The heartbreaker
4.5832
points from the title
Came within 4.5832 points of the Grand Championship at The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (2022-05-20).
BUTSY-Q
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1527
peak 1549 · rated over 27 contests ⓘ
Contests
33
in the data
First seen
2019-05-03
latest 2024-10-11
Best ToY finish
#135
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
5
of 33 contests
Avg finish
top 63%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
333.89 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 342.05 (-8.15)
Walk rate
39%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±45.19
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.87 · weakest Brisket (155.98)
Road miles
1,467
mi across 32 mapped stops · furthest 145 mi
Schedule strength
41%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1555)
Purse competed for
$151K
listed at 26 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
638.48 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
342.05 / 360
30 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 (10 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.
Their season
2023
their best year
2023 was the year it came together: 8 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 43%.
- 8 contests
- 3 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 43%
A tough matchup
21–3
behind in the head-to-head
Hickory Hangover ahead in 88% of their meetings
Hickory Hangover has come out ahead in 21 of their 24 shared contests.
A strong matchup
7–3
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 70% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of All Smoked Up in 7 of their 10 shared contests.
The comeback
2 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) (2021-06-11).
- last seen 2019-06-07
- back 2021-06-11
Chicken nemesis
18 of 24
shared chicken entries lost
NORALA BBQ TEAM ahead 75% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, NORALA BBQ TEAM has out-cooked them in 18 of 24 shared chicken entries.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS has landed one call behind them 2 times.
Boom or bust
±12.26%
swing around their own average
Their overall swings ±12.26% 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 94.6% of a perfect score
- best 141.3%
An August team
Top 39%
average finish in August
Something about August: average finish in the top 39% across 3 contests, versus top 63% the rest of the year.
- 3 August contests
- top 63% the rest of the year
A standing appointment
4
years running at one contest
They've cooked Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) every year from 2021 to 2024 — the contest they never miss.
- 5 visits in all
- best finish 6th
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.
#2293 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1579
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to BUTSY-Q)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BUTSY-Q has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2284 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1529
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BUTSY-Q)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#2272 of the rated field
- Contests
- 29
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1536
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 5 years before BUTSY-Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#2290 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1554
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 33, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2276 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1527
No shared contest yet.
17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 18% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#2282 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1530
No shared contest yet.
Level with BUTSY-Q 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 24 | 4 | 20 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 24 | 3 | 21 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 21 | 2 | 19 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 20 | 3 | 17 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 19 | 3 | 16 | 16% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 Swine Crew | 19 | 3 | 16 | 16% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 16 | 4 | 12 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| RIBLIFE | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Modest Meats | 14 | 6 | 8 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Rocket Barbecue | 14 | 5 | 9 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| REDBONES BBQ | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 14 | 2 | 12 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 173.7028 | 151.4856 | 165.87 | top 60% |
| Pork Ribs | 32 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 177.1428 | 138.2400 | 164.69 | top 60% |
| Pork | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5256 | 155.4400 | 162.12 | top 82% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 161.1316 | 150.8228 | 155.98 | top 92% |
“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 | 28 | 0 | top 63% |
| TN | 4 | 0 | top 60% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 98% |
| Medium (20–39) | 20 | 0 | top 56% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 66% |
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) | 5 | 6 | 0 | top 55% | 2024-06-07 |
| Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | 4 | 5 | 0 | top 47% | 2024-10-11 |
| Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 100% | 2023-10-27 |
| The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 28% | 2023-05-19 |
| Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 53% | 2022-09-08 |
The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
5.4 yrs
2019-05-03 → 2024-10-11
Busiest season
2024
8 contests
Contests a season
4.7
across 7 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
AL
29 of 33 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
22
5 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
32 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 165.87 · weakest Brisket (155.98)
Walk rate
39%
a top-10 call in 13 of 33 contests
Overall top-10 rate
15%
5 of 33 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight contests
Master average
638.48
out of 720 · 2 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
342.05
out of 360 · 30 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
711
599–900 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
1,467
32 mapped stops · furthest 145 mi
Schedule strength
1555
average field rating faced — tougher than 41% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$150,850
listed at 26 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 7 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
2 yrs
2019-06-07 → 2021-06-11
Power rating
1527
peak 1549 · #2283 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- First tracked contest Scottsboro BBQ Cook Off Festival(BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score329.6572 Scottsboro BBQ Cook Off Festival(BACKYARD ONLY)
