The comeback
4.2 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 4.2 years, then back at Rock Island BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) (Oct 13, 2023).
- last seen Aug 2, 2019
- back Oct 13, 2023
MO Bestest BBQ
MO Bestest BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 4 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 8th of 15 at the Smokin on The Harbor (BACKYARD ONLY) (2019). They finished #1954 in the 2018 Master Series Team of the Year standings. Also listed in KCBS results as “MO' BESTEST BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1474
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 4
Contests
4
in the data
First seen
Jul 8, 2017
latest Oct 13, 2023 · 6.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
25% of 4 contests
Avg finish
top 82%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
25%
contests with a top-10 call
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 163.84 · weakest Brisket (139.96)
Road miles
124
across 4 mapped stops · furthest 45 mi
Schedule strength
49%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1563)
Purse competed for
$6,425
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
Master avg
616.76 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
326.87 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
461.68 / 540
1 Backyard (3-meat) contest · 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)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 161.1544 | 147.9772 | 155.56 | top 85% |
| Pork Ribs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 167.3944 | 159.4172 | 163.84 | top 63% |
| Pork | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 157.6916 | 152.5600 | 154.85 | top 90% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 140.5260 | 139.3944 | 139.96 | top 97% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 70% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 93% |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MO
4 of 4 contests
Contests visited
4
a different one every time
Opponents faced
89
finished ahead 14 times, behind 78
Longest layoff
4.2 yrs
Aug 2, 2019 → Oct 13, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20231 milestone
- Most recent contest Rock Island BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
20193 milestones
- First call Smokin on The Harbor (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Smokin on The Harbor (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score326.8688 Smokin on The Harbor (BACKYARD ONLY)
20181 milestone
- Career-best overall score619.8748 Laurie Hillbilly BBQ
20173 milestones
- First tracked contest Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)167.3944 Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway
- Peak power rating (1489) Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +0.7 | Smokin on The Harbor (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 2, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.1 | Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway | Jul 8, 2017 |
| -8.6 | Rock Island BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 13, 2023 |
| -7.2 | Laurie Hillbilly BBQ | Aug 3, 2018 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 88% | 85.5% | 85.5% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 53% | 90.8% | 90.8% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 86% | 86.1% | 86.1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 85.2% | 85.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2023 | Rock Island BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Stover, MO | 14 / 16 (461.6800) | 14 (147.9772) | 12 (159.4172) | 13 (154.2856) | — |
| Aug 2, 2019 | Smokin on The Harbor (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, MO | 8 / 15 (326.8688) | 10 (161.1544) | 8 (165.7144) | — | — |
| Aug 3, 2018 | Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO | 30 / 35 (619.8748) | 30 (158.8228) | 24 (162.8344) | 32 (157.6916) | 33 (140.5260) |
| Jul 8, 2017 | Red White Blue and Que Presented by Lucas Oil Speedway Wheatland, MO | 31 / 31 (613.6460) | 31 (154.2972) | 17 (167.3944) | 30 (152.5600) | 31 (139.3944) |