NEANDERTHAL Q

NEANDERTHAL Q is a competition barbecue team with 30 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 4th of 18 at the Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff (2025). They are ranked #5391 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,391

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1454

peak 1454 · rated over 29 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 5, 2017

latest May 15, 2026 · 9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#470

Master 2024 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

7 podiums

Overall top-10s

20% of 30 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 71%

overall standings

Best overall

695.4404 / 720

Master · Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff

Perfect 180s

Current form

671.90 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 638.55 (+33.35)

Walk rate

40%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Chicken · Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff

Consistency

±27.58

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 163.98 · weakest Brisket (156.05)

Road miles

3,609

across 30 mapped stops · furthest 320 mi

Schedule strength

52%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1567)

Purse competed for

$131K

listed at 21 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 21 state-championship entries

Master avg

638.55 / 720

29 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (12 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

695.4404 career-best overall

96.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 695.4404 at Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff — 96.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 21, 2025

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Mullen It Over BBQ has finished one call ahead of NEANDERTHAL Q 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2024 their best year

2024 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 39%.

3 contests
3 overall top-10s
1 category win
average top 39%

A tough matchup

14–0 behind in the head-to-head

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit ahead in 100% of their meetings

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit has come out ahead in 14 of their 14 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.9 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.93 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 21% of the time against 21%.

Brisket avg 156.05
Chicken avg 163.98
6 calls in 29 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of 3 T's BBQ in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at BBQ In the Valley (May 5, 2017).

last seen May 24, 2014
back May 5, 2017

Show 5 more storylines

Chicken nemesis

13 of 14 shared chicken entries lost

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit ahead 93% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit has out-cooked them in 13 of 14 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

4 BOXERS Q has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An April team

Top 60% average finish in April

Something about April: average finish in the top 60% across 5 contests, versus top 71% the rest of the year.

5 April contests
top 71% the rest of the year

The long haul

3,609 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,609 miles across 30 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 320 miles to Granite State BBQ Championship.

30 mapped stops
furthest 320 mi

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship every year from 2021 to 2025 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 9th

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
2026 ↗	Master	#622 (229 pts)	#570 (309 pts)	#585 (324 pts)	#716 (179 pts)	#686 (199 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#504 (366 pts)	#443 (521 pts)	#614 (311 pts)	#562 (321 pts)	#574 (301 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#470 (407 pts)	#477 (447 pts)	#385 (622 pts)	#479 (427 pts)	#507 (407 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#642 (243 pts)	#708 (243 pts)	#831 (218 pts)	#551 (348 pts)	#655 (263 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#766 (205 pts)	#814 (205 pts)	#765 (250 pts)	#828 (190 pts)	#700 (260 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#694 (209 pts)	#652 (254 pts)	#811 (189 pts)	#573 (309 pts)	#734 (214 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#856 (60 pts)	#896 (60 pts)	#913 (60 pts)	#899 (60 pts)	#883 (60 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1029 (250 pts)	#1053 (258 pts)	#1272 (185 pts)	#969 (300 pts)	#1227 (195 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to NEANDERTHAL Q, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Three Legged Pig BBQ

#5,392 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 30 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 30 contests
last seen Mar 20, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Y-NOT! SMOKIN QUE

#5,404 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 6 years before NEANDERTHAL Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 25 contests

⚔ Compare careers

LYIN' PIGS

#5,390 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

Fewer contests behind them than NEANDERTHAL Q has cooked, 20 to 30, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Oct 21, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

Up In Your Grill

#5,409 of the rated field

1453 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1453

19 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 16% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Aug 17, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

Low Rent Bbq

#5,369 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

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

rated over 17 contests
last seen Sep 8, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

DIXIE MOON

#5,394 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 16 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
4 BOXERS Q	14	8	6	57%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
CHUNKY BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
BEER TIME BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
ALL FIRED UP BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
BOGGS HOG BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
GOOD SMOKE BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	29	6	1	3	179.4400	146.2284	163.98	top 58%
Pork Ribs	29	6	0	3	174.2860	145.1200	159.16	top 66%
Pork	29	8	0	1	176.0344	137.0856	159.36	top 65%
Brisket	29	6	0	0	170.2744	131.8972	156.05	top 70%

