A tough matchup
3–1
behind in the head-to-head
777 BBQ ahead in 75% of their meetings
777 BBQ has come out ahead in 3 of their 4 shared contests.
TENDER BUTTS
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1462
peak 1462 · rated over 5 contests ⓘ
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
2013-10-11
latest 2023-10-13
Best ToY finish
#1255
Master 2023
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 80%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
553.17
last 5 Master vs avg 553.17 (+0.00)
Walk rate
40%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±124.50
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 157.71 · weakest Brisket (149.55)
Road miles
863
mi across 5 mapped stops · furthest 431 mi
Schedule strength
29%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1539)
Purse competed for
$8K
listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 1 state-championship entries
Master avg
553.17 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (3 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 strong matchup
3–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of SILVER FOX BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
The comeback
5.5 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 5.5 years, then back at Smoke on the Water (2023-10-13).
- last seen 2018-04-06
- back 2023-10-13
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.
122 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5017 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1462
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#4999 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1462
No shared contest yet.
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Head-to-head#5024 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1462
No shared contest yet.
Level with TENDER BUTTS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#4997 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1501 at their best, 38 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#5014 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1462
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before TENDER BUTTS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#5006 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1462
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 7 years before TENDER BUTTS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.9656 | 142.2744 | 151.12 | top 88% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.3484 | 149.7144 | 154.93 | top 79% |
| Pork | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.2628 | 144.5600 | 157.71 | top 62% |
| Brisket | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.1200 | 138.8000 | 149.55 | top 69% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS | 4 | 0 | top 76% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 77% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 86% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Water | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 74% | 2023-10-13 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
10 yrs
2013-10-11 → 2023-10-13
Busiest season
2023
1 contest
Contests a season
1
across 5 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
KS
4 of 5 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
4
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
5 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 157.71 · weakest Brisket (149.55)
Walk rate
40%
a top-10 call in 2 of 5 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 5 contests
Master average
553.17
out of 720 · 5 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
146
35–151 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
863
5 mapped stops · furthest 431 mi
Schedule strength
1539
average field rating faced — tougher than 29% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$8,250
listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 1 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
5.5 yrs
2018-04-06 → 2023-10-13
Power rating
1462
peak 1462 · #5013 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Water
- Peak power rating (1493) Smoke on the Water
- 2014
- First call Smoke on the Water at Lake Shawnee
- 2015
- Career-best overall score643.2684 Smoke on the Water
- Career-best single call (Brisket)169.1200 Smoke on the Water
- 2023
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Water
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | Smoke on the Water | 2015-10-09 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.4 | Eighth Annual Bull Moose (JUDGE'S FULL) | 2018-04-06 |
| -10.5 | Smoke on the Water | 2023-10-13 |
| -9.2 | Smoke on the Water at Lake Shawnee | 2014-10-10 |
| -7 | Smoke on the Water | 2013-10-11 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 83.1% | 83.1% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 42.5% | 42.5% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 52% | 89.3% | 89.3% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 81% | 83.6% | 83.6% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 72% | 85.6% | 85.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-10-13 | Smoke on the Water 🏅 Topeka, KS | 38 / 39 (598.1600) | 36 (159.9656) | 38 (154.8344) | 37 (144.5600) | 37 (138.8000) |
| 2018-04-06 | Eighth Annual Bull Moose (JUDGE'S FULL) Somerville, TN | 40 / 40 (306.2056) | — | 36 (152.5256) | 38 (153.6800) | — |
| 2015-10-09 | Smoke on the Water Topeka, KS | 17 / 33 (643.2684) | 24 (154.8228) | 23 (159.3484) | 21 (159.9772) | 6 (169.1200) |
| 2014-10-10 | Smoke on the Water at Lake Shawnee Topeka, KS | 30 / 37 (601.7488) | 33 (147.4172) | 32 (149.7144) | 10 (164.0456) | 33 (140.5716) |
| 2013-10-11 | Smoke on the Water Topeka, KS | 31 / 43 (616.4912) | 42 (142.2744) | 22 (158.2512) | 12 (166.2628) | 32 (149.7028) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1255 (60 pts) | #1319 (60 pts) | #1432 (60 pts) | #1287 (60 pts) | #1296 (60 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1939 (98 pts) | #2197 (63 pts) | #2159 (68 pts) | #2129 (78 pts) | #1496 (173 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #2673 (62 pts) | #2686 (62 pts) | #2689 (62 pts) | #1804 (137 pts) | #2683 (62 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #2459 (67 pts) | #2501 (67 pts) | #2007 (82 pts) | #1755 (132 pts) | #2496 (67 pts) |