The heartbreaker
Came within 4.5828 points of the Grand Championship at Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ (2024-07-19).
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Came within 4.5828 points of the Grand Championship at Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ (2024-07-19).
3 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
97.2% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 699.9428 at Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ — 97.2% of a perfect 720.
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS has finished one call ahead of Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.
2024 was the year it came together: 10 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 41%.
HOT DADDY'S BBQ ahead in 89% of their meetings
HOT DADDY'S BBQ has come out ahead in 24 of their 27 shared contests.
Ahead in 75% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Bucknutz BBQ in 15 of their 20 shared contests.
TEAM CRAWFORD ahead 67% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, TEAM CRAWFORD has out-cooked them in 24 of 36 shared chicken entries.
A tougher draw than 80% of rated fields
The fields they enter average a 1603 power rating — a tougher draw than 80% of every rated contest in the data.
DRY 2 DA BONE has landed one call behind them 2 times.
Something about September: average finish in the top 40% across 6 contests, versus top 58% the rest of the year.
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,430 miles across 50 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 320 miles to Fire on Ice BBQ Championship.
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.
87 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 Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headThis is the highest they've ever been rated, 45 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-headFewer contests behind them than Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ has cooked, 28 to 50, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head27 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 15% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-headThey were already cooking in 2014, 5 years before Chillin N Grillin N Iowa BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM CRAWFORD | 36 | 11 | 25 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 27 | 3 | 24 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ | 26 | 3 | 23 | 12% | ⚔ compare |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 25 | 4 | 21 | 16% | ⚔ compare |
| SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 22 | 3 | 19 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEHOUSE 72 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 48% | ⚔ compare |
| Matty Macks | 21 | 8 | 13 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Bucknutz BBQ | 20 | 15 | 5 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| T-Rex BBQ | 19 | 6 | 13 | 32% | ⚔ compare |
| MACHETE BOYS BBQ | 18 | 5 | 13 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | 18 | 5 | 13 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 18 | 3 | 15 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Darty-Q | 17 | 10 | 7 | 59% | ⚔ compare |
| HOME FARM BBQ | 17 | 7 | 10 | 41% | ⚔ compare |
| NEVER EASY BBQ | 17 | 6 | 11 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 45 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 180.0000 🔥 | 152.5488 | 168.08 | top 56% |
| Pork Ribs | 45 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 180.0000 🔥 | 150.8000 | 165.88 | top 58% |
| Pork | 45 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 178.2972 | 151.9428 | 168.00 | top 53% |
| Brisket | 45 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 178.8572 | 142.2288 | 164.09 | top 57% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA | 26 | 0 | top 55% |
| KS | 8 | 0 | top 45% |
| MO | 7 | 0 | top 77% |
| NE | 2 | 0 | top 59% |
| IL | 2 | 0 | top 70% |
| MN | 1 | 0 | top 71% |
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 24 | 0 | top 55% |
| Large (40+) | 21 | 0 | top 61% |
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State BBQ Championship | 4 | 13 | 0 | top 48% | 2026-04-03 |
| Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) | 4 | 28 | 0 | top 78% | 2025-11-01 |
| King of the Corn | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 59% | 2024-05-17 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 3 | 36 | 0 | top 49% | 2023-09-27 |
| Shenandoah ShenDig | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 60% | 2026-07-17 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2 | 160 | 0 | top 58% | 2025-11-05 |
| Tri-City BBQ Fest | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 34% | 2025-09-19 |
| Ditmars Red, White & Blue BBQ | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 54% | 2024-07-05 |
| Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 68% | 2021-06-18 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.9 | King of the Corn | 2024-05-17 |
| +16.8 | Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ | 2024-07-19 |
| +15.6 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST | 2021-09-16 |
| +15.3 | Tri City BBQ Fest | 2024-09-20 |
| +12.2 | Rose Festival's 25th Annual KCBS BBQ Competition | 2026-06-19 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -15.8 | Iowa State BBQ Championship (Steak) | 2022-04-01 |
| -11.4 | King of the Corn | 2022-10-14 |
| -9 | Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition | 2021-06-18 |
| -8.9 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) | 2025-10-31 |
| -8.9 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) | 2025-11-01 |
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 40% | top 49% | 96.3% | 94.8% |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 40% | top 71% | 94.8% | 93% |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 60% | top 41% | 97.2% | 94.8% |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 56% | 94.3% | 92.5% |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14% | top 68% | 94.8% | 91% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 48% | 87.5% | 87.5% |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 88% | 89.6% | 87.8% |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71% | top 55% | 93.2% | 91.4% |
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-17 | Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA | 21 / 28 (675.8512) | 14 (173.1084) | 25 (164.5256) | 23 (167.3828) | 11 (170.8344) |
| 2026-06-19 | Rose Festival's 25th Annual KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA | 6 / 20 (692.5376) | 5 (177.7144) | 12 (169.6916) | 8 (173.7144) | 10 (171.4172) |
| 2026-04-17 | Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke 🏅 Edina, MO | 18 / 25 (670.1828) | 1 (180.0000) | 12 (169.6800) | 25 (157.0856) | 18 (163.4172) |
| 2026-04-10 | Smoke in the Spring (OPEN FORMAT) 🏅 Osage City, KS | 26 / 101 (693.0740) | 32 (175.4056) | 24 (174.8456) | 32 (173.7028) | 61 (169.1200) |
| 2026-04-03 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 17 / 42 (681.5884) | 17 (173.1200) | 27 (166.8112) | 11 (173.1200) | 21 (168.5372) |
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 319 / 401 (652.9592) | 322 (163.3712) | 334 (161.1200) | 299 (164.5140) | 278 (163.9540) |
| 2025-11-01 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 48 / 50 (663.2452) | 46 (166.2284) | 29 (171.4056) | 48 (158.2284) | 32 (167.3828) |
| 2025-10-31 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 50 / 53 (667.8400) | 52 (163.3828) | 52 (161.6572) | 48 (163.9428) | 1 (178.8572) |
| 2025-10-03 | La Belle MO Show Me BBQ Showdown 🏅 La Belle, MO | 30 / 39 (673.0168) | 32 (167.9656) | 37 (161.6684) | 22 (171.4172) | 11 (171.9656) |
| 2025-09-19 | Tri-City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 15 / 26 (679.8740) | 13 (172.5484) | 12 (168.5372) | 17 (166.2400) | 7 (172.5484) |
| 2025-06-20 | Rose Festival's 24th Annual KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA | 12 / 25 (681.0856) | 16 (168.0000) | 6 (172.5600) | 21 (163.9428) | 3 (176.5828) |
| 2025-05-16 | King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 14 / 33 (682.8112) | 15 (173.7144) | 9 (172.0344) | 15 (170.2512) | 24 (166.8112) |
| 2025-02-21 | Fire on Ice BBQ Championship 🏅 Onamia, MN | 30 / 42 (665.6344) | 16 (171.4288) | 35 (159.9772) | 13 (171.4056) | 33 (162.8228) |
| 2025-01-24 | SJV Winter Rub 🏅 Omaha, NE | 22 / 32 (657.5544) | 23 (164.5372) | 15 (170.2860) | 25 (161.0856) | 23 (161.6456) |
| 2024-10-30 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024-10-30 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 160 / 444 (682.2400) | 206 (169.7372) | 149 (171.9772) | 295 (165.1200) | 40 (175.4056) |
| 2024-10-26 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 28 / 56 (683.2912) | 50 (165.0856) | 1 (180.0000) | 18 (173.1200) | 44 (165.0856) |
| 2024-10-25 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 37 / 53 (678.7084) | 20 (174.2628) | 46 (163.9428) | 15 (174.2628) | 42 (166.2400) |
| 2024-09-20 | Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 3 / 30 (694.7884) | 10 (172.5484) | 3 (173.7144) | 4 (176.5600) | 13 (171.9656) |
| 2024-07-19 | Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ 🏅 Shenandoah, IA | 2 / 36 (699.9428) | 1 (180.0000) | 13 (173.1200) | 14 (172.5600) | 6 (174.2628) |
| 2024-07-05 | Ditmars Red, White & Blue BBQ 🏅 Council Bluffs, IA | 15 / 26 (662.1256) | 5 (174.8572) | 24 (156.5028) | 19 (165.0856) | 13 (165.6800) |
| 2024-06-28 | Happy Basset 4th Annual BBQ Competition 🏅 Topeka, KS | 14 / 28 (689.0284) | 4 (177.7144) | 18 (169.6800) | 15 (170.8112) | 14 (170.8228) |
| 2024-05-17 | King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 5 / 36 (687.3484) | 11 (173.7028) | 27 (166.2284) | 8 (174.2628) | 8 (173.1544) |
