HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM

HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM is a competition barbecue team with 20 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 6th of 59 at the Boo B Que By the Sea (2015). They are ranked #4445 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,445

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1474

peak 1503 · rated over 20 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 31, 2013

latest Jul 13, 2024 · 11.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#989

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

5% of 20 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

659.3944 / 720

Master · Boo B Que By the Sea

Perfect 180s

Current form

629.65 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 618.78 (+10.87)

Walk rate

25%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7600

Pork · Que for the Troops

Consistency

±34.91

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 159.21 · weakest Pork (151.10)

Road miles

1,098

across 20 mapped stops · furthest 142 mi

Schedule strength

22%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1531)

Purse competed for

$38K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

618.78 / 720

20 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (10 found in their record)

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

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

B'S QUE has finished one call ahead of HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 41%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 41%

A tough matchup

18–1 behind in the head-to-head

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit ahead in 95% of their meetings

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit has come out ahead in 18 of their 19 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.1 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.11 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 15% of the time against 10%.

Pork avg 151.10
Chicken avg 159.21
3 calls in 20 entries

A strong matchup

10–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BIG BAD WOLVES in 10 of their 10 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at New Jersey State Barbecue Championship (Jul 13, 2024).

last seen Jul 9, 2022
back Jul 13, 2024

Chicken nemesis

15 of 19 shared chicken entries lost

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit ahead 79% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit has out-cooked them in 15 of 19 shared chicken entries.

Show 3 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Bar B Q Dat has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An October team

Top 47% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 47% across 3 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.

3 October contests
top 60% the rest of the year

A standing appointment

7 years running at one contest

They've cooked New Jersey State Barbecue Championship every year from 2013 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

9 visits in all
best finish 20th

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 ↗	Master	#1182 (60 pts)	#1242 (60 pts)	#1317 (60 pts)	#1123 (85 pts)	#1204 (60 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#1309 (60 pts)	#1260 (80 pts)	#1404 (60 pts)	#1046 (120 pts)	#1333 (60 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#1236 (60 pts)	#1286 (60 pts)	#1202 (90 pts)	#1262 (60 pts)	#1245 (60 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1524 (120 pts)	#1432 (160 pts)	#1614 (120 pts)	#1610 (120 pts)	#1586 (120 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1876 (117 pts)	#1934 (117 pts)	#1710 (142 pts)	#1737 (132 pts)	#1577 (167 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1347 (205 pts)	#1374 (220 pts)	#1542 (180 pts)	#1130 (305 pts)	#1354 (225 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#989 (310 pts)	#959 (355 pts)	#1470 (180 pts)	#1094 (305 pts)	#1013 (325 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1471 (175 pts)	#1558 (175 pts)	#1513 (180 pts)	#1281 (245 pts)	#1651 (155 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1201 (221 pts)	#1202 (236 pts)	#1101 (276 pts)	#1245 (221 pts)	#1220 (226 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Tom Tom Bob A Que

#4,446 of the rated field

1474 power rating

Contests: 39
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1474

8–4 in 12 shared contests (67% to HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM)

These two have cooked 12 of the same contests — HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM ahead 8–4 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 39 contests
last seen Jul 13, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

BLUE MIST BBQ

#4,467 of the rated field

1474 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 63%
Peak: 1474

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Sep 26, 2026
on a 4-contest top-10 run

⚔ Compare careers

RICH AND STU'S VOODOO BBQ

#4,444 of the rated field

1474 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1502

Careers of much the same size, 22 contests to 20, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Apr 29, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

HEY GOOD BUDDY BARBECUE TEAM

#4,429 of the rated field

1474 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1502

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 6 years before HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 23 contests

⚔ Compare careers

McQ Smokers

#4,425 of the rated field

1474 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1474

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Smoke Wurx BBQ

#4,448 of the rated field

1474 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1474

They turned up 9 years after HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 24 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	19	1	18	5%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' TEX BBQ	18	6	12	33%	⚔ compare
SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
Palm tree smokehouse	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
B'S QUE	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
Tom Tom Bob A Que	12	8	4	67%	⚔ compare
WEEKEND SMOKERS	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
SMOKOPOLIS BBQ	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
THE BBQ GURU	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
Nice Racks	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
CARVER'S Q	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
RIBS WITHIN	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
PIGHEADED BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
BIG BAD WOLVES	10	10	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	20	2	1	170.8572	148.5600	159.21	top 52%
Pork Ribs	20	0	0	164.5600	145.7028	155.56	top 59%
Pork	20	3	0	173.7600	20	151.10	top 54%
Brisket	20	1	0	171.4284	135.9312	152.91	top 57%

“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)	1	0	top 91%
Large (40+)	19	0	top 59%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
NJ	10	top 54%
PA	7	top 74%
DE	3	top 51%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	9	20	0	top 52%	Jul 13, 2024
Que for the Troops	3	46	0	top 88%	Jun 1, 2018

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 2 across 10 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NJ 10 of 20 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 10 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 447 finished ahead 495 times, behind 702

Longest layoff 2 yrs Jul 9, 2022 → Jul 13, 2024

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

20241 milestone

Jul 13 Most recent contest New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

