On the rise
+31
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 31 points across 8 contests since 2024-03-22 — from 1505 up to 1536.
- 8 contests since 2024-03-22
- now 1536
South of the James BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1536
peak 1556 · rated over 8 contests ⓘ
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
2024-03-22
latest 2024-10-26
Best ToY finish
#81
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 44%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
336.75
last 5 Backyard vs avg 336.80 (-0.05)
Walk rate
73%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±4.24
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 169.11 · weakest Brisket (157.17)
Road miles
464
mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 231 mi
Schedule strength
89%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1622)
Purse competed for
$69K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 10 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
336.80 / 360
8 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Storylines (9 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
73%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 8 of 11 contests
A top-10 category call in 73% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
345.1204
career-best overall
95.9% of a perfect 360
Their best day on record: 345.1204 at Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) — 95.9% of a perfect 360.
- Backyard
- 2024-04-19
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Dog Bite Barbecue has finished one call ahead of South of the James BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
A tough matchup
6–2
behind in the head-to-head
Mad Hatter BBQ ahead in 75% of their meetings
Mad Hatter BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 8 shared contests.
A strong matchup
6–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Bourbon & Blues BBQ in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
Chicken nemesis
6 of 8
shared chicken entries lost
Mad Hatter BBQ ahead 75% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Mad Hatter BBQ has out-cooked them in 6 of 8 shared chicken entries.
They cook the hard rooms
1622
average field rating faced
A tougher draw than 89% of rated fields
The fields they enter average a 1622 power rating — a tougher draw than 89% of every rated contest in the data.
- 8 rated contests
The metronome
±1.18%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.18% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 93.6% of a perfect score
- 11 contests
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.
70 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2054 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1536
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#2039 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 78%
- Peak
- 1537
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2061 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1536
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 7 contests, alongside a 43% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#2063 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 71%
- Peak
- 1536
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2019, 5 years before South of the James BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#2050 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1536
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 10 years before South of the James BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#2055 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1537
No shared contest yet.
Level with South of the James BBQ 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dogpatch Q | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Off The Rack BBQ | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| Optimus Swine | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Hatter BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 7 | 2 | 3 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Piggy & Swine BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| smokey anderson bbq | 6 | 4 | 1 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Menke Boys BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKECRAFT - MD | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 175.4288 | 163.9544 | 169.11 | top 41% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 170.8344 | 162.2284 | 167.52 | top 47% |
| Pork | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 168.5600 | 153.7028 | 160.83 | top 58% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 157.1660 | 157.1660 | 157.17 | top 56% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 6 | 0 | top 52% |
| NC | 2 | 0 | top 19% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 92% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 29% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 27% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 32% | 2024-04-20 |
| BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 33% | 2024-03-23 |
The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
0.6 yrs
2024-03-22 → 2024-10-26
Busiest season
2024
11 contests
Cooks most in
VA
9 of 11 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
6
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
10 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 169.11 · weakest Brisket (157.17)
Walk rate
73%
a top-10 call in 8 of 11 contests
Overall top-10 rate
27%
3 of 11 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight contests
Backyard average
336.80
out of 360 · 8 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
141
243–148 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
464
11 mapped stops · furthest 231 mi
Schedule strength
1622
average field rating faced — tougher than 89% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$68,580
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 10 state-championship entries
Power rating
1536
peak 1556 · #2045 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2024
- First tracked contest BBQ Gives Back (One Meat Ribs)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score330.7656 BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)
- First call BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)
- First overall top-10 Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1)
- Career-best overall score345.1204 Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4288 Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1)
- Peak power rating (1556) Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2
- 10th tracked contest Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1)
- Most recent contest Zom-B-Q (Day 2)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.4 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) | 2024-04-19 |
| +13.1 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 | 2024-05-03 |
| +10.7 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 | 2024-05-04 |
| +9.2 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) | 2024-03-23 |
| +5.2 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) | 2024-03-22 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.2 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) | 2024-10-26 |
| -9.1 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) | 2024-10-25 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 73% | top 44% | 95.9% | 93.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-26 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 🏅 Roseland, VA | 11 / 11 (333.6344) | 10 (168.5372) | 10 (165.0972) | — | — |
| 2024-10-25 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) 🏅 Roseland, VA | 11 / 13 (337.6800) | 11 (166.8456) | 8 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2024-10-25 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT RIBS) Roseland, VA | — | — | 5 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2024-05-04 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 8 / 35 (333.6572) | 13 (163.9544) | 3 (169.7028) | — | — |
| 2024-05-03 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 7 / 45 (339.4288) | 11 (169.1200) | 7 (170.3088) | — | — |
| 2024-04-20 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 12 / 25 (339.3484) | 5 (174.2628) | 16 (165.0856) | 17 (153.7028) | — |
| 2024-04-19 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 4 / 25 (345.1204) | 2 (175.4288) | 8 (169.6916) | 27 (154.2284) | 14 (157.1660) |
| 2024-03-23 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 12 / 42 (334.7768) | 13 (167.3712) | 14 (167.4056) | 8 (168.5600) | — |
| 2024-03-22 | BBQ Gives Back (One Meat Chicken) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | — | 12 (167.9772) | — | — | — |
| 2024-03-22 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 17 / 45 (330.7656) | 14 (168.5372) | 20 (162.2284) | 16 (166.8112) | — |
| 2024-03-22 | BBQ Gives Back (One Meat Ribs) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | — | — | 16 (166.2972) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #81 (720 pts) | #77 (770 pts) | #68 (809 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | #1026 (117 pts) | #716 (255 pts) | — | — |