The heartbreaker
Came within 0.5144 points of the Grand Championship at NYC BBQ Cookoff (2016-04-08).
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Came within 0.5144 points of the Grand Championship at NYC BBQ Cookoff (2016-04-08).
In the top 9% of every rated team in the data
A power rating of 1665 puts them #557 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 9% of the field.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 66 times in 100
Their Grand Championship at Lehigh Valley QueFest (2014-09-26) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 34-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, 4:20 Q.
Took the Grand Championship over a 33-team field at New York City BBQ Cookoff.
I Love Barbecue & Music Festival is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
A call in 52 of 59 contests
A top-10 category call in 88% of their 59 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
95.7% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 689.1088 at The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival — 95.7% of a perfect 720.
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has finished one call ahead of Q HAVEN BBQ 5 times — their closest competition in the data.
2015 was the year it came together: 11 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 20%.
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.04 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 47% of the time against 58%.
Their last Grand Championship came at The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival on 2016-07-23 — 23 contests and 10.1 years ago.
Ahead in 80% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of MOON RIVER BARBEQUE in 16 of their 20 shared contests.
Finished 5 of 33 at their very first tracked contest, New York City BBQ Cookoff (2013-04-19).
BUCKNER BROTHERS BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 10,114 miles across 59 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 852 miles to Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY).
Their overall lands within ±2.15% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
They've cooked Sun BBQ Fest every year from 2014 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.
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.
Careers of much the same size, 46 contests to 59, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-headThis is the highest they've ever been rated, 42 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head34 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 50% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-headThey turned up 5 years after Q HAVEN BBQ did, first appearing in 2018.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir last contest in the data was back in 2016, 3 years before Q HAVEN BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headThese two have cooked 24 of the same contests — Q HAVEN BBQ ahead 16–8 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogue Hog BBQ | 40 | 12 | 28 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 38 | 7 | 31 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ | 34 | 12 | 22 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| Chicken Chokers | 32 | 21 | 11 | 66% | ⚔ compare |
| THE BASIC BBQ TEAM | 28 | 16 | 12 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| INSANE SWINE BBQ | 28 | 1 | 27 | 4% | ⚔ compare |
| STUBBORN BULL BBQ | 27 | 12 | 15 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| BACKDRAFT BAR-B-Q CT | 26 | 18 | 8 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| ACK-QUE | 24 | 16 | 8 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| BEERBEQUE | 22 | 11 | 11 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| MOON RIVER BARBEQUE | 20 | 16 | 4 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Handsome Devil | 20 | 14 | 6 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| A MAZIE Q | 20 | 13 | 7 | 65% | ⚔ compare |
| Dr. Pearl's Medicinal Smoke BBQ Team | 18 | 12 | 6 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| PADDY MCQ'S | 18 | 7 | 11 | 39% | ⚔ compare |
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 60 | 35 | 3 | 13 | 179.4400 | 150.7884 | 166.65 | top 32% |
| Pork Ribs | 59 | 24 | 2 | 5 | 177.7144 | 145.1200 | 162.27 | top 42% |
| Pork | 59 | 25 | 1 | 9 | 177.1428 | 146.7884 | 164.48 | top 36% |
| Brisket | 59 | 28 | 2 | 6 | 174.2744 | 143.3256 | 161.61 | top 38% |
“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.
