Perfect scores on the board
3 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
- Chicken ×2
- Pork ×1
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
3 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
Took the Grand Championship over a 40-team field at The Desoto Shrine Club 5th Annual 2013 BBQ Cookoff.
Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass is their spot: an average finish in the top 17% across 3 visits.
They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at The Desoto Shrine Club 8th Annual BBQ Cook Off (2016-06-17).
A call in 32 of 45 contests
A top-10 category call in 71% of their 45 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
97.1% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 699.4172 at The Desoto Shrine Club 8th Annual BBQ Cook Off — 97.1% of a perfect 720.
HOTTY TOTTY BBQ CREW has finished one call ahead of BAR-B-Q 101 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Under the Radar ahead in 96% of their meetings
Under the Radar has come out ahead in 23 of their 24 shared contests.
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.66 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 18% of the time against 31%.
Their last Grand Championship came at The Desoto Shrine Club 5th Annual 2013 BBQ Cookoff on 2013-06-14 — 44 contests and 13.2 years ago.
Ahead in 84% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of PARADISE QUE in 16 of their 19 shared contests.
Off the trail for 2.9 years, then back at Sevierville's Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Festival (2022-05-20).
Under the Radar ahead 79% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Under the Radar has out-cooked them in 19 of 24 shared chicken entries.
Finished 1 of 40 at their very first tracked contest, The Desoto Shrine Club 5th Annual 2013 BBQ Cookoff (2013-06-14).
KNOXVEGAS BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.
Something about May: average finish in the top 37% across 9 contests, versus top 51% the rest of the year.
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 7,117 miles across 45 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 574 miles to 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational.
Their overall lands within ±2.24% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
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.
53 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BAR-B-Q 101 has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-headThis is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir last contest in the data was back in 2018, 4 years before BAR-B-Q 101's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headCareers of much the same size, 46 contests to 45, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head38 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 24% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-headThey turned up 9 years after BAR-B-Q 101 did, first appearing in 2022.
⚔ Head-to-head| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKE ON THIS | 25 | 7 | 18 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| Under the Radar | 24 | 1 | 23 | 4% | ⚔ compare |
| Organizer Portal | 23 | 2 | 21 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES | 21 | 9 | 12 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS | 21 | 7 | 14 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SOGGY BOTTOM SMOKERS | 20 | 4 | 16 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| PARADISE QUE | 19 | 16 | 3 | 84% | ⚔ compare |
| THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW | 19 | 5 | 14 | 26% | ⚔ compare |
