Cluster Cluck Barbecue

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

Power ranking

#3035

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1504

peak 1523 · rated over 24 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2022-05-06

latest 2025-05-02

Best ToY finish

#180

Master 2023

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 24 contests

Avg finish

top 59%

overall standings

Best overall

703.3944 / 720

Master · Miles City Cowtown Cookoff

Perfect 180s

Current form

670.39 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 642.86 (+27.54)

Walk rate

63%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Chicken · Miles City Cowtown Cookoff

Consistency

±102.73

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 170.46 · weakest Pork (161.07)

Road miles

8,719

mi across 24 mapped stops · furthest 733 mi

Schedule strength

62%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1579)

Purse competed for

$291K

listed at 24 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

GCs in 23 state-championship entries

Master avg

642.86 / 720

24 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (14 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.

Against the odds

15-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 85 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Miles City Cowtown Cookoff (2023-06-16) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 15-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Texas Smoke Whisperer.

They almost always walk

63% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 15 of 24 contests

A top-10 category call in 63% of their 24 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

703.3944 career-best overall

97.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 703.3944 at Miles City Cowtown Cookoff — 97.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
2023-06-16

State champions

1 state championships won

They've taken 1 state championship from 23 entries at contests carrying the title.

23 state-championship entries

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Hooligans Barbecue has finished one call ahead of Cluster Cluck Barbecue 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

18–3 behind in the head-to-head

Colorado Bulldawg BBQ ahead in 86% of their meetings

Colorado Bulldawg BBQ has come out ahead in 18 of their 21 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.4 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.39 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 22% of the time against 38%.

Pork avg 161.07
Chicken avg 170.46
5 calls in 23 entries

A strong matchup

5–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 71% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Frank's BBQ Trading Post in 5 of their 7 shared contests.

The comeback

1.7 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.7 years, then back at The All American Comeback BBQ, Bourbon, & Bands (2025-05-02).

last seen 2023-08-25
back 2025-05-02

Chicken nemesis

14 of 21 shared chicken entries lost

Colorado Bulldawg BBQ ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Colorado Bulldawg BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 21 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SCORE ONE SMOKIN' has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±14.27% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±14.27% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 89.3% of a perfect score
best 97.7%

A June team

Top 47% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 47% across 6 contests, versus top 59% the rest of the year.

6 June contests
top 59% the rest of the year

The long haul

8,719 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 8,719 miles across 24 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 733 miles to BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest.

24 mapped stops
furthest 733 mi

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.

113 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

Hoggy Style

#3032 of the rated field

1504 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1565

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Cluster Cluck Barbecue)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Cluster Cluck Barbecue has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 27 contests
last seen 2025-03-28

⚔ Head-to-head

WE'RE BURNIN DAYLIGHT BBQ

#3044 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 43
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1552

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Cluster Cluck Barbecue)

They've been 1552 at their best, 48 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 43 contests
last seen 2022-07-01

⚔ Head-to-head

Clean Smoke BBQ

#3038 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1508

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 26 contests to 24, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2026-07-11

⚔ Head-to-head

Unknown Smokers

#3047 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1532

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 30 contests, alongside a 33% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 29 contests
last seen 2026-08-15

⚔ Head-to-head

THE RIB DOCTOR LLC

#3031 of the rated field

1504 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1523

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Cluster Cluck Barbecue's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 18 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

COLONIAL EMBERS

#3054 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1519

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2014, 8 years before Cluster Cluck Barbecue's first contest.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2018-03-23

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ	21	3	18	14%	⚔ compare
Bushmaster BBQ	17	1	16	6%	⚔ compare
BRACKEN RACKS BBQ	14	8	6	57%	⚔ compare
Heifers, Butts, & Clucks BBQ	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
Brinkerhoff BBQ	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare
POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare
ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
Needs More Cowbell BBQ	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
PROUD SOULS BARBECUE	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
Texas Smoke Whisperer	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
Meat Machine BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
GRILLIN' BEAVERS	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
AMERICAN HEROES BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	24	9	0	2	178.8572	158.2400	170.46	top 42%
Pork Ribs	23	5	0	0	175.4400	145.6344	165.86	top 56%
Pork	23	5	1	1	178.8572	20.0000	161.07	top 55%
Brisket	23	5	0	1	177.1428	156.4912	166.00	top 54%

