Gustoso BBQ AL
Rating
1514
peak 1514 · rated over 24 contests
Contests
24
in the data
First seen
2019-03-08
latest 2026-06-12
Best ToY finish
#101
Backyard 2025
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 24 contests
Avg finish
top 60%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
339.85 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 331.52 (+8.33)
Walk rate
25%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.03
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 167.97 · weakest Pork (157.86)
Road miles
965
mi across 24 mapped stops · furthest 97 mi
Schedule strength
47%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1542)
Purse competed for
$105K
listed at 20 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
654.14 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
331.52 / 360
23 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.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Budget BBQ has finished one call ahead of Gustoso BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Last Place Chicken has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
LEE LA Q has come out ahead in 13 of their 16 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Smoke'Em All in 6 of their 7 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) is their spot: an average finish in the top 16% across 2 visits.
📅 A June team
Something about June: average finish in the top 40% across 3 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.
Teams like this (closest power rating, AL first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEE LA Q | 16 | 3 | 13 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 13 | 2 | 11 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BUTSY-Q | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Bonnie Blue BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLY SMOKIN!!! | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Say My Name BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 24 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 178.8572 | 149.6796 | 165.81 | top 58% |
| Pork Ribs | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 153.0628 | 165.47 | top 58% |
| Pork | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.9884 | 149.0628 | 157.86 | top 74% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.9656 | 167.9656 | 167.97 | top 51% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL | 20 | 0 | top 61% |
| TN | 4 | 0 | top 53% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 124% |
| Medium (20–39) | 17 | 0 | top 59% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 40% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 4 | 0 | top 40% | 2026-06-12 |
| High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 16 | 0 | top 57% | 2026-05-15 |
| WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 16% | 2025-10-17 |
| Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 66% | 2025-09-12 |
| Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 124% | 2023-10-27 |
| Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 19 | 0 | top 64% | 2020-03-06 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (6 contests)
- Cooks mostly in AL (20 of 24 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (24 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 654.14 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 331.52 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2019-03-08 — First tracked contest · Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📣 2019-05-03 — First call · The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
- ⭐ 2021-08-13 — Career-best overall score (654.1368) · Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
- 📈 2026-06-12 — Peak power rating (1514) · Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.3 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-06-12 |
| +15.1 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-10-17 |
| +11.3 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ | 2019-05-03 |
| +10.2 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-10-18 |
| +6.9 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-10-20 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.9 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-09-05 |
| -7.6 | Railyard BBQ Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2021-10-22 |
| -7.5 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-05-15 |
| -7 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-09-12 |
| -7 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 | 2025-05-02 |
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 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 49% | 97.5% | 94.1% |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 62% | 97.8% | 93.5% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 43% | 94.9% | 94.2% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 71% | 94% | 93.4% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 140% | 91.1% | 91.1% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 73% | 90.9% | 89.2% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 59% | 89.5% | 89.5% |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20% | top 46% | 90.9% | 89.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-12 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 4 / 31 (350.8228) | 3 (178.8572) | 13 (171.9656) | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 23 / 29 (328.4912) | 12 (171.9656) | 24 (156.5256) | — | — |
| 2026-03-27 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 24 / 43 (337.1204) | 27 (169.1432) | 24 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-10-17 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 4 / 39 (351.9772) | 4 (177.7144) | 9 (174.2628) | — | — |
| 2025-09-12 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) Guntersville, AL | 24 / 28 (330.8344) | 22 (166.8800) | 24 (163.9544) | — | — |
| 2025-09-05 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 28 / 29 (323.9084) | 29 (159.9540) | 23 (163.9544) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 17 / 35 (339.3600) | 11 (173.1200) | 21 (166.2400) | — | — |
| 2025-05-16 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 16 / 32 (342.2400) | 22 (168.5256) | 8 (173.7144) | — | — |
| 2025-05-02 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Oneonta, AL | 23 / 28 (331.3940) | 26 (162.8340) | 15 (168.5600) | 21 (163.9884) | — |
| 2024-10-18 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 11 / 50 (341.6684) | 12 (171.9656) | 15 (169.7028) | — | — |
| 2024-09-13 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) Guntersville, AL | 15 / 33 (339.3484) | 13 (170.8228) | 14 (168.5256) | — | — |
| 2024-09-06 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 17 / 27 (336.0116) | 9 (172.0344) | 20 (163.9772) | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 🏅 Madison, AL | 15 / 14 (338.2744) | 14 (168.5600) | 11 (169.7144) | — | — |
| 2023-10-20 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 17 / 50 (334.2516) | 24 (165.0972) | 18 (169.1544) | — | — |
| 2022-10-28 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 🏅 Madison, AL | 14 / 10 (327.9544) | 10 (166.2744) | 14 (161.6800) | — | — |
| 2021-10-22 | Railyard BBQ Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Madison, AL | 24 / 30 (311.8512) | 25 (158.7884) | 26 (153.0628) | — | — |
| 2021-10-08 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 22 / 31 (323.9888) | 28 (158.8572) | 14 (165.1316) | — | — |
| 2021-08-13 | Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL | 34 / 49 (654.1368) | 34 (162.8000) | 34 (162.8344) | 39 (160.5368) | 25 (167.9656) |
| 2020-03-06 | Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY) Hartselle, AL | 19 / 32 (322.2056) | 20 (158.7884) | 15 (163.4172) | — | — |
| 2019-08-23 | Great Americana BBQ Festival 🏅 Franklin, TN | 17 / 39 (322.2060) | 13 (163.3944) | 18 (158.8116) | 26 (149.0628) | — |
| 2019-06-07 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 15 / 25 (327.3372) | 14 (163.9544) | 16 (163.3828) | — | — |
| 2019-05-03 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL | 10 / 54 (322.2396) | 40 (149.6796) | 4 (172.5600) | — | — |
| 2019-04-19 | High on the Hog Festival 🏅 Winchester, TN | 16 / 39 (315.9316) | 19 (152.5372) | 12 (163.3944) | — | — |
| 2019-03-08 | Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY) Harselle, AL | 23 / 34 (325.6344) | 14 (166.8228) | 31 (158.8116) | — | — |
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 | #120 (335 pts) | #107 (410 pts) | #162 (240 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #101 (533 pts) | #112 (534 pts) | #123 (544 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #166 (330 pts) | #158 (380 pts) | #179 (300 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #221 (180 pts) | #191 (225 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #247 (131 pts) | #274 (111 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #204 (111 pts) | #146 (166 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1236 (60 pts) | #1286 (60 pts) | #1309 (60 pts) | #1262 (60 pts) | #1245 (60 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #101 (82 pts) | #86 (107 pts) | — | — |