Stone Cold Grillers

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#831

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1625

peak 1625 · rated over 29 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2020-11-13

latest 2025-09-05

Best ToY finish

#59

Backyard 2024

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

12 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 45 contests

Avg finish

top 36%

overall standings

Best overall

673.0288 / 720

Master · 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

331.63 ▼

last 5 Backyard vs avg 336.13 (-4.50)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

and counting

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Pork Ribs · 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL

Consistency

±33.20

std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 168.02 · weakest Pork (162.39)

Road miles

7,660

mi across 42 mapped stops · furthest 618 mi

Schedule strength

41%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)

Purse competed for

$146K

listed at 33 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 14 state-championship entries

Master avg

670.72 / 720

2 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

336.13 / 360

34 Backyard contests · 1 GC

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.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (15 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.

The heartbreaker

4.0000 points from the title

Came within 4.0000 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) (2024-08-17).

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180s

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork ribs.

Pork Ribs ×1

Giant slayer

41 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 41-team field at Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY).

2022-08-20

Happy hunting ground

1× Grand Championships here

Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 5 visits.

5 visits
best finish 1st
average top 14%

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 33 of 45 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 45 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

673.0288 career-best overall

93.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 673.0288 at 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN — 93.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
2023-08-11

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

IT'S BBQ TIME has finished one call ahead of Stone Cold Grillers 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

20–3 behind in the head-to-head

WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ ahead in 87% of their meetings

WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ has come out ahead in 20 of their 23 shared contests.

The drought

24 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) on 2022-08-20 — 24 contests and 4 years ago.

last GC 2022-08-20
4 years ago

Pork Ribs nemesis

17 of 25 shared pork ribs entries lost

WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ ahead 68% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ has out-cooked them in 17 of 25 shared pork ribs entries.

Announced themselves early

5th at their very first contest

Finished 5 of 9 at their very first tracked contest, Honor-Q Competitor's Series ().

9-team field

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Ishy Links BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±8.96% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±8.96% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 93.4% of a perfect score
best 142.0%

A July team

Top 23% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 23% across 3 contests, versus top 36% the rest of the year.

3 July contests
top 36% the rest of the year

The long haul

7,660 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 7,660 miles across 42 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 618 miles to 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Ancillary.

42 mapped stops
furthest 618 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.

32 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

JACKED UP BBQ

#828 of the rated field

1625 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1626

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 28 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 28 contests
last seen 2016-08-12

⚔ Head-to-head

Wee Daddy's BBQ

#833 of the rated field

1624 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 52%
Peak: 1624

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 33 contests to 45, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 32 contests
last seen 2026-06-12
on a 4-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

HERE PIGGY PIGGY BBQ

#830 of the rated field

1625 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 42
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1631

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Stone Cold Grillers's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 41 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Big Wigs BBQ

#829 of the rated field

1625 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 47
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1685

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 3 Grand Championships in 47 contests, alongside a 32% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 45 contests
last seen 2024-08-23

⚔ Head-to-head

MOVIN' THE CHAINS

#832 of the rated field

1625 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 71
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1662

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2013, 7 years before Stone Cold Grillers's first contest.

rated over 70 contests
last seen 2022-07-01

⚔ Head-to-head

Zoni-Q

#823 of the rated field

1625 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 57
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 58%
Peak: 1649

1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to Stone Cold Grillers)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — Zoni-Q ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 51 contests
last seen 2026-07-11

⚔ Head-to-head

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ	23	3	20	13%	⚔ compare
Shmack Q	19	7	12	37%	⚔ compare
Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que	15	7	8	47%	⚔ compare
T Daddys BBQ	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
UGLY BABY BBQ	12	8	4	67%	⚔ compare
Rudes BBQ	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
Big Ten Bones	11	7	4	64%	⚔ compare
BBQ MIKE	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
Furlongs Smoke & Seafood	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
309 BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
Ishy Links BBQ	10	9	1	90%	⚔ compare
Sugar Shack	10	7	3	70%	⚔ compare
T.J.D. Smokehouse	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
Rusty Pig BBQ	10	6	1	60%	⚔ compare
Loose Cannon BBQ	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	37	15	0	2	175.4172	134.2972	164.18	top 44%
Pork Ribs	43	29	2	10	180.0000 🔥	142.2972	168.02	top 29%
Pork	4	0	0	0	168.5372	155.4056	162.39	top 71%
Brisket	2	0	0	0	170.8228	155.9544	163.39	top 66%

“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
IL	21	1	top 29%
WI	6	0	top 33%
IA	4	0	top 53%
KS	3	0	top 41%
IN	1	0	top 75%
AL	1	0	top 57%
OK	1	0	top 85%
NE	1	0	top 12%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	0	top 81%
Medium (20–39)	25	0	top 31%
Large (40+)	10	1	top 35%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)	5	1	1	top 14%	2025-09-05
Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)	3	2	0	top 40%	2025-08-16
Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	3	6	0	top 43%	2024-06-14
Iowa State BBQ Championship	3	4	0	top 38%	2024-03-29
Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)	2	12	0	top 38%	2024-06-08
Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)	2	8	0	top 30%	2024-06-07
Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown	2	5	0	top 26%	2023-07-14

