The heartbreaker
0.0116
points from the title
Came within 0.0116 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke on the Mountain (2024-07-26).
Meadow Creek BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1564
peak 1578 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
2021-10-16
latest 2026-07-17
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
3
6 podiums
Overall top-10s
7
of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 42%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
338.79 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 334.96 (+3.84)
Walk rate
91%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±12.09
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 170.56 · weakest Brisket (147.94)
Road miles
703
mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 180 mi
Schedule strength
92%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1632)
Purse competed for
$86K
listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 11 state-championship entries
Master avg
649.57 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
334.96 / 360
10 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
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.
Storylines (11 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Happy hunting ground
Top 11%
average finish here
Smoke on the Mountain is their spot: an average finish in the top 11% across 3 visits.
- 3 visits
- best finish 2nd
- average top 11%
They almost always walk
91%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 10 of 11 contests
A top-10 category call in 91% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
The one to beat
3×
one call ahead of them
Mad Hatter BBQ has finished one call ahead of Meadow Creek BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2024
their best year
2024 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 8%.
- 3 contests
- 3 overall top-10s
- 2 category wins
- average top 8%
A tough matchup
6–1
behind in the head-to-head
T & S BBQ ahead in 86% of their meetings
T & S BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 7 shared contests.
A strong matchup
7–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ in 7 of their 7 shared contests.
The comeback
1.8 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at Smoke on the Mountain (2023-07-21).
- last seen 2021-10-16
- back 2023-07-21
They cook the hard rooms
1632
average field rating faced
A tougher draw than 92% of rated fields
The fields they enter average a 1632 power rating — a tougher draw than 92% of every rated contest in the data.
- 11 rated contests
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
Still Workin' On It has landed one call behind them 2 times.
A July team
Top 33%
average finish in July
Something about July: average finish in the top 33% across 4 contests, versus top 42% the rest of the year.
- 4 July contests
- top 42% the rest of the year
Teams like this (closest power rating)
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.
42 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1490 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1564
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#1502 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1564
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Meadow Creek BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#1500 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1564
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#1494 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1564
No shared contest yet.
Level with Meadow Creek BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#1496 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 70%
- Peak
- 1564
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 10 contests, alongside a 70% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#1499 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1564
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optimus Swine | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Bowmans Butt & BBQ | 9 | 1 | 6 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 8 | 4 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| POOR BOYS BBQ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Hatter BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| T & S BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN SKULLIES | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| BAD ROOSTER BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| JL Smokers | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 174.2628 | 155.9200 | 167.39 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 176.5600 | 153.0856 | 167.92 | top 33% |
| Pork | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 178.2972 | 162.8228 | 170.56 | top 43% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 147.9428 | 147.9428 | 147.94 | top 97% |
“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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 8 | 0 | top 54% |
| NC | 3 | 0 | top 12% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 75% |
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 26% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 9% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Mountain | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 11% | 2025-07-25 |
The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
4.8 yrs
2021-10-16 → 2026-07-17
Busiest season
2025
3 contests
Contests a season
2.2
across 5 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
VA
8 of 11 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
9
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
11 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 170.56 · weakest Brisket (147.94)
Walk rate
91%
a top-10 call in 10 of 11 contests
Overall top-10 rate
64%
7 of 11 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight contests
Master average
649.57
out of 720 · 1 contest · 0 GCs
Backyard average
334.96
out of 360 · 10 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
205
294–161 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
703
11 mapped stops · furthest 180 mi
Schedule strength
1632
average field rating faced — tougher than 92% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$85,900
listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 11 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
1.8 yrs
2021-10-16 → 2023-07-21
Power rating
1564
peak 1578 · #1495 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2021
- 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
- 2023
- First overall podium Smoke on the Mountain
- 2024
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2
- First Reserve Championship Smoke on the Mountain
- 2025
- 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
- 2026
- Career-best overall score649.5656 Chillin & Grillin in the Glades
- Most recent contest Chillin & Grillin in the Glades
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.5 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 | 2024-05-04 |
| +17.4 | Smoke on the Mountain | 2023-07-21 |
| +16.6 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 | 2024-05-03 |
| +15.7 | Smoke on the Mountain | 2024-07-26 |
| +10.3 | Smoke on the Mountain | 2025-07-25 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.5 | Chillin & Grillin in the Glades | 2026-07-17 |
| -7.4 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | 2025-08-22 |
| -6 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) | 2023-10-28 |
Category scores over time
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 90.2% | 90.2% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-17 | Chillin & Grillin in the Glades 🏅 Wise, VA | 34 / 35 (649.5656) | 18 (170.8228) | 28 (167.9772) | 29 (162.8228) | 34 (147.9428) |
| 2025-09-26 | Fire in the Foothills 🏅 King, NC | 5 / 25 (337.0856) | 2 (173.1084) | 7 (163.9772) | 1 (178.2972) | — |
| 2025-08-22 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 14 / 16 (324.4456) | 17 (155.9200) | 8 (168.5256) | — | — |
| 2025-07-25 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 7 / 37 (342.2284) | 7 (172.5600) | 6 (169.6684) | — | — |
| 2024-07-26 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 2 / 32 (346.8228) | 4 (172.5600) | 1 (174.2628) | — | — |
| 2024-05-04 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 3 / 35 (343.3828) | 12 (166.8228) | 1 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2024-05-03 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 4 / 45 (348.5600) | 6 (174.2628) | 2 (174.2972) | — | — |
| 2023-10-28 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 🏅 Galax, VA | 14 / 17 (311.2912) | 10 (158.2056) | 14 (153.0856) | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) 🏅 Galax, VA | 12 / 19 (317.5884) | 9 (161.6456) | 12 (155.9428) | — | — |
| 2023-07-21 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 3 / 38 (338.7884) | 6 (169.1200) | 5 (169.6684) | — | — |
| 2021-10-16 | Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague 🏅 Galax, VA | 10 / 15 (339.3828) | 16 (166.2284) | 3 (173.1544) | — | — |