Backroad BBQ IA
Rating
1517
peak 1527 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
2023-03-31
latest 2025-07-18
Best ToY finish
#163
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
1
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 48%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
335.50 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 333.48 (+2.02)
Walk rate
60%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.35
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 168.38 · weakest Pork (158.93)
Road miles
1100
mi across 10 mapped stops · furthest 207 mi
Schedule strength
57%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1552)
Purse competed for
$95K
listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
GCs in 10 state-championship entries
Master avg
661.58 / 720
4 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
333.48 / 360
6 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.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Cross Cut BBQ has finished one call ahead of Backroad BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
⚔️ A tough matchup
HOT DADDY'S BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 9 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Smokin Suckers in 5 of their 7 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Tri City BBQ Fest is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 32-team field at Tri City BBQ Fest.
Teams like this (closest power rating, IA first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucknutz BBQ | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| TEAM CRAWFORD | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin Suckers | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEHOUSE 72 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Pit Bros | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 6 | 4 | 1 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin A BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| GRILLIN' GRINDES | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| WHEN PIGS DIE | 5 | 3 | 1 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Low Eye Que | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 174.8456 | 162.2284 | 168.38 | top 38% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 173.1544 | 159.4060 | 166.44 | top 45% |
| Pork | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.9544 | 155.9544 | 158.93 | top 74% |
| Brisket | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.2628 | 161.6572 | 165.10 | top 52% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA | 9 | 1 | top 51% |
| MN | 1 | 0 | top 22% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 1 | top 50% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 46% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State BBQ Championship | 3 | 21 | 0 | top 54% | 2025-04-04 |
| Tri City BBQ Fest | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 10% | 2024-09-20 |
| Shenandoah ShenDig | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 70% | 2025-07-18 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2024 (4 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IA (9 of 10 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (10 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Tri City BBQ Fest (2023-09-15)
- Wins it all in 10% of contests
- Average Master overall score: 661.58 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 333.48 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2023-03-31 — First tracked contest · Iowa State BBQ Championship
- 📣 2023-09-15 — First call · Tri City BBQ Fest
- 🏆 2023-09-15 — First Grand Championship · Tri City BBQ Fest
- ⭐ 2024-07-19 — Career-best overall score (675.3488) · Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ
- 📈 2024-09-20 — Peak power rating (1527) · Tri City BBQ Fest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.9 | Tri City BBQ Fest | 2023-09-15 |
| +10.4 | Tri City BBQ Fest | 2024-09-20 |
| +9.9 | Minnesota in May | 2024-05-10 |
| +1 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2023-03-31 |
| +1 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2024-03-29 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -5.4 | Shenandoah ShenDig | 2025-07-18 |
| -5.4 | Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ | 2023-06-30 |
| -4.2 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2025-04-04 |
| -4 | Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ | 2024-07-19 |
| -3.9 | Shenandoah ShenDig | 2023-07-21 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 67% | 93.5% | 92.1% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 40% | 94.8% | 93.4% |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25% | top 47% | 95.6% | 91.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-18 | Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA | 22 / 30 (673.0400) | 19 (169.7028) | 10 (173.1544) | 27 (163.9544) | 17 (166.2284) |
| 2025-04-04 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 30 / 49 (326.2404) | 24 (166.8344) | 32 (159.4060) | — | — |
| 2024-09-20 | Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 5 / 30 (332.5028) | 7 (162.2284) | 4 (170.2744) | — | — |
| 2024-07-19 | Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ 🏅 Shenandoah, IA | 23 / 36 (675.3488) | 8 (173.7144) | 14 (173.1200) | 32 (158.2516) | 15 (170.2628) |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 13 / 58 (341.1084) | 6 (174.8456) | 20 (166.2628) | 13 (155.9772) | — |
| 2024-03-29 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 24 / 42 (333.6688) | 10 (171.9772) | 35 (161.6916) | — | — |
| 2023-09-15 | Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 1 / 32 (344.0000) | 4 (170.8456) | 2 (173.1544) | — | — |
| 2023-07-21 | Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA | 25 / 37 (643.8056) | 26 (163.3828) | 25 (162.2284) | 33 (155.9544) | 20 (162.2400) |
| 2023-06-30 | Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ 🏅 Council Bluffs, IA | 16 / 22 (654.1260) | 15 (167.3944) | 12 (164.5600) | 18 (160.5144) | 12 (161.6572) |
| 2023-03-31 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 21 / 47 (323.3716) | 18 (162.8344) | 26 (160.5372) | — | — |
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 | #368 (60 pts) | #369 (65 pts) | #380 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1108 (70 pts) | #1131 (85 pts) | #983 (130 pts) | #1451 (55 pts) | #1058 (95 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #163 (344 pts) | #141 (449 pts) | #168 (329 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1136 (70 pts) | #879 (155 pts) | #1105 (115 pts) | #1231 (60 pts) | #1011 (110 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #174 (273 pts) | #172 (288 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #852 (152 pts) | #903 (157 pts) | #944 (172 pts) | #912 (142 pts) | #789 (197 pts) |