The comeback
6.5 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 6.5 years, then back at American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest (Mar 21, 2025).
- last seen Sep 28, 2018
- back Mar 21, 2025
#teamhillbillybbq
#teamhillbillybbq is a competition barbecue team with 3 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 25th of 33 at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest (2025). They finished #421 in the 2024 Backyard Series Team of the Year standings. Also listed in KCBS results as “TEAMHILLBILLYBBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1480
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 2
Contests
3
in the data
First seen
Sep 28, 2018
latest Mar 21, 2025 · 6.5 years on the trail
Avg finish
top 88%
overall standings
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 163.44 · weakest Brisket (137.07)
Road miles
90
across 3 mapped stops · furthest 52 mi
Purse competed for
$5,450
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
Master avg
423.25 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
328.56 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #421 (56 pts) | #422 (56 pts) | #426 (56 pts) | — | — |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.0116 | 145.0628 | 157.51 | top 72% |
| Pork Ribs | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.3316 | 160.5484 | 163.44 | top 53% |
| Pork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 141.1088 | 141.1088 | 141.11 | top 100% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 137.0744 | 137.0744 | 137.07 | top 100% |
“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.
More numbers
Busiest season
2018
2 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MO
3 of 3 contests
Contests visited
2
a different one every time
Most-entered meat
Chicken
3 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Opponents faced
56
finished ahead 8 times, behind 48
Longest layoff
6.5 yrs
Sep 28, 2018 → Mar 21, 2025
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20253 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score328.5600 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- Career-best single call (Chicken)168.0116 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
20183 milestones
- First tracked contest Taste of the Ozarks (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Taste of the Ozarks (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best overall score423.2460 Smoking in the Golden Valley
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 25 / 33 (328.5600) | 18 (168.0116) | 27 (160.5484) | — | — |
| Sep 28, 2018 | Smoking in the Golden Valley Clinton, MO | 25 / 25 (423.2460) | 25 (145.0628) | — | 25 (141.1088) | 25 (137.0744) |
| Aug 4, 2018 | Taste of the Ozarks (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, MO | — | 12 (159.4516) | 5 (166.3316) | — | — |