High-water mark
667.3484
career-best overall
92.7% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 667.3484 at Brighton Barbeque Bash — 92.7% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Aug 22, 2025
Northstar BBQ
Northstar BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 10th of 19 at the Smoking Knights BBQ Competition (2013). They are ranked #5990 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “North Star BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1434
peak 1501 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
Jun 21, 2013
latest Sep 11, 2026 · 13.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
7% of 14 contests
Avg finish
top 83%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
642.47
last 5 Master vs avg 641.98 (+0.49)
Walk rate
36%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±17.82
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 163.50 · weakest Brisket (157.33)
Road miles
999
across 14 mapped stops · furthest 239 mi
Schedule strength
75%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1596)
Purse competed for
$93K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 12 state-championship entries
Master avg
641.98 / 720
13 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 | #655 (198 pts) | #750 (183 pts) | #804 (178 pts) | #501 (358 pts) | #647 (223 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #484 (390 pts) | #514 (415 pts) | #428 (568 pts) | #470 (430 pts) | #463 (450 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #655 (240 pts) | #620 (300 pts) | #744 (240 pts) | #674 (250 pts) | #666 (260 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1099 (102 pts) | #1116 (112 pts) | #1383 (72 pts) | #928 (137 pts) | #1143 (102 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Northstar BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
55 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,999 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1434
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,995 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Northstar BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,988 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1434
Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,997 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1434
Level with Northstar BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,994 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1434
17 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#5,986 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1434
They turned up 8 years after Northstar BBQ did, first appearing in 2021.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Crown Barbeque | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| QUE U | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| DB BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| THE BBQ BUS | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| NECTAR OF THE HOGS | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Wisco Fire BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Second Hand Smoke SLV | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| ACES HIGH BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Good Grefe! | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.6800 | 153.0628 | 163.22 | top 74% |
| Pork Ribs | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 168.5484 | 148.5144 | 158.45 | top 81% |
| Pork | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 177.7372 | 147.3484 | 163.50 | top 64% |
| Brisket | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.3200 | 136.5260 | 157.33 | top 79% |
“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 64% |
| Medium (20–39) | 9 | 0 | top 83% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 100% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puckaway Pigfest | 3 | 19 | 0 | top 77% | Sep 11, 2026 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 3 | 34 | 0 | top 95% | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 3 | 35 | 0 | top 99% | Jun 12, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
6 contests
Contests a season
3.5
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
WI
13 of 14 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
7
3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
14 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls
Opponents faced
190
finished ahead 69 times, behind 532
Longest layoff
11 yrs
Jun 21, 2013 → Jun 7, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork)177.7372 Puckaway Pigfest
- Most recent contest Puckaway Pigfest
20252 milestones
- Career-best overall score667.3484 Brighton Barbeque Bash
- 10th tracked contest Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash (ONE MEAT RIBS)
20135 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoking Knights BBQ Competition
- First call Smoking Knights BBQ Competition
- First overall top-10 Smoking Knights BBQ Competition
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.8572 Smoking Knights BBQ Competition
- Peak power rating (1501) Smoking Knights BBQ Competition
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +5 | Brighton Barbeque Bash | Aug 22, 2025 |
| +0.6 | Smoking Knights BBQ Competition | Jun 21, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.9 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 7, 2024 |
| -10.5 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 8, 2024 |
| -10.2 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 12, 2026 |
| -8.8 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 14, 2025 |
| -8 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 13, 2026 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 92% | 90.2% | 87.7% |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 78% | 92.7% | 90.8% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 89.7% | 87.6% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 53% | 91.5% | 91.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | Puckaway Pigfest 🏅 Montello, WI | 19 / 23 (649.6344) | 22 (153.0628) | 23 (148.5144) | 4 (177.7372) | 14 (170.3200) |
| Jun 13, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 35 / 37 (635.7828) | 36 (158.8000) | 36 (155.3600) | 17 (170.2628) | 37 (151.3600) |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 40 / 40 (609.4396) | 40 (153.6228) | 39 (157.0512) | 40 (148.5256) | 40 (150.2400) |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash 🏅 Egg Harbor, WI | 12 / 16 (657.0284) | 11 (167.9772) | 14 (159.9772) | 12 (162.2628) | 9 (166.8112) |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash (ONE MEAT RIBS) Egg Harbor, WI | — | — | 9 (165.0856) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Puckaway Pigfest 🏅 Montello, WI | 25 / 35 (660.4572) | 17 (169.6800) | 21 (163.9428) | 26 (160.5716) | 20 (166.2628) |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Brighton Barbeque Bash 🏅 Oshkosh, WI | 15 / 29 (667.3484) | 19 (162.8344) | 8 (168.5484) | 14 (169.7028) | 12 (166.2628) |
| Jun 14, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 34 / 36 (653.5544) | 26 (168.5600) | 36 (157.6456) | 18 (167.9772) | 32 (159.3716) |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 35 / 36 (631.8168) | 36 (157.0740) | 31 (159.3828) | 31 (162.8228) | 36 (152.5372) |
| Sep 6, 2024 | Puckaway Pigfest 🏅 Montello, WI | 29 / 37 (645.6460) | 17 (169.6800) | 28 (160.5600) | 24 (164.5716) | 34 (150.8344) |
| Jul 19, 2024 | BBCubed - Brighton Barbeque Bash 🏅 Oshkosh, WI | 30 / 37 (633.0400) | 22 (168) | 31 (156.5600) | 24 (161.1200) | 35 (147.3600) |
| Jun 8, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 36 / 37 (634.1372) | 24 (168) | 37 (149.6688) | 37 (147.3484) | 21 (169.1200) |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 41 / 41 (609.0288) | 40 (157.1084) | 40 (150.2744) | 26 (165.1200) | 41 (136.5260) |
| Jun 21, 2013 | Smoking Knights BBQ Competition Hutchinson, MN | 10 / 19 (658.8572) | 10 (167.4284) | 10 (165.7144) | 7 (167.4286) | 14 (158.2858) |