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SOUTHERN THUNDER BBQ

SOUTHERN THUNDER BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 20 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2017. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Smokin on the River (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) (2014). They are ranked #1472 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,472
of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1567
peak 1574 · rated over 20 contests

Contests

20
in the data

First seen

Apr 5, 2013
latest Jun 16, 2017 · 4.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1694
Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

2
0 reserve · wins it all 10% of the time

Category wins

1
9 podiums

Overall top-10s

7
35% of 20 contests

Best top-10 run

2
straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 42%
overall standings

Best overall

690.8000 / 720
Master · Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)

Perfect 180s

0

Current form

670.71
last 5 Master vs avg 671.10 (-0.38)

Walk rate

65%
contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600
Chicken · Smoke-N-Thunder BBQ Classic Day 1 (GBC Qualifier)

Consistency

±11.55
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken
avg 169.78 · weakest Pork (166.66)

Road miles

1,660
across 20 mapped stops · furthest 555 mi

Schedule strength

44%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1557)

Master avg

671.10 / 720
20 Master contests · 2 GCs

Storylines (14 found in their record)

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

Happy hunting ground

Top 16% average finish here

Sam's Club National BBQ Tour is their spot: an average finish in the top 16% across 2 visits.

  • 2 visits
  • best finish 4th
  • average top 16%

They almost always walk

65% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 13 of 20 contests

A top-10 category call in 65% of their 20 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

SWINE AND SHINE BBQ has finished one call ahead of SOUTHERN THUNDER BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

14–3 behind in the head-to-head

MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM ahead in 82% of their meetings

MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM has come out ahead in 14 of their 17 shared contests.

Show 7 more storylines

The drought

13 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Smokin on the River (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) on Apr 3, 2014 — 13 contests and 12.5 years ago.

  • last GC Apr 3, 2014
  • 12.5 years ago

A strong matchup

13–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 93% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of CHOO CHOO TRAIN BBQ in 13 of their 14 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

11 of 17 shared chicken entries lost

MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM ahead 65% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM has out-cooked them in 11 of 17 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

UNCULTURED SWINE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An August team

Top 23% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 23% across 4 contests, versus top 42% the rest of the year.

  • 4 August contests
  • top 42% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.60% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.60% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

  • averages 93.2% of a perfect score
  • 20 contests

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

YearSeriesOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
2017 ↗ Master #2017 (93 pts) #2057 (98 pts) #2023 (108 pts) #1918 (118 pts) #2018 (103 pts)
2014 ↗ Master #1981 (94 pts) #1846 (134 pts) #2058 (94 pts) #2000 (109 pts) #2729 (59 pts)
2013 ↗ Master #1694 (126 pts) #2521 (66 pts) #1784 (126 pts) #1554 (151 pts) #1860 (106 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SOUTHERN THUNDER BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

309 BBQ
#1,465 of the rated field
1567 power rating
Contests
24
GCs
2
Top-10s
71%
Peak
1613

They've been 1613 at their best, 46 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

  • rated over 21 contests
  • last seen Aug 28, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
PIGTAILERS BBQ
#1,474 of the rated field
1567 power rating
Contests
24
GCs
1
Top-10s
25%
Peak
1582

Careers of much the same size, 24 contests to 20, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

  • rated over 24 contests
  • last seen May 12, 2023
⚔ Compare careers
SMOKE N' ASH BBQ
#1,463 of the rated field
1567 power rating
Contests
18
GCs
0
Top-10s
33%
Peak
1567

18 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

  • rated over 16 contests
  • last seen Jul 9, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
GAME ON BBQ
#1,468 of the rated field
1567 power rating
Contests
27
GCs
1
Top-10s
15%
Peak
1567

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

  • rated over 26 contests
  • last seen Jun 15, 2018
⚔ Compare careers
BREW-B-Q
#1,466 of the rated field
1567 power rating
Contests
15
GCs
0
Top-10s
47%
Peak
1567

Level with SOUTHERN THUNDER BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

  • rated over 15 contests
  • last seen Sep 2, 2016
⚔ Compare careers
Smokin Reefer BBQ
#1,471 of the rated field
1567 power rating
Contests
27
GCs
1
Top-10s
22%
Peak
1591

