E SQUARED BBQ TN
Rating
1591
peak 1602
Contests
40
in the data
First seen
2023-08-04
latest 2026-05-24
Best ToY finish
#23
Backyard 2025
Grand champs
1
2 reserve
Category wins
6
12 podiums
Overall top-10s
11
of 40 contests
Avg finish
top 48%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
404.26 ▼
last 5 vs career avg 438.65 (-34.39)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±158.89
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.23 · weakest Brisket (166.43)
Road miles
7243
mi across 40 mapped stops · furthest 673 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Big Bear BBQ has finished one call ahead of E SQUARED BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Sensuous BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Rudes BBQ has come out ahead in 13 of their 18 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of T-Dawg BBQ in 6 of their 8 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) is their spot: an average finish in the top 14% across 2 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
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
Took the Grand Championship over a 32-team field at Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1).
📅 A March team
Something about March: average finish in the top 26% across 4 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.
Teams like this (closest power rating, TN first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 33 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 178.8572 | 162.2400 | 171.23 | top 46% |
| Pork Ribs | 36 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 177.7144 | 155.4172 | 168.51 | 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% |
| TN | 6 | 0 | top 66% |
| IL | 5 | 0 | top 32% |
| 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) | 5 | 0 | top 75% |
| Medium (20–39) | 16 | 1 | top 34% |
| Large (40+) | 10 | 0 | top 55% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (23 contests)
- Cooks mostly in TN (10 of 40 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (36 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1) (2025-07-18)
- Wins it all in 3% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 438.65
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 662.6856 | 420.48 |
| 2025 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 675.2912 | 350.46 |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 688.4800 | 622.66 |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 677.6800 | 562.60 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-24 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) 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) 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) Lebanon, TN | — | 66 (167.4172) | — | — | — |
| 2026-05-22 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) 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) Lebanon, TN | 20 / 70 (343.9544) | 27 (170.8344) | 19 (173.1200) | — | — |
| 2025-05-24 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Saturday, May 24, 2025) 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) Lebanon, TN | — | 32 (169.6800) | — | — | — |
| 2025-05-23 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Ribs (Friday, May 23, 2025) 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 Lebanon, TN | 32 / 47 (339.9428) | 42 (166.2284) | 9 (173.7144) | — | — |
| 2024-05-24 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN 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) |
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 | #123 (262 pts) | #112 (312 pts) | #88 (437 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #791 (60 pts) | #688 (120 pts) | #554 (215 pts) | #823 (60 pts) | #814 (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) |