The story so far (21 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.8 yrs 2020-11-13 → 2025-09-05

Busiest season 2022 14 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 6.4 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IL 25 of 45 contests · 8 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 25 7 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 43 entries · 2 wins · 29 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 168.02 · weakest Pork (162.39)

Walk rate 73% a top-10 call in 33 of 45 contests

Overall top-10 rate 44% 20 of 45 contests

Wins it all 2% 1 Grand Championship · 1 reserve

First title 2022-08-20 Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)

Best top-10 run 5 straight contests — and still running

Master average 670.72 out of 720 · 2 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 336.13 out of 360 · 34 contests · 1 GC

Perfect 180s 1 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 726 1,045–560 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 7,660 42 mapped stops · furthest 618 mi

Schedule strength 1554 average field rating faced — tougher than 41% of rated contests

Purse competed for $146,415 listed at 33 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 14 state-championship entries

Power rating 1625 peak 1625 · #831 of 6,413 rated

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

First tracked contest Honor-Q Competitor's Series
First call Honor-Q Competitor's Series
First category win (Pork Ribs) Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
First overall top-10 Honor-Q Competitor's Series
First overall past 90% of a perfect score330.2400 Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
2021
Aug 13 First overall podium GOBS Que (DAY 1)
Nov 11 10th tracked contest 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Ancillary
2022
Aug 20 First Grand Championship Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
Aug 20 Biggest field won (41 teams) Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
Nov 12 25th tracked contest 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL
2023
Aug 11 Career-best overall score673.0288 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN
Aug 12 First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL
2024
Aug 17 First Reserve Championship Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
2025
Sep 5 Peak power rating (1625) Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
Sep 5 Most recent contest Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.9	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day One)	2022-06-24
+14.4	GOBS Que (DAY 1)	2021-08-13
+12.6	Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)	2024-08-17
+12.5	Iowa State BBQ Championship	2024-03-29
+11.9	Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY)	2022-05-28

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-19.2	Bar-B-QC (Backyard)	2022-09-09
-9.2	Iowa State BBQ Championship (Backyard)	2022-04-01
-7.4	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw	2024-05-17
-7.1	Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)	2023-08-19
-3.7	Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2023-06-17

