The heartbreaker
4.5828
points from the title
Came within 4.5828 points of the Grand Championship at 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest (2014-09-19).
PIT ROW BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1495
peak 1516 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ
Contests
38
in the data
First seen
2014-09-19
latest 2020-08-07
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
2
5 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 38 contests
Avg finish
top 58%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
386.51 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 376.18 (+10.34)
Walk rate
21%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±64.14
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.60 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.13)
Road miles
3,997
mi across 38 mapped stops · furthest 197 mi
Schedule strength
34%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1545)
Purse competed for
$32K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
345.77 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
376.18 / 360
6 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
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 (8 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
474.1028
career-best overall
131.7% of a perfect 360
Their best day on record: 474.1028 at Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) — 131.7% of a perfect 360.
- Backyard
- 2020-08-07
Their season
2014
their best year
2014 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 3%.
- 4 contests
- 1 overall top-10s
- 1 category wins
- average top 3%
A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
LEE LA Q ahead in 100% of their meetings
LEE LA Q has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
Chicken nemesis
7 of 7
shared chicken entries lost
LEE LA Q ahead 100% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, LEE LA Q has out-cooked them in 7 of 7 shared chicken entries.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
The Meat Whisperers has landed one call behind them 2 times.
Boom or bust
±25.74%
swing around their own average
Their overall swings ±25.74% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.
- averages 96.4% of a perfect score
- best 131.7%
The long haul
3,997
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,997 miles across 38 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 197 miles to BBQ Throw Down 2014 @ Windcreek.
- 38 mapped stops
- furthest 197 mi
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.
120 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3425 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1510
No shared contest yet.
Fewer contests behind them than PIT ROW BBQ has cooked, 7 to 38, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#3442 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1515
No shared contest yet.
Level with PIT ROW BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#3439 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1519
No shared contest yet.
Fewer contests behind them than PIT ROW BBQ has cooked, 7 to 38, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#3419 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1495
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 5 years before PIT ROW BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#3408 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1518
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 5 years before PIT ROW BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#3412 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 6 years before PIT ROW BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thin Blue Swine | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| REDBONES BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RIBLIFE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 176.5600 | 146.7656 | 165.60 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 174.2628 | 144.5256 | 163.13 | top 50% |
| Pork | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 172.0000 | 156.5028 | 163.96 | top 52% |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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 contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 67% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 3% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 20 | 0 | top 98% | 2020-08-07 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
5.9 yrs
2014-09-19 → 2020-08-07
Busiest season
2015
8 contests
Contests a season
4.8
across 8 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
AL
23 of 38 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
6
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
13 entries · 1 win · 5 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 165.60 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.13)
Walk rate
21%
a top-10 call in 8 of 38 contests
Overall top-10 rate
8%
3 of 38 contests
Master average
345.77
out of 720 · 1 contest · 0 GCs
Backyard average
376.18
out of 360 · 6 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
250
220–114 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
3,997
38 mapped stops · furthest 197 mi
Schedule strength
1545
average field rating faced — tougher than 34% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$31,850
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 3 state-championship entries
Power rating
1495
peak 1516 · #3426 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash
- 2014
- First overall top-10 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest
- First overall podium 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest
- First Reserve Championship 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest
- Peak power rating (1516) 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest
- First call Jack Daniel's World Championship Backyard Contest (BACKYARD)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Jack Daniel's World Championship Backyard Contest (BACKYARD)
- 2015
- 10th tracked contest High on the Hog Festival
- 2016
- Career-best single call (Chicken)176.5600 Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD)
- 2017
- 25th tracked contest *Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-off
- 2019
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score324.4916 Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY)
- 2020
- Career-best overall score474.1028 Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.1 | 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest | 2014-09-19 |
| +10.5 | COTR BBQ | 2019-12-06 |
| +9.6 | RiverFest | 2019-09-13 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.7 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2019-08-09 |
| -12.5 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2020-08-07 |
| -7.5 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) | 2019-11-22 |
| -7 | Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY) | 2019-03-08 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 131.7% | 131.7% |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40% | top 61% | 127.4% | 99.1% |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | — | — | — |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17% | — | — | — |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17% | — | — | — |
| 2015 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25% | — | — | — |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25% | top 3% | 48% | 48% |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-07 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL | 20 / 21 (474.1028) | 13 (148.5484) | 14 (144.5256) | 16 (156.5028) | — |
| 2019-12-06 | COTR BBQ 🏅 Demopolis, AL | 7 / 25 (336.5028) | 11 (166.2400) | 3 (170.2628) | — | — |
| 2019-11-22 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 16 / 20 (325.0516) | 15 (166.2516) | 16 (158.8000) | — | — |
| 2019-09-13 | RiverFest 🏅 Decatur, AL | 10 / 37 (338.2744) | 8 (170.8572) | 15 (167.4172) | — | — |
| 2019-08-09 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL | 26 / 26 (458.6396) | 26 (146.7656) | 23 (155.3712) | 25 (156.5028) | — |
| 2019-03-08 | Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY) Harselle, AL | 24 / 34 (324.4916) | 26 (161.0972) | 22 (163.3944) | — | — |
| 2018-11-30 | *Christmas on the River Demoplis, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018-10-26 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD) (JUDGES FULL) Lynchburg, TN | — | 4 (173.1200) | 33 (160.5144) | 35 (160.5028) | — |
| 2018-09-14 | *Riverfest BBQ and Music Festival Decatur, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018-07-27 | *Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-off Hartselle, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017-12-01 | *Christmas on the River Demopolis, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017-10-27 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD) Lynchburg, TN | — | 11 (169.6800) | 10 (168.0000) | 8 (169.7028) | — |
| 2017-09-15 | Big Brother Big Sister Riverfest Decatur, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017-07-28 | *Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-off Hartselle, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017-04-21 | High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017-02-24 | *Bud & BBQ (JUDGING IS FULL) Meridian, MS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016-12-02 | *Christmas on the River Demopolis, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016-10-21 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD) Lynchburg, TN | — | 3 (176.5600) | 37 (152.5260) | 3 (172.0000) | — |
| 2016-07-29 | Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off Hartselle, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016-05-27 | Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cookoff Lewisburg, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016-04-15 | High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016-04-08 | Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015-12-04 | * Christmas on the River State Championship BBQ 🏅 Demopolis, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015-10-23 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD - JUDGES FULL) Lynchburg, TN | — | 13 (170.8456) | 5 (172.5944) | 17 (166.2400) | — |
| 2015-09-11 | Decatur Jaycee's 21st Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015-05-22 | Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff Lewisburg, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015-05-15 | Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cookoff Hartselle, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015-04-24 | Backyard BBQ Brawl (Competitor's Series) Murfreesboro, TN | — | 1 (174.8572) | 5 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2015-04-17 | High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015-04-10 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014-10-24 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Backyard Contest (BACKYARD) Lynchburg, TN | — | 7 (172.5716) | 1 (174.2628) | 16 (166.2516) | — |
| 2014-09-19 | 20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest Decatur, AL | 2 / 75 (345.7716) | — | — | — | — |
| 2014-05-24 | Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ CookOff Lewisburg, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014-03-27 | BBQ Throw Down 2014 @ Windcreek Atmore, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013-10-11 | Cullman Oktoberfest BBQ Challenge Cullman, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013-09-13 | Decatur Jaycees 19th Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013-08-16 | Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013-07-26 | Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash Cleveland, TN | — | — | — | — | — |