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| CT | 17 | 0 | top 45% |
| NY | 13 | 2 | top 21% |
| NJ | 9 | 0 | top 25% |
| VT | 8 | 1 | top 21% |
| PA | 4 | 1 | top 18% |
| TN | 2 | 0 | top 53% |
| NH | 2 | 0 | top 11% |
| MD | 1 | 0 | top 62% |
| VA | 1 | 0 | top 67% |
| MA | 1 | 0 | top 30% |
| RI | 1 | 0 | top 12% |
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 30% |
| Medium (20–39) | 35 | 4 | top 29% |
| Large (40+) | 22 | 0 | top 33% |
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun BBQ Fest | 5 | 13 | 0 | top 41% | 2018-06-02 |
| The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival | 4 | 1 | 1 | top 22% | 2019-07-27 |
| Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival | 4 | 9 | 0 | top 48% | 2019-05-04 |
| NYC BBQ Cookoff | 3 | 4 | 0 | top 45% | 2019-04-05 |
| *Red, White and Que | 3 | 6 | 0 | top 23% | 2017-09-30 |
| I Love Barbecue & Music Festival | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 7% | 2015-07-03 |
| New York City BBQ Cookoff | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 10% | 2015-04-10 |
| Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 48% | 2017-08-04 |
| Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 23% | 2015-07-25 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.1 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival | 2013-07-04 |
| +14.1 | Monadnock Up In Smoke BBQ Fest | 2013-06-01 |
| +13.7 | Lehigh Valley QueFest | 2014-09-26 |
| +11.9 | New York City BBQ Cookoff | 2013-04-19 |
| +11.8 | New York City BBQ Cookoff | 2015-04-10 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.6 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) | 2016-10-21 |
| -13.2 | Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival | 2018-05-05 |
| -11 | NYC BBQ Cookoff | 2018-04-06 |
| -11 | New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton | 2016-08-13 |
| -10.6 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2017-08-04 |
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 80% | top 37% | 92.5% | 90.8% |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 61% | 91% | 88.6% |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 75% | top 43% | 92.7% | 90% |
| 2016 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 75% | top 27% | 95.7% | 92.4% |
| 2015 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 100% | top 20% | 94.1% | 91.6% |
| 2014 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 100% | top 29% | 94.3% | 90.9% |
| 2013 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 89% | top 20% | 94.7% | 90.6% |
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-07-27 | The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival 🏅 Windsor, VT | 2 / 33 (684.4912) | 11 (170.8228) | 16 (164.5600) | 6 (169.7144) | 26 (156.5372) |
| 2019-06-01 | Sun BBQFest 🏅 Uncasville, CT | 29 / 61 (654.7428) | 5 (174.2972) | 23 (167.4400) | 50 (154.8000) | 42 (158.2056) |
| 2019-05-04 | Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival 🏅 Ridgefield, CT | 17 / 29 (648.9824) | 20 (161.6568) | 12 (163.9884) | 13 (165.1200) | 18 (158.2172) |
| 2019-04-05 | NYC BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Staten Island, NY | 15 / 26 (646.7428) | 10 (164.5716) | 1 (170.2628) | 21 (156.5256) | 19 (155.3828) |
| 2019-03-08 | Mid Atlantic BBQ Expo Atlantic City, NJ | 11 / 66 (665.6456) | 9 (170.8572) | 20 (164.5600) | 15 (168.5600) | 36 (161.6684) |
| 2018-07-28 | The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival WINDSOR, VT | 15 / 34 (650.1828) | 5 (170.8800) | 14 (165.0856) | 17 (162.8228) | 28 (151.3944) |
| 2018-06-02 | Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT | 29 / 59 (655.3256) | 6 (171.9656) | 26 (163.9772) | 46 (155.4172) | 19 (163.9656) |
| 2018-05-05 | Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival Ridgefield, CT | 32 / 40 (622.1028) | 37 (150.7884) | 28 (153.7028) | 8 (170.2628) | 36 (147.3488) |
| 2018-04-06 | NYC BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY | 25 / 36 (623.2804) | 27 (158.2744) | 30 (153.6688) | 34 (146.7884) | 5 (164.5488) |
| 2017-09-30 | *Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ | 10 / 31 (658.2056) | 9 (167.4628) | 7 (165.6800) | 12 (163.4056) | 17 (161.6572) |
