503BACKYARDBBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#4754

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1467

peak 1510 · rated over 21 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-04-04

latest 2023-08-19

Best ToY finish

#748

Master 2023

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 22 contests

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

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.2972

Chicken · BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay

Consistency

±35.99

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 164.25 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.77)

Road miles

6,872

mi across 22 mapped stops · furthest 1708 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 🏅

GCs in 11 state-championship entries

Master avg

644.20 / 720

21 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (13 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.

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
2018-05-26

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-10s
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.

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 (2022-01-08).

last seen 2020-04-06
back 2022-01-08

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 2022-08-20 — from 1494 down to 1467.

5 contests since 2022-08-20
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

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.

143 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

#4734 of the rated field

1468 ▲ 0 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 2024-07-06

⚔ Head-to-head

DD'S BBQ

#4770 of the rated field

1467 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

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 2021-09-10

⚔ Head-to-head

Pikes Pits BBQ

#4764 of the rated field

1467 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1467

No shared contest yet.

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 2022-10-01

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKEN SOULS BARBECUE

#4750 of the rated field

1468 ▲ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

18 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2021-06-04

⚔ Head-to-head

The BBQ Mavens

#4726 of the rated field

1468 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1468

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

BLUE SMOKE BBQ OF INDIANA

#4765 of the rated field

1467 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2023-08-25

⚔ Head-to-head

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
Rob's Smokin and Grillin BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
SLO.MO.QUE	9	2	7	22%	⚔ 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	20.0000	157.77	top 57%
Pork	23	6	2	174.2972	139.3600	164.25	top 55%
Brisket	24	5	0	170.8800	148.0228	158.40	top 64%

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

By contest size

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

Contest-by-contest record (recurring 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%	2023-05-27
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	3	9	0	top 47%	2016-04-01

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 9.4 yrs 2014-04-04 → 2023-08-19

Busiest season 2022 5 contests

Contests a season 2.4 across 9 seasons in the data

Cooks most in OR 15 of 22 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 13 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Brisket 24 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 164.25 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.77)

Walk rate 64% a top-10 call in 14 of 22 contests

Overall top-10 rate 27% 6 of 22 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 644.20 out of 720 · 21 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 334 234–450 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 6,872 22 mapped stops · furthest 1,708 mi

Schedule strength 1523 average field rating faced — tougher than 16% of rated contests

Purse competed for $121,500 listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 11 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.8 yrs 2020-04-06 → 2022-01-08

Power rating 1467 peak 1510 · #4754 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
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
2018
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)
2019
May 25 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.2972 BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
2022
May 28 Peak power rating (1510) BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
2023
Aug 19 Most recent contest DuPont-Hudson's Bay BBQ Competition

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8.3	Battle of the Bones	2015-06-26
+7.8	*BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay(JUDGES FULL)	2018-05-26
+7.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2014-04-04
+5.7	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay	2019-05-25
+3.7	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay	2022-05-28

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay	2016-05-28
-11.5	Icebox Cookoff	2023-07-01
-9.4	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay	2014-05-24
-9.4	Sweet Home Icebox Cookoff 2022	2022-07-02
-7.8	Hermiston Fall Fest, BBQ, Brews, & More	2022-10-07

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	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%	90.1%
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
2023-08-19	DuPont-Hudson's Bay BBQ Competition 🏅 DuPont, WA	21 / 30 (658.8456)	12 (170.2856)	21 (162.2856)	8 (173.1544)	24 (153.1200)
2023-07-01	Icebox Cookoff 🏅 Sweet Home, OR	35 / 38 (639.2920)	32 (162.8460)	34 (159.9888)	22 (166.2628)	35 (150.1944)
2023-05-27	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)
2022-10-07	Hermiston Fall Fest, BBQ, Brews, & More 🏅 Hermiston, OR	15 / 19 (649.6340)	17 (147.3828)	14 (163.9312)	3 (174.2972)	9 (164.0228)
2022-08-20	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)
2022-07-02	Sweet Home Icebox Cookoff 2022 🏅 Sweet Home, OR	28 / 34 (638.1252)	22 (167.4056)	28 (159.4056)	25 (160.4912)	30 (150.8228)
2022-05-28	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)
2022-01-08	Willamette Sportsman Show Cookoff 2022 🏅 Albany, OR	10 / 16 (657.0396)	11 (161.6684)	10 (162.8684)	5 (170.8456)	9 (161.6572)
2020-04-06	Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League unrated washington, MO	107 / 109 (148.0228)	—	—	—	107 (148.0228)
2020-02-15	Albany Bacon Championship 🏅 Albany, OR	8 / 16 (649.0516)	5 (167.4284)	7 (167.4288)	10 (163.4172)	13 (150.7772)
2019-07-05	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)
2019-05-25	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)
2018-05-26	*BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay(JUDGES FULL) North Bend, OR	11 / 35 (667.9768)	5 (172.0000)	4 (173.1656)	18 (165.0856)	19 (162.8228)
2017-08-19	*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)
2017-05-27	*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)
2016-05-28	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay North Bend, OR	42 / 43 (481.6112)	42 (138.8000)	43 (20.0000)	11 (171.4056)	33 (151.4056)
2016-04-01	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA	19 / 30 (634.7656)	23 (157.1428)	16 (161.7144)	9 (165.6800)	24 (150.2284)
2015-06-26	Battle of the Bones Central Point, OR	7 / 25 (658.2056)	6 (170.2972)	13 (161.6800)	3 (169.7028)	15 (156.5256)
2015-05-22	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)
2015-04-03	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA	13 / 28 (646.7540)	22 (153.6800)	4 (167.9656)	22 (157.0856)	7 (168.0228)
2014-05-24	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)
2014-04-04	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA	9 / 30 (649.0744)	22 (158.2284)	7 (166.2860)	16 (160.0000)	7 (164.5600)

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	#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)