E SQUARED BBQ

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

Power ranking

#862

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1620

peak 1620 · rated over 27 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2023-08-04

latest 2026-08-28

Best ToY finish

#23

Backyard 2025

Grand champs

3 reserve

Category wins

13 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 41 contests

Avg finish

top 47%

overall standings

Best overall

688.4800 / 720

Master · 23rd Annual Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition

Perfect 180s

Current form

341.31

last 5 Backyard vs avg 341.38 (-0.07)

Walk rate

51%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.8572

Chicken · Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 2)

Consistency

±6.92

std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 171.27 · weakest Brisket (166.43)

Road miles

7,563

mi across 41 mapped stops · furthest 673 mi

Schedule strength

71%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1589)

Purse competed for

$153K

listed at 30 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

GCs in 16 state-championship entries

Master avg

670.11 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

341.38 / 360

22 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 (18 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

1.1660 points from the title

Came within 1.1660 points of the Grand Championship at Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 2) (2025-07-19).

Giant slayer

32 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 32-team field at Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1).

2025-07-18

Happy hunting ground

1× Grand Championships here

Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 2) is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 1st
average top 5%

A multi-meat day

1 contests with 2+ category wins

They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1) (2025-07-18).

Chicken 1st
Pork Ribs 1st

High-water mark

688.4800 career-best overall

95.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 688.4800 at 23rd Annual Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition — 95.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
2024-06-14

State champions

1 state championships won

They've taken 1 state championship from 16 entries at contests carrying the title.

16 state-championship entries

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Big Bear BBQ has finished one call ahead of E SQUARED BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2025 1 Grand Championship

2025 was the year it came together: 23 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 5 category wins, at an average finish in the top 37%.

23 contests
9 overall top-10s
5 category wins
average top 37%

A tough matchup

13–5 behind in the head-to-head

Rudes BBQ ahead in 72% of their meetings

Rudes BBQ has come out ahead in 13 of their 18 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.84 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 20% of the time against 32%.

Brisket avg 166.43
Chicken avg 171.27
2 calls in 10 entries

A strong matchup

6–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of T-Dawg BBQ in 6 of their 8 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

14 of 19 shared chicken entries lost

Rudes BBQ ahead 74% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Rudes BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 19 shared chicken entries.

Always the bridesmaid

3 reserve championships

Runner-up for the whole thing 3 times against 1 Grand Championship — close enough to touch it, over and over.

1 Grand Championship
41 contests

Built for the big stage

Top 55% average finish in large fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 55% finish in large fields against top 65% in small ones.

Large (40+): top 55% (10)
Small (<20 teams): top 65% (6)

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

Sensuous BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.

A March team

Top 26% average finish in March

Something about March: average finish in the top 26% across 4 contests, versus top 47% the rest of the year.

4 March contests
top 47% the rest of the year

The long haul

7,563 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 7,563 miles across 41 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 673 miles to Art of the Que (Backyard 2).

41 mapped stops
furthest 673 mi

The metronome

±1.90% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.90% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 94.3% of a perfect score
41 contests

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.

THE GREAT PIG IN THE SKY

#864 of the rated field

1620 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 58%
Peak: 1639

2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to E SQUARED BBQ)

These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 28 contests
last seen 2025-06-27

⚔ Head-to-head

MUTTS & BUTTS BARK-BQ

#863 of the rated field

1620 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1624

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before E SQUARED BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 27 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

CycloneBBQ

#861 of the rated field

1620 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1620

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 38 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 38 contests
last seen 2025-08-23

⚔ Head-to-head

Meat Monarchy

#859 of the rated field

1621 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 47
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1622

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 47 contests to 41, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 45 contests
last seen 2026-08-15

⚔ Head-to-head

Bubba Q

#860 of the rated field

1620 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 71
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 46%
Peak: 1689

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 3 Grand Championships in 71 contests, alongside a 46% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 70 contests
last seen 2022-08-12

⚔ Head-to-head

Broken Bottle BBQ

#868 of the rated field

1620 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 45
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1632

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to E SQUARED BBQ)

They were already cooking in 2015, 8 years before E SQUARED BBQ's first contest.

rated over 45 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Rudes BBQ	18	5	13	28%	⚔ compare
WHEN PIGS DIE	14	9	5	64%	⚔ compare
MAN MEAT BBQ	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
BBQ Pit Bros	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
SmoQued On Main St	12	7	5	58%	⚔ compare
Can Country Outlaw BBQ	12	4	7	33%	⚔ compare
TEAM CRAWFORD	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
JANKY LEG BBQ	12	3	8	25%	⚔ compare
Kermit's Ex	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
Bramble BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
BBQ MIKE	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
Wapatui Smokers	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
Son of a Boar BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	34	11	4	6	178.8572	162.2400	171.27	top 46%
Pork Ribs	37	17	1	6	177.7144	155.4172	168.70	top 46%
Pork	11	1	1	1	177.7372	160.0000	167.82	top 62%
Brisket	10	2	0	0	173.1200	158.7884	166.43	top 59%

