The heartbreaker
Came within 3.4284 points of the Grand Championship at 901 Hot Wing Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES) (JUDGING FULL) (2024-11-02).
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.
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Came within 3.4284 points of the Grand Championship at 901 Hot Wing Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES) (JUDGING FULL) (2024-11-02).
2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
97.3% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 700.5712 at Third Annual Bull Moose BBQ Contest — 97.3% of a perfect 720.
RIVER CITY RUB has finished one call ahead of 901Q 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
2013 was the year it came together: 10 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 35%.
Organizer Portal ahead in 94% of their meetings
Organizer Portal has come out ahead in 17 of their 18 shared contests.
Their last Grand Championship came at Third Annual Bull Moose BBQ Contest on 2013-04-05 — 45 contests and 13.4 years ago.
Ahead in 77% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of K & K KOOKERS in 10 of their 13 shared contests.
Organizer Portal ahead 72% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Organizer Portal has out-cooked them in 13 of 18 shared pork entries.
Field size changes the story: they average a top 47% finish in large fields against top 59% in small ones.
Something about May: average finish in the top 39% across 8 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 14,389 miles across 47 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 682 miles to Minnesota in May.
Their overall lands within ±1.98% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
Where this team stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record they hold outright; the rest are boards they are on. Rebuilt nightly, so beating one shows up here the next morning.
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.
49 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team 901Q has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-headThey've been 1588 at their best, 35 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-headFewer contests behind them than 901Q has cooked, 25 to 47, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before 901Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head21 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 71% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-headLevel with 901Q on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organizer Portal | 18 | 1 | 17 | 6% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE DANCER BBQ | 16 | 2 | 14 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| RAZORRACKS | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| K & K KOOKERS | 13 | 10 | 3 | 77% | ⚔ compare |
| SWINE CRUE | 13 | 7 | 6 | 54% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| KILLER HOGS | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| DAD'S GRILLIN CREW | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Q-BONES BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| GIVE IT TO GOD | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Poppa Pig | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOGG LEGG SMOKERS | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| KINNEY'S KOUNTRY KOOKERS | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 45 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 178.8800 | 154.8456 | 167.71 | top 50% |
| Pork Ribs | 46 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 177.1772 | 154.8456 | 167.39 | top 44% |
| Pork | 36 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 180.0000 🔥 | 154.2056 | 168.10 | top 47% |
| Brisket | 35 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 180.0000 🔥 | 142.2288 | 164.98 | top 53% |
“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.
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| TN | 22 | 1 | top 46% |
| MS | 8 | 0 | top 46% |
| MN | 5 | 0 | top 45% |
| WI | 3 | 0 | top 75% |
| AR | 2 | 0 | top 51% |
| MO | 2 | 0 | top 49% |
| AL | 1 | 0 | top 13% |
| IA | 1 | 0 | top 20% |
| VA | 1 | 0 | top 84% |
| GA | 1 | 0 | top 56% |
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 59% |
| Medium (20–39) | 22 | 1 | top 47% |
| Large (40+) | 20 | 0 | top 47% |
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota in May | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 27% | 2025-05-09 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 52% | 2024-06-07 |
| Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 2 | 42 | 0 | top 64% | 2023-03-17 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.2 | Third Annual Bull Moose BBQ Contest | 2013-04-05 |
| +12.7 | Minnesota in May | 2024-05-10 |
| +12.6 | Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cook-off | 2013-05-24 |