Careers of much the same size, 27 contests to 20, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

  • rated over 27 contests
  • last seen Nov 5, 2025
⚔ Compare careers

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

OpponentMeetingsAheadBehindWin rate
MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM 17 3 14 18% ⚔ compare
CHOO CHOO TRAIN BBQ 14 13 1 93% ⚔ compare
UNCULTURED SWINE 13 6 7 46% ⚔ compare
QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N 13 1 12 8% ⚔ compare
DIGGIN QUE-GA 11 7 4 64% ⚔ compare
Bubba Q 11 3 8 27% ⚔ compare
THE PIT CREW GA 11 2 9 18% ⚔ compare
OLD PLANTATION BBQ 11 2 9 18% ⚔ compare
MAJOR Q BBQ 10 7 3 70% ⚔ compare
JACK'S OLD SOUTH 10 2 8 20% ⚔ compare
SWINE AND SHINE BBQ 10 2 8 20% ⚔ compare
CURLY TAILS BBQ 9 4 5 44% ⚔ compare
QUE ON THE HOOCH 8 8 0 100% ⚔ compare
Willingham's 8 7 1 88% ⚔ compare
WeQ4U 8 4 4 50% ⚔ compare

By meat

CategoryEntriesCallsWinsPodiumsBestWorstAverageAvg finish
Chicken 20 8 0 3 176.5600 162.8116 169.78 top 41%
Pork Ribs 20 4 0 2 175.4172 155.9316 167.06 top 45%
Pork 20 5 0 0 171.4056 157.1426 166.66 top 47%
Brisket 20 8 1 4 176.5600 148.5372 167.60 top 43%

“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

FieldContestsGCsAvg finish
Medium (20–39)111top 42%
Large (40+)91top 43%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

WhereContestsGCsAvg finish
GA182top 41%
AR10top 92%
TN10top 20%

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

ContestVisitsBestGCsAvg finishLast visit
Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) 4 1 1 top 23% Aug 26, 2016
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour 2 4 0 top 16% May 22, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 6 contests
Contests a season 4 across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in GA 18 of 20 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited 16 2 of them more than once
First title Aug 23, 2013 Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
Opponents faced 359 finished ahead 460 times, behind 318

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

20171 milestone
  1. Most recent contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
20153 milestones
  1. First category win (Brisket) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
  2. Career-best single call (Chicken)176.5600 Smoke-N-Thunder BBQ Classic Day 1 (GBC Qualifier)
  3. Peak power rating (1574) Smoke-N-Thunder BBQ Classic Day 1 (GBC Qualifier)
20141 milestone
  1. 10th tracked contest Whole Hawg Happenin' (SBBQA)
20138 milestones
  1. First tracked contest Smokin on the River Chattooga's BBQ Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier)
  2. First call Smokin on the River Chattooga's BBQ Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier)
  3. First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.2856 Smokin on the River Chattooga's BBQ Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier)
  4. First overall top-10 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
  5. First overall podium Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
  6. First Grand Championship Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
  7. Biggest field won (54 teams) Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
  8. Career-best overall score690.8000 Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

SwingContestDate
+16.1Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)Aug 23, 2013
+16Smokin on the River (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier)Apr 3, 2014
+12.2Sam's Club National BBQ TourMay 17, 2013
+11.5Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)Sep 13, 2013
+10.7Sam's Club National BBQ TourMay 22, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

SwingContestDate
-12Chattahoochee River BBQ CompetitionJul 24, 2015
-10.2Sam's Club National BBQ Tour ChampionshipOct 18, 2013
-6.7Smoke-N-Thunder BBQ Classic Day 2 (GBC Qualifier)Oct 3, 2015
-4.2Covered Bridge 'Que (GBC Qualifier)Jun 7, 2013
-2.9Smoke-N-Thunder BBQ Classic (SBBQA)Oct 18, 2014

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

SeasonContestsGCsTop-10sCategory winsWalk rateAvg finishBest overall (% of perfect)Avg overall (% of perfect)
20171000 0% top 61% 93.1% 93.1%
20161000 0% top 45% 93.3% 93.3%
20156021 83% top 49% 95.4% 93.1%
20146120 67% top 37% 94.5% 93.5%
20136130 67% top 37% 95.9% 93.1%

