COOL HAND QUE GA
Rating
1619
peak 1659
Contests
82
in the data
First seen
2019-03-01
latest 2026-05-29
Best ToY finish
#99
Master 2021
Grand champs
2
5 reserve
Category wins
12
42 podiums
Overall top-10s
33
of 82 contests
Avg finish
top 38%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
4 🔥
Current form
687.91 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 664.21 (+23.70)
Walk rate
67%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
8
best run (overall)
Consistency
±63.38
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.79 · weakest Pork (168.80)
Road miles
11644
mi across 82 mapped stops · furthest 303 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ has finished one call ahead of COOL HAND QUE 4 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN has landed one call behind them 4 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Smoke Central BBQ has come out ahead in 30 of their 40 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Willingham's in 32 of their 40 shared contests.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 0.0344 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke on the Falls (2023-04-07).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 35-team field at Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown.
📅 A July team
Something about July: average finish in the top 24% across 7 contests, versus top 38% the rest of the year.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 3 of 62 at their very first tracked contest, Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (2019-03-01).
Teams like this (closest power rating, GA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 81 | 28 | 5 | 14 | 180.0000 🔥 | 163.9428 | 171.79 | top 41% |
| Pork Ribs | 81 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 177.7028 | 156.5144 | 169.32 | top 46% |
| Pork | 80 | 27 | 6 | 16 | 180.0000 🔥 | 20.0000 | 168.80 | top 40% |
| Brisket | 74 | 29 | 1 | 9 | 180.0000 🔥 | 161.7028 | 171.19 | top 40% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GA | 50 | 1 | top 40% |
| TN | 11 | 0 | top 41% |
| AL | 7 | 0 | top 24% |
| NC | 6 | 1 | top 53% |
| SC | 4 | 0 | top 22% |
| FL | 2 | 0 | top 20% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 53% |
| Medium (20–39) | 41 | 2 | top 35% |
| Large (40+) | 37 | 0 | top 41% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (14 contests)
- Cooks mostly in GA (50 of 82 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (81 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show (2019-08-09)
- Wins it all in 2% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 664.21
- 4 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 705.6916 | 687.16 |
| 2025 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 701.0972 | 686.62 |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 701.6572 | 688.82 |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 700.5256 | 683.26 |
| 2022 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 699.9428 | 687.24 |
| 2021 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 692.4800 | 682.44 |
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 679.9200 | 644.52 |
| 2019 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 679.8972 | 505.27 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | Honeybee BBQ Competition Lafayette, GA | 10 / 19 (687.8740) | 8 (174.2628) | 14 (168.5372) | 15 (170.8112) | 7 (174.2628) |
| 2026-05-08 | 20th Annual Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off Waynesboro, GA | 12 / 42 (693.0744) | 19 (172.5600) | 4 (175.4172) | 26 (169.6800) | 9 (175.4172) |
| 2026-04-03 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 2 / 36 (705.6916) | 4 (178.2972) | 22 (169.6916) | 2 (180.0000) | 10 (177.7028) |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship Lebanon, TN | 97 / 125 (669.5656) | 107 (163.9428) | 60 (170.2744) | 109 (163.9428) | 53 (171.4056) |
| 2026-03-06 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | 24 / 44 (683.3372) | 25 (170.8228) | 7 (176.0116) | 26 (169.1084) | 32 (167.3944) |
| 2026-02-27 | Mission Farms - King of the Farm Iron Station, NC | 26 / 33 (674.1024) | 12 (173.1084) | 27 (163.9428) | 32 (165.0856) | 17 (171.9656) |