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)
—	3	0	3	2	100%	top 31%	91.7%	89.6%
2025	3	0	2	0	100%	top 34%	96%	93.8%
2024	7	0	3	0	57%	top 34%	97.3%	93.9%
2023	10	0	3	0	70%	top 46%	142%	99.3%
2022	14	1	6	0	79%	top 35%	94.9%	92.7%
2021	7	0	3	0	71%	top 33%	92.5%	88.6%
2020	1	0	0	0	0%	top 29%	88.7%	88.7%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2025-09-05	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	8 / 38 (335.9544)	5 (172.5600)	15 (163.3944)	—	—
2025-08-16	Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL	10 / 20 (331.4516)	15 (160.5716)	5 (170.8800)	—	—
2025-06-20	Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL	11 / 36 (345.6800)	9 (175.4056)	18 (170.2744)	—	—
2024-08-24	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	4 / 36 (340.5372)	12 (167.4172)	4 (173.1200)	—	—
2024-08-17	Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL	2 / 26 (350.2628)	3 (174.8456)	3 (175.4172)	—	—
2024-06-14	Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL	20 / 40 (329.0512)	29 (160.4912)	13 (168.5600)	—	—
2024-06-08	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI	16 / 37 (329.6344)	21 (160.5028)	7 (169.1316)	—	—
2024-06-07	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI	16 / 41 (334.2512)	14 (169.7028)	18 (164.5484)	—	—
2024-05-17	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw 🏅 Warsaw, IN	24 / 32 (668.4112)	25 (168.5256)	14 (169.1200)	27 (159.9428)	11 (170.8228)
2024-03-29	Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA	4 / 42 (347.9772)	5 (174.8572)	5 (173.1200)	—	—
2023-09-15	Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) unrated Yorkville, IL	15 / 17 (658.7080)	9 (170.8112)	4 (173.1200)	17 (155.4056)	—
2023-09-15	Saluting with Smoke Single Meat - Rib Burn (ONE MEAT RIBS) Yorkville, IL	—	—	22 (161.1088)	—	—
2023-08-19	Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL	20 / 32 (314.1712)	30 (148.4796)	9 (165.6916)	—	—
2023-08-12	5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Mayetta, KS	5 / 29 (353.1200)	17 (173.1200)	3 (180.0000)	—	—
2023-08-11	5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Mayetta, KS	69 / 90 (673.0288)	47 (171.9656)	8 (176.5716)	59 (168.5372)	87 (155.9544)
2023-07-14	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL	8 / 25 (328.4684)	11 (162.2284)	6 (166.2400)	—	—
2023-07-14	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (One Meat Ribs) Eureka, IL	—	—	3 (174.2628)	—	—
2023-06-17	Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL	17 / 33 (326.8000)	22 (160.5256)	13 (166.2744)	—	—
2023-05-27	Westmont Red White & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL	4 / 34 (511.3716)	5 (175.4172)	6 (170.2628)	12 (165.6916)	—
2023-03-31	Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA	14 / 47 (331.9544)	15 (164.5716)	13 (167.3828)	—	—
2022-11-12	4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Gadsden, AL	28 / 49 (334.8000)	34 (166.8228)	20 (167.9772)	—	—
2022-11-11	4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Gadsden, AL	—	—	—	—	—
2022-11-04	Saluting with Smoke Single Meat Rib Burn (ONE MEAT RIBS) Yorkville, IL	—	—	10 (169.6800)	—	—
2022-09-09	Bar-B-QC (Backyard) Davenport, IA	13 / 13 (339.9428)	9 (169.1200)	6 (170.8228)	—	—
2022-08-20	Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	1 / 41 (341.7028)	2 (169.1428)	4 (172.5600)	—	—
2022-07-15	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL	5 / 25 (330.7772)	7 (161.6572)	2 (169.1200)	—	—
2022-07-15	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (One Meat Ribs) Eureka, IL	—	—	12 (169.6800)	—	—
2022-06-24	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day One) 🏅 Belvidere, IL	3 / 36 (336.5028)	5 (168.5372)	4 (167.9656)	—	—
2022-06-17	Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (Backyard) Morris, IL	6 / 23 (333.6800)	4 (171.9772)	11 (161.7028)	—	—
2022-06-11	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI	12 / 37 (332.4684)	24 (157.0512)	4 (175.4172)	—	—
2022-06-10	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI	8 / 39 (333.0856)	17 (160.5256)	3 (172.5600)	—	—
2022-05-28	Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL	3 / 28 (339.3828)	5 (170.8228)	2 (168.5600)	—	—
2022-05-14	BBQ, BLESSINGS & THE VFW (ONE MEAT RIBS) Oconomowoc, WI	—	—	5 (166.2860)	—	—
2022-04-01	Iowa State BBQ Championship (Backyard) Altoona, IA	20 / 27 (316.4916)	24 (149.6572)	10 (166.8344)	—	—
2021-11-12	3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Backyard unrated Shawnee, OK	28 / 33 (329.0284)	29 (163.9428)	20 (165.0856)	—	—
2021-11-11	3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Ancillary unrated Shawnee, OK	—	—	—	—	—
2021-10-16	Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI	11 / 36 (333.1200)	17 (165.1084)	9 (168.0116)	—	—
2021-10-15	Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI	13 / 40 (328.4912)	23 (159.9312)	7 (168.5600)	—	—
2021-08-13	GOBS Que (DAY 1) 🏅 Arlington, NE	3 / 26 (276.5944)	5 (134.2972)	3 (142.2972)	—	—
2021-07-16	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 🏅 Eureka, IL	4 / 25 (325.6228)	4 (159.9428)	2 (165.6800)	—	—
2021-06-25	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day one) 🏅 Belvidere, IL	10 / 49 (321.6116)	10 (162.8000)	12 (158.8116)	—	—
2020-11-13	Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition 🏅 unrated Mayetta, KS	27 / 94 (319.3028)	19 (167.3828)	28 (151.9200)	—	—
	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	4 / 38 (330.2400)	15 (158.2628)	1 (171.9772)	—	—
	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	10 / 39 (314.8004)	25 (145.6460)	1 (169.1544)	—	—
	Honor-Q Competitor's Series unrated Plainfield, IL	5 / 9 (329.6344)	—	8 (165.6800)	—	—

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
2025 ↗	Backyard	#141 (405 pts)	#139 (425 pts)	#159 (375 pts)	—	—
2024 ↗	Backyard	#59 (864 pts)	#84 (714 pts)	#50 (895 pts)	—	—
2024 ↗	Master	#1175 (62 pts)	#1529 (57 pts)	#1118 (112 pts)	#1505 (57 pts)	#899 (127 pts)
2023 ↗	Backyard	—	#110 (569 pts)	#67 (917 pts)	—	—
2023 ↗	Master	#1255 (60 pts)	#1319 (60 pts)	#435 (556 pts)	#1287 (60 pts)	#1296 (60 pts)
2022 ↗	Backyard	—	#36 (945 pts)	#24 (1130 pts)	—	—
2022 ↗	Master	—	—	#732 (269 pts)	—	—
2021 ↗	Backyard	—	#54 (671 pts)	#28 (1035 pts)	—	—