“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)	3	top 30%
Medium (20–39)	22	top 73%
Large (40+)	4	top 86%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
PA	15	top 64%
NY	9	top 74%
NJ	2	top 96%
NH	1	top 63%
ON	1	top 74%
MA	1	top 90%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	5	9	top 63%	Oct 3, 2025
Rekindled Ironman	2	6	top 52%	Apr 3, 2026
Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff	2	4	top 33%	Jun 21, 2025
Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues	2	17	top 76%	Jul 21, 2018
BBQ in The Valley	2	23	top 90%	May 4, 2018

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 4 contests

Contests a season 2.7 across 11 seasons in the data

Most contests held in PA 15 of 30 contests · 6 states and provinces in all

Contests visited 21 5 of them more than once

Opponents faced 406 finished ahead 220 times, behind 725

Longest layoff 3 yrs May 24, 2014 → May 5, 2017

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

20261 milestone

May 15 Most recent contest Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1)

20251 milestone

Jun 21 Career-best overall score695.4404 Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff

20243 milestones

Jun 22 First category win (Chicken) Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff
Jun 22 Career-best single call (Chicken)179.4400 Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff
Oct 4 25th tracked contest Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship

20193 milestones

Aug 23 10th tracked contest Summer Daze BBQ Classic
Aug 31 First overall top-10 Route Six Ribfest
Aug 31 First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.4400 Route Six Ribfest

20172 milestones

May 5 Peak power rating (1491) BBQ In the Valley
Oct 14 First call Bay State BBQ Championship

20141 milestone

May 24 First tracked contest Roc City Rib Fest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.5	Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff	Jun 21, 2025
+14.3	Route Six Ribfest	Aug 31, 2019
+10.9	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	Oct 4, 2024
+9.9	The Ironman	Apr 5, 2024
+9.1	Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff	Jun 22, 2024

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.2	Salt City BBQ Festival	May 18, 2018
-9.5	BBQ In the Valley	May 5, 2017
-9.5	BBQ in The Valley	May 4, 2018
-9.1	Smoke in the Park	Sep 27, 2019
-8.8	Smoke In the Woods CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Jun 23, 2018

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	2	1	0	50%	top 61%	94%	92.6%
2025	3	1	0	67%	top 52%	96.6%	93.8%
2024	3	3	1	100%	top 39%	94%	93.2%
2023	3	0	0	33%	top 68%	90.9%	90.5%
2022	3	0	0	33%	top 77%	90.2%	89.1%
2021	3	0	0	0%	top 79%	90.1%	88%
2020	1	0	0	0%	top 100%	85.9%	85.9%
2019	4	1	0	75%	top 68%	91%	87.5%
2018	4	0	0	0%	top 91%	85.5%	83.4%
2017	3	0	0	33%	top 82%	86.6%	84.4%
2014	1	0	0	0%	—	—	—

