DAWGS BBQ MN
Rating
Best runs
Contests
First seen
Best ToY finish
Grand champs
Category wins
Overall top-10s
Avg finish
Perfect 180s
Current form
Walk rate
Top-10 streak
Consistency
Strongest meat
Road miles
Schedule strength
Purse competed for
State championships
Master avg
Backyard avg
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.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
SMOKEY GQ has finished one call ahead of DAWGS BBQ 4 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Big Ten Bones has landed one call behind them 6 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Wrecking Crew BBQ has come out ahead in 22 of their 25 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Big Bear BBQ in 21 of their 25 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) is their spot: 2 Grand Championships in 3 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 2.2856 points of the Grand Championship at Minnesota in May (2025-05-09).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 42-team field at Iowa State BBQ Championship.
📅 A April team
Something about April: average finish in the top 18% across 4 contests, versus top 32% the rest of the year.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) (2024-07-05) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 29-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Furlongs Smoke & Seafood.
Teams like this (closest power rating, MN first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensuous BBQ | 43 | 15 | 28 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| FENDER BENDER BBQ | 39 | 22 | 17 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 38 | 19 | 19 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Ten Bones | 34 | 18 | 16 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 31 | 17 | 13 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | 29 | 10 | 19 | 34% | ⚔ compare |
| Porket About It | 27 | 12 | 15 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| DAD BOD BARBEQUE | 26 | 13 | 13 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Bear BBQ | 25 | 21 | 4 | 84% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 25 | 7 | 16 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| Wrecking Crew BBQ | 25 | 3 | 22 | 12% | ⚔ compare |
| Lucky Shoes BBQ | 24 | 18 | 6 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 24 | 5 | 19 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| T Daddys BBQ | 23 | 11 | 12 | 48% | ⚔ compare |
| Sugar Shack | 22 | 15 | 6 | 68% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 61 | 38 | 6 | 16 | 180.0000 🔥 | 153.6800 | 171.39 | top 31% |
| Pork Ribs | 73 | 36 | 2 | 8 | 180.0000 🔥 | 155.3600 | 167.81 | top 42% |
| Pork | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 176.5716 | 166.2628 | 172.13 | top 43% |
| Brisket | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.2628 | 166.8228 | 168.16 | top 73% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MN | 20 | 1 | top 33% |
| WI | 18 | 3 | top 34% |
| IA | 13 | 2 | top 33% |
| MO | 7 | 1 | top 18% |
| KS | 2 | 0 | top 53% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 14 | 1 | top 37% |
| Medium (20–39) | 29 | 5 | top 34% |
| Large (40+) | 17 | 1 | top 25% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2023 (18 contests)
- Cooks mostly in MN (27 of 76 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (73 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Art of the Que (2023-07-07)
- Wins it all in 9% of contests
- Average Master overall score: 683.62 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 344.71 / 360
- 6 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Milestones
- 🚩 2021-10-15 — First tracked contest · Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD)
- 📣 2021-10-15 — First call · Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD)
- 🔥 2022-10-29 — First perfect 180 (Chicken) · Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship Day 2
- 🏆 2023-07-07 — First Grand Championship · Art of the Que
- 🎖️ 2023-07-07 — 25th tracked contest · Art of the Que
- ⭐ 2023-08-11 — Career-best overall score (687.9316) · 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN
- 🎖️ 2025-05-09 — 50th tracked contest · Minnesota in May
- 📈 2026-07-17 — Peak power rating (1740) · Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.7 | Art of the Que | 2023-07-07 |
| +14.9 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-07-05 |
| +14.3 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-10-14 |
| +12.6 | Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD) | 2022-07-15 |
| +12.6 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2025-06-14 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.2 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD) | 2021-10-16 |
| -9.1 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2024-03-29 |
| -8.6 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-07-21 |
| -7.3 | Cruisin' and BBQin' | 2026-07-31 |
| -7.3 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 2026-07-18 |
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 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 81% | top 22% | 188.4% | 102.8% |
| 2025 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 79% | top 31% | 98.3% | 94.8% |
