Among the elite
In the top 7% of every rated team in the data
A power rating of 1689 puts them #440 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 7% of the field.
- rating 1689
- peak 1707
- 45 rated contests
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.
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
In the top 7% of every rated team in the data
A power rating of 1689 puts them #440 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 7% of the field.
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork ribs.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 67 times in 100
Their Grand Championship at Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) (2024-09-20) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 33-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, NORALA BBQ TEAM.
Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) is their spot: an average finish in the top 17% across 5 visits.
They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 3 category wins at Grills Gone Wild (2024-02-09).
A call in 40 of 54 contests
A top-10 category call in 74% of their 54 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
They've taken 4 state championships from 27 entries at contests carrying the title.
Smokey Bey's Barbecue has finished one call ahead of Curly Bird BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
2024 was the year it came together: 27 contests, 6 Grand Championships and 10 category wins, at an average finish in the top 28%.
Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.33 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 50% of the time against 75%.
Ahead in 92% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Ambition Que in 11 of their 12 shared contests.
Off the trail for 1.6 years, then back at Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest (2026-06-12).
Field size changes the story: they average a top 21% finish in large fields against top 38% in small ones.
The Smokin Goat has landed one call behind them 2 times.
Their overall swings ±14.67% 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.
Something about March: average finish in the top 25% across 3 contests, versus top 34% the rest of the year.
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 7,934 miles across 54 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,023 miles to Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ.
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.
These two have cooked 6 of the same contests — Curly Bird BBQ ahead 4–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-headThis is the highest they've ever been rated, 33 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head158 contests to 54: their number has had years to settle where Curly Bird BBQ's is still finding its level.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Curly Bird BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir rating is built on 3 Grand Championships in 35 contests, alongside a 60% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-headThey were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Curly Bird BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breaking Slabs BBQ | 18 | 8 | 10 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Swine-O-licious BBQ | 18 | 6 | 12 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Reds Backyard BBQ | 16 | 10 | 6 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bey's Barbecue | 14 | 4 | 10 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 13 | 4 | 9 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| Ambition Que | 12 | 11 | 1 | 92% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoked & Furious | 12 | 7 | 3 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| Aww Shucks BBQ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| MUNNY'S STOVE | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Fluffy Butt BBQ | 12 | 2 | 10 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke 'n Magic | 11 | 8 | 3 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| Bad Influence BBQ - MO | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| BULL IN THE RING | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 47 | 25 | 2 | 6 | 177.7028 | 154.2628 | 167.56 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 53 | 40 | 9 | 21 | 180.0000 🔥 | 147.9540 | 171.21 | top 30% |
| Pork | 12 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 174.2628 | 149.0740 | 163.88 | top 53% |
| Brisket | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 172.5600 | 163.9772 | 169.14 | top 28% |
“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.
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| MO | 14 | 0 | top 27% |
| AL | 9 | 1 | top 35% |
| OK | 9 | 2 | top 51% |
| KS | 6 | 1 | top 39% |
