Happy hunting ground
Top 11%
average finish here
Grills Gone Wild is their spot: an average finish in the top 11% across 2 visits.
- 2 visits
- best finish 3rd
- average top 11%
Cool Guys BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1479
peak 1528 · rated over 13 contests ⓘ
Best runs
3
straight top-10s
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
2024-01-26
latest 2026-01-22
Best ToY finish
#110
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
8 podiums
Overall top-10s
5
of 13 contests
Avg finish
top 57%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
322.51 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 323.53 (-1.02)
Walk rate
46%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
3
best run (overall)
Consistency
±5.46
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 164.39 · weakest Brisket (156.17)
Road miles
1,370
mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 473 mi
Schedule strength
45%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1558)
Purse competed for
$180K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 13 state-championship entries
Master avg
647.34 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
323.53 / 360
8 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 (9 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.
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
SmokinGhost BBQ has finished one call ahead of Cool Guys BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2024
their best year
2024 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 36%.
- 6 contests
- 4 overall top-10s
- 1 category wins
- average top 36%
A tough matchup
8–0
behind in the head-to-head
Dogpatch Q ahead in 100% of their meetings
Dogpatch Q has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.
The weak link
−8.2
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.22 points below their pork, and turns into a call 33% of the time against 31%.
- Brisket avg 156.17
- Pork avg 164.39
- 4 calls in 12 entries
A strong matchup
5–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 83% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Smokin-N-Pokin in 5 of their 6 shared contests.
Going the wrong way
-34
rating points in a year
The rating has slipped 34 points across 6 contests since 2025-01-24 — from 1513 down to 1479.
- 6 contests since 2025-01-24
- now 1479
A February team
Top 30%
average finish in February
Something about February: average finish in the top 30% across 4 contests, versus top 57% the rest of the year.
- 4 February contests
- top 57% the rest of the year
The metronome
±1.24%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.24% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 89.9% of a perfect score
- 13 contests
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.
144 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4206 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1479
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Cool Guys BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Cool Guys BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4182 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1479
3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to Cool Guys BBQ)
Fewer contests behind them than Cool Guys BBQ has cooked, 6 to 13, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#4194 of the rated field
- Contests
- 45
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1479
2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to Cool Guys BBQ)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 45 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#4174 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1500
No shared contest yet.
17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#4202 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1479
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Cool Guys BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#4172 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1479
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2013, 11 years before Cool Guys BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K & E's Little Smokers | 11 | 6 | 5 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| Kings BBQ Team | 10 | 1 | 8 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| Accutech BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Going Yard BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Dog BBQ | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| KEEPIN IT SMOKIN BBQ | 8 | 4 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Ain't EZ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Tillman's BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Poppa Pig | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Cold Beer BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Slapulator BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 14 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 170.8228 | 156.5256 | 162.81 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 171.9656 | 150.1944 | 161.71 | top 54% |
| Pork | 13 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 169.7028 | 157.0740 | 164.39 | top 46% |
| Brisket | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 166.2400 | 143.8516 | 156.17 | top 57% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FL | 12 | 0 | top 59% |
| GA | 1 | 0 | top 32% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 80% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 34% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 89% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 3 | 34 | 0 | top 89% | 2026-01-22 |