| 2017-09-15 | Smoke on the Water New Jersey State Barbecue Championship Atlantic City, NJ | 24 / 42 (643.8284) | 23 (162.8456) | 27 (157.6800) | 23 (162.8000) | 21 (160.5028) |
| 2017-08-04 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour South Windsor, CT | 21 / 30 (641.0856) | 27 (153.1428) | 25 (158.2284) | 11 (166.8456) | 10 (162.8688) |
| 2017-07-29 | The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival WINDSOR, VT | 10 / 30 (651.4172) | 3 (172.0572) | 20 (156.5600) | 15 (161.0856) | 9 (161.7144) |
| 2017-06-03 | Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT | 36 / 73 (646.2284) | 35 (162.8456) | 47 (158.2628) | 22 (166.8456) | 43 (158.2744) |
| 2017-05-06 | Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival Ridgefield, CT | 12 / 38 (634.2288) | 8 (163.4400) | 25 (153.0972) | 21 (156.0000) | 5 (161.6916) |
| 2017-04-07 | NYC BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY | 4 / 43 (667.4400) | 1 (173.7372) | 2 (172.5828) | 8 (165.1084) | 24 (156.0116) |
| 2017-03-03 | The Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown Brunswick, MD | 31 / 50 (638.8000) | 24 (164.5600) | 32 (154.8916) | 3 (176.0228) | 46 (143.3256) |
| 2016-10-21 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 80 / 96 (653.5544) | 53 (168.5372) | 70 (163.9428) | 17 (173.1200) | 95 (147.9544) |
| 2016-10-08 | Smoke on the Water Barbecue Championship Atlantic City, NJ | 5 / 48 (677.0972) | 2 (176.5944) | 12 (166.2744) | 19 (165.6800) | 13 (168.5484) |
| 2016-09-24 | Red White and Que Cresskill, NJ | 3 / 41 (669.6112) | 22 (161.6456) | 7 (166.8456) | 4 (172.5828) | 7 (168.5372) |
| 2016-08-26 | The Great Catskill Mountain BBQ Fest Fleischmanns, NY | 4 / 15 (674.8232) | 2 (170.8572) | 8 (164.5372) | 2 (177.1428) | 5 (162.2860) |
| 2016-08-19 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour South Windsor, CT | 7 / 26 (667.4288) | 7 (170.2972) | 16 (158.8572) | 11 (165.7144) | 3 (172.5600) |
| 2016-08-13 | New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton New London, CT | 17 / 25 (637.1776) | 11 (166.3088) | 19 (156.5944) | 15 (164.0228) | 19 (150.2516) |
| 2016-07-23 | The Harpoon Brewery BBQ Festival Windsor, VT | 1 / 26 (689.1088) | 5 (171.4172) | 10 (169.1200) | 3 (174.2972) | 2 (174.2744) |
| 2016-06-25 | Green Mountain BBQ Championship Waterbury, VT | 7 / 40 (671.9316) | 7 (170.8572) | 15 (164.5716) | 11 (167.3828) | 7 (169.1200) |
| 2016-06-11 | Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT | 21 / 69 (659.3372) | 20 (167.4172) | 25 (165.1316) | 43 (159.9656) | 22 (166.8228) |
| 2016-05-06 | Smoke in the Valley BBQ competition Greenlane, PA | 12 / 47 (662.1716) | 13 (167.9656) | 10 (164.5600) | 22 (161.6688) | 10 (167.9772) |
| 2016-04-30 | Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival Ridgefield, CT | 9 / 39 (651.9088) | 3 (172.5944) | 33 (150.8000) | 11 (165.1316) | 11 (163.3828) |
| 2016-04-08 | NYC BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY | 2 / 35 (671.9656) | 2 (172.0228) | 8 (164.5372) | 7 (167.4400) | 5 (167.9656) |
| 2015-10-09 | Smokin Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship $15,000 Atlantic City, NJ | 9 / 46 (662.2744) | 6 (170.2744) | 20 (157.7028) | 12 (167.4628) | 8 (166.8344) |
| 2015-09-26 | Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ | 6 / 35 (647.9088) | 19 (160.0000) | 8 (166.2284) | 6 (166.8916) | 15 (154.7888) |
| 2015-09-04 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Richmond, VA | 20 / 30 (662.7660) | 24 (164.5600) | 10 (169.7028) | 2 (173.1316) | 25 (155.3716) |
| 2015-08-21 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Harrisburg, PA | 5 / 30 (657.6000) | 10 (169.6684) | 13 (159.3828) | 1 (172.5828) | 15 (155.9660) |
| 2015-08-01 | 8th Annual Smokin at the Maples Manorville, NY | 2 / 32 (654.8232) | 8 (159.9544) | 6 (162.2972) | 2 (168.5944) | 2 (163.9772) |
| 2015-07-25 | Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT | 4 / 35 (677.1888) | 7 (170.3316) | 10 (168.0116) | 6 (170.8456) | 11 (168.0000) |
| 2015-07-03 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY | 3 / 31 (646.7544) | 2 (173.1428) | 7 (159.3944) | 17 (154.2628) | 11 (159.9544) |
| 2015-06-13 | Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT | 13 / 52 (666.7888) | 10 (171.4400) | 23 (164.5600) | 15 (167.9772) | 21 (162.8116) |