| 2024 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 80% | top 25% | 97.5% | 94.9% |
| 2023 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 39% | top 40% | 95.5% | 93.2% |
| 2022 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 69% | top 36% | 97% | 92.7% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 68% | 90.3% | 89.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-15 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 10 / 18 (341.0856) | 9 (170.8228) | 13 (170.2628) | — | — |
| 2026-08-07 | Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY) Montevideo, MN | 2 / 14 (348.5488) | 5 (171.9888) | 3 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Cruisin' and BBQin' 🏅 Hampton, IA | 11 / 26 (334.8000) | 5 (170.8572) | 14 (163.9428) | — | — |
| 2026-07-18 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 15 / 28 (338.8116) | 18 (168.5372) | 14 (170.2744) | — | — |
| 2026-07-17 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 8 / 27 (345.0972) | 6 (174.2628) | 14 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2026-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 37 (342.8116) | 9 (170.8344) | 5 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 6 / 40 (345.7144) | 14 (171.4172) | 5 (174.2972) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 10 (173.1316) | — | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Owatonna, MN | 1 / 25 (356.5600) | 1 (180.0000) | 1 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) Chippewa Falls, WI | 6 / 21 (339.9772) | 10 (166.2628) | 3 (173.7144) | — | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 4 / 77 (345.6800) | 7 (170.8228) | 5 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 14 (170.2628) | — | — |
| 2026-05-01 | SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL) 🏅 Cambridge, IA | 7 / 17 (678.1944) | 14 (171.9772) | 18 (168.5600) | 15 (170.2744) | 18 (167.3828) |
| 2026-04-24 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 1 / 24 (352.0000) | 1 (180.0000) | 6 (172.0000) | — | — |
| 2026-04-03 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 1 / 42 (360.0000) | 1 (180.0000) | 1 (180.0000) | — | — |
| 2026-03-20 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 1 / 33 (353.1084) | 2 (180.0000) | 7 (173.1084) | — | — |
| 2025-08-16 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 7 / 17 (338.2056) | 9 (168.5256) | 6 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2025-07-12 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 6 / 16 (344.5256) | 1 (179.4400) | 13 (165.0856) | — | — |
| 2025-07-11 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 3 / 18 (347.9772) | 4 (174.2628) | 2 (173.7144) | 2 (175.4056) | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) Spencer, IA | 6 / 17 (334.2516) | 6 (169.1200) | 7 (165.1316) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) 🏅 Spencer, IA | 8 / 15 (333.6804) | 3 (173.1316) | 14 (160.5488) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (One Meat Ribs) Spencer, IA | — | — | 8 (170.2628) | — | — |
| 2025-06-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 1 / 36 (353.7144) | 2 (178.8572) | 3 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 20 / 36 (335.9888) | 25 (167.4056) | 17 (168.5832) | — | — |
| 2025-05-30 | Smokin' in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 9 / 28 (339.4628) | 5 (172.0228) | 13 (167.4400) | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 2 / 58 (348.5716) | 3 (177.1544) | 9 (171.4172) | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 12 (172.0116) | — | — |
| 2025-04-25 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 12 / 24 (330.8000) | 17 (161.6800) | 7 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2025-04-04 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 7 / 49 (345.6800) | 17 (170.8228) | 7 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2024-10-26 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 5 / 56 (345.6916) | 7 (172.5600) | 3 (173.1316) | — | — |
| 2024-10-25 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 5 / 53 (343.9772) | 2 (177.7144) | 11 (166.2628) | — | — |
| 2024-09-07 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 4 / 18 (337.0856) | 3 (176.5600) | 10 (160.5256) | — | — |
| 2024-08-17 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 3 / 18 (342.8800) | 2 (173.7256) | 4 (169.1544) | — | — |
| 2024-07-12 | KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off 🏅 Worthington, MN | 14 / 34 (679.3140) | 13 (174.2628) | 11 (171.9656) | 21 (166.2628) | 22 (166.8228) |
| 2024-07-12 | KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Worthington, MN | — | — | 7 (172.0000) | — | — |
| 2024-07-05 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 1 / 16 (350.8572) | 2 (175.4172) | 2 (175.4400) | — | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 8 / 58 (343.4172) | 7 (174.2972) | 14 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 5 (174.8800) | — | — |
| 2024-03-29 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 33 / 42 (329.0512) | 30 (165.6684) | 33 (163.3828) | — | — |
| 2023-10-28 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Oak Grove, MO | — | 18 (170.2512) | — | — | — |
| 2023-10-28 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 15 / 40 (333.0396) | 16 (163.3712) | 10 (169.6684) | — | — |