“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
CO	10	0	top 68%
WY	3	0	top 47%
KS	2	0	top 72%
MT	2	1	top 24%
AZ	2	0	top 78%
NM	1	0	top 67%
TX	1	0	top 12%
UT	1	0	top 68%
SD	1	0	top 75%
NE	1	0	top 28%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	0	top 79%
Medium (20–39)	20	1	top 60%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 44%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival	2	9	top 34%	2023-08-18
Beat the Heat BBQ & Brews	2	18	top 65%	2023-08-11
Wild West BBQ Cook-Off	2	13	top 70%	2023-05-12
Greeley Blues Jam (Day 2)	2	12	top 62%	2022-06-04

The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3 yrs 2022-05-06 → 2025-05-02

Busiest season 2023 12 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 8 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CO 10 of 24 contests · 10 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 20 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 24 entries · 0 wins · 9 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 170.46 · weakest Pork (161.07)

Walk rate 63% a top-10 call in 15 of 24 contests

Overall top-10 rate 21% 5 of 24 contests

Wins it all 4% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2023-06-16 Miles City Cowtown Cookoff

Master average 642.86 out of 720 · 24 contests · 1 GC

Opponents faced 404 345–474 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 8,719 24 mapped stops · furthest 733 mi

Schedule strength 1579 average field rating faced — tougher than 62% of rated contests

Purse competed for $290,590 listed at 24 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 1 from 23 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.7 yrs 2023-08-25 → 2025-05-02

Power rating 1504 peak 1523 · #3035 of 6,413 rated

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

2022
May 6 First tracked contest Wild West BBQ Cook-Off
May 6 First call Wild West BBQ Cook-Off
May 6 First overall past 90% of a perfect score670.7884 Wild West BBQ Cook-Off
Jun 17 First overall top-10 Central Plains Ribfest
Aug 19 Peak power rating (1523) Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival
Oct 7 10th tracked contest Smoke & Soul Fest
2023
Jun 16 First category win (Pork) Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
Jun 16 First overall podium Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
Jun 16 First Grand Championship Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
Jun 16 First state championship Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
Jun 16 Career-best overall score703.3944 Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
Jun 16 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8572 Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
2025
May 2 Most recent contest The All American Comeback BBQ, Bourbon, & Bands

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18.4	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff	2023-06-16
+14.1	Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff	2023-03-31
+11.2	Central Plains Ribfest	2022-06-17
+9.5	Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival	2022-08-19
+7.4	Greeley Blues Jam (Day 1)	2022-06-03

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.2	Wild West BBQ Cook-Off	2023-05-12
-11.2	BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest	2023-03-10
-10.1	Greeley Blues Jam (Day 2)	2022-06-04
-7.1	Keating Tractor Antique Tractor Show	2023-08-25
-6.8	Art of Barbeque	2023-06-30

