The heartbreaker
4.5828
points from the title
Came within 4.5828 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke in the Orchard, Powered by Sunpoke (2025-08-08).
Cook the books
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1577
peak 1577 · rated over 8 contests ⓘ
Best runs
3
straight top-10s
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
2022-08-13
latest 2026-08-22
Best ToY finish
#304
Master 2025
Grand champs
2
4 reserve
Category wins
5
17 podiums
Overall top-10s
6
of 12 contests
Avg finish
top 33%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
696.87 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 684.31 (+12.56)
Walk rate
58%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
3
best run (overall)
Consistency
±18.57
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 173.99 · weakest Brisket (169.87)
Road miles
6,168
mi across 12 mapped stops · furthest 1622 mi
Schedule strength
26%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1536)
Purse competed for
$138K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
684.31 / 720
9 Master contests · 2 GCs
Storylines (14 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.
Perfect scores on the board
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
- Chicken ×1
- Brisket ×1
Happy hunting ground
Top 15%
average finish here
Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown is their spot: an average finish in the top 15% across 2 visits.
- 2 visits
- best finish 2nd
- average top 15%
Multi-meat days
2
contests with 2+ category wins
They've won two or more meats on the same day 2 times — the best of them 2 category wins at Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown (2026-06-06).
- Chicken 1st
- Brisket 1st
High-water mark
707.4172
career-best overall
98.3% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 707.4172 at Smoke in the Orchard, Powered by Sunpoke — 98.3% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2025-08-08
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ has finished one call ahead of Cook the books 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2025
their best year
2025 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 19%.
- 4 contests
- 3 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 19%
The weak link
−4.1
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.12 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 60% of the time against 60%.
- Brisket avg 169.87
- Chicken avg 173.99
- 6 calls in 10 entries
A strong matchup
4–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Barbecue Heaven in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
Chicken nemesis
6 of 6
shared chicken entries lost
GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ ahead 100% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ has out-cooked them in 6 of 6 shared chicken entries.
Announced themselves early
1st
at their very first contest
Finished 1 of 11 at their very first tracked contest, Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival (2022-08-13).
- 2022-08-13
- 11-team field
Always the bridesmaid
4
reserve championships
Runner-up for the whole thing 4 times against 2 Grand Championships — close enough to touch it, over and over.
- 2 Grand Championships
- 12 contests
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
Rub Sweat and Beers has landed one call behind them 2 times.
The long haul
6,168
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,168 miles across 12 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,622 miles to American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides.
- 12 mapped stops
- furthest 1,622 mi
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.
34 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1319 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 56%
- Peak
- 1577
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-head#1318 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1578
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#1313 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1577
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Cook the books's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#1308 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1588
No shared contest yet.
15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#1312 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1583
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Cook the books's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#1317 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1636
No shared contest yet.
Level with Cook the books on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 180.0000 🔥 | 167.9656 | 173.99 | top 33% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 179.4400 | 157.6572 | 170.79 | top 35% |
| Pork | 10 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 179.4400 | 158.8112 | 171.25 | top 40% |
| Brisket | 10 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 180.0000 🔥 | 162.2284 | 169.87 | top 41% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NS | 4 | 1 | top 15% |
| KS | 2 | 0 | top 77% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 28% |
| NB | 1 | 0 | top 13% |
| ME | 1 | 0 | top 69% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 6 | 2 | top 13% |
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 69% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 61% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 15% | 2026-06-06 |
The story so far (21 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
4 yrs
