Backroads BBQ

Backroads BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 27 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2024. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the SMSU Smokefest (2017). They are ranked #1091 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Back Roads BBQ”.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,091

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1596

peak 1596 · rated over 26 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 17, 2015

latest Sep 27, 2024 · 9.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#731

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time

Category wins

10 podiums

Overall top-10s

33% of 27 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 44%

overall standings

Best overall

687.9772 / 720

Master · SMSU Smokefest

Perfect 180s

Current form

675.47 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 666.11 (+9.36)

Walk rate

78%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Brisket · Minnesota in Mayaugust

Consistency

±17.17

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.39 · weakest Brisket (165.26)

Road miles

5,705

across 27 mapped stops · furthest 536 mi

Schedule strength

63%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1579)

Purse competed for

$133K

listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 13 state-championship entries

Master avg

666.11 / 720

25 Master contests · 1 GC

Backyard avg

333.10 / 360

2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master 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 (16 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

Against the odds

5-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 95 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at SMSU Smokefest (Aug 18, 2017) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 5-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ.

Giant slayer

41 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 41-team field at SMSU Smokefest.

Aug 18, 2017

Happy hunting ground

Top 18% average finish here

Original SD BBQ Championship is their spot: an average finish in the top 18% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 6th
average top 18%

They almost always walk

78% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 21 of 27 contests

A top-10 category call in 78% of their 27 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

687.9772 career-best overall

95.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 687.9772 at SMSU Smokefest — 95.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 18, 2017

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

SIN CIRCLE BBQ has finished one call ahead of Backroads BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

20–3 behind in the head-to-head

LAST CALL HEROES BBQ ahead in 87% of their meetings

LAST CALL HEROES BBQ has come out ahead in 20 of their 23 shared contests.

Show 9 more storylines

The drought

19 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at SMSU Smokefest on Aug 18, 2017 — 19 contests and 9.1 years ago.

last GC Aug 18, 2017
9.1 years ago

A strong matchup

8–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BULLY BBQ in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The comeback

2.3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.3 years, then back at ND BBQ Championship (Sep 27, 2024).

last seen Jun 10, 2022
back Sep 27, 2024

Chicken nemesis

15 of 23 shared chicken entries lost

LAST CALL HEROES BBQ ahead 65% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LAST CALL HEROES BBQ has out-cooked them in 15 of 23 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

CITY SLICKERS BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 28% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 28% across 4 contests, versus top 44% the rest of the year.

4 May contests
top 44% the rest of the year

The long haul

5,705 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,705 miles across 27 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 536 miles to 10th Annual Roberts Ranch Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ.

27 mapped stops
furthest 536 mi

The metronome

±2.34% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.34% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.5% of a perfect score
27 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked SMSU Smokefest every year from 2016 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 1st

In the record book (on 1 all-time board)

Where this team sits in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record they hold outright; the rest are boards they are on.

#5 🃏 Biggest upset 5-in-100 pre-contest odds on the champion · over a 41-team rated field · Aug 18, 2017

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1074 (235 pts)	#1244 (195 pts)	#942 (320 pts)	#926 (320 pts)	#1277 (180 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#733 (458 pts)	#732 (483 pts)	#711 (503 pts)	#668 (553 pts)	#546 (673 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#833 (447 pts)	#1070 (332 pts)	#824 (482 pts)	#1241 (257 pts)	#690 (577 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#731 (515 pts)	#733 (545 pts)	#987 (370 pts)	#893 (435 pts)	#809 (465 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Backroads BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

33 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

BALDICUE

#1,085 of the rated field

1596 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 79%
Peak: 1596

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 24 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 24 contests
last seen Oct 5, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

The Smoking J's

#1,092 of the rated field

1596 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1597

Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 4 years before Backroads BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 22 contests

⚔ Compare careers

M-Dubs BBQ

#1,086 of the rated field

1596 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1596

Careers of much the same size, 31 contests to 27, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 31 contests
last seen Sep 6, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

COUNTRYSIDE BBQ PRO SHOP

#1,084 of the rated field

1596 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1604

33 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 24% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 33 contests
last seen Jul 20, 2019

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SHUT THE FRONT DOOR BBQ

#1,094 of the rated field

1595 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 47%
Peak: 1595

Level with Backroads BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Sep 9, 2016

