503BACKYARDBBQ

503BACKYARDBBQ is a competition barbecue team with 22 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 7th of 25 at the Battle of the Bones (2015). They are ranked #4798 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “503 Backyard BBQ” and “503Backyard BBQ”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,798

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1467

peak 1510 · rated over 21 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 4, 2014

latest Aug 19, 2023 · 9.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#748

Master 2023 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

27% of 22 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 61%

overall standings

Best overall

667.9768 / 720

Master · BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL)

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.88 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 644.20 (+2.68)

Walk rate

64%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.2972

Chicken · BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay

Consistency

±35.99

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 164.25 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.77)

Road miles

6,872

across 22 mapped stops · furthest 1,708 mi

Schedule strength

16%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1523)

Purse competed for

$122K

listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 11 state-championship entries

Master avg

644.20 / 720

21 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (13 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

64% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 14 of 22 contests

A top-10 category call in 64% of their 22 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

667.9768 career-best overall

92.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 667.9768 at BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL) — 92.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 26, 2018

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Rob's Smokin and Grillin BBQ has finished one call ahead of 503BACKYARDBBQ 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 43%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 43%

A tough matchup

12–2 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKIN TIMBERS NORTHWEST ahead in 86% of their meetings

SMOKIN TIMBERS NORTHWEST has come out ahead in 12 of their 14 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.5 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.47 points below their pork, and turns into a call 30% of the time against 26%.

Pork Ribs avg 157.77
Pork avg 164.25
7 calls in 23 entries

A strong matchup

6–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Northwest Smokehouse in 6 of their 8 shared contests.

Show 6 more storylines

The comeback

1.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at Willamette Sportsman Show Cookoff 2022 (Jan 8, 2022).

last seen Apr 6, 2020
back Jan 8, 2022

Pork nemesis

10 of 11 shared pork entries lost

LAKE HOUSE BBQ ahead 91% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LAKE HOUSE BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 11 shared pork entries.

Going the wrong way

-27 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 27 points across 5 contests since Aug 20, 2022 — from 1494 down to 1467.

5 contests since Aug 20, 2022
now 1467

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

J&C BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The long haul

6,872 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,872 miles across 22 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,708 miles to Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League.

22 mapped stops
furthest 1,708 mi

A standing appointment

6 years running at one contest

They've cooked BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay every year from 2014 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

8 visits in all
best finish 11th

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 ↗	Master	#748 (190 pts)	#686 (250 pts)	#888 (190 pts)	#619 (285 pts)	#782 (200 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#1175 (94 pts)	#1254 (84 pts)	#1254 (99 pts)	#774 (219 pts)	#994 (129 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1574 (119 pts)	#1050 (259 pts)	#1439 (146 pts)	#1813 (96 pts)	#1718 (106 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1476 (130 pts)	#1452 (155 pts)	#1261 (210 pts)	#1846 (95 pts)	#1893 (80 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1246 (223 pts)	#1063 (338 pts)	#1229 (263 pts)	#1572 (168 pts)	#1399 (203 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1644 (145 pts)	#1846 (125 pts)	#1672 (160 pts)	#1225 (270 pts)	#1839 (120 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#918 (348 pts)	#1089 (293 pts)	#869 (413 pts)	#887 (408 pts)	#851 (423 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1388 (196 pts)	#1901 (126 pts)	#1307 (231 pts)	#1454 (201 pts)	#1344 (221 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to 503BACKYARDBBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

DIRK'S BIG DOG BBQ - OR

#4,770 of the rated field

1468 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1468

2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to 503BACKYARDBBQ)

These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Jul 6, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

DD'S BBQ

#4,796 of the rated field

1467 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1516

They've been 1516 at their best, 49 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 23 contests
last seen Sep 10, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKEN SOULS BARBECUE

#4,775 of the rated field

1468 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1508

Careers of much the same size, 18 contests to 22, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Jun 4, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

Smokin' Addiction

#4,808 of the rated field

1467 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1519

26 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 4% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 26 contests
last seen May 2, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

BLUE SMOKE BBQ OF INDIANA

#4,787 of the rated field

1467 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1467

They turned up 5 years after 503BACKYARDBBQ did, first appearing in 2019.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Aug 25, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

Grill on Grill Action

#4,782 of the rated field

1467 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1467

Level with 503BACKYARDBBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN TIMBERS NORTHWEST	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
BOOTIES BBQ	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
J&C BBQ	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
LAKE HOUSE BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
JERIMIAH JOHNSON MOUNTAIN MAN BBQ	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
SLO.MO.QUE	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
Rob's Smokin and Grillin BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
MADDDOG'S BBQ	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
RJs Smokehouse	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
Smoke324	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Northwest Smokehouse	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
Old Dirty Basters	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
SLOW PORKIN	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
BIG BITE BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
PIGGY D'S BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	23	8	1	178.2972	138.8000	163.33	top 59%
Pork Ribs	23	7	0	173.1656	20	157.77	top 57%
Pork	23	6	2	174.2972	139.3600	164.25	top 55%
Brisket	23	5	0	170.8800	150.1944	158.85	top 63%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	5	top 60%
Medium (20–39)	15	top 57%
Large (40+)	2	top 98%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
OR	15	top 62%
WA	6	top 54%
MO	1	top 98%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay	8	11	0	top 59%	May 27, 2023
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	3	9	0	top 47%	Apr 1, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2022 5 contests

Contests a season 2.4 across 9 seasons in the data

Most contests held in OR 15 of 22 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 13 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 330 finished ahead 234 times, behind 450

