The heartbreaker
1.1428
points from the title
Came within 1.1428 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition (Apr 11, 2025).
Cook Shak BBQ MS
Cook Shak BBQ MS is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2025 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 31 at the Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition (2025), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1496 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1564
peak 1564 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
Mar 7, 2025
latest May 2, 2026 · 1.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
6 podiums
Overall top-10s
6
55% of 11 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 38%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
344.41 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 345.93 (-1.52)
Walk rate
82%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±5.22
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 176.56 · weakest Pork Ribs (171.41)
Road miles
844
across 11 mapped stops · furthest 211 mi
Schedule strength
72%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1592)
Purse competed for
$92K
listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
683.29 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
345.93 / 360
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #109 (417 pts) | #115 (412 pts) | #100 (542 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #1020 (60 pts) | #1093 (60 pts) | #1161 (60 pts) | #1067 (60 pts) | #725 (175 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #56 (878 pts) | #48 (984 pts) | #84 (711 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | #795 (186 pts) | — | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Cook Shak BBQ MS, each with one reason worth a look.
35 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,495 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1564
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,500 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1564
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Cook Shak BBQ MS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,499 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1564
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,497 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1564
They were already cooking in 2019, 6 years before Cook Shak BBQ MS's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,494 of the rated field
- Contests
- 24
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1577
24 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 25% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,498 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 31%
- Peak
- 1567
Level with Cook Shak BBQ MS 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| Pork Life | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Modest Meats | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Electro-Que-ted | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Budget BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLY SMOKIN!!! | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Jury's Out | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 180 🔥 | 165.0856 | 173.69 | top 40% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 177.7144 | 166.2628 | 171.41 | top 45% |
| Pork | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 179.4400 | 169.6684 | 174.41 | top 28% |
| Brisket | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 176.5600 | 176.56 | top 11% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 51% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 23% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 44% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
8 contests
Contests a season
5.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
10 of 11 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
10
a different one every time
Most-entered meat
Chicken
11 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls
Opponents faced
236
finished ahead 240 times, behind 146
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- 10th tracked contest O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1
- Peak power rating (1564) O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2
- Most recent contest O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2
20259 milestones
- First tracked contest Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Pork) Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score349.7028 Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2
- Career-best overall score683.2912 Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.4 | Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition | Apr 11, 2025 |
| +16 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 7, 2025 |
| +11.9 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 | May 2, 2026 |
| +11.8 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 | May 3, 2025 |
| +6.7 | Poosa Q | Jun 20, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -5.6 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | Nov 14, 2025 |
| -3.3 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 26, 2025 |
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 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 40% | 97.8% | 96.1% |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 75% | top 37% | 98.1% | 95.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2026 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 Cleveland, AL | 4 / 15 (351.9656) | 8 (174.2628) | 2 (177.7028) | — | — |
| May 1, 2026 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Cleveland, AL | 10 / 17 (341.6572) | 13 (165.0856) | 2 (176.5716) | — | — |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 15 / 43 (343.9656) | 6 (177.7028) | 26 (166.2628) | — | — |
| Nov 14, 2025 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 34 / 56 (683.2912) | 48 (166.2284) | 44 (168.5372) | 26 (171.9656) | 6 (176.5600) |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Clanton, AL | 10 / 15 (341.6456) | 7 (174.2628) | 10 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Sep 26, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-off Qualifier "Friday Night Chicken Fight" (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Clanton, AL | — | 4 (176.5600) | — | — | — |
| Jun 20, 2025 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 15 / 42 (342.8116) | 13 (174.2744) | 21 (168.5372) | — | — |
| May 3, 2025 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 Oneonta, AL | 6 / 23 (350.8228) | 2 (180) | 16 (170.8228) | 4 (176.5600) | — |
| May 2, 2025 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Oneonta, AL | 14 / 28 (337.6684) | 15 (169.6684) | 19 (168) | 12 (169.6684) | — |
| Apr 11, 2025 | Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 2 / 31 (353.1316) | 6 (175.4172) | 2 (177.7144) | — | — |
| Mar 7, 2025 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Foley, AL | 3 / 30 (349.7028) | 3 (177.1428) | 7 (172.5600) | 1 (179.4400) | — |