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	1	0	0	0	100%	top 67%	94.4%	94.4%
2023	12	1	3	1	58%	top 60%	97.7%	86%
2022	11	0	2	0	64%	top 57%	95.1%	92.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2025-05-02	The All American Comeback BBQ, Bourbon, & Bands Ruidoso Downs, NM	20 / 30 (679.8856)	7 (176.5716)	12 (173.7028)	27 (162.8000)	20 (166.8112)
2023-08-25	Keating Tractor Antique Tractor Show 🏅 Liberal, KS	15 / 19 (666.8228)	9 (169.1544)	15 (164.5828)	15 (164.5256)	11 (168.5600)
2023-08-18	Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	10 / 27 (683.8856)	9 (170.8228)	6 (174.8456)	13 (168.5372)	7 (169.6800)
2023-08-11	Beat the Heat BBQ & Brews 🏅 Alamosa, CO	18 / 27 (663.8172)	12 (169.6684)	21 (159.3716)	5 (173.1200)	22 (161.6572)
2023-06-30	Art of Barbeque 🏅 Sterling, CO	29 / 35 (657.5540)	23 (165.0972)	29 (161.6800)	9 (174.2856)	31 (156.4912)
2023-06-16	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 🏅 Miles City, MT	1 / 22 (703.3944)	2 (178.8572)	14 (168.5372)	1 (178.8572)	3 (177.1428)
2023-06-09	Montana BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Absarokee, MT	16 / 36 (675.3484)	12 (172.5600)	18 (167.9772)	15 (169.7256)	21 (165.0856)
2023-05-27	Veterans of Foreign Wars Colorado KCBS Pitmaster BBQ Contest 🏅 Castle Rock, CO	28 / 37 (661.6004)	26 (168.0116)	12 (173.1316)	33 (162.8116)	32 (157.6456)
2023-05-12	Wild West BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Lamar, CO	30 / 30 (514.7772)	15 (167.9772)	23 (161.1316)	30 (20.0000)	15 (165.6684)
2023-04-07	Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS	67 / 103 (670.7432)	43 (171.9772)	82 (161.6688)	30 (172.0000)	67 (165.0972)
2023-03-31	Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Cedar Park, TX	7 / 57 (693.0856)	10 (174.2628)	9 (175.4400)	4 (177.7028)	25 (165.6800)
2023-03-10	BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest 🏅 Yuma, AZ	32 / 32 (177.1544)	4 (177.1544)	—	—	—
2023-01-13	Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ	25 / 45 (661.0744)	28 (165.1544)	26 (165.6800)	14 (171.4400)	32 (158.8000)
2022-10-21	Meat Scream BBQ Competition-Day 1 🏅 Westminster, CO	23 / 32 (658.1832)	2 (175.4288)	32 (145.6344)	16 (167.9772)	9 (169.1428)
2022-10-07	Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY	21 / 29 (657.0060)	12 (170.8344)	27 (153.6688)	11 (169.1200)	19 (163.3828)
2022-09-09	Western Legends BBQ Contest 🏅 Kanab, UT	21 / 31 (663.8972)	19 (169.1200)	5 (173.1200)	30 (157.7028)	19 (163.9544)
2022-08-26	Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ Fest 🏅 Hill City, SD	21 / 28 (668.5032)	17 (169.1544)	22 (167.3944)	25 (165.0972)	20 (166.8572)
2022-08-19	Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	9 / 29 (684.4568)	4 (177.7028)	16 (166.2284)	8 (171.4056)	10 (169.1200)
2022-08-05	Beat the Heat BBQ & Brews 🏅 Alamosa, CO	22 / 35 (664.4912)	15 (167.9772)	26 (163.9656)	27 (160.5828)	11 (171.9656)
2022-07-01	The Art of BBQ 🏅 Sterling, CO	16 / 28 (666.1140)	24 (158.2400)	4 (171.9656)	17 (166.2400)	11 (169.6684)
2022-06-17	Central Plains Ribfest 🏅 Holdrege, NE	8 / 29 (678.7772)	22 (166.8572)	5 (173.7144)	13 (168.5372)	13 (169.6684)
2022-06-04	Greeley Blues Jam (Day 2) 🏅 Greeley, CO	30 / 34 (638.6512)	22 (167.3828)	26 (158.2400)	32 (155.3828)	28 (157.6456)
2022-06-03	Greeley Blues Jam (Day 1) 🏅 Greeley, CO	12 / 33 (668.5372)	14 (169.1428)	11 (168.5600)	28 (158.2744)	7 (172.5600)
2022-05-06	Wild West BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Lamar, CO	13 / 33 (670.7884)	4 (172.0000)	20 (164.5484)	13 (168.5256)	16 (165.7144)

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 ↗	Master	#1076 (80 pts)	#857 (160 pts)	#1020 (120 pts)	#1451 (55 pts)	#1107 (80 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#180 (1100 pts)	#122 (1332 pts)	#241 (985 pts)	#118 (1355 pts)	#210 (985 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#216 (992 pts)	#127 (1333 pts)	#198 (1117 pts)	#249 (933 pts)	#173 (1152 pts)