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Castleton Q

#1,088 of the rated field

1596 power rating

Contests: 41
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1596

They turned up 7 years after Backroads BBQ did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 39 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LAST CALL HEROES BBQ	23	3	20	13%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	21	6	15	29%	⚔ compare
SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS	18	7	11	39%	⚔ compare
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	18	3	15	17%	⚔ compare
RICHIE Z's	16	8	8	50%	⚔ compare
LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY	16	4	12	25%	⚔ compare
Borgy the BBQ Butcher	15	9	6	60%	⚔ compare
ROLLIN' SMOKE BBQ SD	15	9	6	60%	⚔ compare
SIN CIRCLE BBQ	15	4	11	27%	⚔ compare
RUB MY RACK	15	0	15	0%	⚔ compare
Pigtamer BBQ	14	7	7	50%	⚔ compare
RUM N' SMOKE BBQ	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
Hogline	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
SMOKE IN THE EYE	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	27	6	1	2	178.8800	153.6916	167.39	top 46%
Pork Ribs	27	9	0	2	176.0116	155.3828	166.76	top 43%
Pork	25	8	0	1	176	151.9428	166.62	top 48%
Brisket	25	9	1	5	179.4400	145.6572	165.26	top 44%

“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)	9	0	top 39%
Large (40+)	18	1	top 47%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
SD	12	0	top 45%
MN	7	1	top 32%
KS	4	0	top 43%
OK	2	0	top 81%
ND	1	0	top 43%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
SMSU Smokefest	4	1	1	top 30%	Aug 16, 2019
Cookin On Kampeska	3	25	0	top 62%	Jul 19, 2019
Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest	2	5	0	top 26%	Jun 10, 2022
Original SD BBQ Championship	2	6	0	top 18%	Jun 4, 2021
Minnesota in May	2	3	0	top 26%	May 7, 2021
39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	2	118	0	top 59%	Sep 15, 2018
Original SD BBQ Championships	2	7	0	top 33%	Jun 2, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2018 6 contests

Contests a season 3 across 9 seasons in the data

Most contests held in SD 12 of 27 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 17 7 of them more than once

First title Aug 18, 2017 SMSU Smokefest

Opponents faced 930 finished ahead 968 times, behind 832

Longest layoff 2.3 yrs Jun 10, 2022 → Sep 27, 2024

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20242 milestones

Sep 27 Peak power rating (1596) ND BBQ Championship
Sep 27 Most recent contest ND BBQ Championship

20211 milestone

Sep 10 25th tracked contest Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll

20201 milestone

Aug 28 Career-best single call (Brisket)179.4400 Minnesota in Mayaugust

20181 milestone

Jun 1 10th tracked contest The Original SD BBQ Championships

20173 milestones

Aug 18 First Grand Championship SMSU Smokefest
Aug 18 Biggest field won (41 teams) SMSU Smokefest
Aug 18 Career-best overall score687.9772 SMSU Smokefest

20164 milestones

Jun 3 First overall top-10 Original SD BBQ Championships
Jun 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score682.2512 Original SD BBQ Championships
Aug 19 First category win (Chicken) SMSU Smokefest
Aug 19 First overall podium SMSU Smokefest

20152 milestones

Apr 17 First tracked contest 10th Annual Roberts Ranch Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ
Apr 17 First call 10th Annual Roberts Ranch Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18.3	SMSU Smokefest	Aug 18, 2017
+16.8	SMSU Smokefest	Aug 19, 2016
+14.7	Minnesota in May	May 7, 2021
+13.7	Original SD BBQ Championships	Jun 3, 2016
+12.7	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll	Sep 10, 2021

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.2	10th Annual Roberts Ranch Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ	Apr 17, 2015
-6.8	Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ	Apr 15, 2016
-6.3	Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll	Sep 6, 2019
-4.6	SMSU Smokefest	Aug 16, 2019
-3.4	Cookin On Kampeska	Jul 20, 2018

