High-water mark
353.7144
career-best overall
98.3% of a perfect 360
Their best day on record: 353.7144 at Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) — 98.3% of a perfect 360.
- Backyard
- Jun 13, 2025
GSP Barbecue
GSP Barbecue is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2024 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 35 at the Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2086 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1535
peak 1536 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
Oct 18, 2024
latest Jun 12, 2026 · 1.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
29% of 7 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 39%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
344.65 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 342.62 (+2.03)
Walk rate
57%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.92
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 172.40 · weakest Pork Ribs (169.49)
Road miles
196
across 7 mapped stops · furthest 52 mi
Schedule strength
46%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1560)
Purse competed for
$20K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
Backyard avg
342.62 / 360
6 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
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)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to GSP Barbecue, each with one reason worth a look.
70 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,089 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1543
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before GSP Barbecue's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,088 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1535
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,083 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1547
Level with GSP Barbecue on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,079 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1535
They were already cooking in 2015, 9 years before GSP Barbecue's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#2,094 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1535
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before GSP Barbecue's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,076 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1536
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Say My Name BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Gustoso BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 177.1544 | 167.4172 | 172.40 | top 38% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 178.8572 | 160.4912 | 169.49 | top 45% |
“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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 37% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 46% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 29% | Jun 12, 2026 |
| WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 38% | Oct 17, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
5 contests
Contests a season
2.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
7 of 7 contests
Contests visited
4
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
7 entries · 1 win · 4 calls
Opponents faced
126
finished ahead 126 times, behind 75
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
20257 milestones
- First overall top-10 Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best overall score353.7144 Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Chicken) Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1536) Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20243 milestones
- First tracked contest WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score332.4912 WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.7 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 13, 2025 |
| +15.6 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 1, 2025 |
| +7 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 17, 2025 |
| +2.4 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 18, 2024 |
| +1 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 12, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.5 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 5, 2025 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 52% | 94.3% | 94.3% |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 40% | top 34% | 98.3% | 96.1% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 46% | 92.4% | 92.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2026 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 16 / 31 (339.3600) | 8 (176.5600) | 26 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Oct 17, 2025 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 12 / 39 (343.9428) | 11 (170.8228) | 12 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 25 / 29 (334.8116) | 26 (167.4172) | 15 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cullman, AL | — | 15 (168) | — | — | — |
| Aug 1, 2025 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 3 / 23 (351.4172) | 1 (177.1544) | 7 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 2 / 35 (353.7144) | 7 (174.8572) | 2 (178.8572) | — | — |
| Oct 18, 2024 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 23 / 50 (332.4912) | 10 (172) | 33 (160.4912) | — | — |