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
Cool Guys BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2024 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 25 at the Grills Gone Wild (2025). They are ranked #4216 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1479
peak 1528 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Jan 26, 2024
latest Jan 22, 2026 · 2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
8 podiums
Overall top-10s
5
38% of 13 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
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
Consistency
±5.46
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 164.39 · weakest Brisket (156.17)
Road miles
1,370
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 🏅
won from 13 state-championship entries
Master avg
647.34 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
323.53 / 360
8 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master 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.
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 | #918 (116 pts) | #976 (116 pts) | #979 (121 pts) | #797 (146 pts) | #944 (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) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Cool Guys BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
136 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,212 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1479
3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to Cool Guys BBQ)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — Cool Guys BBQ ahead 3–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,229 of the rated field
- Contests
- 45
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1478
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#4,222 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1479
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.
⚔ Compare careers#4,200 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1479
Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,215 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1479
15 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#4,233 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1478
They were already cooking in 2015, 9 years before Cool Guys BBQ'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 | 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 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 170.8228 | 156.5256 | 162.81 | top 53% |
| 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 field size and state
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% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 3 | 34 | 0 | top 89% | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Plant City Pig Jam | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 63% | Nov 21, 2025 |
| Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 80% | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Grills Gone Wild | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 11% | Feb 7, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
6 contests
Contests a season
4.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
FL
12 of 13 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
8
4 of them more than once
Opponents faced
323
finished ahead 241 times, behind 440
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Lakeland Pig Festival
20252 milestones
- Peak power rating (1528) 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam
- 10th tracked contest Ribs on the Ridge
20248 milestones
- 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
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.9 | Grills Gone Wild | Feb 9, 2024 |
| +14.3 | Grills Gone Wild | Feb 7, 2025 |
| +11.4 | Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ | Feb 16, 2024 |
| +4.5 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues | Apr 26, 2024 |
| +2.1 | Plant City Pig Jam | Nov 22, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.9 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 24, 2025 |
| -14.8 | Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds | Mar 14, 2025 |
| -11.6 | Plant City Pig Jam | Nov 21, 2025 |
| -11.2 | Ribs on the Ridge | Feb 14, 2025 |
| -10.7 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 22, 2026 |
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 2026 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 56 / 63 (651.2112) | 52 (166.2284) | 57 (161.0972) | 53 (162.8000) | 52 (161.0856) |
| Nov 21, 2025 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 27 / 31 (647.8168) | 31 (162.2400) | 24 (165.6684) | 19 (169.6684) | 29 (150.2400) |
| Mar 14, 2025 | 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) |
| Feb 14, 2025 | Ribs on the Ridge 🏅 Haines City, FL | 13 / 16 (642.0572) | 14 (161.0972) | 14 (157.0744) | 13 (165.0972) | 12 (158.7884) |
| Feb 7, 2025 | Grills Gone Wild 🏅 Davenport, FL | 3 / 25 (330.7772) | 3 (167.9772) | 4 (162.8000) | 2 (167.3828) | — |
| Jan 24, 2025 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 49 / 40 (311.8284) | 37 (161.6340) | 49 (150.1944) | 19 (169.7028) | 26 (159.9428) |
| Jan 9, 2025 | 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam 🏅 Elkton, FL | 15 / 38 (326.1712) | 16 (162.2284) | 13 (163.9428) | 11 (163.9428) | 18 (152.5144) |
| Nov 22, 2024 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 10 / 26 (319.3256) | 10 (156.5256) | 6 (162.8000) | 1 (169.6684) | 6 (156.4912) |
| Apr 26, 2024 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 11 / 34 (324.4572) | 3 (170.8228) | 19 (153.6344) | 14 (157.0740) | 2 (166.2400) |
| Mar 16, 2024 | 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) |
| Feb 16, 2024 | 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) |
| Feb 9, 2024 | Grills Gone Wild 🏅 Davenport, FL | 3 / 28 (322.1944) | 3 (158.2056) | 3 (163.9888) | 5 (162.2400) | 2 (165.7028) |
| Jan 26, 2024 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 34 / 61 (326.1712) | 31 (162.2168) | 35 (163.9544) | 21 (165.1084) | 51 (145.6572) |