- 2019
- First call Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 2021
- First overall top-10 Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)
- 2022
- First category win (Pork Ribs) The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 10th tracked contest The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.1428 The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 2023
- 25th tracked contest Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023
- Peak power rating (1549) Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023
- 2024
- Career-best overall score647.3600 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN
- Most recent contest Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.9 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-05-20 |
| +14 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | 2021-10-08 |
| +11.6 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-10-20 |
| +10.4 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-06-09 |
| +8.8 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) | 2023-08-04 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 | 2024-05-04 |
| -11 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ | 2019-05-03 |
| -10.8 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) | 2021-11-19 |
| -9.8 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | 2023-10-13 |
| -7 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-09-13 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 74% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13% | top 73% | 93.8% | 92% |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50% | top 43% | 141.3% | 99.5% |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 74% | 140.1% | 96.7% |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60% | top 52% | 94% | 91.3% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 76% | 92.1% | 87.1% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-11 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Scottsboro, AL | 18 / 38 (335.3716) | 14 (171.9772) | 21 (163.3944) | — | — |
| 2024-09-13 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) Guntersville, AL | 26 / 33 (330.2056) | 27 (165.0856) | 23 (165.1200) | — | — |
| 2024-06-07 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 17 / 35 (337.6800) | 9 (173.7028) | 20 (163.9772) | — | — |
| 2024-05-25 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN | 39 / 47 (336.5488) | 45 (164.5372) | 18 (172.0116) | — | — |
| 2024-05-24 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Lebanon, TN | 117 / 118 (647.3600) | 114 (163.9312) | 90 (166.8572) | 117 (155.4400) | 102 (161.1316) |
| 2024-05-04 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 Oneonta, AL | 20 / 20 (317.0516) | 20 (154.2172) | 19 (162.8344) | — | — |
| 2024-05-03 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Oneonta, AL | 16 / 27 (336.5144) | 11 (171.4172) | 18 (165.0972) | — | — |
| 2024-03-22 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 26 / 38 (331.9316) | 23 (167.3828) | 26 (164.5488) | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 🏅 Madison, AL | 7 / 14 (342.8688) | 9 (170.8572) | 9 (172.0116) | — | — |
| 2023-10-20 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 7 / 50 (342.2744) | 12 (170.2856) | 9 (171.9888) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 22 / 27 (321.0628) | 15 (166.2628) | 24 (154.8000) | — | — |
| 2023-10-05 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 37 / 73 (329.6916) | 25 (169.7144) | 48 (159.9772) | — | — |
| 2023-08-04 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) Madison, AL | 15 / 58 (342.2516) | 18 (170.2744) | 25 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2023-06-09 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 6 / 26 (342.8116) | 6 (173.1316) | 9 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2023-05-19 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 17 / 34 (335.4172) | 20 (170.2972) | 18 (165.1200) | — | — |
| 2023-04-28 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 18 / 36 (508.5144) | 24 (165.7260) | 4 (174.2628) | 19 (168.5256) | — |
| 2022-11-12 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Gadsden, AL | 43 / 49 (322.8004) | 40 (162.8460) | 40 (159.9544) | — | — |
| 2022-11-11 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Gadsden, AL | 90 / 91 (629.6000) | 80 (165.0856) | 88 (153.6916) | 86 (160.0000) | 89 (150.8228) |
| 2022-10-28 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 🏅 Madison, AL | 15 / 10 (326.7884) | 5 (168.5484) | 21 (158.2400) | — | — |
| 2022-10-07 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 17 / 38 (334.2744) | 26 (163.4172) | 14 (170.8572) | — | — |
| 2022-09-08 | Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL | 25 / 35 (321.1884) | 48 (151.4856) | 8 (169.7028) | — | — |
| 2022-08-05 | Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY) Madison, AL | 12 / 21 (504.4912) | 7 (171.4056) | 10 (168.5600) | 17 (164.5256) | — |
| 2022-06-10 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 18 / 23 (312.4228) | 21 (154.2172) | 17 (158.2056) | — | — |
| 2022-05-20 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) 🏅 Winchester, TN | 2 / 29 (348.5484) | 12 (171.4056) | 1 (177.1428) | — | — |
| 2021-11-19 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 13 / 14 (326.7772) | 4 (173.1200) | 14 (153.6572) | — | — |
| 2021-10-22 | Railyard BBQ Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Madison, AL | 12 / 30 (333.6572) | 20 (165.0972) | 8 (168.5600) | — | — |
| 2021-10-08 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 5 / 31 (338.2400) | 13 (169.1200) | 5 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2021-08-13 | Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL | 17 / 49 (317.6000) | 22 (158.8000) | 19 (158.8000) | — | — |
| 2021-06-11 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 23 / 31 (327.3604) | 26 (162.2516) | 19 (165.1088) | — | — |
| 2019-06-07 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 13 / 25 (331.4056) | 13 (164.0000) | 10 (167.4056) | — | — |
| 2019-05-03 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL | 54 / 54 (295.9428) | 22 (157.7028) | 64 (138.2400) | — | — |
| 2018-05-04 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Scottsboro BBQ Cook Off Festival(BACKYARD ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 17 / 23 (329.6572) | 20 (160.5372) | 11 (169.1200) | — | — |
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 | #135 (422 pts) | #121 (522 pts) | #134 (422 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1182 (60 pts) | #1242 (60 pts) | #1317 (60 pts) | #1231 (60 pts) | #1204 (60 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #100 (633 pts) | #90 (730 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1255 (60 pts) | #1319 (60 pts) | #1432 (60 pts) | #1287 (60 pts) | #1296 (60 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #65 (708 pts) | #63 (764 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #99 (327 pts) | #66 (507 pts) | — | — |