The Catering Vets

The Catering Vets is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 9th of 50 at The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) (2023). They are ranked #3708 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,708

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1489

peak 1509 · rated over 10 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 13, 2021

latest Oct 20, 2023 · 2.2 years on the trail

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

9% of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 69%

overall standings

Best overall

483.3140 / 540

Backyard · Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY)

Perfect 180s

Current form

328.03 ▲

last 5 Backyard vs avg 323.84 (+4.19)

Walk rate

18%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.1084

Chicken · The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)

Consistency

±8.94

spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 164.30 · weakest Pork Ribs (160.06)

Road miles

364

across 11 mapped stops · furthest 44 mi

Schedule strength

35%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1547)

Purse competed for

$73K

listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Backyard avg

323.84 / 360

9 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Backyard (3-meat) avg

483.31 / 540

1 Backyard (3-meat) contest · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (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.

Storylines (8 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

Los Diablos has finished one call ahead of The Catering Vets 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2021 their best year

2021 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 55%.

4 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 55%

A tough matchup

10–0 behind in the head-to-head

Hickory Hangover ahead in 100% of their meetings

Hickory Hangover has come out ahead in 10 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.2 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.24 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 9% of the time against 10%.

Pork Ribs avg 160.06
Chicken avg 164.30
1 call in 11 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Sweaty Pig in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

9 of 10 shared chicken entries lost

Hickory Hangover ahead 90% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Hickory Hangover has out-cooked them in 9 of 10 shared chicken entries.

An October team

Top 49% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 49% across 4 contests, versus top 69% the rest of the year.

4 October contests
top 69% the rest of the year

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±2.36% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.36% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.9% of a perfect score
11 contests

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
2023 ↗	Backyard	—	#157 (306 pts)	#198 (216 pts)	—	—
2022 ↗	Backyard	—	#152 (246 pts)	#154 (251 pts)	—	—
2021 ↗	Backyard	—	#131 (216 pts)	#187 (126 pts)	—	—
2021 ↗	Master	—	—	#919 (149 pts)	—	—

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to The Catering Vets, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Beefis and Butt-Head

#3,720 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

3–0 in 3 shared contests (100% to The Catering Vets)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — The Catering Vets ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 6 contests
last seen Oct 17, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

HOGG LEGG SMOKERS

#3,695 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 49
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1523

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to The Catering Vets)

They've been 1523 at their best, 34 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 49 contests
last seen Sep 23, 2022

⚔ Head-to-head

Fat Rocky BBQ

#3,685 of the rated field

1490 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1506

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jul 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Grill Em All

#3,729 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1489

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2021.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jan 24, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

Smooth Smokin'

#3,697 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1489

Level with The Catering Vets on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Jun 19, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

5XL BBQ

#3,684 of the rated field

1490 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1490

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Hickory Hangover	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
NORALA BBQ TEAM	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
BUTSY-Q	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
LEE LA Q	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
HELL ON SQUEALS	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
2 Swine Crew	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
RIBLIFE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
REDBONES BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
All Smoked Up	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Mad Rocket Barbecue	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	1	173.1084	155.3484	164.30	top 64%
Pork Ribs	11	1	168.5488	154.2172	160.06	top 75%
Pork	1	0	162.8112	162.8112	162.81	top 90%

“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)	8	0	top 81%
Large (40+)	2	0	top 23%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Falls	2	31	top 110%	Apr 7, 2023
Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)	2	16	top 58%	Oct 7, 2022
Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ	2	14	top 54%	Sep 8, 2022

More numbers

Busiest season 2022 4 contests

Contests a season 3.7 across 3 seasons in the data

Most contests held in AL 11 of 11 contests

Contests visited 7 3 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 11 entries · 0 wins · 1 call

Opponents faced 326 finished ahead 233 times, behind 321

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

20234 milestones

Jun 9 10th tracked contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
Oct 20 First overall top-10 The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)
Oct 20 Career-best single call (Chicken)173.1084 The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)
Oct 20 Most recent contest The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)

20222 milestones

Aug 5 Career-best overall score483.3140 Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY)
Oct 7 First overall past 90% of a perfect score335.3600 Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)

20213 milestones

Aug 13 First tracked contest Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Aug 13 Peak power rating (1509) Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Sep 18 First call Downtown Madtown BBQ Showdown - One Meat Rib Contest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.7	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)	Oct 20, 2023
+8.9	Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ	Aug 13, 2021
+6	Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)	Oct 7, 2022

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.5	Smoke on the Falls	Apr 8, 2022
-7.2	Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)	Jun 9, 2023
-6.9	Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY)	Aug 5, 2022
-6	Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)	Oct 8, 2021
-4	Smoke on the Falls	Apr 7, 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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	3	1	33%	top 59%	94.7%	91.3%
2022	4	0	0%	top 87%	93.2%	89.3%
2021	4	0	25%	top 55%	89.8%	89.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 20, 2023	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL	9 / 50 (341.0972)	6 (173.1084)	22 (167.9888)	—	—
Jun 9, 2023	Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL	21 / 26 (318.7200)	21 (160.5028)	19 (158.2172)	—	—
Apr 7, 2023	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	31 / 39 (326.1944)	35 (162.2400)	27 (163.9544)	—	—
Oct 7, 2022	Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL	16 / 38 (335.3600)	17 (167.3828)	16 (167.9772)	—	—
Sep 8, 2022	Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL	28 / 35 (318.8004)	20 (163.9772)	34 (154.8232)	—	—
Aug 5, 2022	Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY) Madison, AL	18 / 21 (483.3140)	17 (162.2512)	17 (158.2516)	19 (162.8112)	—
Apr 8, 2022	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	48 / 34 (309.5656)	49 (155.3484)	45 (154.2172)	—	—
Oct 22, 2021	Railyard BBQ Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Madison, AL	19 / 30 (322.7656)	17 (166.2400)	22 (156.5256)	—	—
Oct 8, 2021	Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL	23 / 31 (323.3488)	12 (169.1200)	29 (154.2288)	—	—
Sep 18, 2021	Downtown Madtown BBQ Showdown - One Meat Rib Contest Madison, AL	—	—	6 (168.5488)	—	—
Aug 13, 2021	Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL	14 / 49 (318.7084)	15 (162.7884)	24 (155.9200)	—	—

The Catering Vets

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

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

Backyard avg

Backyard (3-meat) avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

An October team

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

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

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)