On the rise
+26
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 26 points across 4 contests since 2025-07-25 — from 1502 up to 1527.
- 4 contests since 2025-07-25
- now 1527
Grillfellas
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1527
peak 1527 · rated over 17 contests ⓘ
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
2013-05-10
latest 2026-07-24
Best ToY finish
#108
Backyard 2025
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 17 contests
Avg finish
top 55%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
660.72 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 644.00 (+16.72)
Walk rate
65%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±21.97
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 164.69 · weakest Brisket (153.24)
Road miles
2,283
mi across 17 mapped stops · furthest 1491 mi
Schedule strength
34%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1545)
Purse competed for
$53K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
644.00 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
330.26 / 360
8 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
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.
Storylines (11 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.
They almost always walk
65%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 11 of 17 contests
A top-10 category call in 65% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
671.9656
career-best overall
93.3% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 671.9656 at Boats, Bands, & BBQ — 93.3% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2017-05-19
The one to beat
3×
one call ahead of them
CRAZY COYOTE has finished one call ahead of Grillfellas 3 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2025
their best year
2025 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 27%.
- 3 contests
- 2 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 27%
A tough matchup
8–0
behind in the head-to-head
Leaning Jowler BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
Leaning Jowler BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.
The weak link
−11.5
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 11.45 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 47%.
- Brisket avg 153.24
- Pork Ribs avg 164.69
- 1 calls in 9 entries
A strong matchup
8–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Lost Weekend Grill in 8 of their 8 shared contests.
The comeback
6.4 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 6.4 years, then back at Maryland State BBQ Bash (2023-10-13).
- last seen 2017-05-19
- back 2023-10-13
Pork Ribs nemesis
6 of 7
shared pork ribs entries lost
JO-BAWB'S BBQ ahead 86% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, JO-BAWB'S BBQ has out-cooked them in 6 of 7 shared pork ribs entries.
A July team
Top 43%
average finish in July
Something about July: average finish in the top 43% across 3 contests, versus top 55% the rest of the year.
- 3 July contests
- top 55% the rest of the year
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.
68 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2280 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1530
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Grillfellas)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Grillfellas has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2282 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1530
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 16 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#2274 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1528
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Grillfellas's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#2279 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1529
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2285 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1527
No shared contest yet.
13 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 38% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#2273 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1541
No shared contest yet.
Level with Grillfellas on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BURNIN BOBS BUTTS N BONES | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Lost Weekend Grill | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Estancia | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| Castleton Q | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| HARCO LOCO BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Oink N' Doink BBQ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Backdraft BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN TIMBERS BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| JO-BAWB'S BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Squeals like the First Time | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| DAD'S BARBEQUE | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 BOXERS Q | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 174.8800 | 151.9998 | 164.29 | top 56% |
| Pork Ribs | 17 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 174.3200 | 145.6800 | 164.69 | top 44% |
| Pork | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 170.2856 | 153.7142 | 162.91 | top 49% |
| Brisket | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 137.1428 | 153.24 | top 65% |
“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 | 9 | 0 | top 53% |
| PA | 6 | 0 | top 52% |
| MD | 2 | 0 | top 72% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 14 | 0 | top 58% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 40% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 3 | 6 | 0 | top 43% | 2026-07-24 |