| 2026-01-09 | 10th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam St. Augustine, FL | 8 / 38 (696.5028) | 21 (174.2628) | 20 (171.9772) | 21 (171.9656) | 3 (178.2972) |
| 2025-11-14 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic Cumming, GA | 27 / 56 (687.8972) | 19 (174.2628) | 24 (174.2744) | 48 (166.2400) | 21 (173.1200) |
| 2025-10-03 | The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival Lyons, GA | 8 / 32 (694.7540) | 10 (173.1084) | 20 (170.8228) | 11 (173.1200) | 3 (177.7028) |
| 2025-09-19 | Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge Rutherford College, NC | 20 / 36 (675.2568) | 21 (169.6684) | 15 (169.6800) | 22 (168.5256) | 21 (167.3828) |
| 2025-08-15 | Pigs & Peaches Kennesaw, GA | 13 / 27 (687.8856) | 21 (167.3828) | 12 (171.9772) | 11 (174.2628) | 11 (174.2628) |
| 2025-06-20 | Poosa Q Montgomery, AL | 19 / 42 (687.9200) | 4 (177.7144) | 13 (173.7028) | 32 (169.6800) | 31 (166.8228) |
| 2025-05-25 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025) Lebanon, TN | 49 / 70 (685.6116) | 48 (170.8344) | 40 (171.9772) | 38 (171.9772) | 42 (170.8228) |
| 2025-05-24 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Saturday, May 24, 2025) Lebanon, TN | 53 / 106 (686.1712) | 52 (172.5484) | 53 (171.9772) | 21 (175.4172) | 82 (166.2284) |
| 2025-05-23 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Anything Molasses (Friday, May 23, 2025) Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off Waynesboro, GA | 10 / 42 (687.3488) | 9 (169.8172) | 33 (163.3944) | 11 (171.9772) | 10 (173.1200) |
| 2025-04-25 | BBQ & Boogie Calhoun, GA | 25 / 32 (667.8400) | 19 (170.8228) | 27 (165.0972) | 25 (165.0856) | 19 (166.8344) |
| 2025-04-11 | Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition Gadsden, AL | 5 / 31 (701.0972) | 12 (174.2628) | 9 (175.4172) | 2 (179.4400) | 14 (171.9772) |
| 2025-03-14 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship Lebanon, TN | 63 / 100 (676.4572) | 60 (170.8228) | 72 (167.9656) | 59 (169.1316) | 56 (168.5372) |
| 2025-03-07 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | 11 / 45 (694.2056) | 14 (174.8572) | 5 (177.7028) | 14 (174.2628) | 32 (167.3828) |
| 2025-01-09 | 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam Elkton, FL | 7 / 38 (693.6456) | 20 (171.9656) | 11 (173.7144) | 15 (170.2628) | 2 (177.7028) |
| 2024-11-15 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic Cuming, GA | 22 / 58 (686.2060) | 50 (164.5372) | 6 (176.5716) | 2 (178.8572) | 43 (166.2400) |
| 2024-09-20 | Pigmaster BBQ Challenge Rutherford College, NC | 21 / 33 (678.7084) | 16 (170.8344) | 28 (161.6456) | 5 (177.7028) | 27 (168.5256) |
| 2024-08-16 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival Kennesaw, GA | 11 / 26 (689.6344) | 13 (169.1200) | 14 (169.6916) | 4 (177.7028) | 10 (173.1200) |
| 2024-07-11 | South Carolina Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC | 4 / 76 (701.6572) | 1 (180.0000) | 23 (173.1200) | 19 (174.2628) | 20 (174.2744) |
| 2024-06-21 | Big BBQ Bash Maryville, TN | 3 / 33 (700.5260) | 11 (174.2744) | 11 (171.9772) | 3 (177.7144) | 3 (176.5600) |
| 2024-05-25 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL Lebanon, TN | 20 / 81 (699.9656) | 40 (174.2628) | 41 (172.5828) | 25 (175.4056) | 11 (177.7144) |
| 2024-05-24 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN Lebanon, TN | 27 / 118 (691.3600) | 30 (175.4172) | 104 (163.9544) | 4 (178.8800) | 45 (173.1084) |
| 2024-05-10 | 18th Annual Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off Waynesboro, GA | 6 / 42 (694.7772) | 19 (170.8228) | 20 (170.8228) | 1 (178.8572) | 9 (174.2744) |
| 2024-04-26 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues Calhoun, GA | 13 / 34 (681.6232) | 28 (163.9428) | 12 (170.8460) | 13 (171.9772) | 3 (174.8572) |
| 2024-04-12 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 6 / 31 (691.9200) | 1 (179.4400) | 23 (167.3944) | 9 (173.1200) | 11 (171.9656) |
| 2024-03-15 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship Lebanon, TN | 44 / 93 (682.1828) | 39 (171.9772) | 43 (169.1200) | 29 (173.7028) | 59 (167.3828) |
| 2024-03-15 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 50 (163.4172) | — | — |
| 2024-03-01 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | 42 / 59 (667.2912) | 38 (169.1200) | 47 (161.6800) | 40 (165.0856) | 24 (171.4056) |