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)
2024	1	0	0	0	100%	top 43%	93.2%	93.2%
2022	1	0	1	0	100%	top 34%	90.8%	90.8%
2021	4	0	4	0	75%	top 17%	95.2%	94.5%
2020	2	0	0	1	100%	top 64%	92.3%	92.2%
2019	5	0	1	0	80%	top 55%	95.1%	92.2%
2018	6	0	0	0	67%	top 51%	93.6%	92.4%
2017	3	1	1	0	67%	top 38%	95.6%	93.6%
2016	4	0	2	1	75%	top 35%	95.2%	92%
2015	1	0	0	0	100%	top 81%	87.4%	87.4%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 27, 2024	ND BBQ Championship 🏅 Fargo, ND	20 / 47 (670.7540)	37 (162.2400)	12 (169.1084)	3 (174.8572)	28 (164.5484)
Jun 10, 2022	Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	10 / 29 (326.7772)	8 (167.9656)	14 (158.8116)	—	—
Sep 10, 2021	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	6 / 26 (681.0972)	12 (169.1316)	14 (168.5484)	15 (168.5600)	3 (174.8572)
Jun 11, 2021	Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	5 / 28 (339.4284)	2 (173.7372)	6 (165.6912)	—	—
Jun 4, 2021	Original SD BBQ Championship 🏅 Huron, SD	10 / 49 (677.6912)	16 (169.1200)	26 (166.2972)	13 (171.4284)	11 (170.8456)
May 7, 2021	Minnesota in May 🏅 Cambridge, MN	3 / 60 (685.0856)	23 (169.1428)	9 (170.8228)	4 (176)	17 (169.1200)
Sep 11, 2020	Ribs, Rod and Rock N Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	21 / 29 (662.7312)	18 (167.9772)	7 (174.8456)	13 (169.6684)	28 (150.2400)
Aug 28, 2020	Minnesota in Mayaugust 🏅 Cambridge, MN	25 / 45 (664.4800)	39 (159.9428)	28 (163.3944)	34 (161.7028)	1 (179.4400)
Sep 6, 2019	Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	23 / 29 (653.5656)	10 (170.2628)	21 (163.4172)	20 (162.8000)	26 (157.0856)
Aug 16, 2019	SMSU Smokefest 🏅 Marshall, MN	33 / 46 (657.0172)	17 (170.8344)	36 (162.2516)	27 (165.7028)	34 (158.2284)
Jul 19, 2019	Cookin On Kampeska 🏅 Watertown, SD	25 / 40 (655.9316)	30 (159.3828)	19 (166.8572)	31 (158.8344)	8 (170.8572)
May 31, 2019	Original SD BBQ Championship 🏅 Huron, SD	6 / 37 (685.0628)	15 (166.8228)	2 (176.0116)	5 (175.4056)	13 (166.8228)
May 10, 2019	Minnesota in May 🏅	27 / 57 (669.0972)	20 (171.4056)	34 (163.4288)	10 (173.7028)	41 (160.5600)
Sep 15, 2018	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	217 / 467 (663.3828)	80 (173.1428)	119 (170.3316)	378 (156.5028)	246 (163.4056)
Sep 14, 2018	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) unrated Kansas City, KS	118 / 164 (673.6228)	135 (165.1084)	99 (167.4288)	105 (169.1200)	76 (171.9656)
Aug 17, 2018	SMSU Smokefest Marshall, MN	15 / 40 (674.2172)	24 (166.2628)	15 (167.9772)	18 (167.9772)	6 (172)
Jul 20, 2018	Cookin On Kampeska Watertown, SD	29 / 45 (650.7428)	33 (159.9772)	37 (156.5372)	9 (170.2628)	20 (163.9656)
Jun 1, 2018	The Original SD BBQ Championships Huron, SD	15 / 33 (662.1600)	14 (166.8228)	26 (155.9544)	10 (168.5256)	3 (170.8572)
May 11, 2018	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	29 / 70 (665.6116)	12 (171.4172)	8 (173.1200)	45 (163.3828)	53 (157.6916)
Aug 18, 2017	SMSU Smokefest Marshall, MN	1 / 41 (687.9772)	10 (172.5828)	2 (172.5944)	15 (168.5372)	2 (174.2628)
Jul 14, 2017	Cookin On Kampeska Watertown, SD	29 / 48 (665.0168)	11 (173.7372)	13 (171.9656)	38 (159.9312)	37 (159.3828)
Jun 2, 2017	Original SD BBQ Championships Huron, SD	16 / 32 (667.8972)	23 (161.6800)	16 (165.7144)	19 (165.0972)	2 (175.4056)
Aug 19, 2016	SMSU Smokefest Marshall, MN	3 / 37 (685.0972)	1 (178.8800)	7 (172.5600)	4 (173.1428)	21 (160.5144)
Jul 15, 2016	Cookin' on Kampeska Watertown, SD	14 / 41 (671.8972)	5 (176)	35 (157.6572)	28 (163.9656)	4 (174.2744)
Jun 3, 2016	Original SD BBQ Championships Huron, SD	7 / 44 (682.2512)	22 (165.7028)	9 (172)	7 (171.9884)	6 (172.5600)
Apr 15, 2016	Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	51 / 63 (611.2344)	54 (153.6916)	47 (155.3828)	48 (156.5028)	55 (145.6572)
Apr 17, 2015	10th Annual Roberts Ranch Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	61 / 75 (629.0512)	59 (156.5600)	6 (173.7028)	71 (151.9428)	67 (146.8456)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

Backroads BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Storylines (16 found in their record)

Against the odds

Giant slayer

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The drought

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A May team

The long haul

The metronome

A standing appointment

In the record book (on 1 all-time board)

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)