| Sons of Smoke | 18 | 9 | 9 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| South Pork | 18 | 6 | 12 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SWIGGIN PIG | 18 | 5 | 13 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| CONTAGIOUS Q | 18 | 4 | 14 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT COLE'S BBQ | 18 | 3 | 15 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ | 17 | 6 | 11 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| CAUGHT BY THE FIRE | 15 | 14 | 1 | 93% | ⚔ compare |
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 45 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 180.0000 🔥 | 158.2400 | 170.78 | top 42% |
| Pork Ribs | 45 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 179.4400 | 157.1312 | 168.90 | top 44% |
| Pork | 45 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 180.0000 🔥 | 153.0628 | 167.59 | top 51% |
| Brisket | 45 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 177.1428 | 140.5372 | 164.12 | top 59% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TN | 28 | 0 | top 52% |
| MS | 7 | 1 | top 36% |
| NC | 4 | 0 | top 62% |
| GA | 3 | 0 | top 61% |
| KY | 1 | 0 | top 68% |
| AL | 1 | 0 | top 13% |
| MO | 1 | 0 | top 91% |
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 25 | 0 | top 59% |
| Large (40+) | 20 | 1 | top 41% |
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High on the Hog Festival | 4 | 13 | 0 | top 56% | 2019-04-19 |
| Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-off & Cruise In | 3 | 17 | 0 | top 64% | 2019-07-12 |
| Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 17% | 2019-05-17 |
| Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show | 3 | 14 | 0 | top 59% | 2018-08-10 |
| Blount County BBQ Bash | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 44% | 2019-06-21 |
| Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off | 2 | 25 | 0 | top 66% | 2018-06-15 |
| Bar-B-Cure | 2 | 19 | 0 | top 68% | 2016-11-18 |
| Tony Stone-Cookeville Cookoff | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 62% | 2015-09-11 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.5 | The Desoto Shrine Club 5th Annual 2013 BBQ Cookoff | 2013-06-14 |
| +15.4 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass | 2019-05-17 |
| +15.2 | Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-Off & Cruise In Day 2 | 2018-07-14 |
| +14.2 | Mid-South Barbecue Festival | 2014-10-17 |
| +13.9 | The Desoto Shrine Club 8th Annual BBQ Cook Off | 2016-06-17 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.6 | Smokin in McMinnville | 2017-08-11 |
| -10 | The Tony Stone Cookeville Cookoff | 2016-09-09 |
| -10 | Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show | 2015-08-07 |
| -9 | Sevierville's Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Festival | 2022-05-20 |
| -8.1 | Tony Stone-Cookeville Cookoff | 2014-09-05 |
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 80% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 43% | 95.8% | 93.9% |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 67% | top 37% | 96.9% | 94.6% |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 63% | top 66% | 95% | 92.4% |
| 2016 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 56% | top 54% | 97.1% | 93.2% |
| 2015 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 78% | top 47% | 95.8% | 93.5% |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 100% | top 49% | 96.7% | 93.4% |
| 2013 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33% | top 51% | 96.7% | 91.7% |
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-20 | Sevierville's Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Sevierville, TN | 24 / 30 (654.6628) | 8 (173.7028) | 28 (159.3600) | 27 (162.8000) | 24 (158.8000) |
| 2019-07-12 | Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-off & Cruise In 🏅 Jamestown, TN | 17 / 29 (668.4688) | 15 (170.8344) | 7 (174.2628) | 19 (167.3828) | 27 (155.9888) |