| 2023-11-17 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic Cumming, GA | 48 / 60 (666.7428) | 32 (170.8112) | 55 (160.5488) | 55 (161.1200) | 13 (174.2628) |
| 2023-10-06 | The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival Lyons, GA | 6 / 29 (691.9200) | 5 (175.4172) | 15 (168.5256) | 1 (176.5600) | 13 (171.4172) |
| 2023-09-22 | Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge Rutherford College, NC | 21 / 33 (671.2800) | 27 (165.0972) | 23 (165.6684) | 3 (175.4172) | 23 (165.0972) |
| 2023-07-06 | South Carolina Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC | 43 / 76 (670.1256) | 45 (166.2400) | 62 (159.9428) | 16 (174.2628) | 28 (169.6800) |
| 2023-06-02 | Honeybee BBQ Competition Lafayette, GA | 9 / 27 (682.7312) | 2 (177.7028) | 20 (162.8000) | 11 (170.2628) | 12 (171.9656) |
| 2023-04-28 | BBQ Boogie & Blues Calhoun, GA | 2 / 32 (700.5256) | 3 (177.7028) | 8 (174.2628) | 1 (177.7372) | 11 (170.8228) |
| 2023-04-07 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 2 / 39 (690.7656) | 3 (175.4172) | 11 (170.8228) | 13 (169.1200) | 3 (175.4056) |
| 2023-03-17 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship Lebanon, TN | 14 / 80 (687.3372) | 42 (170.8228) | 13 (172.5716) | 50 (167.3828) | 4 (176.5600) |
| 2023-03-03 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | 13 / 65 (687.8972) | 18 (171.9772) | 11 (175.4172) | 12 (174.2744) | 39 (166.2284) |
| 2022-10-14 | Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que Music Festival Grovetown, GA | 3 / 51 (699.9428) | 9 (177.7144) | 25 (170.8228) | 18 (171.4056) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2022-10-07 | The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival Lyons, GA | 5 / 30 (697.6572) | 5 (176.5600) | 9 (171.9772) | 11 (173.1200) | 5 (176.0000) |
| 2022-09-16 | Smoketember Fest Baxley, GA | 14 / 30 (688.4800) | 2 (176.5600) | 19 (166.2400) | 20 (167.9772) | 2 (177.7028) |
| 2022-08-19 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival Kennesaw, GA | 13 / 30 (685.6344) | 12 (173.1200) | 23 (165.6916) | 9 (173.7028) | 7 (173.1200) |
| 2022-08-05 | Swine At the Shrine Savannah, GA | 4 / 49 (699.9428) | 22 (172.5484) | 8 (176.5716) | 9 (175.4056) | 10 (175.4172) |
| 2022-07-07 | South Carolina Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC | 19 / 92 (687.3484) | 25 (170.8572) | 23 (173.7028) | 21 (171.9656) | 31 (170.8228) |
| 2022-06-03 | Honeybee BBQ Competition Lafayette, GA | 8 / 25 (687.3256) | 8 (173.1084) | 13 (167.3944) | 4 (175.4172) | 8 (171.4056) |
| 2022-04-29 | BBQ Boogie & Blues Calhoun, GA | 24 / 37 (670.1944) | 30 (166.8344) | 15 (170.2744) | 15 (170.8456) | 29 (162.2400) |
| 2022-04-08 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 18 / 34 (672.4800) | 23 (164.5600) | 23 (166.2400) | 18 (168.5600) | 10 (173.1200) |
| 2022-03-18 | Smoke on The Shores Lebanon, TN | 6 / 63 (693.0740) | 40 (167.9656) | 8 (174.2628) | 13 (174.2628) | 5 (176.5828) |
| 2022-03-04 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | 41 / 73 (677.6000) | 36 (169.6800) | 42 (168.5256) | 10 (175.4172) | 46 (163.9772) |
| 2021-11-19 | GBC Throwdown Cumming, GA | 13 / 28 (680.4568) | 9 (172.5600) | 5 (174.2744) | 26 (158.7768) | 5 (174.8456) |
| 2021-10-08 | The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival Lyons, GA | 12 / 26 (679.8512) | 15 (169.6800) | 12 (170.8228) | 18 (165.0856) | 8 (174.2628) |
| 2021-09-24 | BBQ Boogie & Blues Calhoun, GA | 15 / 27 (678.1828) | 19 (167.9772) | 14 (172.0000) | 6 (173.1084) | 16 (165.0972) |
| 2021-09-04 | Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que Day 2 Augusta, GA | 30 / 43 (678.7200) | 23 (171.9772) | 37 (167.3828) | 24 (169.6800) | 28 (169.6800) |
| 2021-09-03 | Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que Day 1 Augusta, GA | 14 / 37 (686.7888) | 28 (168.5372) | 13 (173.1316) | 2 (178.8800) | 24 (166.2400) |
| 2021-08-20 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival Kennesaw, GA | 3 / 26 (690.2172) | 1 (180.0000) | 14 (166.8228) | 3 (177.7028) | 14 (165.6916) |
| 2021-07-30 | GBC Summer Showdown Cumming, GA | 3 / 39 (687.9200) | 12 (172.5600) | 5 (174.2744) | 11 (170.8228) | 8 (170.2628) |
| 2021-07-09 | SC Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC | 6 / 81 (692.4800) | 34 (169.6800) | 12 (174.2628) | 22 (170.8228) | 4 (177.7144) |