| 2024-03-29 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 32 / 42 (665.6460) | 12 (173.1428) | 30 (162.8344) | 32 (166.2744) | 32 (163.3944) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 396 / 487 (641.5196) | 449 (153.6572) | 398 (159.3712) | 171 (170.8228) | 400 (157.6684) |
| 2023-07-21 | Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA | 17 / 37 (673.0860) | 3 (176.5600) | 28 (158.8572) | 3 (178.2972) | 24 (159.3716) |
| 2023-06-30 | Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ 🏅 Council Bluffs, IA | 11 / 22 (667.9772) | 12 (168.0228) | 20 (158.8228) | 12 (169.1544) | 3 (171.9772) |
| 2023-06-16 | Rose Festival 22nd Annual KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA | 10 / 27 (678.7544) | 15 (169.6800) | 19 (162.2516) | 17 (170.2628) | 1 (176.5600) |
| 2023-05-19 | King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 29 / 45 (669.6112) | 15 (172.5600) | 44 (154.7768) | 17 (172.5600) | 14 (169.7144) |
| 2022-10-14 | King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 35 / 36 (641.0060) | 27 (168.5716) | 25 (165.0972) | 36 (151.9428) | 33 (155.3944) |
| 2022-10-01 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022-09-29 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 296 / 505 (661.5656) | 381 (162.2284) | 87 (173.7028) | 235 (167.9772) | 401 (157.6572) |
| 2022-07-29 | Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship 🏅 Shenandoah, IA | 22 / 27 (646.6972) | 21 (162.8344) | 13 (169.7028) | 18 (164.5256) | 23 (149.6344) |
| 2022-04-22 | Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest (JUDGE'S FULL) 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO | 27 / 35 (646.1144) | 26 (162.2400) | 13 (170.8344) | 31 (161.0856) | 32 (151.9544) |
| 2022-04-01 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 13 / 48 (682.2288) | 17 (171.9772) | 9 (173.7372) | 23 (169.1316) | 24 (167.3828) |
| 2022-04-01 | Iowa State BBQ Championship (Steak) Altoona, IA | 18 (153.0972) | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-09-16 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 36 / 467 (502.2284) | 337 (160.5140) | 312 (162.2972) | 107 (170.2744) | 66 (172.5600) |
| 2021-06-18 | Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA | 28 / 32 (630.1144) | 29 (157.6456) | 19 (163.3828) | 17 (166.8572) | 30 (142.2288) |
| 2020-10-02 | Ottumwa Smoketoberfest 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 61 / 66 (620.4460) | 63 (152.5488) | 38 (163.3944) | 59 (154.8456) | 63 (149.6572) |
| 2020-07-17 | Real Squeal BBQ Smoke Off 🏅 MARION, IA | 28 / 36 (631.8856) | 31 (154.8456) | 23 (159.9544) | 6 (170.2628) | 31 (146.8228) |
| 2020-06-27 | Back to Mayberry Day 2 🏅 Rodney, IA | 44 / 47 (645.0404) | 29 (165.7144) | 47 (150.8000) | 28 (167.9888) | 39 (160.5372) |
| 2019-10-04 | Smoketoberfest 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 30 / 49 (656.4688) | 36 (161.1544) | 7 (174.2744) | 24 (167.3828) | 38 (153.6572) |
| 2019-09-12 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 109 / 468 (465.0852) | 190 (167.9656) | 199 (166.8228) | 327 (160.5600) | 436 (145.1084) |
| 2019-07-19 | BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! 🏅 Waterloo, IA | 20 / 33 (663.3256) | 28 (162.8228) | 8 (170.2744) | 14 (169.1200) | 21 (161.1084) |
| 2019-06-22 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 2 🏅 Belvidere, IL | 29 / 45 (657.6344) | 28 (163.9656) | 24 (165.1660) | 31 (163.3828) | 21 (165.1200) |
| 2019-06-21 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1 🏅 Belvidere, IL | 38 / 50 (631.8748) | 33 (162.8572) | 47 (150.8232) | 2 (175.4172) | 47 (142.7772) |
| 2019-06-14 | Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA | 15 / 31 (669.0856) | 20 (165.6684) | 16 (163.4516) | 2 (176.5600) | 18 (163.4056) |
| 2019-04-26 | Q for a Cause 🏅 Papillion, NE | 16 / 32 (671.3484) | 17 (167.9656) | 22 (163.9656) | 21 (167.4172) | 10 (172.0000) |
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #340 (478 pts) | #254 (713 pts) | #455 (403 pts) | #374 (443 pts) | #363 (468 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #309 (701 pts) | #310 (726 pts) | #315 (831 pts) | #319 (701 pts) | #197 (1106 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #175 (1124 pts) | #143 (1254 pts) | #228 (1019 pts) | #223 (984 pts) | #241 (904 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #424 (464 pts) | #367 (619 pts) | #632 (334 pts) | #357 (599 pts) | #304 (739 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #546 (367 pts) | #591 (352 pts) | #494 (497 pts) | #595 (337 pts) | #636 (307 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #988 (117 pts) | #1045 (117 pts) | #925 (147 pts) | #847 (157 pts) | #1020 (117 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #530 (180 pts) | #565 (180 pts) | #558 (190 pts) | #388 (295 pts) | #565 (180 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #616 (531 pts) | #711 (476 pts) | #512 (676 pts) | #381 (891 pts) | #608 (561 pts) |