20162 milestones

Jun 3 10th tracked contest Que for the Troops
Jul 8 Peak power rating (1503) New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

20154 milestones

Jun 5 First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.8340 Que for the Troops
Jun 5 Career-best single call (Pork)173.7600 Que for the Troops
Oct 30 First overall top-10 Boo B Que By the Sea
Oct 30 Career-best overall score659.3944 Boo B Que By the Sea

20141 milestone

Jul 11 First call New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

20131 milestone

May 31 First tracked contest Que for the Troops

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.4	Boo B Que By the Sea	Oct 30, 2015
+8.1	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	Jul 11, 2014
+7.4	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	Jul 8, 2016
+6.1	Que for the Troops	Jun 5, 2015
+1.5	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	Jul 7, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15.8	Que for the Troops	May 31, 2013
-9.9	Pit at the Park	Aug 4, 2017
-8.7	Que for the Troops	Jun 1, 2018
-6.6	Que for the Troops	Jun 6, 2014
-5.3	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	Jul 10, 2015

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	1	0	0%	top 60%	89.6%	89.6%
2022	1	0	0%	top 61%	88.1%	88.1%
2021	1	0	0%	top 71%	84.4%	84.4%
2019	1	0	100%	top 58%	88%	88%
2018	2	0	0%	top 72%	87.2%	86.6%
2017	2	0	0%	top 70%	87.6%	87.1%
2016	4	0	25%	top 59%	88.2%	86.9%
2015	3	1	67%	top 41%	91.6%	89%
2014	2	0	50%	top 54%	86.8%	85.2%
2013	3	0	0%	top 70%	86%	78.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 13, 2024	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	37 / 62 (645.1200)	32 (164.5828)	41 (159.4056)	20 (168)	49 (153.1316)
Jul 9, 2022	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	37 / 61 (634.2056)	21 (168.5372)	40 (156.5372)	13 (169.6912)	56 (139.4400)
Jul 9, 2021	New Jersey State BBQ Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	42 / 59 (607.3488)	42 (153.1428)	19 (162.2516)	39 (155.4056)	54 (136.5488)
Jul 12, 2019	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	37 / 64 (633.6456)	9 (170.2856)	55 (151.3828)	46 (151.9656)	27 (160.0116)
Jul 14, 2018	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	36 / 64 (627.9312)	17 (164)	33 (156.5600)	41 (155.4056)	36 (151.9656)
Jun 1, 2018	Que for the Troops Levittown, PA	53 / 61 (619.4628)	34 (160.5488)	46 (153.1544)	47 (153.1312)	52 (152.6284)
Aug 4, 2017	Pit at the Park Macungie, PA	29 / 32 (630.6860)	26 (157.1088)	29 (150.7888)	22 (159.9312)	15 (162.8572)
Jul 7, 2017	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	33 / 67 (623.8972)	29 (161.6684)	20 (158.2860)	43 (153.0856)	34 (150.8572)
Oct 21, 2016	Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE	48 / 67 (618.7200)	55 (151.9656)	55 (149.0628)	15 (165.7372)	43 (151.9544)
Jul 8, 2016	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	20 / 65 (634.8688)	17 (162.2744)	32 (156)	31 (154.2972)	16 (162.2972)
Jun 3, 2016	Que for the Troops Levittown, PA	42 / 67 (627.4856)	39 (161.1316)	60 (149.1656)	10 (163.4628)	39 (153.7256)
Apr 8, 2016	Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval Harrington, DE	53 / 75 (621.6456)	49 (155.4056)	45 (157.7028)	58 (151.3828)	43 (157.1544)
Oct 30, 2015	Boo B Que By the Sea Rehobeth Beach, DE	6 / 59 (659.3944)	3 (170.8572)	28 (160.0116)	32 (157.0972)	6 (171.4284)
Jul 10, 2015	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	46 / 65 (605.0968)	55 (149.6912)	48 (151.4172)	46 (152.5484)	31 (151.4400)
Jun 5, 2015	Que for the Troops Levittown, PA	22 / 54 (658.8340)	46 (156.5256)	25 (164.5600)	5 (173.7600)	19 (163.9884)
Jul 11, 2014	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	20 / 65 (624.6056)	51 (148.5600)	19 (158.8800)	8 (162.3084)	24 (154.8572)
Jun 6, 2014	Que for the Troops Levittown, PA	50 / 65 (602.7884)	20 (161.7488)	40 (153.1200)	45 (151.9884)	61 (135.9312)
Oct 4, 2013	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	32 / 55 (618.8800)	30 (156.5256)	32 (154.9028)	36 (154.8916)	32 (152.5600)
Jul 12, 2013	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	34 / 65 (597.6456)	22 (158.2744)	40 (145.7028)	46 (147.9312)	35 (145.7372)
May 31, 2013	Que for the Troops Levittown, PA	46 / 46 (483.4286)	31 (151.4286)	14 (162.2856)	46 (20)	24 (149.7144)

HONEY BEARS BBQ TEAM

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

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

Storylines (10 found in their record)

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

An October team

A standing appointment

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 — 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)