They almost always walk
87%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 13 of 15 contests
A top-10 category call in 87% of their 15 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
Panther BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1520
peak 1536 · rated over 15 contests ⓘ
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
15
in the data
First seen
2022-09-03
latest 2026-05-30
Best ToY finish
#346
Master 2025
Grand champs
1
0 reserve
Category wins
1
9 podiums
Overall top-10s
8
of 15 contests
Avg finish
top 43%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
676.06 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 668.41 (+7.65)
Walk rate
87%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±14.06
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 170.41 · weakest Brisket (161.38)
Road miles
3,287
mi across 15 mapped stops · furthest 757 mi
Schedule strength
24%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1532)
Purse competed for
$20K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 1 state-championship entries
Master avg
668.41 / 720
13 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
335.96 / 360
2 Backyard contests · 1 GC
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Storylines (14 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
High-water mark
685.7032
career-best overall
95.2% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 685.7032 at Big Smoke Bonnyville — 95.2% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2025-09-06
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Kreiser Barbecue has finished one call ahead of Panther BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2023
1 Grand Championship
2023 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 32%.
- 3 contests
- 2 overall top-10s
- 1 category wins
- average top 32%
A tough matchup
11–0
behind in the head-to-head
SMELLAQUE ahead in 100% of their meetings
SMELLAQUE has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.
The weak link
−9.0
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.02 points below their pork, and turns into a call 23% of the time against 62%.
- Brisket avg 161.38
- Pork avg 170.41
- 3 calls in 13 entries
The drought
13
contests since the last title
Their last Grand Championship came at Smoke, Wind & Fire (Backyard) on 2023-07-20 — 13 contests and 3.1 years ago.
- last GC 2023-07-20
- 3.1 years ago
A strong matchup
9–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 90% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Mark's Meats and Treats in 9 of their 10 shared contests.
Pork nemesis
9 of 9
shared pork entries lost
Q Cartel ahead 100% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Q Cartel has out-cooked them in 9 of 9 shared pork entries.
Announced themselves early
5th
at their very first contest
Finished 5 of 36 at their very first tracked contest, Barbeque on the Bow (2022-09-03).
- 2022-09-03
- 36-team field
Looking over their shoulder
3×
one call behind them
Homestead Smoke Shack has landed one call behind them 3 times.
An August team
Top 22%
average finish in August
Something about August: average finish in the top 22% across 3 contests, versus top 43% the rest of the year.
- 3 August contests
- top 43% the rest of the year
The long haul
3,287
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,287 miles across 15 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 757 miles to BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay.
- 15 mapped stops
- furthest 757 mi
The metronome
±1.87%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.87% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 92.9% of a perfect score
- 15 contests
Teams like this (closest power rating)
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.
80 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2499 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1544
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Panther BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#2484 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1520
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#2489 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 12%
- Peak
- 1522
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2491 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1528
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 11 contests, alongside a 18% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#2487 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1520
No shared contest yet.
Level with Panther BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#2492 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1531
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Panther BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROKER Q | 12 | 7 | 5 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| SMELLAQUE | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Mark's Meats and Treats | 10 | 9 | 1 | 90% | ⚔ compare |
| MOTLEY QUE | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| HOME COOKIN' BBQ | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Kreiser Barbecue | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Rack Addicts BBQ Team | 9 | 8 | 1 | 89% | ⚔ compare |
| Homestead Smoke Shack | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Fire BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' OUTLAWS | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Q Cartel | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Brisket Butts | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Mc Que It | 8 | 6 | 1 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| DIDY SMOKE IT | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 15 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 175.4056 | 157.6684 | 167.41 | top 50% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 174.8572 | 155.3944 | 169.13 | top 35% |
| Pork | 13 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 174.8456 | 164.5256 | 170.41 | top 37% |
| Brisket | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 175.4172 | 139.3944 | 161.38 | top 61% |
“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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | 14 | 1 | top 43% |
| OR | 1 | 0 | top 52% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 1 | top 33% |