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

DateEventOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
Jun 16, 2017 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Alpharetta, GA 17 / 28 (670.1600) 16 (168.5256) 14 (165.6916) 12 (169.7028) 15 (166.2400)
Aug 26, 2016 Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA 17 / 38 (671.8168) 25 (166.2400) 12 (169.6800) 14 (168.5256) 18 (167.3712)
Nov 13, 2015 Smokin' Up The Saddle Club (GBC Qualifier) Chatsworth, GA 27 / 48 (670.1488) 7 (175.4288) 28 (168.5372) 35 (165.6800) 43 (160.5028)
Oct 3, 2015 Smoke-N-Thunder BBQ Classic Day 2 (GBC Qualifier) Rome, GA 31 / 41 (661.5312) 6 (175.4172) 32 (162.7884) 18 (169.1200) 39 (154.2056)
Oct 2, 2015 Smoke-N-Thunder BBQ Classic Day 1 (GBC Qualifier) Rome, GA 18 / 52 (679.9084) 3 (176.5600) 11 (172.5600) 24 (166.8228) 32 (163.9656)
Aug 21, 2015 Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA 9 / 41 (681.0400) 23 (165.0972) 4 (173.1200) 22 (166.8228) 2 (176)
Jul 24, 2015 Chattahoochee River BBQ Competition Carrollton, GA 25 / 28 (641.5660) 17 (169.1316) 28 (155.9316) 14 (167.9656) 27 (148.5372)
May 22, 2015 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Marietta, GA 5 / 29 (686.7428) 7 (170.8228) 3 (175.4172) 19 (163.9428) 1 (176.5600)
Nov 21, 2014 The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA) Cumming, GA 38 / 86 (677.0172) 65 (165.6800) 29 (169.6800) 34 (169.6800) 26 (171.9772)
Oct 18, 2014 Smoke-N-Thunder BBQ Classic (SBBQA) Rome, GA 17 / 27 (667.2568) 11 (171.9656) 12 (169.6800) 22 (161.0856) 18 (164.5256)
Sep 27, 2014 Whole Hawg Happenin' (SBBQA) Marietta, GA 18 / 34 (660.9712) 10 (173.1084) 18 (164.5372) 15 (167.4056) 26 (155.9200)
Aug 22, 2014 Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA 11 / 45 (674.7200) 32 (162.8116) 21 (166.2400) 7 (171.4056) 8 (174.2628)
Jun 6, 2014 Euharlee Covered Bridge 'Que (GBC Qualifier) Eurharlee, GA 10 / 31 (678.1716) 14 (168.5256) 4 (171.4288) 18 (163.9428) 6 (174.2744)
Apr 3, 2014 Smokin on the River (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) Summerville, GA 1 / 30 (680.5028) 3 (173.7028) 12 (163.3828) 7 (167.4172) 3 (176)
Oct 18, 2013 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship Bentonville, AR 46 / 50 (662.7888) 47 (163.9772) 48 (162.8000) 38 (162.2744) 14 (173.7372)
Sep 13, 2013 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Hendersonville, TN 6 / 30 (681.0856) 8 (171.9772) 15 (169.1428) 16 (166.8228) 9 (173.1428)
Aug 23, 2013 Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA 1 / 54 (690.8000) 12 (170.2744) 3 (173.7028) 6 (170.8228) 2 (176)
Jun 7, 2013 Covered Bridge 'Que (GBC Qualifier) Euharlee, GA 25 / 39 (651.4282) 12 (169.7142) 30 (158.2858) 31 (157.1426) 20 (166.2856)
May 17, 2013 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Marietta, GA 4 / 28 (667.9996) 2 (172.5714) 15 (161.7142) 5 (166.8570) 8 (166.8570)
Apr 5, 2013 Smokin on the River Chattooga's BBQ Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier) Summerville, GA 13 / 41 (666.2856) 25 (164) 13 (166.8572) 9 (169.7140) 17 (165.7144)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

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