| 2023-10-28 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Oak Grove, MO | — | — | 13 (169.6916) | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 12 / 47 (337.0512) | 14 (167.3712) | 8 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2023-10-15 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 14 / 24 (333.6456) | 19 (165.6684) | 13 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 10 / 21 (335.3716) | 7 (171.9772) | 18 (163.3944) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 21 (165.1088) | — | — |
| 2023-09-09 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 12 / 30 (338.2172) | 4 (175.4056) | 19 (162.8116) | — | — |
| 2023-08-12 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL Mayetta, KS | 19 / 29 (342.8228) | 15 (173.1428) | 21 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2023-08-11 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN Mayetta, KS | 37 / 90 (687.9316) | 43 (172.5484) | 64 (168.5488) | 11 (176.5716) | 44 (170.2628) |
| 2023-07-21 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 11 / 15 (327.3484) | 6 (171.9884) | 14 (155.3600) | — | — |
| 2023-07-07 | Art of the Que 🏅 Spencer, IA | 1 / 28 (343.9656) | 2 (174.8456) | 5 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2023-06-10 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 19 / 40 (324.4684) | 11 (167.3828) | 22 (157.0856) | — | — |
| 2023-06-09 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 14 / 43 (327.3372) | 13 (167.3828) | 19 (159.9544) | — | — |
| 2023-06-09 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 17 (166.2632) | — | — |
| 2023-06-02 | Smokin in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 7 / 29 (339.9428) | 4 (174.2628) | 9 (165.6800) | — | — |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 13 / 59 (335.9084) | 16 (166.2284) | 11 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 43 (157.7144) | — | — |
| 2022-10-29 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship Day 2 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 6 / 32 (338.2284) | 1 (180.0000) | 8 (158.2284) | — | — |
| 2022-10-28 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship 🏅 Oak Grove, MO | 9 / 40 (338.2284) | 6 (172.5484) | 12 (165.6800) | — | — |
| 2022-10-28 | Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Oak Grove, MO | — | — | 11 (173.1200) | — | — |
| 2022-10-15 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 4 / 20 (340.5600) | 1 (177.1428) | 17 (163.4172) | — | — |
| 2022-10-15 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (One Meat Ribs) West Salem, WI | — | — | 5 (165.7144) | — | — |
| 2022-10-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 3 / 22 (341.6456) | 5 (170.8228) | 4 (170.8228) | — | — |
| 2022-09-10 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 12 / 30 (336.5372) | 5 (173.7028) | 18 (162.8344) | — | — |
| 2022-08-05 | B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 14 / 21 (327.9428) | 7 (171.4056) | 16 (156.5372) | — | — |
| 2022-07-22 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 10 / 13 (333.6800) | 6 (171.4400) | 8 (162.2400) | — | — |
| 2022-07-15 | Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD) Bancroft, IA | 3 / 14 (349.1200) | 2 (178.8572) | 7 (170.2628) | — | — |
| 2022-06-11 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 18 / 37 (325.6228) | 11 (170.2628) | 23 (155.3600) | — | — |
| 2022-06-10 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 15 / 39 (321.6460) | 15 (163.9772) | 17 (157.6688) | — | — |
| 2022-06-03 | Smokin in Steele (Master & Backyard Contest) 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 9 / 33 (319.3944) | 14 (153.6800) | 4 (165.7144) | — | — |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (Backyard) Cambridge, MN | 13 / 38 (331.3944) | 22 (164.5372) | 10 (166.8572) | — | — |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) Cambridge, MN | — | — | 22 (162.2400) | — | — |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (Masters) 🏅 Cambridge, MN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-10-16 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 32 / 36 (316.5140) | 34 (154.8228) | 23 (161.6912) | — | — |
| 2021-10-15 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 19 / 40 (325.1428) | 24 (159.4400) | 10 (165.7028) | — | — |
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 ↗ | Backyard | #1 🏆 (1356 pts) | #4 (1259 pts) | #12 (1180 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #599 (245 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #31 (1081 pts) | #25 (1166 pts) | #48 (950 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | #712 (257 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #33 (1006 pts) | #23 (1108 pts) | #43 (950 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #959 (114 pts) | #1021 (119 pts) | #517 (457 pts) | #1155 (79 pts) | #1151 (74 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #54 (954 pts) | #98 (683 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1255 (60 pts) | #932 (148 pts) | #558 (397 pts) | #950 (130 pts) | #1296 (60 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #23 (1121 pts) | #59 (775 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #185 (125 pts) | #126 (205 pts) | — | — |