| +12.5 | Benton County Fair BBQ Contest | 2013-08-23 |
| +11.4 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-03-13 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.3 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2023-10-13 |
| -11 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022 | 2022-07-21 |
| -9.1 | Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash | 2013-07-26 |
| -8.3 | Smoke on The Shores | 2022-03-18 |
| -5.8 | *37th Annual Kennett Jaycee's | 2018-05-04 |
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 46% | 94.9% | 94.1% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 44% | 93% | 93% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50% | top 26% | 95.1% | 92.3% |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 77% | 93.6% | 91.7% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 76% | 91.6% | 90.4% |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75% | top 42% | 95.6% | 94.4% |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 49% | 95.6% | 92.9% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 53% | 92.7% | 92.7% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 68% | 91.1% | 91% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 62% | 92.9% | 92.9% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 53% | 94.5% | 92.4% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 40% | 94.9% | 93.6% |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 35% | 93.9% | 93.1% |
| 2013 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 70% | top 35% | 97.3% | 93.3% |
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-15 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 13 / 18 (336.5028) | 11 (170.2628) | 16 (166.2400) | — | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Owatonna, MN | 13 / 25 (338.2400) | 5 (177.1544) | 19 (161.0856) | — | — |
| 2026-03-13 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Foley, AL | 4 / 30 (341.7028) | 8 (168.5600) | 4 (173.1428) | 16 (162.2516) | — |
| 2025-05-30 | Covington World's Oldest Barbeque Festival 🏅 Covington, TN | 12 / 25 (669.5544) | 17 (159.3716) | 12 (168.5372) | 10 (170.8228) | 10 (170.8228) |
| 2025-05-30 | Smokin' in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 13 / 28 (334.8800) | 13 (165.7256) | 11 (169.1544) | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 22 / 58 (334.8228) | 14 (173.1428) | 28 (161.6800) | — | — |
| 2024-11-02 | 901 Hot Wing Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES) (JUDGING FULL) unrated Memphis, TN | 2 / 15 (174.2744) | — | — | — | — |
| 2024-09-20 | Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 6 / 30 (327.4284) | 2 (172.5828) | 8 (154.8456) | — | — |
| 2024-06-07 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 23 / 41 (326.7656) | 22 (163.9428) | 22 (162.8228) | — | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 9 / 58 (342.2744) | 2 (178.8800) | 27 (163.3944) | — | — |
| 2023-11-11 | Biloxi Blues & BBQ Festival 🏅 Biloxi, MS | 16 / 19 (672.4344) | 17 (166.2400) | 14 (169.6916) | 11 (170.8228) | 16 (165.6800) |
| 2023-10-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 25 / 21 (321.0972) | 21 (164.5372) | 26 (156.5600) | — | — |
| 2023-08-25 | TN River BBQ Fest 🏅 Saltillo, TN | 18 / 23 (667.8856) | 16 (170.8456) | 15 (164.5488) | 20 (164.5256) | 9 (167.9656) |
| 2023-06-09 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 21 / 43 (322.1828) | 24 (159.3484) | 14 (162.8344) | — | — |
| 2023-03-17 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 44 / 80 (673.5884) | 71 (162.8228) | 30 (169.1200) | 14 (174.2628) | 46 (167.3828) |
| 2023-03-17 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 7 (174.8456) | — | — |
| 2022-07-21 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022 🏅 Galax, VA | 21 / 25 (648.4688) | 14 (168.5600) | 11 (171.4400) | 18 (166.2400) | 24 (142.2288) |
| 2022-04-01 | Smokin' For Down Syndrome 🏅 Collierville, TN | 18 / 28 (659.2916) | 20 (165.1200) | 18 (163.3944) | 17 (166.2516) | 16 (164.5256) |
| 2022-03-18 | Smoke on The Shores 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 51 / 63 (645.4856) | 45 (165.6800) | 42 (165.0972) | 58 (154.2056) | 51 (160.5028) |
| 2021-09-03 | Smithfield Classic in Nashville 🏅 Nashville, TN | 17 / 50 (688.5260) | 23 (170.8344) | 10 (174.2972) | 20 (172.5600) | 25 (170.8344) |
| 2021-06-18 | DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Nesbit, MS | 12 / 48 (686.7428) | 12 (173.1200) | 8 (175.4056) | 25 (166.2400) | 17 (171.9772) |
| 2021-06-04 | Covington TN's World's Oldest BBQ Cooking Contest 🏅 Covington, TN | 12 / 34 (685.0400) | 7 (174.8456) | 13 (169.6800) | 13 (169.6800) | 10 (170.8344) |
| 2021-03-19 | Smoke on The Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 42 / 57 (657.5660) | 42 (162.8116) | 47 (160.5488) | 29 (167.9656) | 35 (166.2400) |
