High-water mark
342.8684
career-best overall
95.2% of a perfect 360
Their best day on record: 342.8684 at Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) — 95.2% of a perfect 360.
- Backyard
- Aug 16, 2025
T.J.D. Smokehouse
T.J.D. Smokehouse is a competition barbecue team with 15 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 4th of 20 at the Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025). They are ranked #2254 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “TJD Smokehouse”, “T.J.D Smokehouse”, “T.J.D.Smokehouse” and “T.J. D Smokehouse”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1529
peak 1533 · rated over 12 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
15
in the data
First seen
May 24, 2019
latest Jun 19, 2026 · 7.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
20% of 15 contests
Avg finish
top 45%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
326.72 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 323.31 (+3.41)
Walk rate
40%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.83
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 162.68 · weakest Pork Ribs (160.35)
Road miles
728
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 72 mi
Schedule strength
30%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1540)
Purse competed for
$37K
listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
323.31 / 360
13 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to T.J.D. Smokehouse, each with one reason worth a look.
77 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,256 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1529
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to T.J.D. Smokehouse)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team T.J.D. Smokehouse has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,253 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1545
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before T.J.D. Smokehouse's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,249 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1545
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,242 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1539
Level with T.J.D. Smokehouse on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,241 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 56%
- Peak
- 1529
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,240 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1529
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Cold Grillers | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| 309 BBQ | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Rudes BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Ishy Links BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Shmack Q | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Diabolical Pig | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Bulldog BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Foot BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Sermerstout BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ MIKE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 14 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 178.2972 | 150.2972 | 162.68 | top 47% |
| Pork Ribs | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 174.3200 | 147.4172 | 160.35 | top 49% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 31% |
| Medium (20–39) | 8 | 0 | top 49% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 42% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 4 | 0 | top 34% | Aug 16, 2025 |
| Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 16 | 0 | top 56% | Jun 14, 2024 |
| Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 67% | Jun 19, 2026 |
| Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 48% | Aug 20, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2023
3 contests
Contests a season
1.9
across 8 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
15 of 15 contests
Contests visited
8
4 of them more than once
Opponents faced
309
finished ahead 282 times, behind 225
Longest layoff
2.9 yrs
Jul 19, 2019 → Jun 17, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20252 milestones
- Career-best overall score342.8684 Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1533) Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
20234 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score327.4056 Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Chicken) Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)178.2972 Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
—3 milestones
- First tracked contest Barbeque on the Hill (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)
- First call Barbeque on the Hill (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)
- First overall top-10 Barbeque on the Hill (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.6 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 16, 2025 |
| +12.3 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 19, 2023 |
| +7.5 | Red, White, and BBQ Day 1 | May 24, 2019 |
| +6.8 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | Jul 19, 2019 |
| +4.2 | Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 20, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.2 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (Backyard) | Jun 17, 2022 |
| -4.5 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 19, 2026 |
| -4 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 20, 2025 |
| -3.6 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 17, 2024 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 45% | 88.7% | 85.7% |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 91.9% | 91.9% |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 43% | 95.2% | 93.4% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 55% | 92.4% | 91.9% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 36% | 93.2% | 91% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 55% | 88.2% | 87.6% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 30% | 88.6% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2026 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 28 / 41 (330.8116) | 32 (161.6800) | 24 (169.1316) | — | — |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 4 / 20 (342.8684) | 7 (168.5484) | 3 (174.3200) | — | — |
| Jun 20, 2025 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 24 / 36 (329.6344) | 12 (174.2628) | 32 (155.3716) | — | — |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 17 / 26 (332.5716) | 23 (161.7144) | 7 (170.8572) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 18 / 40 (329.0972) | 27 (161.6800) | 14 (167.4172) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 5 / 32 (335.4060) | 1 (178.2972) | 16 (157.1088) | — | — |
| Jul 14, 2023 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 11 / 25 (319.9544) | 10 (162.2972) | 13 (157.6572) | — | — |
| Jun 17, 2023 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 16 / 33 (327.4056) | 25 (158.8228) | 10 (168.5828) | — | — |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 15 / 41 (317.6916) | 14 (158.8800) | 19 (158.8116) | — | — |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (Backyard) Morris, IL | 17 / 23 (313.0744) | 19 (159.9772) | 17 (153.0972) | — | — |
| Jul 19, 2019 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Peoria, IL | 11 / 40 (307.9884) | 11 (152.5484) | 11 (155.4400) | — | — |
| May 24, 2019 | Red, White, and BBQ Day 1 🏅 Westmont, IL | 13 / 40 (318.8112) | 12 (158.2628) | 11 (160.5484) | — | — |
| Jul 20, 2018 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL) Peoria, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 23 / 39 (297.7144) | 20 (150.2972) | 26 (147.4172) | — | — |
| — | Barbeque on the Hill (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) unrated BlueIsland, IL | 5 / 16 (319.3944) | 2 (170.2628) | 13 (149.1316) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.