600 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1600

Careers of much the same size, 18 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Mar 23, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

Rio Good BBQ

#1,044 of the rated field

1600 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1603

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 19 contests, alongside a 42% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

REED BOYZ BBQ

#1,049 of the rated field

1600 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1617

Level with POOH BEAR BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 28 contests
last seen Apr 28, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
LOCAL YOKELS BBQ	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
JANKY LEG BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
BLUE CHIP BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SmokinGhost BBQ	8	7	1	88%	⚔ compare
WeQ4U	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
THUNDER HOG BBQ	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
PoCo Porkers	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
AbiCue	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
Hickory Pit Stop	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
TRIPLE H BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Kentucky Kookers	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	16	10	1	4	180 🔥	161.1088	173.09	top 30%
Pork Ribs	17	5	0	1	175.4288	163.3828	170.13	top 38%
Pork	15	5	0	1	180 🔥	159.3712	169.77	top 44%
Brisket	15	7	1	4	180 🔥	166.2284	172.74	top 30%

“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
Medium (20–39)	9	0	top 29%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 34%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IN	10	top 35%
TN	4	top 28%
IL	1	top 7%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Ohio	4	3	top 20%	Sep 11, 2026
Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship	2	5	top 27%	Mar 20, 2026
Covid-Que Relief (Day 2)	2	23	top 46%	Jun 20, 2020
Smokin For Garrett	2	9	top 41%	Apr 26, 2019
Smokin For Garrett	2	13	top 48%	Jun 2, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2026 4 contests

Contests a season 1.8 across 10 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IN 11 of 18 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 8 5 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 17 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls

Opponents faced 429 finished ahead 632 times, behind 301

Longest layoff 2 yrs Jun 20, 2020 → Jun 17, 2022

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20263 milestones

Mar 20 Career-best overall score707.9888 Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
Sep 11 Peak power rating (1600) Smoke on the Ohio
Sep 11 Most recent contest Smoke on the Ohio

20241 milestone

May 24 10th tracked contest 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN

20231 milestone

Sep 8 First perfect 180 (Brisket) Smoke on the Ohio

20222 milestones

Sep 16 First overall podium Smokin' For Garrett
Sep 16 First Reserve Championship Smokin' For Garrett

20182 milestones

Apr 27 First category win (Brisket) Smokin For Garrett
Apr 27 First overall top-10 Smokin For Garrett

20163 milestones

May 20 First tracked contest Smokin' for Garrett
May 20 First call Smokin' for Garrett
May 20 First overall past 90% of a perfect score672.5024 Smokin' for Garrett

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.1	Smokin' For Garrett	Sep 16, 2022
+16	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship	Mar 20, 2026
+13.3	Smoke on the Ohio	Sep 12, 2025
+12.7	Smoke on the Ohio	Sep 8, 2023
+12	Smokin For Garrett	Apr 27, 2018

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-5.3	Smokin For Garrett	Apr 26, 2019
-3.6	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship	Mar 14, 2025

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	4	2	0	50%	top 21%	98.3%	96.9%
2025	2	1	0	50%	top 31%	97.9%	96.5%
2024	3	1	1	100%	top 26%	96.8%	96.5%
2023	1	1	0	100%	top 12%	96.3%	96.3%
2022	2	1	0	100%	top 7%	96.7%	96.7%
2020	2	0	0	50%	top 46%	93.6%	93%
2019	1	0	0	100%	top 58%	92.6%	92.6%
2018	1	1	1	100%	top 24%	94%	94%
2017	1	0	0	0%	top 58%	91.9%	91.9%
2016	1	0	0	100%	top 37%	93.4%	93.4%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 11, 2026	Smoke on the Ohio 🏅 Mt. Vernon, IN	10 / 26 (687.9200)	9 (173.1084)	12 (170.8344)	13 (168.5600)	7 (175.4172)
Mar 20, 2026	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN	5 / 125 (707.9888)	2 (180)	21 (175.4288)	32 (174.8572)	14 (177.7028)
Mar 20, 2026	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN	—	14 (176.5600)	—	—	—
Mar 20, 2026	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN	—	—	15 (175.4172)	—	—
Sep 12, 2025	Smoke on the Ohio 🏅 Mt. Vernon, IN	3 / 27 (704.5256)	10 (171.9656)	4 (174.2628)	2 (180)	2 (178.2972)
Mar 14, 2025	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN	50 / 100 (684.4456)	29 (175.4056)	50 (169.6800)	41 (173.1200)	70 (166.2400)
Sep 13, 2024	Smoke on the Ohio 🏅 Mt. Vernon, IN	5 / 28 (695.9544)	9 (172.5600)	9 (172.5600)	8 (171.9772)	2 (178.8572)
May 25, 2024	6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN	29 / 81 (697.0628)	6 (178.8572)	28 (174.2744)	14 (177.7028)	73 (166.2284)
May 24, 2024	6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Lebanon, TN	28 / 118 (691.3256)	1 (180)	96 (166.2400)	73 (169.6800)	25 (175.4056)
Sep 8, 2023	Smoke on the Ohio 🏅 Mt. Vernon, IN	3 / 25 (693.6228)	3 (174.2628)	13 (167.3828)	6 (171.9772)	2 (180)
Sep 16, 2022	Smokin' For Garrett 🏅 Mt. Carmel, IL	2 / 27 (696.5372)	3 (176.5600)	3 (174.8572)	6 (174.2744)	9 (170.8456)
Jun 17, 2022	Hoosier BBQ Classic (One Meat Ribs) Franklin, IN	—	—	7 (170.2972)	—	—
Jun 20, 2020	Covid-Que Relief (Day 2) Franklin, IN	37 / 63 (666.1372)	35 (168.5372)	39 (163.3828)	42 (166.2400)	28 (167.9772)
Jun 19, 2020	Covid-Que Relief (Day 1) Franklin, IN	23 / 69 (673.6116)	59 (161.1088)	23 (167.9772)	7 (173.7144)	14 (170.8112)
Apr 26, 2019	Smokin For Garrett 🏅 Boonville, IN	15 / 26 (666.7084)	14 (168.5140)	15 (169.1084)	19 (161.6688)	9 (167.4172)
Apr 27, 2018	Smokin For Garrett Boonville, IN	9 / 38 (677.1316)	5 (172)	16 (165.1772)	24 (161.0972)	1 (178.8572)
Jun 2, 2017	Smokin For Garrett Boonville, IN	18 / 31 (661.5424)	20 (167.3828)	18 (164.5140)	27 (162.2628)	14 (167.3828)
May 20, 2016	Smokin' for Garrett Boonville, IN	13 / 35 (672.5024)	10 (172.6056)	6 (170.8456)	31 (159.3712)	11 (169.6800)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

POOH BEAR BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (15 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Perfect scores on the board

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A September team

The metronome

A standing appointment

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)