| 2021-06-25 | Blount County BBQ Bash Maryville, TN | 19 / 32 (672.9940) | 18 (166.8228) | 18 (167.3944) | 17 (170.2512) | 16 (168.5256) |
| 2021-05-14 | Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF Waynesboro, GA | 13 / 42 (682.1712) | 15 (171.4056) | 7 (174.2744) | 23 (165.6684) | 13 (170.8228) |
| 2021-05-07 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Franklin Franklin, NC | 9 / 17 (680.4800) | 10 (170.2628) | 14 (165.0856) | 6 (171.4288) | 7 (173.7028) |
| 2021-04-09 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 8 / 38 (678.1824) | 17 (170.8228) | 12 (169.6912) | 19 (165.1084) | 7 (172.5600) |
| 2021-03-05 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | 16 / 81 (683.3372) | 12 (174.2628) | 12 (173.1316) | 35 (167.9656) | 41 (167.9772) |
| 2020-11-20 | Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown Cumming, GA | 24 / 40 (679.9200) | 2 (179.4400) | 15 (173.1200) | 39 (157.6684) | 27 (169.6916) |
| 2020-10-09 | The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival Lyons, GA | 27 / 37 (674.6968) | 8 (175.4056) | 7 (172.5484) | 32 (162.7884) | 30 (163.9544) |
| 2020-09-05 | Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival Augusta, GA | 52 / 54 (653.5312) | 40 (171.4172) | 53 (158.8228) | 53 (159.3484) | 45 (163.9428) |
| 2020-09-04 | Practice for Cash Augusta, GA | 46 / 46 (514.7312) | 37 (164.5256) | 33 (163.3828) | 46 (20.0000) | 26 (166.8228) |
| 2020-07-31 | Hawgin On Lanier Cumming, GA | 34 / 55 (670.1140) | 31 (169.6800) | 24 (169.6684) | 50 (159.3484) | 16 (171.4172) |
| 2020-06-19 | The June Contest Cumming, GA | 25 / 25 (648.3776) | 17 (169.6800) | 25 (156.5144) | 25 (155.9432) | 22 (166.2400) |
| 2020-03-06 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | 37 / 61 (670.2400) | 32 (167.3944) | 38 (166.8800) | 23 (169.6684) | 35 (166.2972) |
| 2019-11-15 | Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown Cedartown, GA | 1 / 35 (507.9548) | 1 (170.8460) | 3 (169.7144) | 2 (167.3944) | — |
| 2019-10-11 | The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival Lyons, GA | 8 / 27 (679.8972) | 25 (165.0856) | 13 (169.6800) | 1 (174.2744) | 7 (170.8572) |
| 2019-08-23 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival Kennesaw, GA | 9 / 32 (492.9944) | 2 (170.8344) | 10 (161.6456) | 11 (160.5144) | — |
| 2019-08-09 | Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show Franklin, NC | 1 / 29 (517.6688) | 4 (170.8344) | 3 (172.5600) | 1 (174.2744) | — |
| 2019-08-02 | Hawgin On Lanier Gainesville, GA | 6 / 45 (493.0288) | 7 (168.5372) | 13 (158.8000) | 6 (165.6916) | — |
| 2019-07-19 | Piggin in the Park Jasper, GA | 2 / 25 (504.4688) | 2 (169.6800) | 2 (170.8344) | 3 (163.9544) | — |
| 2019-04-26 | BBQ Boogie & Blues Calhoun, GA | 2 / 33 (335.9772) | 2 (171.4284) | 10 (164.5488) | 1 (170.8228) | 2 (161.7028) |
| 2019-03-01 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | 3 / 62 (510.2056) | 1 (175.4056) | 12 (165.1316) | 3 (169.6684) | — |
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 | #103 (902 pts) | #118 (852 pts) | #143 (817 pts) | #137 (732 pts) | #82 (962 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #180 (1185 pts) | #182 (1222 pts) | #197 (1180 pts) | #141 (1335 pts) | #166 (1207 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #131 (1312 pts) | #149 (1238 pts) | #308 (819 pts) | #72 (1582 pts) | #122 (1324 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #154 (1196 pts) | #158 (1171 pts) | #293 (841 pts) | #127 (1326 pts) | #208 (991 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #109 (1467 pts) | #158 (1247 pts) | #190 (1137 pts) | #150 (1244 pts) | #65 (1717 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #99 (1476 pts) | #104 (1388 pts) | #131 (1284 pts) | #112 (1358 pts) | #122 (1313 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #37 (267 pts) | #53 (217 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #326 (350 pts) | #252 (485 pts) | #273 (460 pts) | #338 (360 pts) | #297 (410 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Backyard | — | #8 (267 pts) | #10 (217 pts) | — | — |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1372 (147 pts) | #2580 (52 pts) | #1728 (112 pts) | #1023 (277 pts) | #1385 (157 pts) |