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
May 15, 2026	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA	20 / 25 (655.8056)	16 (169.6800)	13 (167.9772)	21 (159.9428)	22 (158.2056)
Apr 3, 2026	Rekindled Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA	6 / 14 (677.0632)	3 (176.5944)	3 (174.2860)	11 (162.2400)	8 (163.9428)
Oct 3, 2025	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	22 / 30 (664.4344)	15 (169.6916)	16 (167.4172)	23 (163.3828)	21 (163.9428)
Jun 21, 2025	Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff 🏅 Schenectady, NY	4 / 18 (695.4404)	2 (177.7144)	9 (171.4172)	6 (176.0344)	8 (170.2744)
Apr 4, 2025	Rekindled Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA	14 / 23 (666.7544)	5 (177.7144)	18 (160.5028)	15 (165.7028)	17 (162.8344)
Oct 4, 2024	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	9 / 25 (677.1088)	17 (163.3944)	3 (172.5716)	10 (172)	7 (169.1428)
Jun 22, 2024	Frog Alley Brew-B-Que Cookoff 🏅 Schenectady, NY	9 / 21 (669.5656)	1 (179.4400)	7 (167.9772)	6 (168.5256)	18 (153.6228)
Apr 5, 2024	The Ironman 🏅 Seven Valleys, PA	8 / 21 (666.8228)	17 (157.1200)	2 (173.7372)	8 (167.4400)	5 (168.5256)
Oct 6, 2023	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	15 / 28 (651.2800)	14 (165.6916)	16 (160.5372)	19 (159.3712)	12 (165.6800)
Jul 28, 2023	Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA	42 / 51 (654.1488)	34 (168.5372)	36 (165.6916)	45 (158.8000)	38 (161.1200)
Apr 7, 2023	The Ironman 🏅 Greencastle, PA	20 / 30 (649.5772)	21 (161.6800)	24 (157.0972)	4 (171.9772)	19 (158.8228)
Oct 7, 2022	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	18 / 26 (642.1256)	22 (154.2400)	15 (162.2400)	21 (159.4056)	9 (166.2400)
Jul 29, 2022	Smoke in the Grove (Day 1) 🏅 Spring Grove, PA	41 / 54 (649.6228)	40 (164)	19 (167.4056)	38 (160.5028)	42 (157.7144)
Jun 17, 2022	York County BBQ Festival 🏅 Delta, PA	29 / 34 (633.5656)	21 (165.1200)	28 (157.0628)	34 (149.6800)	24 (161.7028)
Oct 8, 2021	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	22 / 27 (635.8288)	16 (164.5256)	21 (157.6800)	11 (163.9772)	23 (149.6460)
Jun 12, 2021	Granite State BBQ Championship 🏅 Hancock, NH	20 / 32 (648.4572)	23 (159.9428)	26 (157.0972)	11 (167.4400)	18 (163.9772)
Apr 24, 2021	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	37 / 40 (616.9256)	19 (169.6800)	40 (147.3256)	39 (148.5372)	35 (151.3828)
Jul 31, 2020	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	35 / 35 (618.1604)	34 (156.5488)	35 (147.9772)	27 (160.5372)	32 (153.0972)
Sep 27, 2019	Smoke in the Park 🏅 Lemoyne, PA	38 / 40 (620.3316)	34 (155.9200)	39 (146.7888)	8 (169.1312)	37 (148.4916)
Aug 31, 2019	Route Six Ribfest 🏅 Coudersport, PA	4 / 16 (655.4400)	7 (165.7256)	9 (158.2744)	2 (171.4400)	8 (160)
Aug 23, 2019	Summer Daze BBQ Classic Niagara Falls, ON	17 / 23 (623.8972)	4 (169.7372)	15 (152.5256)	21 (145.1200)	15 (156.5144)
Jul 20, 2019	Ribs and Rhythm & Blues 🏅 Auburn, NY	27 / 34 (619.7940)	15 (166.8456)	31 (151.3484)	31 (150.8000)	27 (150.8000)
Jul 21, 2018	Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues Auburn, NY	26 / 31 (591.2112)	23 (155.9884)	18 (155.3828)	29 (147.9428)	28 (131.8972)
Jun 23, 2018	Smoke In the Woods CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Galway, NY	22 / 23 (606.7884)	20 (158.2628)	21 (154.8572)	23 (150.2512)	21 (143.4172)
May 18, 2018	Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY	32 / 34 (588.8800)	18 (158.2400)	27 (149.6572)	32 (137.0856)	32 (143.8972)
May 4, 2018	BBQ in The Valley Jamestown, NY	23 / 25 (615.8856)	22 (153.7372)	20 (157.0856)	24 (149.1200)	19 (155.9428)
Oct 14, 2017	Bay State BBQ Championship Monson, MA	27 / 30 (623.4400)	13 (167.4628)	26 (153.7028)	7 (170.2972)	30 (131.9772)
Jul 15, 2017	Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues Auburn, NY	17 / 25 (598.1372)	13 (156)	20 (145.1200)	21 (142.8116)	11 (154.2056)
May 5, 2017	BBQ In the Valley Jamestown, NY	23 / 26 (601.5080)	25 (146.2284)	23 (154.8228)	20 (151.9656)	24 (148.4912)
May 24, 2014	Roc City Rib Fest Rochester, NY	—	—	—	—	—

NEANDERTHAL Q

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 (12 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

An April team

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)