Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.
- Chicken ×1
Southern Life BBQ
Southern Life BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 15 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 58 at the Atlanta BBQ Store Classic (2024). They are ranked #790 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1629
peak 1629 · rated over 14 contests
Contests
15
in the data
First seen
Apr 29, 2022
latest Nov 14, 2025 · 3.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
6
12 podiums
Overall top-10s
10
67% of 15 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 19%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
348.31 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 344.67 (+3.64)
Walk rate
80%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.01
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 173.86 · weakest Pork (168.36)
Road miles
997
across 15 mapped stops · furthest 150 mi
Schedule strength
59%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$124K
listed at 14 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 14 state-championship entries
Master avg
682.75 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
344.67 / 360
8 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
507.78 / 540
4 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, 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)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #194 (203 pts) | #222 (168 pts) | #236 (158 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #81 (669 pts) | #67 (774 pts) | #97 (629 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1018 (96 pts) | #728 (226 pts) | #979 (131 pts) | #1184 (61 pts) | #1025 (106 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #122 (485 pts) | #120 (525 pts) | #140 (405 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #797 (165 pts) | #738 (225 pts) | #1236 (80 pts) | #1001 (115 pts) | #812 (175 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #147 (341 pts) | #161 (321 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #115 (387 pts) | #117 (367 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Southern Life BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
28 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#791 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 86%
- Peak
- 1629
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#789 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1629
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 9 years before Southern Life BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#792 of the rated field
- Contests
- 55
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1668
55 contests to 15: their number has had years to settle where Southern Life BBQ's is still finding its level.
⚔ Compare careers#780 of the rated field
- Contests
- 43
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1630
5–0 in 5 shared contests (100% to Southern Life BBQ)
These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — Southern Life BBQ ahead 5–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#806 of the rated field
- Contests
- 108
- GCs
- 9
- Top-10s
- 52%
- Peak
- 1812
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Southern Life BBQ)
Their rating is built on 9 Grand Championships in 108 contests, alongside a 52% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#778 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1630
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Southern Life BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAD ROOSTER BBQ | 13 | 8 | 5 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| Blue Smoke Q | 12 | 9 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| COOL HAND QUE | 12 | 8 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Wiggle Butts BBQ | 11 | 11 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| CHOOCHOO BBQ | 11 | 9 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | 11 | 9 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| Stewbabys BBQ | 11 | 9 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| OFF THE CHAIN | 11 | 8 | 2 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| ZIPS BBQ | 11 | 7 | 3 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| Wine Me, Dine Me and Swine Me | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Peckerwood Country Club | 10 | 9 | 1 | 90% | ⚔ compare |
| Kings BBQ Team | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 9 | 6 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Organizer Portal | 9 | 5 | 3 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 14 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 180 🔥 | 163.4056 | 173.86 | top 15% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 174.2628 | 161.6684 | 168.69 | top 32% |
| Pork | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 177.1544 | 163.9428 | 168.36 | top 28% |
| Brisket | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 175.4172 | 166.2856 | 171.13 | top 20% |
“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 22% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 14% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 13% | Nov 14, 2025 |
| Honeybee BBQ Competition | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 33% | May 30, 2025 |
| BBQ, Boogie & Blues | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 12% | Apr 26, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
6 contests
Contests a season
3.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
GA
11 of 15 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
8
3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
15 entries · 0 wins · 10 calls
Opponents faced
416
finished ahead 761 times, behind 173
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20254 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First multi-meat day BBQ & Boogie
- Peak power rating (1629) Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
- Most recent contest Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
20241 milestone
- Career-best overall score687.8852 Honeybee BBQ Competition
20231 milestone
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) BBQ Boogie & Blues
20226 milestones
- First tracked contest BBQ Boogie & Blues
- First call BBQ Boogie & Blues
- First overall top-10 BBQ Boogie & Blues
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score508.5140 BBQ Boogie & Blues
- First category win (Chicken) Honeybee BBQ Competition
- First overall podium Honeybee BBQ Competition
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.3 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | Nov 15, 2024 |
| +14.1 | BBQ Boogie & Blues | Apr 29, 2022 |
| +13.4 | Honeybee BBQ Competition | Jun 3, 2022 |
| +12.6 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | Nov 14, 2025 |
| +12 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues | Apr 26, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9 | Honeybee BBQ Competition | May 30, 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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 67% | top 26% | 97.5% | 96.1% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 100% | top 14% | 97.1% | 95.7% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 67% | top 21% | 95.5% | 93.6% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 100% | top 11% | 94.2% | 93.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 14, 2025 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 4 / 56 (350.8228) | 6 (176.5600) | 7 (174.2628) | — | — |
| May 30, 2025 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 16 / 26 (677.6112) | 3 (178.8572) | 21 (167.3828) | 23 (165.0856) | 14 (166.2856) |
| Apr 25, 2025 | BBQ & Boogie 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 5 / 32 (346.2516) | 2 (177.7144) | 8 (168.5372) | 1 (177.1544) | 1 (175.4172) |
| Apr 11, 2025 | Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 10 / 31 (346.2400) | 11 (174.2628) | 11 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 11 / 100 (348.5256) | 14 (174.2628) | 9 (174.2628) | 30 (167.3712) | — |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 61 (161.6684) | — | — |
| Nov 15, 2024 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cuming, GA | 3 / 58 (349.6916) | 1 (178.8572) | 8 (170.8344) | — | — |
| May 31, 2024 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 6 / 25 (687.8852) | 3 (175.4172) | 19 (166.2512) | 12 (170.8112) | 5 (175.4056) |
| Apr 26, 2024 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 3 / 34 (339.3828) | 2 (172.5600) | 6 (166.8228) | 6 (165.6800) | 1 (167.4172) |
| Apr 12, 2024 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 6 / 31 (345.0972) | 6 (173.1200) | 6 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Nov 17, 2023 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 16 / 60 (331.3372) | 13 (168.5372) | 20 (162.8000) | 14 (164) | — |
| Apr 28, 2023 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 5 / 32 (515.9084) | 1 (180) | 8 (162.8000) | 3 (173.1084) | — |
| Mar 3, 2023 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 13 / 65 (503.3256) | 22 (166.2400) | 5 (173.1428) | 21 (163.9428) | — |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 3 / 25 (503.3600) | 1 (174.2972) | 7 (163.9772) | 5 (165.0856) | — |
| Apr 29, 2022 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 4 / 37 (508.5140) | 10 (163.4056) | 3 (173.7028) | 4 (171.4056) | — |