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) (May 20, 2022).
BUTSY-Q
BUTSY-Q is a competition barbecue team with 33 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 29 at The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (2022), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2304 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1527
peak 1549 · rated over 27 contests4 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
33
in the data
First seen
May 3, 2019
latest Oct 11, 2024 · 5.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
5
15% of 33 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 63%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
333.89 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 330.30 (+3.59)
Walk rate
39%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.87
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.87 · weakest Brisket (155.98)
Road miles
1,467
across 32 mapped stops · furthest 145 mi
Schedule strength
41%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)
Purse competed for
$151K
listed at 26 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
638.48 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
330.30 / 360
28 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
506.50 / 540
2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the 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) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to BUTSY-Q, each with one reason worth a look.
62 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,310 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#2,297 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1555
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.
⚔ Compare careers#2,302 of the rated field
- Contests
- 23
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 48%
- Peak
- 1544
Fewer contests behind them than BUTSY-Q has cooked, 23 to 33, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#2,307 of the rated field
- Contests
- 41
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1608
They've been 1608 at their best, 81 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#2,299 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1527
17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 18% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#2,313 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 19%
- Peak
- 1533
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before BUTSY-Q's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar 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 field size and state
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% |
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) | 5 | 6 | 0 | top 55% | Jun 7, 2024 |
| Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | 4 | 5 | 0 | top 47% | Oct 11, 2024 |
| Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 100% | Oct 27, 2023 |
| The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 28% | May 19, 2023 |
| Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 53% | Sep 8, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
8 contests
Contests a season
4.7
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
29 of 33 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
22
5 of them more than once
Opponents faced
710
finished ahead 599 times, behind 900
Longest layoff
2 yrs
Jun 7, 2019 → Jun 11, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20242 milestones
- Career-best overall score647.3600 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN
- Most recent contest Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)
20232 milestones
- 25th tracked contest Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023
- Peak power rating (1549) Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023
20225 milestones
- 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)
20211 milestone
- First overall top-10 Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)
20191 milestone
—2 milestones
- 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)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.1 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 20, 2022 |
| +14 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | Oct 8, 2021 |
| +11.6 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 20, 2023 |
| +10.4 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 9, 2023 |
| +8.8 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) | Aug 4, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.1 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 | May 4, 2024 |
| -11 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ | May 3, 2019 |
| -10.8 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) | Nov 19, 2021 |
| -9.8 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | Oct 13, 2023 |
| -7 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 13, 2024 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 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% | 95.2% | 93.6% |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 74% | 96.8% | 90.9% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2024 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Scottsboro, AL | 18 / 38 (335.3716) | 14 (171.9772) | 21 (163.3944) | — | — |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) Guntersville, AL | 26 / 33 (330.2056) | 27 (165.0856) | 23 (165.1200) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 17 / 35 (337.6800) | 9 (173.7028) | 20 (163.9772) | — | — |
| May 25, 2024 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN | 39 / 47 (336.5488) | 45 (164.5372) | 18 (172.0116) | — | — |
| May 24, 2024 | 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) |
| May 4, 2024 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 Oneonta, AL | 20 / 20 (317.0516) | 20 (154.2172) | 19 (162.8344) | — | — |
| May 3, 2024 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Oneonta, AL | 16 / 27 (336.5144) | 11 (171.4172) | 18 (165.0972) | — | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 26 / 38 (331.9316) | 23 (167.3828) | 26 (164.5488) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 🏅 Madison, AL | 7 / 14 (342.8688) | 9 (170.8572) | 9 (172.0116) | — | — |
| Oct 20, 2023 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 7 / 50 (342.2744) | 12 (170.2856) | 9 (171.9888) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 22 / 27 (321.0628) | 15 (166.2628) | 24 (154.8000) | — | — |
| Oct 5, 2023 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 37 / 73 (329.6916) | 25 (169.7144) | 48 (159.9772) | — | — |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) Madison, AL | 15 / 58 (342.2516) | 18 (170.2744) | 25 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 6 / 26 (342.8116) | 6 (173.1316) | 9 (169.6800) | — | — |
| May 19, 2023 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 17 / 34 (335.4172) | 20 (170.2972) | 18 (165.1200) | — | — |
| Apr 28, 2023 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 18 / 36 (508.5144) | 24 (165.7260) | 4 (174.2628) | 19 (168.5256) | — |
| Nov 12, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Gadsden, AL | 43 / 49 (322.8004) | 40 (162.8460) | 40 (159.9544) | — | — |
| Nov 11, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Gadsden, AL | 90 / 91 (629.6000) | 80 (165.0856) | 88 (153.6916) | 86 (160) | 89 (150.8228) |
| Oct 28, 2022 | Railyard BBQ Brawl 🏅 Madison, AL | 15 / 10 (326.7884) | 5 (168.5484) | 21 (158.2400) | — | — |
| Oct 7, 2022 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 17 / 38 (334.2744) | 26 (163.4172) | 14 (170.8572) | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2022 | Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL | 25 / 35 (321.1884) | 48 (151.4856) | 8 (169.7028) | — | — |
| Aug 5, 2022 | Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY) Madison, AL | 12 / 21 (504.4912) | 7 (171.4056) | 10 (168.5600) | 17 (164.5256) | — |
| Jun 10, 2022 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 18 / 23 (312.4228) | 21 (154.2172) | 17 (158.2056) | — | — |
| May 20, 2022 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) 🏅 Winchester, TN | 2 / 29 (348.5484) | 12 (171.4056) | 1 (177.1428) | — | — |
| Nov 19, 2021 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 13 / 14 (326.7772) | 4 (173.1200) | 14 (153.6572) | — | — |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Railyard BBQ Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Madison, AL | 12 / 30 (333.6572) | 20 (165.0972) | 8 (168.5600) | — | — |
| Oct 8, 2021 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 5 / 31 (338.2400) | 13 (169.1200) | 5 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Aug 13, 2021 | Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL | 17 / 49 (317.6000) | 22 (158.8000) | 19 (158.8000) | — | — |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 23 / 31 (327.3604) | 26 (162.2516) | 19 (165.1088) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 13 / 25 (331.4056) | 13 (164) | 10 (167.4056) | — | — |
| May 3, 2019 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL | 54 / 54 (295.9428) | 22 (157.7028) | 64 (138.2400) | — | — |
| May 4, 2018 | 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) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.