Longest layoff 1.8 yrs Apr 6, 2020 → Jan 8, 2022

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

20231 milestone

Aug 19 Most recent contest DuPont-Hudson's Bay BBQ Competition

20221 milestone

May 28 Peak power rating (1510) BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay

20191 milestone

May 25 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.2972 BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay

20182 milestones

May 26 10th tracked contest BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL)
May 26 Career-best overall score667.9768 BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL)

20144 milestones

Apr 4 First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 4 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 4 First overall top-10 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 4 First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.0744 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8.3	Battle of the Bones	Jun 26, 2015
+7.8	BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL)	May 26, 2018
+7.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Apr 4, 2014
+5.7	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay	May 25, 2019
+3.6	Hudson Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cook Off	Aug 19, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.1	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay	May 28, 2016
-11.5	Icebox Cookoff	Jul 1, 2023
-9.4	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay	May 24, 2014
-9.4	Sweet Home Icebox Cookoff 2022	Jul 2, 2022
-7.8	Hermiston Fall Fest, BBQ, Brews, & More	Oct 7, 2022

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	0	33%	top 77%	91.5%	90.3%
2022	5	1	40%	top 68%	92.3%	90.9%
2020	2	1	50%	top 74%	90.1%	86.2%
2019	2	1	100%	top 50%	91.7%	91.3%
2018	1	0	100%	top 31%	92.8%	92.8%
2017	2	1	100%	top 49%	91.7%	91.6%
2016	2	0	50%	top 81%	88.2%	77.5%
2015	3	1	100%	top 43%	91.6%	90.9%
2014	2	1	50%	top 55%	90.1%	89.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 19, 2023	DuPont-Hudson's Bay BBQ Competition 🏅 DuPont, WA	21 / 30 (658.8456)	12 (170.2856)	21 (162.2856)	8 (173.1544)	24 (153.1200)
Jul 1, 2023	Icebox Cookoff 🏅 Sweet Home, OR	35 / 38 (639.2920)	32 (162.8460)	34 (159.9888)	22 (166.2628)	35 (150.1944)
May 27, 2023	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR	17 / 25 (651.9088)	15 (167.4288)	23 (156.5144)	22 (163.3940)	14 (164.5716)
Oct 7, 2022	Hermiston Fall Fest, BBQ, Brews, & More 🏅 Hermiston, OR	15 / 19 (649.6340)	17 (147.3828)	14 (163.9312)	3 (174.2972)	9 (164.0228)
Aug 20, 2022	5th Annual Hudson's Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cookoff 🏅 DuPont, WA	21 / 29 (664.4572)	29 (159.3828)	22 (165.1200)	11 (173.1200)	17 (166.8344)
Jul 2, 2022	Sweet Home Icebox Cookoff 2022 🏅 Sweet Home, OR	28 / 34 (638.1252)	22 (167.4056)	28 (159.4056)	25 (160.4912)	30 (150.8228)
May 28, 2022	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR	12 / 27 (662.7428)	18 (166.2516)	15 (167.9656)	13 (166.8228)	16 (161.7028)
Jan 8, 2022	Willamette Sportsman Show Cookoff 2022 🏅 Albany, OR	10 / 16 (657.0396)	11 (161.6684)	10 (162.8684)	5 (170.8456)	9 (161.6572)
Apr 6, 2020	Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League unrated washington, MO	107 / 109 (148.0228)	—	—	—	—
Feb 15, 2020	Albany Bacon Championship 🏅 Albany, OR	8 / 16 (649.0516)	5 (167.4284)	7 (167.4288)	10 (163.4172)	13 (150.7772)
Jul 5, 2019	Smoke on the Dragon BBQ-N-Brew 🏅 Dallas, OR	10 / 16 (654.1824)	8 (169.6912)	7 (167.4056)	14 (158.2628)	12 (158.8228)
May 25, 2019	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR	13 / 34 (659.8856)	2 (178.2972)	11 (166.8572)	20 (161.6684)	25 (153.0628)
May 26, 2018	BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL) North Bend, OR	11 / 35 (667.9768)	5 (172)	4 (173.1656)	18 (165.0856)	19 (162.8228)
Aug 19, 2017	Hudson Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cook Off DuPont, WA	8 / 18 (658.8340)	4 (172.5828)	5 (169.1200)	12 (162.8456)	15 (154.2856)
May 27, 2017	BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL) North Bend, OR	20 / 37 (659.8968)	9 (170.8228)	18 (165.7144)	27 (157.1084)	15 (166.2512)
May 28, 2016	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay North Bend, OR	42 / 43 (481.6112)	42 (138.8000)	43 (20)	11 (171.4056)	33 (151.4056)
Apr 1, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA	19 / 30 (634.7656)	23 (157.1428)	16 (161.7144)	9 (165.6800)	24 (150.2284)
Jun 26, 2015	Battle of the Bones Central Point, OR	7 / 25 (658.2056)	6 (170.2972)	13 (161.6800)	3 (169.7028)	15 (156.5256)
May 22, 2015	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay North Bend, OR	21 / 38 (659.3256)	37 (152.5028)	17 (166.2628)	14 (169.6800)	7 (170.8800)
Apr 3, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA	13 / 28 (646.7540)	22 (153.6800)	4 (167.9656)	22 (157.0856)	7 (168.0228)
May 24, 2014	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay North Bend, OR	25 / 31 (642.1372)	25 (159.9540)	22 (159.9772)	16 (166.2400)	24 (155.9660)
Apr 4, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA	9 / 30 (649.0744)	22 (158.2284)	7 (166.2860)	16 (160)	7 (164.5600)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

503BACKYARDBBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

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 (13 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Going the wrong way

Looking over their shoulder

The long haul

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)