| 2020-06-26 | Swinging Bridge BBQ Festival 🏅 Byram, MS | 19 / 31 (648.9712) | 12 (165.7028) | 4 (169.1316) | 16 (165.6684) | 30 (148.4684) |
| 2020-06-19 | Desoto Shrine Club 12th Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Hernando, MS | 17 / 47 (688.5028) | 24 (169.1200) | 31 (169.1200) | 17 (170.2628) | 2 (180.0000) |
| 2019-09-06 | International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN 🏅 Millington, TN | 17 / 32 (667.2684) | 19 (167.3828) | 13 (166.2400) | 9 (171.9656) | 19 (161.6800) |
| 2018-09-07 | *Smokin on the White Batesville, AR | 11 / 17 (655.8856) | 6 (167.9772) | 14 (160.5372) | 3 (168.5600) | 14 (158.8112) |
| 2018-05-04 | *37th Annual Kennett Jaycee's Kennett, MO | 18 / 25 (654.1488) | 15 (167.9772) | 15 (162.2744) | 15 (169.1200) | 21 (154.7772) |
| 2017-07-28 | *BBQ-Fest Cooking Contest Dyersburg, TN | 16 / 26 (669.0168) | 15 (167.9656) | 11 (170.8228) | 15 (167.4056) | 18 (162.8228) |
| 2016-06-03 | Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash Memphis, TN | 10 / 25 (680.4572) | 3 (176.5600) | 2 (175.4172) | 12 (167.3828) | 19 (161.0972) |
| 2016-04-08 | Sixth Annual Bull Moose Somerville, TN | 17 / 27 (655.9092) | 4 (174.2744) | 24 (155.4060) | 9 (169.6800) | 24 (156.5488) |
| 2016-03-04 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Lawrenceville, GA | 33 / 59 (660.4572) | 55 (157.6800) | 15 (170.2628) | 3 (177.7144) | 52 (154.8000) |
| 2015-06-19 | Desoto Shrine Club 7th Annual 2015 BBQ Cook Off Hernando, MS | 10 / 37 (683.3832) | 5 (176.0116) | 7 (174.2744) | 25 (163.9656) | 14 (169.1316) |
| 2015-04-03 | Fifth Annual Bull Moose Somerville, TN | 22 / 41 (664.4684) | 39 (154.8456) | 13 (170.8228) | 13 (169.1200) | 11 (169.6800) |
| 2014-08-22 | Music City BBQ Festival Nashville, TN | 18 / 41 (665.0284) | 21 (166.8456) | 22 (163.9772) | 24 (164.5256) | 14 (169.6800) |
| 2014-07-25 | BBQ Fest Cooking Contest Dyersburg, TN | 13 / 44 (670.7656) | 27 (165.6684) | 3 (177.1772) | 29 (162.2400) | 26 (165.6800) |
| 2014-04-04 | Fourth Annual Bull Moose Somerville, TN | 10 / 31 (675.8856) | 11 (167.4056) | 18 (165.6916) | 8 (170.8112) | 7 (171.9772) |
| 2013-10-03 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational unrated Kansas City, MO | 44 / 174 (671.9428) | 120 (163.3712) | 59 (167.4172) | 81 (165.7028) | 12 (175.4516) |
| 2013-09-20 | Smokin' Aces BBQ Festival Tunica, MS | 28 / 53 (659.8400) | 27 (165.6684) | 3 (175.4172) | 31 (164.5372) | 44 (154.2172) |
| 2013-09-13 | International Goat Days Festival BBQ Bash Millington, TN | 9 / 28 (667.2800) | 18 (163.3828) | 4 (171.9772) | 11 (169.1200) | 12 (162.8000) |
| 2013-08-23 | Benton County Fair BBQ Contest Ashland, MS | 3 / 20 (686.7656) | 2 (177.7028) | 1 (174.2628) | 16 (166.2400) | 8 (168.5600) |
| 2013-07-26 | Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash Cleveland, TN | 42 / 54 (649.0172) | 52 (155.9428) | 33 (163.9772) | 22 (169.1312) | 40 (159.9660) |
| 2013-06-07 | Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGES FULL) Wynne, AR | 15 / 40 (683.9994) | 12 (171.9998) | 21 (168.0000) | 19 (169.7140) | 8 (174.2856) |
| 2013-05-31 | Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash Memphis, TN | 12 / 43 (678.8566) | 22 (165.7140) | 8 (173.1428) | 29 (165.7140) | 6 (174.2858) |
| 2013-05-24 | Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cook-off Lewisburg, TN | 5 / 36 (674.2854) | 27 (161.7140) | 17 (164.0000) | 5 (173.1426) | 4 (175.4288) |
| 2013-04-05 | Third Annual Bull Moose BBQ Contest Somerville, TN | 1 / 29 (700.5712) | 4 (174.2858) | 5 (173.1428) | 1 (180.0000) | 3 (173.1426) |
| 2013-03-15 | Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Tupelo, MS | 65 / 100 (642.2856) | 35 (167.4288) | 71 (158.8572) | 42 (163.9998) | 83 (151.9998) |
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #264 (103 pts) | #251 (113 pts) | #292 (88 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #351 (75 pts) | #309 (115 pts) | #380 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #160 (358 pts) | #110 (563 pts) | #195 (258 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #247 (135 pts) | #229 (165 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1202 (88 pts) | #1279 (78 pts) | #1297 (88 pts) | #1231 (93 pts) | #1183 (98 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1076 (100 pts) | #1252 (70 pts) | #971 (135 pts) | #1173 (85 pts) | #1245 (60 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2004 (96 pts) | #2039 (101 pts) | #1815 (121 pts) | #2034 (101 pts) | #2106 (86 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1281 (210 pts) | #1235 (245 pts) | #1128 (285 pts) | #1505 (180 pts) | #1198 (245 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #907 (361 pts) | #1158 (281 pts) | #880 (416 pts) | #1122 (291 pts) | #952 (351 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #226 (1296 pts) | #277 (1036 pts) | #173 (1401 pts) | #266 (1081 pts) | #220 (1266 pts) |