2022-08-13 → 2026-08-22
Busiest season
2025
4 contests
Contests a season
2.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
NS
4 of 12 contests · 5 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
9
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
11 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 173.99 · weakest Brisket (169.87)
Walk rate
58%
a top-10 call in 7 of 12 contests
Overall top-10 rate
50%
6 of 12 contests
Wins it all
17%
2 Grand Championships · 4 reserve
First title
2022-08-13
Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival
Best top-10 run
3
straight contests
Master average
684.31
out of 720 · 9 contests · 2 GCs
Perfect 180s
2
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
620
345–545 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
6,168
12 mapped stops · furthest 1,622 mi
Schedule strength
1536
average field rating faced — tougher than 26% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$137,690
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 2 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
1.1 yrs
2022-08-13 → 2023-09-27
Power rating
1577
peak 1577 · #1315 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2022
- First tracked contest Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival
- First call Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival
- First category win (Chicken) Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival
- First overall top-10 Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival
- First overall podium Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival
- First Grand Championship Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival
- First multi-meat day Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score693.6456 Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival
- 2025
- First Reserve Championship Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown
- Career-best overall score707.4172 Smoke in the Orchard, Powered by Sunpoke
- 10th tracked contest Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)
- 2026
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown
- Peak power rating (1577) Smoke on the Bay BBQ Cookoff
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Bay BBQ Cookoff
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.2 | Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival | 2022-08-13 |
| +15.6 | Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown | 2025-06-08 |
| +13.5 | Smoke on the Bay BBQ Cookoff | 2026-08-22 |
| +13.1 | Smoke in the Orchard, Powered by Sunpoke | 2025-08-08 |
| +12.1 | Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown | 2026-06-06 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -4.7 | Kora Kares for Kids | 2024-08-17 |
| -0.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2023-09-27 |
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)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100% | top 12% | 97.9% | 96.5% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 75% | top 19% | 98.3% | 97% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 69% | 91.3% | 91.3% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 92.5% | 91.9% |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 100% | top 9% | 96.3% | 96.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-22 | Smoke on the Bay BBQ Cookoff Little Brook, NS | 1 / 10 (684.5372) | 6 (170.2628) | 3 (169.1544) | 2 (174.8456) | 1 (170.2744) |
| 2026-06-06 | Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown Upper Onslow, NS | 2 / 15 (705.1428) | 1 (180.0000) | 3 (176.0228) | 7 (169.1200) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2025-10-10 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 25 / 90 (691.4516) | 11 (177.1544) | 15 (176.5600) | 38 (172.5828) | 70 (165.1544) |
| 2025-08-08 | Smoke in the Orchard, Powered by Sunpoke Keswick, NB | 2 / 15 (707.4172) | 8 (174.2628) | 3 (176.5716) | 2 (179.4400) | 2 (177.1428) |
| 2025-07-19 | The Great Atlantic BBQ Competition Bible Hill, NS | 2 / 11 (686.7196) | 5 (169.6684) | 2 (171.9656) | 2 (176.5600) | 4 (168.5256) |
| 2025-06-08 | Throttled Up BBQ Throwdown Upper Onslow, NS | 2 / 12 (700.5488) | 5 (174.8456) | 2 (174.2860) | 2 (176.5600) | 4 (174.8572) |
| 2024-08-17 | Kora Kares for Kids 🏅 Hiram, ME | 27 / 39 (657.0168) | 23 (167.9656) | 31 (160.5256) | 21 (166.2972) | 28 (162.2284) |
| 2024-08-17 | Kora Kares for Kids (ONE MEAT RIBS) Hiram, ME | — | — | 2 (179.4400) | — | — |
| 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 | 296 / 487 (665.6456) | 106 (173.7144) | 217 (169.7028) | 400 (158.8112) | 315 (163.4172) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 197 / 211 (658.1256) | 45 (175.4172) | 207 (157.6572) | 200 (161.1084) | 174 (163.9428) |
| 2022-08-13 | Atlantic Canada Championship BBQ Festival Nova Scotia, B0W 1M0 | 1 / 11 (693.6456) | 1 (176.5600) | 4 (166.8228) | 1 (177.1428) | 2 (173.1200) |
Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #326 (500 pts) | #430 (415 pts) | #436 (425 pts) | #432 (380 pts) | #323 (525 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #304 (713 pts) | #490 (458 pts) | #376 (688 pts) | #317 (713 pts) | #365 (613 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1182 (60 pts) | #1211 (70 pts) | #641 (320 pts) | #1145 (80 pts) | #1204 (60 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #938 (120 pts) | #1011 (120 pts) | #1118 (120 pts) | #989 (120 pts) | #989 (120 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #674 (261 pts) | #701 (261 pts) | #890 (186 pts) | #701 (261 pts) | #743 (236 pts) |