High-water mark
338.8800
career-best overall
94.1% of a perfect 360
Their best day on record: 338.8800 at Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) — 94.1% of a perfect 360.
- Backyard
- 2024-07-26
Purple Panda
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1496
peak 1511 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
2023-07-28
latest 2026-07-25
Best ToY finish
#195
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 55%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
322.61 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 319.30 (+3.32)
Walk rate
17%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.33
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 163.13 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.16)
Road miles
0
mi across 6 mapped stops
Schedule strength
70%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1588)
Purse competed for
$37K
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 6 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
319.30 / 360
6 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Storylines (6 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.
A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
3 EYZ BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
3 EYZ BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
The weak link
−7.0
points behind their best meat
Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.97 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 17%.
- Pork Ribs avg 156.16
- Chicken avg 163.13
- 0 calls in 6 entries
A strong matchup
4–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Mullen It Over BBQ in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
The comeback
2 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) (2026-07-24).
- last seen 2024-07-27
- back 2026-07-24
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
Lucky Q BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.
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.
121 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3339 of the rated field
- Contests
- 40
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1530
2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to Purple Panda)
These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — Purple Panda ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#3347 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1507
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3351 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Purple Panda's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#3357 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1506
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2017, 6 years before Purple Panda's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#3370 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1504
No shared contest yet.
Level with Purple Panda on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#3344 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1497
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Purple Panda's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 BOXERS Q | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Castleton Q | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| COAL CRACKER BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SWEET BELLY'S BBQ | 6 | 2 | 3 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| HotMess BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Oink N' Doink BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| 3 EYZ BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| UP IN SMOKERS | 5 | 3 | 1 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.0000 | 154.2516 | 163.13 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.8800 | 143.8516 | 156.16 | top 55% |
| 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 contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 49% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 61% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 4 | 8 | 0 | top 56% | 2026-07-25 |
| Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 53% | 2023-07-29 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3 yrs
2023-07-28 → 2026-07-25
Busiest season
2026
2 contests
Contests a season
2
across 3 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
PA
6 of 6 contests
Contests visited
2
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
6 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 163.13 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.16)
Walk rate
17%
a top-10 call in 1 of 6 contests
Overall top-10 rate
17%
1 of 6 contests
Backyard average
319.30
out of 360 · 6 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
154
152–258 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
0
6 mapped stops
Schedule strength
1588
average field rating faced — tougher than 70% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$36,800
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 6 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
2 yrs
2024-07-27 → 2026-07-24
Power rating
1496
peak 1511 · #3352 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2023
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Rail (Day 1)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score329.7144 Smoke on the Rail (Day 2)
- 2024
- First call Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Career-best overall score338.8800 Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)172.0000 Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Peak power rating (1511) Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- 2026
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2024-07-26 |
| +2.9 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) | 2023-07-29 |
| +1.3 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2024-07-27 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.9 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2026-07-24 |
| -6.9 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2026-07-25 |
| -5.1 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) | 2023-07-28 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 76% | 85.9% | 85.7% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 36% | 94.1% | 92.5% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 91.6% | 87.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-25 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 29 / 39 (307.9316) | 27 (154.2516) | 28 (153.6800) | — | — |
| 2026-07-24 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 33 / 43 (309.0972) | 31 (161.1316) | 34 (147.9656) | — | — |
| 2024-07-27 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 16 / 32 (327.4404) | 18 (162.8572) | 13 (164.5832) | — | — |
| 2024-07-26 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 8 / 35 (338.8800) | 6 (172.0000) | 12 (166.8800) | — | — |
| 2023-07-29 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 17 / 40 (329.7144) | 11 (169.7028) | 18 (160.0116) | — | — |
| 2023-07-28 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 32 / 51 (302.7088) | 31 (158.8572) | 31 (143.8516) | — | — |
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 | #240 (115 pts) | #245 (115 pts) | #257 (115 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #195 (249 pts) | #196 (259 pts) | #213 (234 pts) | — | — |