The heartbreaker
1.0856
points from the title
Came within 1.0856 points of the Grand Championship at Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (Jun 16, 2023).
Bucked Up BBQ
Bucked Up BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 25 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the All American BBQ Throwdown (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1111 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1594
peak 1601 · rated over 16 contests
Contests
25
in the data
First seen
Jun 18, 2021
latest Aug 21, 2026 · 5.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
1 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time
Category wins
2
11 podiums
Overall top-10s
7
28% of 25 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 36%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
687.13 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 681.16 (+5.97)
Walk rate
60%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.98
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 172.61 · weakest Brisket (169.27)
Road miles
2,466
across 25 mapped stops · furthest 195 mi
Schedule strength
55%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1571)
Purse competed for
$100K
listed at 23 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 14 state-championship entries
Master avg
681.16 / 720
12 Master contests · 1 GC
Backyard avg
341.70 / 360
4 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 | #288 (670 pts) | #541 (340 pts) | #409 (562 pts) | #214 (875 pts) | #234 (815 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #215 (193 pts) | #293 (128 pts) | #238 (193 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #493 (384 pts) | #435 (529 pts) | #429 (567 pts) | #396 (559 pts) | #490 (404 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #243 (178 pts) | #280 (148 pts) | #199 (253 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #581 (295 pts) | #977 (120 pts) | #474 (498 pts) | #687 (240 pts) | #551 (350 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Bucked Up BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
30 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,109 of the rated field
- Contests
- 32
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1594
5–2 in 7 shared contests (71% to Bucked Up BBQ)
These two have cooked 7 of the same contests — Bucked Up BBQ ahead 5–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,115 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1593
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,114 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1593
Careers of much the same size, 20 contests to 25, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,108 of the rated field
- Contests
- 24
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1594
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Bucked Up BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,116 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1621
25 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 40% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,110 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1597
Level with Bucked Up BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BooyaQ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Bleacher Bums BBQ | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| KEVLAR BBQ | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| TIRE SMOKE BBQ | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Shiggin aint easy | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Sailor Nicks BBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Maestros | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Q-JITSU | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| iBQ'n | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Drum Smoke BBQ | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| BO B Q BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| PB&J's BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Salted Anchor | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| DB BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 176 | 154.7656 | 170.43 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 24 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 176.5600 | 157.0628 | 169.65 | top 42% |
| Pork | 12 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 178.8800 | 164.5372 | 172.61 | top 35% |
| Brisket | 12 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 180 🔥 | 151.4172 | 169.27 | top 43% |
“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) | 2 | 0 | top 22% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 30% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 1 | top 43% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All American BBQ Throwdown | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 42% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 16% | Jun 14, 2024 |
| Grizzly BBQ Brawl | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 31% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| GLBBQA Spring Fling | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 23% | Apr 18, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
8 contests
Contests a season
4.2
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IN
13 of 25 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
10
4 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
24 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls
First title
Jul 31, 2026
All American BBQ Throwdown
Opponents faced
275
finished ahead 387 times, behind 217