“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	0	top 61%
MO	8	1	top 26%
IL	6	0	top 29%
TN	6	0	top 66%
WI	2	0	top 36%
KS	1	0	top 30%
OK	1	0	top 89%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	6	0	top 65%
Medium (20–39)	16	1	top 34%
Large (40+)	10	0	top 55%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)	3	2	0	top 14%	2026-08-28
Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge	3	2	0	top 22%	2026-03-27
Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 2)	2	1	1	top 5%	2025-07-19
Iowa State BBQ Championship	2	6	0	top 28%	2026-04-03
Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2)	2	13	0	top 80%	2025-07-12
Art of the Que (Backyard 2)	2	11	0	top 72%	2025-06-27
7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025)	2	20	0	top 53%	2025-05-25

The story so far (20 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3.1 yrs 2023-08-04 → 2026-08-28

Busiest season 2025 23 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 10.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in TN 10 of 41 contests · 7 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 24 7 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 37 entries · 1 win · 17 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 171.27 · weakest Brisket (166.43)

Walk rate 51% a top-10 call in 21 of 41 contests

Overall top-10 rate 29% 12 of 41 contests

Wins it all 2% 1 Grand Championship · 3 reserve

First title 2025-07-18 Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1)

Best top-10 run 4 straight contests

Master average 670.11 out of 720 · 10 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 341.38 out of 360 · 22 contests · 1 GC

Opponents faced 755 896–851 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 7,563 41 mapped stops · furthest 673 mi

Schedule strength 1589 average field rating faced — tougher than 71% of rated contests

Purse competed for $153,390 listed at 30 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 1 from 16 state-championship entries

Power rating 1620 peak 1620 · #862 of 6,413 rated

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

2023
Aug 4 First tracked contest Que' For a Cause
Aug 4 First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.7316 Que' For a Cause
Aug 25 First call Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)
Aug 25 First category win (Chicken) Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)
Aug 25 First overall top-10 Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)
2024
Jun 14 Career-best overall score688.4800 23rd Annual Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition
Jun 21 10th tracked contest The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
2025
Mar 28 First overall podium Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 1)
Mar 29 First Reserve Championship Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 2)
Jun 27 25th tracked contest Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1)
Jul 18 First Grand Championship Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1)
Jul 18 First state championship Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1)
Jul 18 First multi-meat day Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1)
Jul 18 Biggest field won (32 teams) Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1)
Jul 19 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8572 Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 2)
2026
Aug 28 Peak power rating (1620) Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)
Aug 28 Most recent contest Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18	Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1)	2025-07-18
+16.5	Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 2)	2025-03-29
+15.8	Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 1)	2025-03-28
+15.7	Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 2)	2025-07-19
+13.7	Iowa State BBQ Championship	2025-04-04

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.4	Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2)	2025-07-12
-9.2	Que' For a Cause	2023-08-04
-9.1	Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1)	2025-07-11
-8.5	King of the Corn	2024-05-17
-6.6	Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1)	2025-06-27