| Medium (20–39) | 10 | 0 | top 46% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 55% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Town Smoke Down | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 52% | 2026-05-30 |
| Barbeque on the Bow Festival | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 33% | 2025-08-30 |
| Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | 2 | 20 | 0 | top 67% | 2025-05-24 |
| Didsbury Lions BBQ | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 44% | 2024-07-27 |
The story so far (20 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3.7 yrs
2022-09-03 → 2026-05-30
Busiest season
2025
5 contests
Contests a season
3
across 5 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
AB
14 of 15 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
9
4 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
15 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 170.41 · weakest Brisket (161.38)
Walk rate
87%
a top-10 call in 13 of 15 contests
Overall top-10 rate
53%
8 of 15 contests
Wins it all
7%
1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve
First title
2023-07-20
Smoke, Wind & Fire (Backyard)
Best top-10 run
4
straight contests
Master average
668.41
out of 720 · 13 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
335.96
out of 360 · 2 contests · 1 GC
Opponents faced
169
213–214 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
3,287
15 mapped stops · furthest 757 mi
Schedule strength
1532
average field rating faced — tougher than 24% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$19,500
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 1 state-championship entries
Power rating
1520
peak 1536 · #2488 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2022
- First tracked contest Barbeque on the Bow
- First call Barbeque on the Bow
- First overall top-10 Barbeque on the Bow
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score331.9428 Barbeque on the Bow
- 2023
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Smoke, Wind & Fire (Backyard)
- First overall podium Smoke, Wind & Fire (Backyard)
- First Grand Championship Smoke, Wind & Fire (Backyard)
- Peak power rating (1536) Didsbury Lions BBQ
- 2025
- 10th tracked contest Small Town Smoke Down
- Career-best single call (Brisket)175.4172 Barbeque on the Bow Festival
- Career-best overall score685.7032 Big Smoke Bonnyville
- 2026
- Most recent contest Small Town Smoke Down
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.6 | Smoke, Wind & Fire (Backyard) | 2023-07-20 |
| +10.8 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival | 2024-08-31 |
| +10.5 | Barbeque on the Bow | 2022-09-03 |
| +9.7 | Didsbury Lions BBQ | 2023-08-05 |
| +5.9 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival | 2025-08-30 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.3 | Small Town Smoke Down | 2024-06-08 |
| -10.7 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | 2025-05-24 |
| -6.6 | Big Smoke Bonnyville | 2025-09-06 |
| -6.2 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival | 2023-09-02 |
| -3.6 | Didsbury Lions BBQ | 2024-07-27 |
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 49% | 94.1% | 93.9% |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 100% | top 46% | 95.2% | 92.5% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 54% | 95.2% | 92.3% |
| 2023 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 100% | top 32% | 94.4% | 93.3% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 14% | 92.2% | 92.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-30 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 11 / 24 (674.8112) | 15 (167.9772) | 19 (164.5484) | 9 (173.7028) | 5 (168.5828) |
| 2026-05-23 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR | 17 / 33 (677.5996) | 6 (175.4056) | 21 (169.1084) | 8 (174.8456) | 28 (158.2400) |
| 2025-10-11 | Bean Town BBQ Cookoff Bow Island, AB | 7 / 15 (660.5372) | 9 (165.6800) | 2 (171.4400) | 5 (166.8456) | 11 (156.5716) |
| 2025-09-06 | Big Smoke Bonnyville Bonnyville, AB | 7 / 15 (685.7032) | 2 (174.2856) | 4 (173.7144) | 2 (173.7372) | 11 (163.9660) |
| 2025-08-30 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 8 / 38 (681.6572) | 19 (168.5600) | 4 (173.1544) | 30 (164.5256) | 2 (175.4172) |
| 2025-05-31 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 8 / 25 (169.6800) | 16 (166.8340) | 8 (173.7028) | 5 (174.8456) | 17 (162.2628) |
| 2025-05-24 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 28 / 34 (636.9944) | 28 (159.3828) | 29 (155.3944) | 10 (167.9656) | 29 (154.2516) |
| 2024-08-31 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 8 / 35 (685.1088) | 12 (171.4172) | 9 (172.5828) | 13 (170.2628) | 13 (170.8460) |
| 2024-07-27 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 18 / 28 (662.8000) | 15 (166.2856) | 22 (162.2628) | 18 (166.2744) | 12 (167.9772) |
| 2024-06-08 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 21 / 27 (652.4340) | 23 (157.6684) | 4 (172.5600) | 18 (166.2628) | 24 (155.9428) |
| 2024-05-25 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 20 / 39 (658.2400) | 35 (159.9428) | 15 (166.2972) | 19 (167.4400) | 20 (164.5600) |
| 2023-09-02 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 22 / 40 (658.8000) | 13 (170.2856) | 4 (174.8572) | 7 (174.2628) | 40 (139.3944) |
| 2023-08-05 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 4 / 17 (677.0624) | 9 (169.1084) | 3 (173.7028) | 2 (174.2972) | 10 (159.9540) |
| 2023-07-20 | Smoke, Wind & Fire (Backyard) Raymond, AB | 1 / 6 (339.9772) | 3 (167.9772) | 1 (172.0000) | — | — |
| 2022-09-03 | Barbeque on the Bow Calgary, AB | 5 / 36 (331.9428) | 3 (170.2856) | 5 (161.6572) | — | — |
Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #584 (217 pts) | #564 (272 pts) | #785 (157 pts) | #522 (287 pts) | #584 (232 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #346 (624 pts) | #380 (609 pts) | #306 (844 pts) | #299 (774 pts) | #360 (629 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #562 (312 pts) | #700 (247 pts) | #517 (457 pts) | #610 (297 pts) | #658 (262 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #209 (206 pts) | #181 (256 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #609 (267 pts) | #695 (247 pts) | #527 (427 pts) | #501 (407 pts) | #836 (177 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #169 (208 pts) | #222 (158 pts) | — | — |