The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
The Meat Whisperers has finished one call ahead of NATTY QUE 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
NATTY QUE
NATTY QUE is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 6th of 20 at the Mission Q (Backyard Only) (2019). They are ranked #2887 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1509
peak 1526 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Aug 31, 2013
latest Apr 26, 2024 · 10.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
31% of 13 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 53%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
331.73 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 333.43 (-1.70)
Walk rate
46%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.03
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 169.70 · weakest Pork (160.63)
Road miles
1,055
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 588 mi
Schedule strength
27%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1537)
Purse competed for
$41K
listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
610.13 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
333.43 / 360
9 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
499.17 / 540
3 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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.
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 ↗ | Backyard | #366 (65 pts) | #336 (100 pts) | #379 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #185 (256 pts) | #234 (156 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #347 (59 pts) | #300 (94 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #190 (119 pts) | #264 (64 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #51 (220 pts) | #84 (110 pts) | — | — |
| 2019 ↗ | Backyard | — | #11 (220 pts) | #20 (110 pts) | — | — |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to NATTY QUE, each with one reason worth a look.
106 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,879 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1538
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 8 years before NATTY QUE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,878 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1526
Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,896 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1517
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 17% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#2,880 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1520
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careers#2,877 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1509
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,883 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1509
Level with NATTY QUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEE LA Q | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| REDBONES BBQ | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| RIBLIFE | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Blowin Smoke BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Thin Blue Swine | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Sweet Cheeks BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| FLO TOWN SMOKERS | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Rocket Barbecue | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Scuttlebutts | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 177.1428 | 159.3828 | 169.70 | top 36% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 172.0344 | 146.2400 | 162.31 | top 62% |
| Pork | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 132.4800 | 160.63 | top 58% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.9656 | 163.9656 | 163.97 | top 19% |
“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 54% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 52% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 23 | 0 | top 62% | Apr 26, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
6 contests
Contests a season
2.2
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
12 of 13 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
12
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
325
finished ahead 240 times, behind 266
Longest layoff
5.5 yrs
Aug 31, 2013 → Mar 8, 2019
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20241 milestone
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20231 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20196 milestones
- First call Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONlY)
- First category win (Chicken) Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONlY)
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONlY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score343.4516 Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONlY)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.1428 Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONlY)
- Peak power rating (1526) Mission Q (Backyard Only)
20132 milestones
- First tracked contest City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
- Career-best overall score610.1256 City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.1 | Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONlY) | Apr 26, 2019 |
| +11.7 | Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off | Jul 26, 2019 |
| +8.7 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) | Nov 22, 2019 |
| +4 | Elkmont Lions Club Smokin Railroad St. BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 21, 2019 |
| +2.9 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 9, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.9 | Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 8, 2019 |
| -6.5 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | Aug 31, 2013 |
| -5.1 | Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 23, 2021 |
| -4.8 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 9, 2023 |
| -2.5 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 28, 2023 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 60% | 92.5% | 92.5% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 65% | 92.8% | 92.1% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 62% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 69% | 90.1% | 90.1% |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 83% | top 39% | 95.4% | 93.4% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 72% | 84.7% | 84.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 24 / 40 (333.1200) | 17 (170.8572) | 31 (162.2628) | — | — |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) Madison, AL | 36 / 58 (332.5372) | 35 (166.8228) | 36 (165.7144) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 18 / 26 (327.9312) | 10 (171.4056) | 21 (156.5256) | — | — |
| Apr 28, 2023 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 23 / 36 (501.1088) | 11 (170.8572) | 20 (166.8572) | 26 (163.3944) | — |
| Apr 22, 2022 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (Backyard) Florence, AL | 21 / 34 (494.7544) | 25 (159.3828) | 18 (166.2516) | 13 (169.1200) | — |
| Apr 23, 2021 | Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 20 / 29 (324.5260) | 12 (170.2744) | 23 (154.2516) | — | — |
| Nov 22, 2019 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 6 / 20 (340.5600) | 3 (174.2628) | 12 (166.2972) | — | — |
| Aug 9, 2019 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL | 12 / 26 (501.6572) | 4 (175.4056) | 16 (162.8572) | 18 (163.3944) | — |
| Jul 26, 2019 | Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Hartselle, AL | 7 / 27 (340.5832) | 11 (168.5488) | 3 (172.0344) | — | — |
| Jun 21, 2019 | Elkmont Lions Club Smokin Railroad St. BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY) Elkmont, AL | 10 / 23 (335.9428) | 2 (174.2628) | 16 (161.6800) | 4 (173.1200) | — |
| Apr 26, 2019 | Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONlY) Florence, AL | 6 / 45 (343.4516) | 1 (177.1428) | 16 (166.3088) | 23 (162.2512) | — |
| Mar 8, 2019 | Corums Building Center BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Harselle, AL | 26 / 34 (322.2172) | 28 (159.4172) | 26 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Aug 31, 2013 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 64 / 89 (610.1256) | 14 (167.4400) | 75 (146.2400) | 87 (132.4800) | 17 (163.9656) |