The comeback
2.1 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2.1 years, then back at High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (May 16, 2025).
- last seen Apr 21, 2023
- back May 16, 2025
Black Box BBQ
Black Box BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 3 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 29th of 35 at the Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025). They finished #310 in the 2025 Backyard Series Team of the Year standings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1474
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 3
Contests
3
in the data
First seen
Apr 21, 2023
latest Jun 13, 2025 · 2.1 years on the trail
Avg finish
top 89%
overall standings
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.66 · weakest Brisket (142.80)
Road miles
581
across 3 mapped stops · furthest 537 mi
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1576)
Purse competed for
$14K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
Master avg
630.11 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
325.04 / 360
2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master 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.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #310 (117 pts) | #306 (117 pts) | #322 (117 pts) | — | — |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2284 | 165.0972 | 165.66 | top 74% |
| Pork Ribs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.5372 | 154.2172 | 159.96 | top 81% |
| Pork | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.1428 | 160.5256 | 164.83 | top 64% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 142.8000 | 142.8000 | 142.80 | top 96% |
“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.
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
2 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
1 of 3 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
3
a different one every time
Opponents faced
100
finished ahead 14 times, behind 101
Longest layoff
2.1 yrs
Apr 21, 2023 → May 16, 2025
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20253 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork)169.1428 High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score330.7656 Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
20233 milestones
- First tracked contest Smokin in the Creek BBQ
- Career-best overall score630.1140 Smokin in the Creek BBQ
- Peak power rating (1492) Smokin in the Creek BBQ
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2025 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 29 / 35 (330.7656) | 28 (166.2284) | 25 (164.5372) | — | — |
| May 16, 2025 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 31 / 32 (319.3144) | 28 (165.0972) | 32 (154.2172) | 14 (169.1428) | — |
| Apr 21, 2023 | Smokin in the Creek BBQ 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO | 44 / 51 (630.1140) | 28 (165.6684) | 37 (161.1200) | 43 (160.5256) | 49 (142.8000) |