| FL | 3 | 3 | top 5% |
| WI | 2 | 0 | top 17% |
| TN | 2 | 0 | top 43% |
| IA | 1 | 0 | top 41% |
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 13 | 5 | top 38% |
| Medium (20–39) | 24 | 2 | top 36% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 21% |
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) | 5 | 4 | 0 | top 17% | 2024-10-26 |
| Smokin on the Osage (Day 2) | 4 | 3 | 0 | top 21% | 2024-07-20 |
| Smokin on the Route | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 29% | 2023-07-28 |
| Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 37% | 2023-06-09 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.9 | Grills Gone Wild | 2024-02-09 |
| +14.9 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) | 2023-10-28 |
| +14.6 | Harper County Bullseye BBQ - Day 1 | 2023-10-06 |
| +14.4 | Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ | 2024-02-16 |
| +12.2 | Smokin on the Osage (Day 2) | 2024-07-20 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -17.7 | Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest | 2026-06-12 |
| -15.4 | Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) Day 1 | 2022-10-07 |
| -9.2 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-09-27 |
| -7.7 | Boats Beats & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-09-01 |
| -6.7 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-09-13 |
| 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 89% | 91.3% | 91.3% |
| 2024 | 27 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 81% | top 28% | 98.4% | 95.3% |
| 2023 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 75% | top 34% | 144.6% | 106.5% |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50% | top 50% | 138.7% | 104.6% |
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-12 | Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 32 / 36 (657.0744) | 36 (158.2516) | 31 (163.9428) | 31 (163.4284) | 17 (171.4516) |
| 2024-10-26 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 8 / 56 (342.2516) | 6 (172.5716) | 10 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2024-10-25 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 4 / 53 (344.5372) | 8 (173.1200) | 8 (171.4172) | — | — |
| 2024-10-11 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Scottsboro, AL | 3 / 38 (353.7144) | 8 (174.8572) | 1 (178.8572) | — | — |
| 2024-10-04 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 27 / 59 (338.8116) | 29 (169.1200) | 27 (169.6916) | — | — |
| 2024-09-27 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Clanton, AL | 11 / 18 (334.8000) | 9 (168.5372) | 9 (166.2628) | — | — |
| 2024-09-20 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 1 / 18 (354.2744) | 4 (174.2744) | 1 (180.0000) | 4 (171.9656) | — |
| 2024-09-13 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) Guntersville, AL | 19 / 33 (334.7772) | 22 (167.3944) | 18 (167.3828) | — | — |
| 2024-08-24 | Cowchip BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 Beaver, OK | 1 / 2 (342.8684) | 2 (163.4284) | 1 (179.4400) | — | — |
| 2024-08-23 | Cowchip BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Beaver, OK | 1 / 2 (333.6112) | 2 (163.9428) | 1 (169.6684) | — | — |
| 2024-07-20 | Smokin on the Osage (Day 2) 🏅 Osceola, MO | 3 / 33 (354.2744) | 4 (175.4172) | 3 (178.8572) | — | — |
| 2024-07-19 | Smokin on the Osage (Day 1) 🏅 Osceola, MO | 5 / 37 (339.9428) | 10 (166.8228) | 1 (173.1200) | — | — |
| 2024-07-19 | Smokin on the Osage (ONE MEAT RIBS) Osceola, MO | — | — | 11 (170.8228) | — | — |
| 2024-07-12 | Saucy and Glazed 🏅 Newton, KS | 4 / 12 (336.5144) | 4 (167.3828) | 3 (169.1316) | — | — |
| 2024-06-21 | Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA | 7 / 17 (334.2512) | 6 (167.9656) | 8 (166.2856) | — | — |
| 2024-06-08 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 10 / 37 (337.6340) | 13 (166.8112) | 3 (170.8228) | — | — |
| 2024-06-07 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 3 / 41 (347.4172) | 10 (171.4172) | 2 (176.0000) | — | — |
| 2024-06-07 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 3 (171.4172) | — | — |
| 2024-05-25 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN | 13 / 47 (346.2284) | 22 (173.1084) | 13 (173.1200) | — | — |
| 2024-05-24 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024-05-17 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 23 / 39 (334.7656) | 31 (162.8000) | 8 (171.9656) | — | — |
| 2024-05-04 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 Oneonta, AL | 12 / 20 (337.6456) | 16 (165.6684) | 9 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2024-05-03 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Oneonta, AL | 6 / 27 (343.9544) | 5 (174.2744) | 10 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2024-04-26 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 10 / 40 (345.0856) | 15 (171.9656) | 9 (173.1200) | — | — |