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 3 | 12 | 0 | top 62% | 2026-06-12 |
| Boats, Bands, & BBQ | 3 | 11 | 0 | top 40% | 2017-05-19 |
| Wild West BBQ | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 80% | 2014-05-09 |
The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
13.2 yrs
2013-05-10 → 2026-07-24
Busiest season
2025
3 contests
Contests a season
1.9
across 9 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
CO
9 of 17 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
10
4 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
17 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
averages 164.69 · weakest Brisket (153.24)
Walk rate
65%
a top-10 call in 11 of 17 contests
Overall top-10 rate
18%
3 of 17 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight contests
Master average
644.00
out of 720 · 9 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
330.26
out of 360 · 8 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
387
402–401 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
2,283
17 mapped stops · furthest 1,491 mi
Schedule strength
1545
average field rating faced — tougher than 34% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$52,625
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 8 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
6.4 yrs
2017-05-19 → 2023-10-13
Power rating
1527
peak 1527 · #2276 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Wild West BBQ
- First call Boats, Bands and BBQ
- 2014
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.6112 Boats, Bands & BBQ
- 2017
- Career-best overall score671.9656 Boats, Bands, & BBQ
- 2023
- 10th tracked contest Maryland State BBQ Bash
- 2025
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.8800 MD State BBQ Bash
- 2026
- Peak power rating (1527) Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.3 | MD State BBQ Bash | 2025-10-10 |
| +14.2 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2025-07-25 |
| +11 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2026-07-24 |
| +8.8 | Boats, Bands, & BBQ | 2017-05-19 |
| +7.1 | Smokin' Brew BBQ | 2014-08-30 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.8 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | 2023-10-13 |
| -11.2 | Wild West BBQ | 2013-05-10 |
| -7.3 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2024-07-26 |
| -7 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2024-06-28 |
| -4.3 | Wild West BBQ | 2014-05-09 |
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 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 40% | 94.9% | 94.3% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 27% | 96% | 94.5% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 89% | 88.8% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 130% | 84.1% | 84.1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 31% | 93.3% | 93.3% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 47% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 43% | 91.3% | 91.3% |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 50% | 92% | 90% |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 70% | 88.6% | 86.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-24 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 10 / 43 (341.7260) | 17 (168.0000) | 7 (173.7260) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 14 / 25 (337.1200) | 16 (165.1428) | 7 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-10-10 | MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 4 / 29 (345.7716) | 4 (174.8800) | 7 (170.8916) | — | — |
| 2025-07-25 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 6 / 30 (343.4400) | 17 (169.1200) | 5 (174.3200) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 12 / 26 (331.9200) | 17 (163.9428) | 5 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2024-07-26 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 30 / 35 (320.5144) | 31 (157.7144) | 25 (162.8000) | — | — |
| 2024-06-28 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 24 / 29 (318.8116) | 22 (165.7144) | 26 (153.0972) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 30 / 23 (302.7544) | 28 (153.0972) | 29 (149.6572) | — | — |
| 2017-05-19 | Boats, Bands, & BBQ Pueblo, CO | 11 / 36 (671.9656) | 33 (155.3828) | 2 (173.7372) | 9 (170.2856) | 7 (172.5600) |
| 2016-06-10 | Boats, Bands, & BBQ Pueblo, CO | 14 / 30 (654.7428) | 23 (158.8000) | 5 (172.0000) | 18 (161.1200) | 15 (162.8228) |
| 2015-06-05 | Boats, Bands & BBQ Pueblo, CO | 13 / 30 (657.0628) | 14 (163.9884) | 16 (162.2744) | 13 (169.6800) | 14 (161.1200) |
| 2014-08-30 | Smokin' Brew BBQ Parker, CO | 17 / 48 (662.2284) | 24 (167.4172) | 16 (165.1312) | 25 (164.5716) | 16 (165.1084) |
| 2014-06-06 | Boats, Bands & BBQ Pueblo, CO | 12 / 29 (657.6112) | 2 (174.2972) | 6 (169.7028) | 18 (157.0856) | 20 (156.5256) |
| 2014-05-09 | Wild West BBQ Lamar, CO | 21 / 29 (623.3488) | 4 (167.4400) | 28 (145.6800) | 12 (164.5716) | 25 (145.6572) |
| 2013-08-30 | Smokin' Brew BBQ Parker, CO | 33 / 53 (637.6456) | 9 (171.4400) | 17 (167.9772) | 31 (158.2628) | 51 (139.9656) |
| 2013-06-07 | Boats, Bands and BBQ Pueblo, CO | 24 / 39 (634.2852) | 14 (164.5714) | 15 (164.5714) | 10 (166.8568) | 36 (138.2856) |
| 2013-05-10 | Wild West BBQ Lamar, CO | 27 / 31 (597.1422) | 27 (151.9998) | 21 (154.2854) | 24 (153.7142) | 29 (137.1428) |
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 | #159 (238 pts) | #190 (193 pts) | #137 (318 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #108 (499 pts) | #145 (399 pts) | #127 (524 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #289 (120 pts) | #294 (130 pts) | #322 (115 pts) | — | — |