| 2019-06-21 | Blount County BBQ Bash 🏅 Maryville, TN | 14 / 27 (670.7428) | 14 (167.3944) | 13 (166.8228) | 18 (163.9656) | 5 (172.5600) |
| 2019-05-17 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass 🏅 Sevierville, TN | 3 / 43 (689.7032) | 24 (166.3088) | 3 (178.2972) | 2 (175.4172) | 14 (169.6800) |
| 2019-04-19 | High on the Hog Festival 🏅 Winchester, TN | 22 / 39 (674.2056) | 16 (171.4400) | 29 (162.8000) | 24 (166.8228) | 9 (173.1428) |
| 2018-08-10 | Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show Franklin, NC | 14 / 51 (680.5256) | 5 (174.8572) | 32 (165.7028) | 17 (167.4172) | 10 (172.5484) |
| 2018-07-14 | Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-Off & Cruise In Day 2 Jamestown, TN | 8 / 32 (697.6688) | 11 (176.5716) | 12 (174.2744) | 11 (173.7028) | 8 (173.1200) |
| 2018-07-13 | Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-Off & Cruise In Day 1 Jamestown, TN | 14 / 40 (684.4916) | 12 (176.5600) | 22 (166.2860) | 11 (171.9772) | 21 (169.6684) |
| 2018-06-15 | Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off Hernado, MS | 32 / 45 (657.5312) | 41 (158.2400) | 25 (167.9656) | 33 (163.9428) | 24 (167.3828) |
| 2018-05-18 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN | 10 / 43 (685.0396) | 24 (165.6684) | 4 (173.1200) | 15 (169.1084) | 3 (177.1428) |
| 2018-04-27 | *BBQ Boogie & Blues Calhoun, GA | 11 / 28 (680.5144) | 1 (177.7028) | 19 (166.8228) | 17 (166.8572) | 13 (169.1316) |
| 2017-09-08 | Tony Stone-Cookeville Cook-off Cookeville, TN | 25 / 34 (659.8168) | 21 (168.5140) | 8 (171.4172) | 34 (153.0628) | 17 (166.8228) |
| 2017-08-11 | Smokin in McMinnville McMinnville, TN | 33 / 35 (634.0796) | 26 (167.3828) | 29 (165.1200) | 32 (160.4796) | 35 (141.0972) |
| 2017-07-09 | Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-off & Cruise In (Day 2) Jamestown, TN | 26 / 30 (666.1372) | 22 (169.6800) | 15 (168.5600) | 19 (169.6800) | 30 (158.2172) |
| 2017-07-08 | Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-Off & Cruise In (DAY 1) Jamestown, TN | 17 / 36 (683.9084) | 24 (169.6684) | 10 (173.1544) | 2 (175.4172) | 25 (165.6684) |
| 2017-06-16 | Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival Barbourville, KY | 21 / 31 (660.4456) | 1 (178.2972) | 26 (159.9544) | 18 (164.5256) | 25 (157.6684) |
| 2017-06-16 | Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off Nesbit, MS | 25 / 41 (669.5884) | 23 (169.1200) | 1 (179.4400) | 35 (160.5256) | 31 (160.5028) |
| 2017-05-19 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN | 10 / 49 (683.3716) | 19 (169.1200) | 2 (176.5716) | 7 (173.1428) | 33 (164.5372) |
| 2017-04-21 | High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN | 30 / 41 (665.5996) | 28 (167.4056) | 21 (167.4400) | 20 (170.2512) | 33 (160.5028) |
| 2016-11-18 | Bar-B-Cure Knoxville, TN | 19 / 29 (668.4572) | 13 (173.1200) | 24 (162.2400) | 13 (169.1200) | 21 (163.9772) |
| 2016-09-09 | The Tony Stone Cookeville Cookoff Cookeville, TN | 25 / 30 (660.4228) | 23 (163.4172) | 12 (170.8344) | 23 (165.6684) | 28 (160.5028) |
| 2016-08-12 | Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show Franklin, NC | 23 / 34 (654.6968) | 19 (167.9772) | 32 (158.2512) | 16 (168.5256) | 23 (159.9428) |
| 2016-07-22 | WNC BBQ Festival- Maggie Valley, NC | 34 / 49 (663.9084) | 19 (169.7144) | 15 (170.2856) | 31 (165.1200) | 41 (158.7884) |
| 2016-07-08 | Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-off and Cruise In Jamestown, TN | 12 / 22 (673.6344) | 4 (176.5600) | 9 (170.8344) | 15 (166.2744) | 16 (159.9656) |
| 2016-06-17 | The Desoto Shrine Club 8th Annual BBQ Cook Off Hernando, MS | 4 / 41 (699.4172) | 1 (180.0000) | 1 (178.2972) | 20 (169.1428) | 13 (171.9772) |