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	7	0	1	0	29%	top 48%	96.7%	94.4%
2025	23	1	9	5	57%	top 37%	97.8%	94.7%
2024	7	0	1	0	57%	top 63%	95.6%	93.2%
2023	4	0	1	1	50%	top 60%	95.4%	94%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-08-28	Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL	2 / 16 (347.9656)	4 (172.5600)	3 (175.4056)	—	—
2026-05-24	8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN	35 / 82 (338.2288)	31 (170.8344)	34 (167.3944)	—	—
2026-05-23	8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN	112 / 117 (662.6856)	81 (170.2744)	112 (162.8000)	64 (170.8228)	113 (158.7884)
2026-05-22	8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Chicken Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN	—	66 (167.4172)	—	—	—
2026-05-22	8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN	—	—	8 (177.7028)	—	—
2026-04-03	Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA	18 / 42 (339.3600)	20 (169.6800)	14 (169.6800)	—	—
2026-03-27	Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge 🏅 St. Robert, MO	12 / 26 (341.6456)	12 (170.8228)	12 (170.8228)	—	—
2025-09-05	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	6 / 38 (339.3716)	7 (169.6800)	9 (169.6916)	—	—
2025-08-31	Smokin Ghost BBQ Rib Double Dip 2 (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL	—	—	4 (170.3088)	—	—
2025-08-31	Smokin Ghost BBQ Rib Double Dip 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL	—	—	11 (166.2400)	—	—
2025-08-22	Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL	3 / 31 (349.6800)	12 (174.2628)	3 (175.4172)	—	—
2025-07-19	Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 2) 🏅 Osceola, MO	2 / 28 (351.4172)	1 (178.8572)	3 (172.5600)	—	—
2025-07-18	Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1) 🏅 Osceola, MO	1 / 32 (351.9888)	1 (174.2744)	1 (177.7144)	—	—
2025-07-12	Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA	13 / 16 (335.3716)	13 (169.6800)	11 (165.6916)	—	—
2025-07-11	Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA	14 / 18 (327.3716)	14 (167.3944)	17 (159.9772)	1 (177.7372)	—
2025-06-27	Art of the Que (Backyard 2) Spencer, IA	11 / 17 (330.2172)	11 (166.8228)	11 (163.3944)	—	—
2025-06-27	Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) 🏅 Spencer, IA	12 / 15 (327.9200)	13 (162.2400)	9 (165.6800)	—	—
2025-06-20	Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL	15 / 36 (341.0972)	15 (169.6800)	14 (171.4172)	—	—
2025-06-14	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI	10 / 36 (337.6684)	13 (169.6684)	11 (168.0000)	—	—
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	16 / 36 (338.8116)	10 (173.1200)	26 (165.6916)	—	—
2025-05-25	7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN	20 / 70 (343.9544)	27 (170.8344)	19 (173.1200)	—	—
2025-05-24	7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Saturday, May 24, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN	82 / 106 (675.2912)	94 (167.3828)	71 (169.6800)	94 (165.1200)	43 (173.1084)
2025-05-23	7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Chicken (Friday, May 23, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN	—	32 (169.6800)	—	—	—
2025-05-23	7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Ribs (Friday, May 23, 2025) unrated Lebanon, TN	—	—	9 (174.2860)	—	—
2025-04-04	Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA	6 / 49 (347.3944)	15 (170.8228)	3 (176.5716)	—	—
2025-03-29	Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 2) 🏅 St. Robert, MO	2 / 25 (350.8344)	2 (178.8572)	3 (171.9772)	—	—
2025-03-28	Kickin' It Route 66 Barbecue Challenge (Day 1) 🏅 St. Robert, MO	3 / 27 (345.1088)	1 (177.7144)	7 (167.3944)	—	—
2025-03-21	American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO	13 / 33 (341.6456)	21 (167.3828)	8 (174.2628)	—	—
2025-03-21	American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off Kansas City, MO	6 (173.1316)	—	—	—	—
2024-07-26	8th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest 🏅 Emmetsburg, IA	20 / 28 (669.5656)	23 (165.0972)	13 (167.9772)	20 (166.2284)	10 (170.2628)
2024-06-21	The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS	51 / 172 (666.7772)	13 (176.5600)	130 (155.4172)	54 (167.9772)	51 (166.8228)
2024-06-14	23rd Annual Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA	7 / 25 (688.4800)	8 (172.5600)	9 (171.9772)	14 (170.8228)	6 (173.1200)
2024-05-25	6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN	32 / 47 (339.9428)	42 (166.2284)	9 (173.7144)	—	—
2024-05-24	6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Lebanon, TN	101 / 118 (666.6972)	69 (171.9772)	117 (155.9200)	58 (171.4172)	81 (167.3828)
2024-05-17	King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA	32 / 36 (658.1828)	20 (170.8228)	33 (162.8000)	31 (160.0000)	24 (164.5600)
2024-04-26	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	31 / 44 (669.0060)	3 (178.8572)	32 (166.2516)	39 (161.6572)	34 (162.2400)
2023-09-16	Saluting with Smoke - Honor Q Reboot 🏅 Yorkville, IL	13 / 18 (677.6800)	9 (174.8572)	10 (168.5256)	12 (169.1200)	12 (165.1772)
2023-09-15	Saluting with Smoke Single Meat - Rib Burn (ONE MEAT RIBS) Yorkville, IL	—	—	23 (160.5260)	—	—
2023-08-25	Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL	5 / 26 (343.3828)	1 (176.5600)	8 (166.8228)	—	—
2023-08-04	Que' For a Cause Tahlequah, OK	32 / 36 (666.7316)	22 (169.6800)	24 (169.1316)	29 (165.1200)	32 (162.8000)

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	#88 (503 pts)	#99 (503 pts)	#76 (653 pts)	—	—
2026 ↗	Master	#927 (60 pts)	#815 (120 pts)	#677 (215 pts)	#970 (60 pts)	#950 (60 pts)
2025 ↗	Backyard	#23 (1174 pts)	#21 (1183 pts)	#27 (1147 pts)	—	—
2025 ↗	Master	#1148 (60 pts)	#960 (120 pts)	#461 (505 pts)	#1190 (60 pts)	#1190 (60 pts)
2024 ↗	Backyard	#373 (60 pts)	#377 (60 pts)	#281 (145 pts)	—	—
2024 ↗	Master	#427 (473 pts)	#334 (708 pts)	#489 (488 pts)	#483 (423 pts)	#407 (538 pts)