| 2024-03-22 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 10 / 38 (342.2400) | 25 (166.8228) | 5 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2024-03-16 | Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds 🏅 Dover, FL | 1 / 15 (351.9772) | 1 (177.7028) | 2 (174.2744) | 2 (174.2628) | 3 (169.1428) |
| 2024-02-16 | Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ 🏅 Haines City, FL | 1 / 29 (347.9772) | 4 (169.1200) | 1 (178.8572) | 3 (170.2512) | 2 (168.5600) |
| 2024-02-09 | Grills Gone Wild 🏅 Davenport, FL | 1 / 28 (353.7144) | 1 (174.8572) | 1 (178.8572) | 3 (167.9772) | 1 (172.5600) |
| 2023-10-28 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 4 / 40 (348.5372) | 13 (169.6800) | 3 (178.8572) | — | — |
| 2023-10-28 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Oak Grove, MO | — | — | 22 (167.4172) | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 14 / 47 (334.2516) | 15 (166.8344) | 11 (167.4172) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Rock Island BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Stover, MO | 9 / 16 (489.1428) | 7 (160.0344) | 8 (166.2972) | 9 (162.8112) | — |
| 2023-10-06 | Harper County Bullseye BBQ - Day 1 🏅 Harper, KS | 1 / 11 (345.0856) | 2 (169.6684) | 1 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2023-09-15 | Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cook-Off 🏅 Ponca City, OK | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023-09-15 | Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Ponca City, OK | — | — | 5 (171.4172) | — | — |
| 2023-09-08 | Car-B-Que (BACKYARD ONLY) Belton, MO | 4 / 11 (346.8228) | 3 (171.4056) | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2023-09-01 | Boats Beats & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Grove, OK | 13 / 17 (489.6232) | 15 (154.8116) | 1 (178.8572) | 17 (155.9544) | — |
| 2023-08-04 | Que' For a Cause Tahlequah, OK | 12 / 36 (341.6572) | 20 (167.3944) | 7 (174.2628) | — | — |
| 2023-08-04 | Que' For a Cause (ONE MEAT RIBS) Tahlequah, OK | — | — | 2 (176.0116) | — | — |
| 2023-07-28 | Smokin on the Route 🏅 Miami, OK | 6 / 29 (342.8228) | 5 (173.1428) | 8 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2023-07-22 | Smokin on the Osage (Day 2) 🏅 Osceola, MO | 6 / 28 (520.5256) | 7 (174.2628) | 2 (178.2972) | 12 (167.9656) | — |
| 2023-07-21 | Smokin on the Osage (Day 1) 🏅 Osceola, MO | 13 / 31 (497.6460) | 15 (162.8000) | 9 (170.2744) | 10 (164.5716) | — |
| 2023-07-07 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Cameron, MO | 14 / 30 (334.7540) | 13 (167.3712) | 12 (167.3828) | — | — |
| 2023-07-07 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Cameron, MO | — | — | 28 (159.3832) | — | — |
| 2023-06-09 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 7 / 32 (335.9544) | 7 (167.3828) | 6 (168.5716) | — | — |
| 2023-05-12 | City of Springs BBQ Championship 🏅 Sulphur, OK | 5 / 16 (342.2744) | 6 (168.5600) | 3 (173.7144) | — | — |
| 2023-04-21 | Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition 🏅 Derby, KS | 8 / 28 (348.5600) | 12 (172.0000) | 4 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2023-03-24 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 15 / 37 (334.8572) | 28 (160.5828) | 3 (174.2744) | — | — |
| 2022-10-29 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship Day 2 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 8 / 32 (330.2056) | 9 (155.9428) | 4 (174.2628) | — | — |
| 2022-10-28 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 10 / 40 (336.0000) | 15 (162.2972) | 4 (173.7028) | — | — |
| 2022-10-08 | Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) Day 2 Tahlequah, OK | 20 / 32 (499.3600) | 14 (170.2628) | 21 (166.2284) | 23 (162.8688) | — |
| 2022-10-07 | Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) Day 1 Tahlequah, OK | 32 / 32 (473.0740) | 29 (158.2972) | 20 (165.7028) | 31 (149.0740) | — |
| 2022-07-29 | Smokin on the Route 🏅 Miami, OK | 7 / 19 (309.7256) | 6 (154.2628) | 7 (155.4628) | — | — |
| 2022-06-10 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 15 / 29 (311.3712) | 13 (163.4172) | 16 (147.9540) | 26 (155.3828) | 18 (163.9772) |
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #927 (60 pts) | #1010 (60 pts) | #1051 (60 pts) | #970 (60 pts) | #864 (100 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #5 (1293 pts) | #17 (1160 pts) | #3 (1331 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | — | #623 (334 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #63 (891 pts) | #13 (1244 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #460 (531 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #89 (528 pts) | #77 (673 pts) | — | — |