The heartbreaker
0.0116
points from the title
Came within 0.0116 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke on the Mountain (Jul 26, 2024).
Meadow Creek BBQ
Meadow Creek BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 32 at the Smoke on the Mountain (2024), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1684 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1553
peak 1578 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
Oct 16, 2021
latest Sep 18, 2026 · 4.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
3
6 podiums
Overall top-10s
7
58% of 12 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 46%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
338.79 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 334.96 (+3.84)
Walk rate
83%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.09
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 171.03 · weakest Brisket (150.78)
Road miles
806
across 12 mapped stops · furthest 180 mi
Schedule strength
90%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1628)
Purse competed for
$95K
listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 12 state-championship entries
Master avg
652.67 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
334.96 / 360
10 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.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Meadow Creek BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
61 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,683 of the rated field
- Contests
- 57
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 19%
- Peak
- 1581
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Meadow Creek BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Meadow Creek BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,687 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1553
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,689 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 64%
- Peak
- 1553
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 6 years before Meadow Creek BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,678 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1553
Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,677 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1553
They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Meadow Creek BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,680 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1553
Level with Meadow Creek 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optimus Swine | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Bowmans Butt & BBQ | 9 | 1 | 6 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 8 | 4 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| POOR BOYS BBQ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN SKULLIES | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Hatter BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| T & S BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| JL Smokers | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| BAD ROOSTER BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| HalaQyah BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 174.2628 | 155.9200 | 167.00 | top 46% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 176.5600 | 153.0856 | 167.88 | top 36% |
| Pork | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 178.2972 | 162.8228 | 171.03 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 153.6228 | 147.9428 | 150.78 | top 93% |
“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) | 4 | 0 | top 75% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 35% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 9% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Mountain | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 11% | Jul 25, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
3 contests
Contests a season
2.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
VA
8 of 12 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
10
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
215
finished ahead 298 times, behind 185
Longest layoff
1.8 yrs
Oct 16, 2021 → Jul 21, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Career-best overall score655.7712 Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge
- Most recent contest Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge
20253 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Fire in the Foothills
- Career-best single call (Pork)178.2972 Fire in the Foothills
- Peak power rating (1578) Fire in the Foothills
20242 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2
- First Reserve Championship Smoke on the Mountain
20231 milestone
- First overall podium Smoke on the Mountain
20214 milestones
- First tracked contest Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague
- First call Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague
- First overall top-10 Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score339.3828 Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.5 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 | May 4, 2024 |
| +17.4 | Smoke on the Mountain | Jul 21, 2023 |
| +16.5 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 | May 3, 2024 |
| +15.7 | Smoke on the Mountain | Jul 26, 2024 |
| +10.3 | Smoke on the Mountain | Jul 25, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.4 | Chillin & Grillin in the Glades | Jul 17, 2026 |
| -11.1 | Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge | Sep 18, 2026 |
| -7.4 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | Aug 22, 2025 |
| -6 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) | Oct 28, 2023 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 92% | 91.1% | 90.6% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 100% | top 42% | 95.1% | 92.9% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 100% | top 8% | 96.8% | 96.2% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 51% | 94.1% | 89.6% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 67% | 94.3% | 94.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge 🏅 Rutherford College, NC | 25 / 29 (655.7712) | 24 (162.7884) | 21 (167.3944) | 13 (171.9656) | 26 (153.6228) |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Chillin & Grillin in the Glades 🏅 Wise, VA | 34 / 35 (649.5656) | 18 (170.8228) | 28 (167.9772) | 29 (162.8228) | 34 (147.9428) |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Fire in the Foothills 🏅 King, NC | 5 / 25 (337.0856) | 2 (173.1084) | 7 (163.9772) | 1 (178.2972) | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 14 / 16 (324.4456) | 17 (155.9200) | 8 (168.5256) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2025 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 7 / 37 (342.2284) | 7 (172.5600) | 6 (169.6684) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 2 / 32 (346.8228) | 4 (172.5600) | 1 (174.2628) | — | — |
| May 4, 2024 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 3 / 35 (343.3828) | 12 (166.8228) | 1 (176.5600) | — | — |
| May 3, 2024 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 4 / 45 (348.5600) | 6 (174.2628) | 2 (174.2972) | — | — |
| Oct 28, 2023 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 🏅 Galax, VA | 14 / 17 (311.2912) | 10 (158.2056) | 14 (153.0856) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) 🏅 Galax, VA | 12 / 19 (317.5884) | 9 (161.6456) | 12 (155.9428) | — | — |
| Jul 21, 2023 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 3 / 38 (338.7884) | 6 (169.1200) | 5 (169.6684) | — | — |
| Oct 16, 2021 | Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague 🏅 Galax, VA | 10 / 15 (339.3828) | 16 (166.2284) | 3 (173.1544) | — | — |