| 2016-05-20 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN | 24 / 46 (674.1712) | 23 (169.7028) | 8 (174.2744) | 35 (164.5256) | 29 (165.6684) |
| 2016-05-06 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL | 9 / 67 (683.3604) | 23 (170.2744) | 1 (177.7144) | 18 (168.5372) | 29 (166.8344) |
| 2016-04-15 | High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN | 40 / 56 (664.4684) | 7 (176.0000) | 50 (159.9772) | 33 (167.9656) | 48 (160.5256) |
| 2015-11-20 | Bar-B-Cure Knoxville, TN | 25 / 35 (648.3768) | 23 (166.2628) | 14 (167.3944) | 24 (162.7768) | 27 (151.9428) |
| 2015-09-11 | Tony Stone-Cookeville Cookoff Cookeville, TN | 14 / 31 (683.3372) | 2 (177.7144) | 21 (167.9772) | 23 (164.5256) | 11 (173.1200) |
| 2015-08-07 | Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show Franklin, NC | 30 / 36 (654.8004) | 5 (174.2628) | 30 (160.5716) | 26 (164.5256) | 35 (155.4404) |
| 2015-07-24 | Chattahoochee River BBQ Competition Carrollton, GA | 21 / 28 (654.7200) | 19 (166.2400) | 18 (162.2744) | 19 (164.5256) | 19 (161.6800) |
| 2015-06-26 | Blount County BBQ Bash Maryville, TN | 14 / 38 (674.1600) | 21 (166.8344) | 9 (169.1200) | 6 (174.2628) | 26 (163.9428) |
| 2015-06-19 | Desoto Shrine Club 7th Annual 2015 BBQ Cook Off Hernando, MS | 8 / 37 (685.0512) | 7 (173.1428) | 15 (169.1200) | 6 (171.9656) | 11 (170.8228) |
| 2015-05-29 | The Rotary Club of Bearden - Que Fest Knoxville, TN | 18 / 39 (686.2288) | 22 (170.8344) | 26 (166.2744) | 6 (176.0000) | 15 (173.1200) |
| 2015-05-15 | Sevierville Bloomin' BBQ and Bluegrass Festival Sevierville, TN | 10 / 44 (689.6228) | 14 (171.9772) | 4 (174.8572) | 3 (174.2628) | 25 (168.5256) |
| 2015-04-17 | High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN | 13 / 59 (684.5028) | 42 (167.3828) | 8 (175.4172) | 12 (173.1200) | 26 (168.5828) |
| 2014-11-14 | Smokin' Up The Saddle Club (SBBQA) Chatsworth, GA | 23 / 34 (668.4340) | 2 (180.0000) | 30 (163.3828) | 15 (169.6684) | 32 (155.3828) |
| 2014-10-17 | Mid-South Barbecue Festival Mount Pleasant, TN | 4 / 35 (696.0344) | 6 (176.5828) | 4 (174.8572) | 10 (171.4516) | 9 (173.1428) |
| 2014-09-05 | Tony Stone-Cookeville Cookoff Cookeville, TN | 32 / 41 (655.2340) | 38 (159.9312) | 6 (173.1200) | 1 (180.0000) | 40 (142.1828) |
| 2014-06-20 | The Desoto Shrine Club 6th Annual 2014 BBQ Cook Off Hernando, MS | 9 / 49 (686.7656) | 21 (169.1200) | 8 (174.2628) | 27 (166.8228) | 9 (176.5600) |
| 2014-05-09 | Mississippi Springfest Ashland, MS | 16 / 23 (654.7312) | 5 (171.4056) | 20 (157.1312) | 21 (157.6572) | 11 (168.5372) |
| 2013-10-25 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 57 / 97 (655.3600) | 54 (164.5600) | 24 (170.8572) | 82 (153.6800) | 42 (166.2628) |
| 2013-10-03 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational unrated Kansas City, MO | 159 / 174 (629.1660) | 81 (166.8572) | 104 (161.7144) | 129 (160.0572) | 173 (140.5372) |
| 2013-06-14 | The Desoto Shrine Club 5th Annual 2013 BBQ Cookoff Hernando, MS | 1 / 40 (696.5712) | 1 (176.5714) | 7 (172.0000) | 7 (174.8572) | 7 (173.1426) |
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #640 (511 pts) | #838 (381 pts) | #613 (566 pts) | #675 (496 pts) | #686 (491 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #512 (700 pts) | #430 (840 pts) | #592 (610 pts) | #602 (620 pts) | #473 (780 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #693 (545 pts) | #568 (705 pts) | #460 (850 pts) | #490 (805 pts) | #855 (450 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #600 (650 pts) | #465 (860 pts) | #403 (980 pts) | #617 (655 pts) | #735 (530 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #491 (769 pts) | #415 (924 pts) | #408 (909 pts) | #366 (984 pts) | #611 (619 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #935 (345 pts) | #749 (500 pts) | #810 (450 pts) | #708 (535 pts) | #1163 (270 pts) |