| 2015-05-23 | Roc City Rib Fest Rochester, NY | 9 / 57 (666.2172) | 38 (161.1200) | 22 (163.4172) | 10 (170.2628) | 4 (171.4172) |
| 2015-05-08 | Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition & Festival Green Lane, PA | 15 / 57 (649.0284) | 2 (174.8456) | 8 (169.1200) | 35 (153.6800) | 37 (151.3828) |
| 2015-04-10 | New York City BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY | 1 / 33 (662.7772) | 8 (157.7028) | 2 (169.7028) | 2 (176.5600) | 6 (158.8116) |
| 2014-10-10 | Riverside Blues & BBQ Festival Greenfield, MA | 8 / 27 (659.3372) | 1 (172.0000) | 2 (171.4172) | 17 (159.3944) | 17 (156.5256) |
| 2014-10-10 | Indigenous Peoples Day BBQ Cook Off Middletown, CT | 5 / 15 (663.3372) | 2 (168.0000) | 5 (163.4172) | 5 (165.6800) | 4 (166.2400) |
| 2014-09-26 | Lehigh Valley QueFest Allentown, PA | 1 / 32 (676.6056) | 3 (173.1656) | 6 (169.1428) | 10 (163.4172) | 1 (170.8800) |
| 2014-09-06 | Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ | 6 / 31 (645.7028) | 12 (163.4056) | 20 (150.8572) | 4 (166.3200) | 5 (165.1200) |
| 2014-07-25 | Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT | 12 / 34 (650.2512) | 9 (165.1544) | 14 (161.7028) | 23 (155.9540) | 5 (167.4400) |
| 2014-07-18 | Wakefield Rotary Campus Cook Off & State BBQ Championships Kingston, RI | 4 / 33 (678.9028) | 1 (179.4400) | 19 (161.1200) | 10 (166.3200) | 4 (172.0228) |
| 2014-07-12 | Pork in the Park Stamford, CT | 15 / 20 (626.1832) | 12 (156.5372) | 16 (153.1088) | 16 (152.5372) | 6 (164.0000) |
| 2014-06-20 | Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT | 16 / 32 (645.6920) | 20 (162.8572) | 23 (153.1316) | 5 (170.2744) | 19 (159.4288) |
| 2014-05-31 | Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ, Beer Fest Swanzey, NH | 7 / 48 (659.4400) | 17 (167.4056) | 19 (162.8568) | 10 (168.0228) | 13 (161.1548) |
| 2014-04-11 | New York City BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY | 6 / 37 (642.2172) | 7 (165.6800) | 6 (164.5716) | 15 (154.2856) | 10 (157.6800) |
| 2013-10-25 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 22 / 97 (670.2516) | 11 (172.0000) | 78 (158.8344) | 6 (173.1428) | 41 (166.2744) |
| 2013-10-05 | DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship Atlantic City, NJ | 40 / 85 (621.1656) | 60 (152.5484) | 68 (145.1200) | 21 (160.6172) | 12 (162.8800) |
| 2013-09-28 | The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT | 5 / 26 (665.1548) | 3 (171.4172) | 6 (167.4172) | 12 (158.8916) | 6 (167.4288) |
| 2013-08-09 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Medford, NY | 8 / 27 (620.5376) | 8 (157.7144) | 17 (149.1544) | 19 (148.5372) | 3 (165.1316) |
| 2013-07-26 | The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT | 5 / 31 (681.6228) | 10 (168.0000) | 5 (167.9772) | 10 (166.3088) | 22 (155.9544) |
| 2013-07-13 | Pork In The Park BBQ Stamford, CT | 5 / 21 (644.5028) | 11 (161.7256) | 11 (157.0744) | 3 (169.1428) | 6 (156.5600) |
| 2013-07-04 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY | 1 / 28 (646.8570) | 6 (163.4284) | 5 (161.1430) | 3 (166.2856) | 6 (156.0000) |
| 2013-06-01 | Monadnock Up In Smoke BBQ Fest Swanzey, NH | 3 / 43 (672.0002) | 6 (169.7144) | 1 (177.7144) | 17 (159.9998) | 7 (164.5716) |
| 2013-04-19 | New York City BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY | 5 / 33 (649.7140) | 17 (158.8568) | 4 (168.5714) | 19 (154.8572) | 1 (167.4286) |
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1955 (60 pts) | #1276 (185 pts) | #1967 (70 pts) | #2029 (60 pts) | #2010 (60 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1266 (180 pts) | #1026 (295 pts) | #1354 (180 pts) | #1071 (275 pts) | #945 (335 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #536 (726 pts) | #465 (831 pts) | #560 (716 pts) | #449 (861 pts) | #582 (676 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #172 (1631 pts) | #122 (1716 pts) | #325 (1121 pts) | #240 (1321 pts) | #210 (1446 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #151 (1726 pts) | #189 (1471 pts) | #211 (1376 pts) | #111 (1751 pts) | #242 (1331 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #1001 (312 pts) | #730 (517 pts) | #877 (417 pts) | #1235 (257 pts) | #1122 (282 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #276 (1090 pts) | #333 (915 pts) | #328 (920 pts) | #364 (850 pts) | #291 (1035 pts) |