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20268 milestones
- First Grand Championship All American BBQ Throwdown
- First state championship All American BBQ Throwdown
- Biggest field won (45 teams) All American BBQ Throwdown
- Career-best overall score705.1544 All American BBQ Throwdown
- Peak power rating (1601) All American BBQ Throwdown
- First perfect 180 (Brisket) City of Madison BBQ Party (formerly Madison Ribberfest)
- 25th tracked contest City of Madison BBQ Party (formerly Madison Ribberfest)
- Most recent contest City of Madison BBQ Party (formerly Madison Ribberfest)
20242 milestones
- First category win (Brisket) GLBBQA Spring Fling
- 10th tracked contest All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
20231 milestone
- First Reserve Championship Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20223 milestones
- First call Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20212 milestones
- First tracked contest Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 - One Meat Rib Contest
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score670.1712 Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.1 | All American BBQ Throwdown | Jul 31, 2026 |
| +16.4 | GLBBQA Spring Fling | Apr 19, 2024 |
| +14.2 | Grizzly BBQ Brawl | Jun 26, 2026 |
| +13.8 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 16, 2023 |
| +10.7 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 17, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.2 | City of Madison BBQ Party (formerly Madison Ribberfest) | Aug 21, 2026 |
| -5.8 | All American BBQ Throwdown | Aug 1, 2025 |
| -1.2 | Grizzly BBQ Brawl | Sep 5, 2025 |
| -0.7 | Buckeye BBQ Classic | Jul 18, 2025 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 67% | top 30% | 97.9% | 95.7% |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 49% | 96% | 94.3% |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 80% | top 25% | 96.7% | 95% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 10% | 95.2% | 95.2% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 21% | 93% | 93% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 59% | 93.1% | 93.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | City of Madison BBQ Party (formerly Madison Ribberfest) 🏅 Madison, IN | 27 / 39 (668.4228) | 36 (154.7656) | 29 (162.8228) | 18 (170.8344) | 1 (180) |
| Jul 31, 2026 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 1 / 45 (705.1544) | 11 (175.4056) | 4 (176.5600) | 2 (178.2972) | 4 (174.8916) |
| Jul 31, 2026 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 14 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Grizzly BBQ Brawl 🏅 Wellington, OH | 3 / 39 (698.8000) | 19 (170.8228) | 13 (171.9772) | 2 (178.2972) | 2 (177.7028) |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN | — | — | 20 (170.2628) | — | — |
| Apr 17, 2026 | GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 19 / 48 (684.5372) | 29 (171.4056) | 26 (169.1316) | 2 (178.8800) | 35 (165.1200) |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Grizzly BBQ Brawl 🏅 Wellington, OH | 23 / 42 (678.7312) | 9 (176) | 26 (167.3828) | 26 (168.5256) | 20 (166.8228) |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN | 4 / 18 (345.6800) | 9 (171.4056) | 4 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Aug 1, 2025 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 32 / 43 (659.8856) | 12 (173.1084) | 43 (157.0628) | 3 (178.2972) | 42 (151.4172) |
| Aug 1, 2025 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 26 (161.6688) | — | — |
| Jul 18, 2025 | Buckeye BBQ Classic 🏅 Hillsboro, OH | 23 / 40 (676.4572) | 24 (169.1200) | 16 (170.8344) | 29 (164.5372) | 12 (171.9656) |
| May 16, 2025 | 11th Annual Rockin' BBQ 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 15 / 34 (682.1600) | 19 (170.8228) | 11 (173.1316) | 9 (173.1200) | 22 (165.0856) |
| May 16, 2025 | 11th Annual Rockin' BBQ (ONE MEAT RIBS) 🏅 Warsaw, IN | — | — | 19 (166.2284) | — | — |
| Apr 18, 2025 | GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Charlotte, MI | 22 / 56 (683.9428) | 16 (174.8456) | 22 (170.2972) | 37 (168.5256) | 25 (170.2744) |
| Aug 2, 2024 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 20 / 40 (669.6228) | 29 (166.8228) | 9 (171.4056) | 24 (166.8572) | 24 (164.5372) |
| Aug 2, 2024 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 13 (170.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN | 5 / 28 (343.3828) | 8 (170.8112) | 2 (172.5716) | — | — |
| May 17, 2024 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw (ONE MEAT RIBS) 🏅 Warsaw, IN | — | — | 5 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Apr 19, 2024 | GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Charlotte, MI | 4 / 62 (695.9772) | 31 (169.7028) | 27 (169.1200) | 6 (177.7144) | 1 (179.4400) |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Rockin' BBQ Take 2 (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Warsaw, IN | — | 6 (174.2972) | — | — | — |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN | 2 / 21 (342.8800) | 2 (170.2744) | 3 (172.6056) | — | — |
| May 19, 2023 | Rocking BBQ Warsaw (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN | — | — | 11 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN | 3 / 14 (334.8684) | 3 (168.0228) | 4 (166.8456) | — | — |
| Jun 18, 2021 | Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1 🏅 Franklin, IN | 30 / 51 (670.1712) | 28 (169.6684) | 20 (169.1200) | 30 (167.3828) | 38 (164) |
| May 14, 2021 | Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 - One Meat Rib Contest Warsaw, IN | — | — | 11 (171.4172) | — | — |