| Plant City Pig Jam | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 63% | 2025-11-21 |
| Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 80% | 2025-03-14 |
| Grills Gone Wild | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 11% | 2025-02-07 |
The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
2 yrs
2024-01-26 → 2026-01-22
Busiest season
2025
6 contests
Contests a season
4.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
FL
12 of 13 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
8
4 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
14 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 164.39 · weakest Brisket (156.17)
Walk rate
46%
a top-10 call in 6 of 13 contests
Overall top-10 rate
38%
5 of 13 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight contests
Master average
647.34
out of 720 · 5 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
323.53
out of 360 · 8 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
323
241–440 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
1,370
13 mapped stops · furthest 473 mi
Schedule strength
1558
average field rating faced — tougher than 45% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$180,375
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 13 state-championship entries
Power rating
1479
peak 1528 · #4185 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2024
- First tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score326.1712 Lakeland Pig Festival
- First call Grills Gone Wild
- First overall top-10 Grills Gone Wild
- First overall podium Grills Gone Wild
- Career-best overall score651.8280 Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)171.9656 Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds
- First category win (Pork) Plant City Pig Jam
- 2025
- Peak power rating (1528) 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam
- 10th tracked contest Ribs on the Ridge
- 2026
- Most recent contest Lakeland Pig Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.9 | Grills Gone Wild | 2024-02-09 |
| +14.3 | Grills Gone Wild | 2025-02-07 |
| +11.4 | Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ | 2024-02-16 |
| +4.5 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues | 2024-04-26 |
| +2.2 | Plant City Pig Jam | 2024-11-22 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.9 | Lakeland Pig Festival | 2025-01-24 |
| -14.8 | Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds | 2025-03-14 |
| -11.6 | Plant City Pig Jam | 2025-11-21 |
| -11.2 | Ribs on the Ridge | 2025-02-14 |
| -10.7 | Lakeland Pig Festival | 2026-01-22 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 90.4% | 90.4% |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17% | top 74% | 91.9% | 89.6% |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 83% | top 36% | 90.9% | 90.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-22 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 56 / 63 (651.2112) | 52 (166.2284) | 57 (161.0972) | 53 (162.8000) | 52 (161.0856) |
| 2025-11-21 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 27 / 31 (647.8168) | 31 (162.2400) | 24 (165.6684) | 19 (169.6684) | 29 (150.2400) |
| 2025-03-14 | Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds 🏅 Dover, FL | 15 / 15 (643.7832) | 15 (159.3716) | 13 (157.0744) | 14 (163.9544) | 12 (163.3828) |
| 2025-02-14 | Ribs on the Ridge 🏅 Haines City, FL | 13 / 16 (642.0572) | 14 (161.0972) | 14 (157.0744) | 13 (165.0972) | 12 (158.7884) |
| 2025-02-07 | Grills Gone Wild 🏅 Davenport, FL | 3 / 25 (330.7772) | 3 (167.9772) | 4 (162.8000) | 2 (167.3828) | — |
| 2025-01-24 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 49 / 40 (311.8284) | 37 (161.6340) | 49 (150.1944) | 19 (169.7028) | 26 (159.9428) |
| 2025-01-09 | 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam 🏅 Elkton, FL | 15 / 38 (326.1712) | 13 (162.8344) | 13 (163.9428) | 11 (163.9428) | 18 (152.5144) |
| 2024-11-22 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 10 / 26 (319.3256) | 10 (156.5256) | 6 (162.8000) | 1 (169.6684) | 6 (156.4912) |
| 2024-04-26 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 11 / 34 (324.4572) | 3 (170.8228) | 19 (153.6344) | 14 (157.0740) | 2 (166.2400) |
| 2024-03-16 | Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds 🏅 Dover, FL | 9 / 15 (651.8280) | 6 (168.5828) | 4 (171.9656) | 12 (161.0856) | 13 (150.1940) |
| 2024-02-16 | Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ 🏅 Haines City, FL | 5 / 29 (327.3372) | 6 (159.3600) | 4 (167.9772) | 6 (159.3716) | 9 (143.8516) |
| 2024-02-09 | Grills Gone Wild 🏅 Davenport, FL | 3 / 28 (322.1944) | 3 (158.2056) | 3 (163.9888) | 5 (162.2400) | 2 (165.7028) |
| 2024-01-26 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 34 / 61 (326.1712) | 31 (162.2168) | 35 (163.9544) | 21 (165.1084) | 51 (145.6572) |
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 ↗ | Master | #803 (116 pts) | #869 (116 pts) | #876 (121 pts) | #716 (146 pts) | #821 (116 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #113 (478 pts) | #124 (473 pts) | #132 (503 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #706 (191 pts) | #795 (186 pts) | #820 (196 pts) | #746 (196 pts) | #702 (211 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #110 (543 pts) | #98 (638 pts) | #113 (528 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #865 (125 pts) | #879 (155 pts) | #829 (190 pts) | #1041 (105 pts) | #1046 (100 pts) |