Imperial BBQ MN
Rating
1457
peak 1505 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
2024-05-31
latest 2026-06-12
Best ToY finish
#221
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 79%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
314.80
last 5 Backyard vs avg 315.19 (-0.39)
Walk rate
14%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±5.96
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 159.03 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.11)
Road miles
389
mi across 7 mapped stops · furthest 96 mi
Schedule strength
69%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)
Purse competed for
$31K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 3 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
315.19 / 360
6 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Big Bear BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
📅 A May team
Something about May: average finish in the top 64% across 3 contests, versus top 79% the rest of the year.
Teams like this (closest power rating, MN first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensuous BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Bear BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| DAWGS BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Unknown Smokers | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 163.9772 | 149.1200 | 159.03 | top 77% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 163.9884 | 145.6456 | 157.11 | top 73% |
| Pork | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MN | 5 | 0 | top 77% |
| WI | 1 | 0 | top 90% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 97% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 64% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 90% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smokin' in Steele | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 51% | 2025-05-30 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (3 contests)
- Cooks mostly in MN (5 of 7 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (7 entries)
- Average Backyard overall score: 315.19 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2024-05-31 — First tracked contest · Smokin in Steele
- 📣 2024-05-31 — First call · Smokin in Steele
- 📈 2024-05-31 — Peak power rating (1505) · Smokin in Steele
- ⭐ 2026-06-12 — Career-best overall score (321.6456) · Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +4.6 | Smokin in Steele | 2024-05-31 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.3 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-09-07 |
| -12.2 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-08-16 |
| -8.6 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-05-29 |
| -8.5 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2026-06-12 |
| -6.2 | Smokin' in Steele | 2025-05-30 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 89.3% | 89.3% |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 86% | 87% | 85.7% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 63% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 36 / 40 (321.6456) | 37 (161.6800) | 35 (159.9656) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 22 (162.8228) | — | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Owatonna, MN | 22 / 25 (321.0516) | 21 (163.9772) | 23 (157.0744) | — | — |
| 2025-08-16 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 17 / 17 (303.8856) | 16 (158.2400) | 17 (145.6456) | — | — |
| 2025-05-30 | Smokin' in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 20 / 28 (313.1084) | 22 (149.1200) | 17 (163.9884) | — | — |
| 2024-09-07 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 17 / 18 (314.2860) | 16 (158.8572) | 12 (155.4288) | — | — |
| 2024-05-31 | Smokin in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 10 / 32 (317.1544) | 8 (162.2972) | 10 (154.8572) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #221 (125 pts) | #219 (130 pts) | #190 (190 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #983 (70 pts) | — | — |