A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
Hickory Hangover ahead in 100% of their meetings
Hickory Hangover has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
Back 40 BBQ
Back 40 BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 11th of 27 at the Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) (2023). They are ranked #4767 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1468
peak 1468 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
Sep 19, 2014
latest Oct 10, 2025 · 11.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 73%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
326.25 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 325.58 (+0.67)
Walk rate
10%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.34
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 164.97 · weakest Pork (159.25)
Road miles
58
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 33 mi
Schedule strength
41%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)
Purse competed for
$32K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
643.85 / 720
4 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
325.58 / 360
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #245 (76 pts) | #262 (66 pts) | — | — |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Back 40 BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
138 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,766 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1468
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Back 40 BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Back 40 BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,751 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
They've been 1502 at their best, 34 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#4,779 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 3 years before Back 40 BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,776 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1467
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,749 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1468
Level with Back 40 BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,778 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1467
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEE LA Q | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| WSG Cookers | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| BUTSY-Q | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Bonnie Blue BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| REDBONES BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 Swine Crew | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.4284 | 147.3944 | 161.18 | top 73% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 155.3600 | 162.02 | top 65% |
| Pork | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165.1200 | 149.6800 | 159.25 | top 74% |
| Brisket | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.9772 | 163.3944 | 164.97 | top 59% |
“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) | 7 | 0 | top 71% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 79% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 5 | 11 | 0 | top 64% | Oct 10, 2025 |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 10 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
10 of 10 contests
Contests visited
6
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
251
finished ahead 103 times, behind 314
Longest layoff
3 yrs
Sep 9, 2016 → Sep 13, 2019
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20252 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20222 milestones
- First call Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)172.5600 Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)
20162 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.7772 Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest
- Career-best overall score658.7772 Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest
20141 milestone
- Peak power rating (1491) 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest
—1 milestone
- First tracked contest Scottsboro BBQ Cook Off Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.3 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | Oct 7, 2022 |
| +6.7 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | Oct 13, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.4 | Decatur Jaycee's 21st Annual Riverfest | Sep 11, 2015 |
| -8.8 | RiverFest | Sep 13, 2019 |
| -8.6 | 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest | Sep 19, 2014 |
| -7 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 10, 2025 |
| -6.4 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | Oct 8, 2021 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 91% | 89.5% | 89.5% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 87% | 88.5% | 88.5% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 88.6% | 88.6% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 41% | 92.8% | 92.8% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 34% | 93.7% | 93.7% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 89.5% | 89.5% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 87.8% | 87.8% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 71% | 91.5% | 91.5% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 85% | 89.7% | 89.7% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 88.7% | 88.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10, 2025 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 26 / 30 (318.7772) | 21 (163.3944) | 28 (155.3828) | — | — |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Scottsboro, AL | 30 / 38 (318.8344) | 29 (159.4288) | 25 (159.4056) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 11 / 27 (334.2512) | 12 (167.4284) | 14 (166.8228) | — | — |
| Oct 7, 2022 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 13 / 38 (337.1544) | 25 (164.5944) | 10 (172.5600) | — | — |
| Oct 8, 2021 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 25 / 31 (322.2056) | 21 (163.4056) | 23 (158.8000) | — | — |
| Sep 13, 2019 | RiverFest 🏅 Decatur, AL | 31 / 37 (631.8516) | 25 (160.5600) | 30 (158.2172) | 32 (149.6800) | 21 (163.3944) |
| Sep 9, 2016 | Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL | 29 / 41 (658.7772) | 31 (163.9428) | 18 (167.4400) | 31 (162.8344) | 31 (164.5600) |
| Sep 11, 2015 | Decatur Jaycee's 21st Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL | 47 / 55 (646.1716) | 55 (147.3944) | 24 (165.6800) | 31 (165.1200) | 28 (167.9772) |
| Sep 19, 2014 | 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest Decatur, AL | 61 / 75 (638.6056) | 60 (159.9312) | 64 (155.3600) | 57 (159.3716) | 39 (163.9428) |
| — | Scottsboro BBQ Cook Off Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 21 / 23 (322.2516) | 18 (161.6916) | 19 (160.5600) | — | — |